RIG R5 Spear MAX HD Review: A customizable gaming headset

When you think of a gaming headset, you probably think of RGB lights, a stuck-on microphone, and mediocre sound quality. This gaming headset, the RIG R5 MAX HD, promises a different experience. With a customizable design and high-quality audio promised through its GrapheneQ™ drivers and included DAC, the R5 MAX HD aims to stand out from the pack. We tested it in our lab to see how it holds up.

What’s it like to use the RIG R5 MAX HD?

The RIG R5 MAX HD is well built, despite being made of mostly plastic. The housing has a solid feel, and the headband slider has dampening and feels good to adjust. Wearing the RIG R5 MAX HD, the combination fabric and pleather pads are nice and deep. I am able to wear them for over 8 hours before getting uncomfortable.

One thing that sets the RIG R5 MAX HD apart from other gaming headsets is the SNAP+LOCK system. This system allows you to easily customize the build of the headset. For example, you can swap the microphone position from the left to the right earcup, or remove it entirely. Using the SNAP+LOCK system, you can also customize the exterior plates of the headset. The plates snap on easily and self-align with magnets. To my surprise, there is no give to the housing despite being snapped on.

My only gripe with the SNAP+LOCK system is that the proprietary microphone connection has the cable soldered in. A standard 3.5mm port would have fit easily in the SNAP+LOCK housing, but instead, you must go back to RIG to obtain a replacement cable if something happens to yours.

RIG has stated plans to add more SNAP+LOCK supported accessories in the future, such as a broadcast microphone, enhanced isolation earcups, and various other add-ons. As those products are released, we’ll come back and update this review accordingly.

How do you control the RIG R5 MAX HD?

Since the RIG R5 MAX HD is completely analog, you don’t need to download any companion app to control the headset–just plug and play. That said, the headset does have a Dolby-enabled DAC that gives you access to Dolby audio, which lets you adjust the sound of the R5 MAX HD through the Dolby Access app.

There are a few physical controls on the headset to control onboard playback. On the SNAP+LOCK module with the microphone, there’s an inline volume slider that adjusts the headset volume. To mute the microphone, you can simply bring the boom mic into the upright position, which is convenient. There is some resistance before it snaps into place, confirming that the headset is muted.

How do you connect the RIG R5 MAX HD?

The headset is designed to work across multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and mobile devices. It connects via a standard 3.5mm aux jack, either directly through the headset cable or through the included USB-C DAC. The included DAC features a 3.5mm output, 3.5mm input, and a USB-C passthrough port for charging when used with a smartphone or Nintendo Switch. While the port flexibility is nice, the large size of the DAC can be a bit distracting while gaming. The R5 MAX HD doesn’t support wireless playback, though you could pick up a Bluetooth DAC if that’s something you are interested in.

The DAC can decode up to 32-bit / 384kHz audio, which is far beyond the audio fidelity most gamers require. For reference, CD-quality is only 16-bit / 44.1 kHz. In practice, most people won’t notice the higher audio fidelity from the DAC, but at the very least, the DAC is great for devices with USB-C connections, as it allows you to plug in the headset while still keeping a USB-C charging port and 3.5mm aux port free. The DAC also enables support for Dolby Atmos 3D audio rendering when connected to a Windows computer, which can significantly improve the audio experience while gaming (more on that below).

How well does the RIG R5 MAX HD attenuate noise?

The RIG R5 MAX HD doesn’t have active noise cancellation, as it’s completely analog. That said, the earcups provide some passive noise isolation, blocking around 60% of ambient noise, according to our testing. In my experience, I find the headset slightly muffles most office sounds, such as the clacking of keyboards and talks at the snack bar. When bringing it out on a commute, it does take the edge off the screeching of trains and wailing of babies. I was still able to hear sounds around me, but with music playing, most of the noise can get drowned out.

How does the RIG R5 MAX HD sound?

RIG partnered with Ora to bring GrapheneQ™ driver technology to the R5 MAX HD. These graphene drivers promise lower distortion and a fuller sound compared to the standard dynamic driver units found in most other gaming headsets. In practice, I found the RIG R5 MAX HD sounds decent for general gaming and casual listening. The included license for the Dolby Access app provides an immersive listening experience that is worth trying out.

How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?

The chart below shows how the sound of the RIG R5 MAX HD was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics. The algorithm uses a mountain of data from real people to predict how a group of 200 or so humans would rate the sound of a RIG R5 MAX HD for music listening on a scale from 1.0 (very bad) to 5.0 (very good), and return a mean opinion score.

The RIG R5 MAX HD generally falls in line with the expected MDAQS scores for a gaming headset. This testing methodology is based on music listening and not gaming, but it can still provide some insight into how a group of people would rate the sound quality. The RIG R5 MAX HD scores a 3.2 in Timbre, a 4.2 in Distortion, a 4.1 in Immersiveness, and an Overall sound quality score of 3.7 on a scale from 1-5. Compared to other gaming headsets we’ve tested, the Timbre score is a bit lower, while the Distortion scores and Immersiveness scores are a bit higher.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Objective Measurements

In our frequency response measurements, we can see that there are some deviations from our SoundGuys Preference curve, which is to be expected since this headset is designed for gaming and not just music listening. The upper bass and lower mids are de-emphasized, explaining why some vocals can get drowned out in busy tracks. The treble has a deep dip from 3kHz to 6kHz, which affects the intelligibility of vocals and some of the punch that comes with transients.

Since the RIG R5 MAX HD uses graphene drivers by Ora’s patented GrapheneQ™ technology, the harmonic distortion of the RIG R5 MAX HD is said to be below 0.3%. This matches up with our test results. In our THD measurements above, we see that the THD level of this headset generally stays below 0.1%. This also aligns with our MDAQS distortion score results. In practice, this means that you shouldn’t hear any noticeable distortion when using this headset.

How good is the RIG R5 MAX HD’s microphone?

The RIG R5 MAX HD microphone does a good job of reproducing voices accurately, though it will pick up background noise easily. Since this is an analog headset, it doesn’t benefit from any active noise cancellation technology in the microphone to block out noises around you. If you are gaming in a quiet environment, you won’t run into any issues, but if you like to game in your living room and have noisy roommates, this might not be ideal. Take a listen to our standardized microphone tests below and let us know what you think.

RIG R5 MAX HD microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

RIG R5 MAX HD microphone demo (Office conditions):

RIG R5 MAX HD microphone demo (Reverberant space):

Should you buy the RIG R5 MAX HD?

While wired headsets often have fewer features and customization options than their wireless counterparts, the RIG R5 MAX HD has a few tricks up its sleeve. The SNAP+LOCK system makes customizing the build of the headset easy, while the DAC provides flexible listening options. The included Dolby Access support also provides a step-up in sound quality that many gamers might enjoy.

That said, at $150, the RIG R5 MAX HD is an expensive wired headset that will not appeal to everybody. If you are a serious gamer looking for a wired headset that you can customize to your liking, the R5 MAX HD is worth considering, but others may find more value with features like wireless support and active noise canceling elsewhere.

RIG R5 MAX HD review: FAQs