Plantronics RIG 500HS – Hardware Review
Most headsets that have passed our revue are often quite sturdy looking and perhaps a bit on the heavy side, which does have a certain appeal. Nonetheless, there are many alternatives for those who’d rather have something more low profile, lighter or just something that has a totally different style. Today we are able to present you with our opinion of Plantronics’ RIG 500HS for PlayStation 4, which trims down its weight and size, but does not downsize when it comes to design and appeal.
Design
Right off the bat it’s clear that the creators of the RIG 500HS wanted to make something that was not only light, but also looked great and different from many of the products on the market. Even though the headband is clearly made out of a massive piece of plastic, it has been fine-tuned to give a rather sleek and light appearance, thanks to the many holes incorporated in the design to make it ‘airier’. Inside the headband you’ll also find a slim loose hanging inner headband, which will serve as the piece that actually connects with your head.
The exterior of the ear-cups is finished with a ribbed design, which adds to the overall lightness of the holey design. Other than that the very soft looking fabric of the earpieces looks a small tint darker than the actual plastic exterior, and the inside of those earpieces has a nice looking PlayStation logo and a fancy looking R, in their respective cups.
While the microphone is a rather static one, it fits quite well with the rest of the design with its thin look and transition from glossy plastic to the rubberized ‘moldable’ end piece of the arm.
Comfort
The comfort aspect of this piece of equipment left us with rather mixed emotions, as certain things feel amazingly comfortable, while others are just plain annoying. After assembling the headset, which was rather easily done for the most part, the clicking mechanism for the inner headband feels as if it wasn’t properly designed to work smoothly. The pads themselves also have to be connected to the plastic headband, by inserting their connectors in one of the three holes on each side of the headband. Again, this is done in an easily manageable fashion, but it also brings a few problems with it. When you put the headset on and you wish to adjust it a bit to align it properly, it’s possible that you accidently detach your earpieces, forcing you to take off your headset and attach them once again.
When you have the headset on your head, without things falling off (or if you just treat it gently), you’ll notice that the device is actually pleasant to wear. The pads on the earpieces are very soft and are made out of a decent fabric. Of course, this is pretty much a matter of personal taste, as one might rather prefer faux leather or leather, as it’s easier to wipe clean when you sweat. The outside noise is still very much present when you have the RIG 500HS on, even though the manufacturers claim the cups isolate noise. Nonetheless, again a matter of personal taste.
The headband itself is not really adjustable, while others often can be lengthened or shortened when the situation requires it. If you wish to make it longer or shorter, you will have to detach the earpieces again, and click them into another hole, which is either higher or lower on the headband. A rather tedious task, which hopefully you’ll only have to do once or twice.
Of course, while not everything has been described as very positive when it comes to the assembly mechanisms, it certainly proves to come in handy for storage or transportation purposes. When disassembling everything, it can be stored safely in a smaller compartment, making it a bit more practical.
Thanks to the light weight of the device, you’ll never get annoyed by wearing it for longer periods of time. The inner headband might annoy some users, but the overall lightness is very pleasant, certainly for those who are very sensitive to tight and heavy headsets.
Specs
- Ultralight frame
- 40mm drivers
- Detachable mic
- Noise cancelling mic
Overview
Truth be told, there is not that much more to say about this piece of hardware, as it’s a simply plug and play device, which will make sure you’re up and running in moments. The ROG 500HS works with a standard jack, which is plugged in your PS4 controller. (Of course, the standard jack also works in other devices for audio purposes.)
The cable of the headset is not the longest, but is certainly long enough, as your controller should normally always be in the vicinity. Of course, you’ll have to keep in mind that if you toss your controller aside, you don’t forgot to take of the headset.
Luckily, even with the few disadvantages mentioned above, the sound quality is certainly great for the price range this Plantronics device finds itself in. While there are other devices that have better drivers, you’ll still have rather crisp and clear sound. That being said, the bass could have been a bit better, as its quite flat.
The microphone is only slightly adjustable, as the base can only be adjusted to place the ‘arm’ of the microphone higher or lower. Nonetheless, a part of the arm is flexible, allowing small customization, to set the microphone to your liking. That being said, the mic picks up your voice properly, making sure you don’t have to adjust it that much. Also, if you don’t need the microphone, you can simply detach it from the device.
Conclusion
Overall Plantronics RIG 500HS is a decent headset, certainly when keeping the price category the device finds itself in, in mind. While some of the assembly features might prove to be very annoying, especially when you accidently disassemble the earpieces, the design and overall lightness make up for a lot. Perhaps we were left with a bit of mixed feelings even so those who are looking for a good looking, lightweight headset for their PlayStation 4 might want to give this one a second glance.
Plantronics RIG 500HS - Hardware Review,
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