All Purpose Weapon

The RIG. As the name suggests, it really is a RIG to connect all your essential devices to. It connects directly into a primary power unit via USB such as a PC, laptop or gaming console that supports USB ports. Once connected you can easily start connecting your phone into the RIG and use the chat cable to connect to your Xbox controller that comes standard with the RIG. The mixer unit controls all the audio with ease and having it hooked up to either your PC or directly into your gaming console to have that gaming audio for a more personal experience. The selling point of the RIG was its multiuse of having being able to answer phone calls by a click of a button without straying away from what you are doing especially if you’re playing a big multiplayer game. Even if you don’t use your phone you can sacrifice the gaming audio from connecting it to the console and have it connected to your PC and plays some music while you play. Nothing is better than having some music playing directly through your headset without interfering with your game chat and annoying your friends with having the music blasting through your chat mic.

Practical Uses

When we first heard about the RIG and how it operates sounds too good to be true, so we had to put it to the test to see whether it was as great as it sounded. Testing the RIG out the set up was connected to a laptop and connected to an Xbox controller via the chat cable provided. Adding to it, we thought why not try out a phone with it and see how it fares. Surprisingly the chat mic boosts a clear audio for chat and friends could hear you clearly as well as everything else that was coming through the mic in terms of sound. Having some fun with the mixer unit we decided to put on some music through the laptop and refreshingly it didn’t interfere with the chat as that you can control how much of the audio you can hear from either chat or music.

Funny enough when someone called through on the phone, all that was needed was flip the switch on the mixer to mobile phone and press the phone button to answer the call. It was easy and swift without any fuss. Talking about the phone, the headsets cables can be changed with an in-line mic cable instead of the boom mic for on the go use. Even when listening to music and making phone calls, it was all clear and swift with no discord in audio. Especially when making a phone call to a business to sort out some personal matter, the feedback on the mic was so clear that the operator knew I was actually heading out somewhere.

With a lot of headsets, they are bonked down with their sheer size and weight to accommodate all the features it has. Unlike the RIG, it is has a simplistic design and ensures all the necessary features are in the headset and mixer for optimum experience in gaming, chatting and music. The simple weight of the headset is very light which is comfortable especially for on the go usage on the phone. The padding used for the ear muffs are soft and firm so the headsets rest nicely over your ears, not trying to clamp onto your head as what most headphones tend to do. The headrest has no cushions on it but rather a nice material that provides little comfort but doesn’t cause any cumbersome annoyances.

It is great especially when on the go with the mobile side and the RIG has a stylish black design that allows you to go out with it. Not only that, when you are not using them, they are light enough to sit around your neck and the ear pieces have a 90 degree turn so they can be faced down. The cable length is generous and can be stowed away separate from the headset so you don’t have to worry about tying the cable together up with the headset.

Recommendation

The Plantronics RIG coming in at RRP$149 it is a decent price for what you are getting for in terms of usage on multiple platforms. It is great for those who are looking for a set of stereo headsets that play games both on the PC and console but live a lifestyle that always take them away from the house. The stereo headsets boosts beautiful sounds both in-game and music and creates a crystal crisp chat audio when chatting with friends. The days of having multiple headsets and earphones for numerous devices has been made simple with the Plantronics RIG which instead has the one headset and two different cables to connect with for your preferred experience.

Plantronics RIGs are now available at MWAVE Australia. Thanks to Plantronics Australia for providing a review sample.