The RIG R5 Spear Max HD gaming headset, despite the word salad of a name, is actually surprisingly no-frills for its comparatively hefty price point. Coming in at around £120 at time of writing (retailer dependant), it’s fairly expensive for a wired headset that comes without certain things we’ve come to expect.
For a start, there’s no RGB. With no fancy lighting to distract the eye, the simple, slick black finish feels professional and functional, rather than flashy. While you can swap out the plates on the ear cups, which seems almost pointless, there’s nothing else here that feels gimmicky. You can also switch out the wire connectors, removing the built-in microphone or swapping which side the wiring emerges from. It’s a system they call SNAP+LOCK, which is a pretty fancy way of describing interchangeable plastic parts, but it feels satisfying to do it nonetheless.
Shipping only with a 3.5mm jack and no USB connection, you can expect crisp, clear audio that really brings your games to life. I can’t praise the audio here enough. There’s zero latency, and the sound output is rich and vibrant. I’ve been playing Crimson Desert and Marathon, and the RIG R5 Spear Max HD delivers every audio detail with real quality.
The GrapheneQ Drivers deliver wonderful sound with no noticeable distortion, while the DAC allows for clear, rich audio. It can decode at a high fidelity, pushing 32-bit (or 384kHz), which is more than you’ll probably need, but you can’t really complain about getting more than you expect. Level controls are minimised though. You can use the included Dolby Access app to adjust EQ levels, but you won’ be activating and deactivating any form of ANC. The big cups do a good job alone of keeping out exterior noise pollution, but there’s no setting for it.
Importantly, they’re also very comfortable. The cushioned pleather cups feel great, even for long gaming sessions, and they don’t make me sweat or itch. It’s easy to forget I’m even wearing them, which is interesting as they’re fairly heavy given the chunky build. I’m not a big fan of wired headsets in general, but what you lose by tethering yourself by wire is more than compensated for by the responsive audio delivery. You can either push the mic up into a vertical position to deactivate it, or swap it out using the SNAP+LOCK parts included, which is a nice touch but certainly more complicated than just having a standard detachable mic. It feels a bit like a solution to a problem RIG created themselves.
Overall the RIG R5 Spear Max HD headset is a solid contender even if it does push the budget a little for what it is. You’re not getting anything overly fancy or flashy, here, but rather a solid, dependable pair of headphones that deliver where it counts.