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Review: Plantronics RIG400HX

When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon and uttered those famous words heard all around the world, he was wearing Plantronics hardware. Needless to say, these guys know a thing or two about audio and communication.

The RIG400HX is Plantronic’s current entry-level headset, designed specifically for the Xbox One. It features modern styling, 40mm drivers, removable unidirectional boom mic and inline volume slider and mic mute switch. It’s paired with the RIG400HS, which presents the same feature set for PS4.

When crowning yourself with these babies, the first thing you’ll notice is how light they are. At a mere 210 grams they can be worn for hours on end without fatigue or discomfort. The headband’s almost skeletal styling provides a strong, yet lightweight base for the ear cups to hang. What it lacks in weight, it also lacks in functionality.

Rather than featuring a fully adjustable slider on each side of the headgear, the Rig400HX offers just three available positions to mount the ear cups on each side. This setup requires physically removing the cups from the frame and then re-attaching them in the position that gives the user the most comfort. The upside of this is that you’ll never need to re-adjust the sizing of the headset but this comes at the risk of a user’s comfort sweet spot falling somewhere in between the available adjustment options and therefore being forever uncomfortable. I didn’t experience this issue and found the unit very comfortable to wear, but everyone’s head is a different shape and size.

plantronicsrig400hx

Both the crown and the ear cups are padded with a soft foam which adds extra comfort for the wearer. If I had one gripe with this it would be that the foam is fabric wrapped rather than coated in pleather or other non-porous material. After a few weeks I know I’ll be pulling cat hair out of the fabric and feeling a bit gross about the foam’s crusty texture as a result of my hair gel.

With the ear cups essentially separate components from the headband, the RIG400HX has a separate wire for each ear that joins under your chin instead of a single (and in my view less intrusive) cable on one side. Where the two wires meet, you’ll find the volume control and microphone mute switch. This is positioned perfectly on the cable allowing for easy access to the controls without having to take your eyes off your screen. The volume slider is easy to use and even has the tiniest amount of resistance to it at the top end which prevents accidentally cranking the volume up to maximum and damaging your precious eardrums.

So let’s get to the important bit: sound quality. The RIG400HX features two 40mm drivers that produce crystal clear audio at any end of the volume scale. At mid and high range frequencies the amount of treble produced doesn’t sting your ears and is clear enough to allow for a marked separation between numerous layers of audio helping you to easily focus your attention on the track you need. For example whilst playing Titanfall, clearly hearing the footsteps of approaching enemies amidst gunfire and explosions meant the difference between being the first to pull the trigger or being killed from behind.

Sadly, the low range falls a bit short for my tastes with bass having just a little less punch than I would prefer. That being said, these aren’t $200 AUD cans; priced at $79 AUD, the sound these things spew out is superb. The sound of individual stones hitting the inside of your car’s wheel arches in Forza Horizon 3, or hair on your neck standing up with the crescendos of the soundtrack to Ori and the Blind Forest is something that usually doesn’t happen with $80 AUD headphones. But it happens here.

RIG 400HX

The unidirectional microphone is functional as one would expect. It picked up only the louder sources of background noise such as pots and pans clanking in the kitchen but it successfully ignored most household ambiance. Voice reproduction was clear and thankfully didn’t pick up any of that annoying mouth breathing noise or the sound of your thumbsticks clicking around so your friends will thank you for buying one of these.

Technically speaking the RIG400HX is compatible with PC and PS4 but it has been specifically designed for use with the Xbox One. For the sake of completeness we tested it with both consoles and PC. We found that it did indeed perform best on the Xbox with PC and PS4 audio feeling a little weak in comparison. Plantronics’ RIG400HS model (which was not tested for this review) is basically the same unit but features some audio tweaks to suit the PS4’s output. Your choice depends on your console, really.

The Rig400HX has clearly been built for clarity rather than show stopping punch and volume, making it an excellent headset for competitive multiplayer games but not so great for more cinematic experiences. It’s incredibly lightweight and comfortable to wear but limited adjustment options means it may not be the perfect fit for everyone’s head. Trying before you buy is a must.

While its design is more flashy than functional, it’s a top performer where it counts, providing surprisingly crisp audio considering the low price tag.

The RIG4ooHX was reviewed using a promotional unit, as provided by the manufacturer.


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About the author

Jay Ball

I'm a big fan of older consoles and can flawlessly complete the first 2 levels of Donkey Kong Country with my eyes closed. These days I still play platformers but also love shooters, arcade racers and action adventure titles. I may or may not be in denial about the death of rhythm games.