Since reviewing the RIG 800LX from Plantronics, I've found myself becoming increasingly impressed with the company's headset offerings, and I wanted to explore some of its other products. Not everybody wants, nor desires, a dedicated audio headset for gaming. In a world where true surround Dolby Atmos setups are providing immersive sound experiences, you might want to utilize that instead of the isolating experience of a full headset. But what about party chat?
Monopiece headsets became iconic in the Xbox 360 era, and they continue to be used by a wide section of the audience who are either happy with their TV speakers providing audio, or who have more heavy-duty surround sound setups. The Xbox One comes bundled with a basic 3.5mm chat headset, but if you want something a little more robust with increased comfort, the RIG 100HX deserves your attention.
Features and specs
- Connection: 3.5mm jack, 1.3m cable.
- Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
- Impedance: 32 ohms.
- Driver: 40mm.
- Mic: Omni-directional, rotational.
- Price: $29.99.
Design and comfort
The RIG 100HX uses the company's interesting detachable earcup solution, allowing you to move the headphone up and down three stages to increase or reduce the amount of space you have with the headband. Both the earcup and the headband are coated with generous memory foam cushioning and a comforting fabric, which feels good on the skin and rests on your head in an almost unnoticeable fashion. This headset weighs just over 100 grams, and you won't have any issues wearing it.
As for the earcup itself, it has an intriguing hexagonal frame-style which is designed to allow sound from your home system to gain easy access to your ear, and it works extremely well. The Xbox version of the headset has a bright green cable with a decent length, but it is made from an obdurate plastic which can be annoying to deal with. Additionally, the mic jack has hard corners, which when poking out of the bottom of your Xbox One controller, can be uncomfortable on the fingers.
For the most part, though, the RIG 100HX does its job well and has some nice features for those looking for a great monopiece chat headset.
Audio
While you can use this headset for game audio in a pinch, it's really designed for chat, and it performs its job well. The audio coming into the headset is loud and clear over Xbox Live, and the omni-directional microphone is well suited to deliver your voice without any issues. Sometimes I've found that 3.5mm headsets connected to the Xbox controller can suffer distortion if the controller is plugged in, but thankfully this isn't the case with the RIG 100HX.
The headset also comes with in-line controls, allowing you to quickly adjust volume and access a mute switch. Thanks to the headset's vented design, you won't have any issues immersing yourself in your home audio soundstage, as the headset is built specifically to allow sound in.
Final thoughts on the Plantronics RIG 100HX
While it's hard to get truly excited about a monopiece chat headset for obvious reasons, I'm impressed with Plantronics's efforts to elevate this humble form factor. The headset provides a solid experience on both Xbox One and PC for voice chat. The framed design looks attractive, with robust, quality materials and pleasant memory foam cushioning, making for a chat experience that won't get in your way.
My only real issue stems from the cable design, which is made of an unruly material and has an uncomfortable angled mic jack. If this headset was wireless, I'd very likely declare it to be a perfect chat headset. That said, it's probably the best monopiece headset available for the Xbox One today. For $30, you can't go wrong.
Pros:
- Comfortable and durable.
- Great voice chat experience at both ends.
- Great price point.
Cons:
- Annoying cable that has a mind of its own.
