Plantronics RIG 700HX Xbox/PC wireless headset review: amazing audio at a great price

Plantronics make some excellent products. The wireless RIG 800LX, for example, was notably excellent for its sound quality, comfort level, and battery life. However, it lacked mic monitoring, which made controlling your own voice level while communicating a bit difficult. The 700HX rectifies this flaw, however, at a slightly lower price as well.

But is the 700HX worth the $130 asking price?

What you'll love about the Plantronics RIG 700HX

The Plantronics RIG 700HX first and foremost, impresses with its sound. Plantronics never cheaps out on audio quality, regardless of the price range they're trying to hit with their products. The 700HX is no different. This headset has some truly great soundscaping, with a broad soundstage that defies its affordable nature.

The treble sometimes sounds a little less clear than the bass or the highs, but it's not awful by any means. The headset seems to trend towards highs, as a gaming headset, prioritizing footsteps and other types of player audio cues for tactical advantages. Thankfully, the bass also has some seriously cavernous depths, making them a pleasant headset to use for immersive gaming, or even media. It's not often you get this kind of sound quality at this price point in a wireless headset. The top volume isn't the loudest out there, but for people who have normal hearing, it should be fine.

The mic is also decent, and removable, with mic monitoring that can be set to three different audio levels with on-ear controls. It's easy to adjust the sound mix, mic mute, power, and volume too, all from the same cup. Plantronics did a great job of making the controls easy to access and memorize, with subtle, raised plastic symbols to help you feel out the controls you need.

At slightly over 240 grams, this headset is incredibly lightweight, with airy cups perfect for long sessions. Battery life varies between 10 and 15 hours depending on what volume levels you tend to use, and the wireless USB dongle provides a rock-solid signal on both Xbox and PC, even in radio congested environments. As great as this headset is, like anything, it's by no means flawless.

What you'll dislike about the Plantronics RIG 700HX

Feels like a bit of a miss that they couldn't get a 3.5mm jack into the 700HX for a bit of added mobile versatility. As it stands, you're locked to PC and Xbox One via USB, reducing the amount of platforms you could potentially use this with. With Project xCloud game streaming for mobile phones on the horizon, versatility is probably going to become more important than ever for Xbox gamers.

While the headset is comfortable, you can certainly feel some savings in the materials used. I'm not a fan of the dust-magnetizing glossy textures, and the headset is lightweight, but doesn't feel very dense. I'm not sure how much stress the headband and other pieces would be able to take over time, possibly making them a poor option for youngsters. Audio-wise, they're quite leaky too, but that fact probably contributes to the broad soundstage (which is excellent for gaming). I would have liked to have seen this headset feature some additional configuration via a PC app, too, but everything you really need is already right there. None of these downsides are deal-breakers, ultimately.

Should you buy the Plantronics RIG 700HX?

Yes, you should. The Plantronics RIG 700HX is an excellent headset, with thundering bass, crisp highs, and generous comfort. The materials suffer a bit at this price point, but as long as you take care of them, 10-15 hours per day of wireless gaming is right at your fingertips for just $130.

This is easily among the best wireless headsets I've used in this price range. Although I'd argue it's worth spending $45 more to get the LucidSound LS35X for superior build quality, if your finances simply can't justify it, you definitely won't be disappointed in the 700HX.