A solid sounding headset with dual-mode wireless, but what's the catch?


The RIG 600 PRO HS is a wireless gaming headset that offers excellent sound quality, comfort, and features at an affordable price. Though the HS model is geared mainly towards use with the PlayStation platform, it is compatible with Nintendo Switch, mobile devices, and PC. The RIG 600 PRO HS features dual-mode wireless connectivity, so you can use it with either the included USB-C dongle for 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth 5.1. The headset also has a built-in microphone that can be hidden when not in use, and it includes a variety of other features that make it a great choice for gamers.

Quality

One of the best things about the RIG 600 PRO HS is its value for money. It offers a lot of features and performance for just $99.99 (USD). It has been my experience that other gaming headsets in this price range have something about them that falls well short of the mark. Outside of a less than fantastic microphone, the RIG 600 PRO HS tends to outshine the competition. It has been my experience over the past month that this wireless headset felt and sounded better than wired headphones in the same price range.

The RIG 600 PRO HS is also very well-built and feels like it will be able to handle some more "lively" gaming sessions with ease. It has a sturdy construction that feels durable and long-lasting. One of RIG's own promotional images for the headset shows someone twisting the headband around without it snapping or otherwise breaking.


I have been using the RIG 600 PRO HS for almost an entire month straight now. I have used it for day-to-day use, opting to completely replace the V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones I have used as my daily driver since 2015. The one thing that might give some people pause is the fact that the entire outside of the headset is made of plastic, with exceptions for the fabric ear cushions and cushioned headband. On one hand, the use of plastic means the headset won't look or feel "premium." On the other hand, the use of plastic ensures that the weight is kept extremely low, a godsend for saving your neck when wearing them for extended periods of time.

Initially, I did find the RIG 600 PROs to be a tad too bass heavy for my personal liking. This could very much be a "me" thing as I have never really been one for pumped up bass. I did already expect the pumped-up bass before using them as RIG said that the drivers are "bass-boosted" right in the marketing. Thankfully, the companion app allowed me to fine-tune my listening experience via pre-set equalizer settings and three custom equalizer options. After a fair bit of testing and adjustments, I arrived at an equalizer curve that I felt still gave me just the right amount of bass while adding a bit to the midrange to upper-mids for clearer vocals and punchier guitar in music. The equalizer settings I settled on also gave non-music audio a listening experience that was very, very similar to my vastly more expensive Crossfade M-100s.


The thing with the M-100s is that I had to make use of third-party software, Equalizer APO, to get a more neutral listening experience. Like the RIG 600 PROs, the M-100s are also very bass heavy, perhaps more so than the 600 PROs are out of the gate. The difference here is that unlike the M-100s, the RIG 600 PROs have an official mobile app that worked just fine and even saved the equalizer setting to the headset after being set.

Honestly, once I set up the equalizer to my personal tastes, the listening experience on the $100 RIG 600 PROs really, really gave the M-100s (paired with a FiiO E10K) a real run for their money. The audio clarity was quite nice across all experiences (gaming, video, music, and voice chat). I was seriously impressed with how the custom-tuned 600 PROs compared to my M-100s, a pair of headphones that cost $310 (plus $30 for the mic) back in 2015 (they still cost $250 now).

That said, it was not a flawless experience over the past month. There were a couple of hiccups that I should mention. When connected to the PC, there were some random, split-second static pops here and there. They were not easily replicated and it could be anything from interference from other 2.4GHz wireless devices, to a USB issue on my PC, to an issue with the headset or wireless dongle itself. I simply could not narrow it down. There were also a couple of times where audio playback would get cutoff for a split-second right at the start if there was no audio playing for a while before it. It was almost like the headset or dongle had gone into a light sleep mode and was slow to wake up. I'm not sure what that was about but it also didn't happen often or last long enough for me to consider it a major problem.

Comfort

The RIG 600 PRO HS is extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The earcups are made of a soft and breathable fabric, and they are large enough to completely cover your ears. The headband is also lightweight and adjustable with plenty of added padding for the top of your head.

I consider myself to have a rather sizeable head. Not only is my head large but I also have a lot of hair at present. On the largest size adjustment, the RIG 600 PRO HS fit quite comfortably. There was little to no pressure on my ears but it held in place even when bending over, tilting my head down, or tilting my head back to drink. I feel it's safe to say that most people with more "normal" sized noggins will probably not have any issue with the fit and comfort of this headset. Just be aware that there are just three size adjustments. There is very little in the way of fine tuning the fit, which may be an issue for some.


The RIG 600 PRO HS is very light, weighing only 240 grams (8.5 oz) without any wires attached. This is honestly the first headset I have ever worn where I kind of forgot that I had them on. I lost track of how many times I would just leave my room with them still on my head.

As noted, I have used the RIG 600 PRO HS as my daily driver since mid-August. I tend to have headphones on throughout the day when I am at my computer, which is a significant amount of time from early afternoon through to late night. I have used them to listen to music, watch Twitch streams, watch YouTube videos, chat with friends on Discord, and play a variety of games both on my PC and PlayStation 5. Not once did I ever feel any sort of discomfort while wearing them.

I am an especially big fan of the fabric ear cups on this headset. I am very much over the trend of the use of pleather, or artificial leather, for things like headphone ear cups and chairs. Over time the pleather just starts to deteriorate no matter how careful you may be. For whatever reason, fabric has been largely phased out in favor of pleather, so it was especially nice to see RIG bringing it back for this release.

Overall, the RIG 600 PRO HS is extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It is a great choice for gamers who want a headset that they can wear for hours on end without any discomfort.

Dual-Mode Wireless Connectivity

One of the best, and most touted, features of the RIG 600 PRO HS is its dual-mode wireless connectivity. This means that you can use the headset with either the included USB-C dongle for 2.4GHz wireless or you can connect via Bluetooth 5.1. This allows you to use the headset with pretty much any device that either has a USB port or has Bluetooth built in already.

The USB-C dongle provides a low-latency connection with excellent sound quality. This option is best for using the RIG 600 PRO with your computer or console of choice. Setting these up on the PC was as simple as connecting the USB-C dongle to the included USB-C to USB-A adapter (I do not have a USB-C port on my computer), plugging it in to a free port and that was kind of it. The computer instantly recognized the dongle and it connected almost instantly to the headset, pumping out audio of the stream I had running on my second monitor.


Bluetooth connectivity is a great option for gamers who want to be able to use the headset with their mobile devices or listen to music while they are on the go. Unlike the wireless dongle connection, pairing the headset via Bluetooth does take a tiny bit of extra work. When connecting the device to my phone (a Pixel 3XL), I had to begin searching for new devices on my phone, and then hold the Bluetooth pairing button on the headset for six seconds. It's the usual pairing rigamarole that anybody that has used Bluetooth devices has probably had to go through at least once.

The RIG 600 PRO HS allows you to easily swap between the three included connection types by tapping the same button used for Bluetooth pairing. By default, the device powers on to Dual mode. This mode makes connections to the wireless dongle and Bluetooth at the same time. This mode would allow you to answer a call in the middle of playing a game on your PC or console and then immediately go back to the game audio once the call is over.

You can also swap to Bluetooth only or USB wireless only, which RIG simply calls "Game" mode. The power-on default mode can be set through the companion mobile app. So, if you know you just want to always connect to your console or PC, have it start up in Game mode by default. A voice clip does play when you change modes so that you can tell what setting you are on without the need to

RIG says that the 600 PRO will get up to 24-hours of battery life when connected solely via Bluetooth. They also say that if you are just using the 2.4GHz connection, you will be able to get up to 18-hours of battery life. From my testing, I feel as though these estimates are very accurate, if not a bit on the safe side. As said, I used this headset every day for almost the past month. I was able to go through at least a day and a half of use before I would receive constant warnings about having a low battery. Keep in mind that my "day" would probably go from around noon until maybe 2AM or even later. I would start getting the low battery warnings late in the evenings on the second day, or after about 18-20 hours of use. This was just on the wireless mode. I did not extensively test out the Bluetooth battery life in the same way, but I would not be surprised to learn that you could get a tiny bit more than the promised "up to 24-hours."

RIG does include a USB charging cable in the box, but it measures only about two feet in length. While this is completely fine if you want to charge the headset without using it, you will probably want to pick up a longer cable if you intend to keep wearing them while also charging the battery. That said, the 600 PRO is fully charged in about 2 hours, depending on how low the battery was when you started the charging process.

Another feature of the dual-mode on the 600 PROs is how you can quickly answer, hangup, or reject phone calls via a dedicated button on the headset itself. That same button will also play or pause music if no call is active. When held down for a few seconds, it can also activate your voice assistant when connected to a phone.

Microphone Quality

For the past several years now, I have opted to use a USB microphone (ATR2500 from Audio-Technica). This microphone has often offered superior audio quality when compared to headset microphones. Sadly, that trend is not broken here with the RIG 600 PRO.


Don't get me wrong, the audio quality isn't terrible on the microphone, but it feels like a lot of the depth is lost when compared to the ATR2500. I had friends tell me that my voice sounded "tinny" in comparison when using the 600 PRO mic. Honestly, I thought the audio quality sounded fine for a headset microphone. I have not used one in years (outside of for reviews), but I know that headset microphones used to be complete garbage and this microphone is great by comparison.

The price is also a rather big consideration here. For $100, you are getting both the headphones and microphone in one package. There must be corners cut somewhere and the microphone tends to be where the biggest cuts are made to keep the price down. Again though, it is not that bad if you want to make casual phone calls, talk on Discord, or use voice chat in a game. I just would not have the 600 PRO mic as the first choice if you plan to do professional streams or voice over work.

Other Features

The included microphone does include a flip-to-mute feature, which is very convenient. Unlike many other headsets, the 600 PROs do something that I absolutely love: They allow you to hide the microphone completely within the left earcup when not in use. This means that if you are not using voice communication, you can just flip it up and it will be completely out of sight and out of mind. So many headsets out there, even more expensive ones, always have the microphone continue to jut out even when flipped up.

The companion app for the RIG 600 PROs is where you can update the device if needed. Mine did require a single update when I received it but there has been nothing since. The app is also where you will be able to adjust various equalizer settings, including your custom profiles, adjust the automatic turn-off time, adjust mic gain, see precisely how much battery is left, and more. I have zero complaints about the app itself outside of the fact that it was a tiny bit difficult to initially find on the Play Store. Searching for "rig navigator" should show the app as the top result. For those wondering, the app is called RIG 600 PRO NAVIGATOR and it is published by NACON.


There are also a couple of "camo" variants for the RIG 600 PRO, one for the HS (PlayStation) model and one for the HX (Xbox) model. The HX Urban Camo and HS Artic Camo look to be Walmart exclusive designs. The basic black model for the RIG 600 PRO can be found at most online retailers along with GameStop and Best Buy. I can't say that I'm personally a fan of the camo designs, so I was very happy with just having the black model sent for review. I'm just not a fan of camo in general, be it on headsets or anything else. However, they are options that are available to you if you are someone that does like camo.

Final Thoughts

The RIG 600 PRO HS is a great wireless gaming headset that offers a lot of value for just about $100. After a small bit of tweaking, the sound quality ranges from good to excellent. The headset is also extremely comfortable and feels like it will last you a good long while so long as you aren't throwing it at a wall or something. The dual-mode wireless is fantastic and seeing it start to be included more in this price range is great. I'm also a huge fan of how the microphone can be discretely tucked away inside the ear cup, making the 600 PROs look more like a pair of headphones rather than a gaming headset.

Really, the only real complaint I have comes in the quality of microphone audio. At the end of the day, it's still just a $100 gaming headset, so I can mostly excuse the mic quality being less than stellar when several other aspects of the device exceeded my expectations.

Now, RIG also just released the 600 PRO HX. The HS model that I reviewed was geared towards PlayStation owners while the HX is geared more towards Xbox players. The difference between the HS and HX models is the fact that the HX is officially licensed for Xbox and includes Dolby Atmos for Headphones.

While I will not have a comparison between the 600 PRO HS and 600 PRO HX, I will have another RIG-focused review coming soon for Total Gaming Network. That upcoming review will be for the RIG 900 MAX HX headphones, which are priced at $249.99. Be sure to keep an eye out for that review in the days ahead!

Score

Additional Information

• RIG 600 PRO HS
  • By: NACON
• Price: $99.99 (USD)
• Platforms reviewed on: PC, PS5, and Android phone (also compatible with PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile)
• Release Date: September 18, 2023
• This headset was provided to Total Gaming Network for review purposes.

Technical Specifications

• Wireless
  • Lag-free 2.4GHz digital RF wireless via USB-C transmitter
  • Bluetooth v5.1 via pairing to host device
• Speaker Driver
  • 40mm with low frequency (bass) resonators
• Headphone Frequency
  • 20 Hz–20 kHz
• Ear Coupling
  • Over-the-ears
• Impedance
  • 32 Ohms
• Mic Pickup Pattern
  • Omni-directional
• Mic Frequency Response
  • 100 Hz–10 kHz
• Mic Sensitivity
  • -45 dBV/Pa
• Mic Signal to Noise Ratio
  • >42 dB
• Mic Detail
  • Flip-to-mute
  • Flip-to-stow (non-removeable)
• Headset Weight
  • 240 grams
• Headset Charge Port
  • USB-C
• Compatibility Via 2.4GHz Wireless
  • PlayStation 5, PC, docked Nintendo Switch
  • PlayStation 4 using the USB-C to USB-A adapter
• Compatibility Via Bluetooth
  • PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, smartphones, tablets