Plantronics Inc. is an electronics manufacturing company that is well known as one of the leaders of its field around the world. It has made countless number of audio peripherals that have the quality, innovative design and excellence that has been Plantronics’ trademark over the years. This time, with the cooperation of Plantronics Inc, we here at B2G are honored to review the Plantronics RIG Stereo Headset + Mixer.
Specifications
Packaging
The packaging for the RIG is a medium sized box with a flip cover held by little circular Velcro strips on the edges. Up front is a great shot of the RIG with the Mixer situated right at the center of the box. Slightly above it are listings of the major features that the RIG has, like its ability to let you take calls while in game, toggling between game and voice chat, and streaming your mode. In the bottom part of the front, you will find the list of devices and/or consoles that are compatible with the RIG.
At the left side, you can see this time, the features of the Mixer and discussed in more detail beside the images that they represent. It discusses the two sides of the Mixer, the side for the phone and the side for the device/console you’re currently using.
The back side contains some more marketing hype for the RIG as well as a great illustration of the RIG connected to a smartphone via the Mixer.
When finished with taking out all the contents of the packaging out, you’ll see the following: The Plantronics RIG Headset, the Mixer, the cord with the adjustable microphone, the cord with an in-line controller, the cord to connect to the Xbox 360 and the one for the PS3/PC, an adapter for the AV, as well as the manual for the RIG.
Plantronics RIG Stereo Headset + Mixer
Let’s separate this section into two, the Headset plus cables and the Mixer. Up first is the RIG Headset.
RIG Headset
The RIG Headset is made of a matte black plastic finish, or white depending on the color of the RIG you bought.
The headband of the RIG is made with a soft fabric with little to no amount of padding that covers up the headband up until the area near the earcups.
The earcups are different, in which they’re covered with a great amount of padding underneath a fabric that allows for air flow to keep you ears cool. Below the left earcup is a little area with a 3.5mm port to connect the cables. It is also situated on a pivot that prohibits you to adjust them to fit your head.
When you raise up the headband. it reveals a sturdy plastic frame that helps support the RIG.
There are two different cables for the RIG. Each helps the RIG connect to the Mixer. All of the cables are flat, as to prohibit them getting tangled up. First is the one with the in-line controller, which is situated near the 3.5mm cord for easy access. The in-line controller has every function that you would want, like volume and mic control. It would have been nicer if it had playback functions but its still good nevertheless. In the in-line controller is a small microphone, which is great when taking calls while on the go.
Second one is the one with the adjustable mic. This is better suited when you’re gaming at home, as the body of the mic can be adjusted to suit your needs.
Mixer
The RIG’s Mixer is a circular-shaped object where you can control the sound that the RIG produces, as well as the source of that sound. It can be separated into two halves, with the left for the phone while the right for the device.
The outer rim is for the volume which includes a little indicator that shows how loud it the sound is being blasted through the speakers.
Below that is a little layer with a small circular mark.  Traverse below and you will see three buttons: the left for answering calls, the middle one is for disabling the mic and the right is for the equalizer settings.
The next layer is where the goodies happen. Notice at the two sides, there are two volume controls the travel at the sides of this layer. This is a second volume control, only this time, the two volume controls are for their specific device. The area where they travel lights up whenever the device (phone on the left, PC/Console on the right) is selected to be the source.
The middle is a shiny plastic surface in which it can be pressed. When pressed, the source changes depending on what side you pressed. As you can see, there are small images for you to be able to recognize what buttons is for which.
Below are three rubber feet that help the Mixer stay in place.
The left pre-attached cable at the back is for the connection to your phone. The right one is for the connection to the device. The end has a USB port and a 3.5mm jack for the mic and speaker respectively. When connecting to the PS3, connect the included piggyback cable to the 3.5mm jack and connect them to your PS3. Pretty easy to setup them cables.
The front has two 3.5mm ports with little indicators for what that port is for. The right port is for the the connection to the Xbox 360 while the left is for the connection the RIG headset via the two aforementioned cables above.
Did I mention that you could stream your music using the RIG? Yes, you can! Connect a phone cable to the Mixer and you’ll be able to share to the rest of the world your musical tastes.
User Experience and Conclusion
To measure the RIG’s capabilities, we used it to play League of Legends, a game in which having high quality audio and being able to communicate well translates to good performances in the rift almost every game, especially if you are the shot-caller for your team. Being one myself, I always wanted my teammates to hear my calls perfectly and that’s what happened when I used the RIG while playing ranked 5v5s. Of course, communication is a two way street and you must also hear your teammates clearly for the process to be successful. Even though the mic of one of my teammates was causing his voice to be a bit hazy, thanks to the RIG, I was able to hear him nicely.
The Mixer provides flexibility that is greater than most software of gaming headsets can offer. It enables you to answer calls from your mobile device on the push of a button which makes your gaming and social life a lot easier. When you get bored with the sound from your games or you just feel like playing your own music, with just a button press, you can get to listen to your music while you game! And returning the source to your game is just as easy.
Overall, the Plantronics RIG is one heck of a monster. It has a boatload of features, ranging from the ability to switch up your music in an instant to the hands-free convenience it delivers, that make it stand out among the rest of the pack. At $99.99, The only thing that bugged me about the RIG was that the Mixer is huge and clunky that its impossible for you bring it outside. Nevertheless, its one headset that is worth giving a shot. We here at B2G give the Plantronics RIG the Recommended and Silver Award.
