Pre-holiday releases are here once again; this time, RIG Nacon drops their newest line of headsets. RIG Nacon has been a brand loved in Europe due to its French origin, but they are slowly regaining growth and notoriety here in the US; at least, that’s where I am from.
Anyway, RIG’s drop of the 600 Pro HS showcases a modern take on their pre-existing style and hardware build choice by mixing Hybrid connection options like other counterparts in the market. The 600 series runs for $99.99, and although it’s not perfect, this full-package headset could find itself on your holiday wish list.
Style / Feel / Build / Hardware
The RIG 600 Pro HS may not be the most stylish headset out there, using simple materials like glossy plastics and cushions, which we will discuss more, but it does offer a very discrete and lightweight build.
If one thing is for sure, every RIG headset manages to deliver ultralight, ultra-durable hardware, bringing back its well-known high-flexibility headband. A huge selling point for this headset is that the headband can be stretched like a corkscrew, assuring you of a high-end engineering process here. I wouldn’t step on the headband as I don’t think it will hold up on direct impact like that, but you don’t have to worry about hyperextending the plastic.
Continuing on, there is a RIG logo etched into a plastic piece on both ends of the headband, which was a nice touch you don’t see really used, and I think it is possible due to the negative space in the headband itself. The cushion on the ear cups and headband is light, airy, and comfortable, seemingly not gripping your head much but offering an almost senseless touch to your head. I would complain that the material discussed looks like an early 2000s car seat or a dad sneaker, basically a cheap nylon feel. Although comfortable, it doesn’t add to the design much and makes the headset look cheaper than it is.
Since the headset is shipped with the earcups detached, you must click the earcups into 1 of 3 head size clips: small, medium, and large is all you get. Most adults would probably fit into the large clip fitment, but I assume there are some medium adults out there, and kids would use the small size. It’s a bit backward only to have three sizes to this headset, but it does allow for the extra lightweight and discrete build. It’s a trade-off for a more significant cause because this headset causes no pain or discomfort from long sessions of use other than a bit of itchiness here and there on my ears.
The 600 Pro has reflective RIG logos on each side of the headset, a more minimal outlook on brand delivery. Overall, I like how RIG doesn’t shove branding down our throats with loud and obnoxious logo placements and colors distracting from the headset’s look. Again, this headset is not luxurious, but it doesn’t look cheapened by bright logos all over the exterior.
I usually dislike the look of wires hanging out the top of the earcups, which seems to be a trending design to lighten the headset and make things smaller, and I still do not like the look, but the RIG 600 uses just enough wire slack to hold the wires in place. The wires don’t look flimsy and loose, so at least RIG put a little thought into maximizing the cleanliness of the headset design, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
A major negative for me here is the ear cups’ extreme “plastic-like” texture. I’m all for spicing up the style of hardware, but I find this bumpy plastic pattern to really bring down the feel of the 600 Pro. Also, the RIG 600 has all its buttons, In/Outs, and features on the left earcup, leaving the right side clean. The buttons and features are as follows: Bluetooth pairing, Connection Type Toggle, Volume Dial, Power Button and Indicator Light, USB Charge and Play Port, and RIG’s hidden flip-to-mute boom mic.
Another downfall of this headset is the buttons, specifically the power button, as I find it has no discerning textures or feel to find it without taking the headset off of my head. We all occasionally throw the headset on our heads without pre-powering it on, so it’s annoying when I feel around for a button for 10 seconds before I rage and take it off my head. I guess the other buttons are okay, but I wish they were a bit more thought out in the design rather than just slapping whatever works in there.
Simply holding the power button will turn on the 600 PRO, with a female voice telling you battery life by saying, “low, medium, or high.” The voice also states when changing connection modes, when you have medium battery remaining, Bluetooth pairing status, and more. The power button also mixes in with an indicator light, shining green or red depending on your battery life. It also flashes blue when attempting to pair with Bluetooth, and if pairing fails, it will flash red, then weirdly purple.
The hidden boom mic design is a big win for the 600 Pro HS, which is a first for my eyes. I’m not sure if someone else beat them to it, but they broke my hidden boom mic cherry, and it’s so obscure I almost forgot to film b-roll of it. To reveal the mic, push in on the protruding section and fold down. No windscreen is provided to maximize the discrete look, and this boom mic is also very challenging to see in your peripheral vision. I do find it obnoxious when boom mics sit in my blurry vision, so kudos on this boom mic design from beginning to end. The boom mic triggers an audible sound, letting you know the mic is unmuted and activated for use. We will discuss how it records sounds later.
The volume dial has a plastic notched feel that seems to move the master PC volume by increments of 2, and the headset volume is not independent of the PC volume, as it is all tied together here. Sometimes, the volume wheel doesn’t register changes upon occasionally moving from notch to notch, which is somewhat frustrating. Also, yet another headset that provides the world’s shortest USB-C cable, so if you wish to charge and play, you are buying your own cable.
The battery life listed on the headset is only 18 hours, which isn’t much, especially for the disrespectful charge cable length, but I did find this headset to last me multiple days’ worth of sessions, and it didn’t seem like the 18-hour life got in the way. The 600 Pro also charges in less than 2 hours, where the green charging light turns off when completed, so charging every 3-4 days wasn’t too annoying.
Lastly, before we talk about the fidelity and user experience of the 600 PRO HS, let’s quickly mention some core specs, such as 5.1 surround sound structure, 40mm high sensitivity drivers, integration with RIG’s new 600 Pro Navigator App, and although optimized for PlayStation 4 and 5, the 600 Pro works with mobile devices, Steamdeck, Switch, PC, and also has a model that supports Xbox.
Performance / Hands-on-use / Features / User Experience / Analysis / Etc
Overall, the RIG 600 Pro HS does not disappoint with sound quality relative to the cost of the unit, providing a full range of punching sounds. There is no lack of concern for bass tones, although this headset is primarily geared towards mids and high-end. There is enough bass kick in this set of speakers to shake the headset slightly, which is a plus. I hate when headsets have poor bass quality, not that you have to shake the house, but enough to feel the music beyond the ears.
My ears are a bit large, and my ears do touch the inside of the speaker mesh, but I would identify the earcups as spacious, still providing a relatively comfortable space for my ears. The sound stage is also impressive for a gaming headset, allowing me to hear directionality, space, and even natural reverb within the enclosed ear space.
Granted, the RIG 600 Pro HS’ sound is impressive for its class, but it gets even better when paired with the new Navigator App found on your app store. This app will be your primary controller of features, other than on-board buttons, where you can adjust EQ presets, customize EQ, change your mic sidetone and monitoring, volumes, and more. It is actually quite easy to use, and once you adjust your preferred EQ, the sound of the 600 series amplifies beyond factory settings. I chose to activate expert mode, granting you more notches to modify EQ, raising the bass levels and overall volumes to my liking, and opening up the RIG 600’s potential.
The best part of this headset and app mixture is that the 600 Pro HS maintains all EQ settings and feature changes while mobile, which is another first for me. Typically, headsets with PC EQ software and hybrid features do not carry EQ settings or presets on the go or on consoles that they support, leaving a sour taste in my mouth about the customization support of these headsets. The RIG 600 breaks this barrier down by allowing users to change their headset anywhere. Anytime, with the power of their phone. A massive win here for RIG and those who appreciate a fine-tuned experience.
I do have some notable mentions regarding the functionality of the app and Bluetooth connection. The RIG 600 Pro HS must be Bluetooth-connected by switching to the preferred mode of Bluetooth only or dual mode. The RIG 600 also has “Game” mode, another word for USB 2.4ghz dongle, so don’t be confused. You must hold the Bluetooth button for 6 seconds or more to pair the headset to your preferred device successfully. One downside to connecting, pairing, and changing to dual mode is a significant delay of about 7 seconds when connecting to a new source. It makes you question whether you are connected, or the headset is broken. Still, if you are patient, you will hear the sound finally kick in from your connected source.
Another big downside to dual mode is that the RIG 600 Pro HS cannot simultaneously output from two sound sources, regardless of the dual-mode connection. For example, when editing on Adobe Premiere, I cannot hear any sound output from podcasts or phone videos I want to hear in the background. It kind of defeated the use cases of dual mode, rendering me unable to listen to my phone pings or audio output when grinding out 8 hours of video editing. It’s undoubtedly unfortunate, as other hybrid headsets do not have this complication.
Regarding gain and volume relative to sound quality, the RIG 600 Pro HS generally has overall cleanliness to the sound. Still, it does lose a bit of fidelity on the high end, especially when raising volumes in EQ. I would still rather listen to this headset with louder volumes and gain than factory settings, regardless of a little bit of added compression, because the factory sound just isn’t quite “gainey” enough. The RIG 600 needs a bit of added EQ gain, but be prepared to add compression. Bass boosting this set of speakers is also recommended, as it only adds sound range and punchiness to an already decent bass output.
Let’s go back to the boom mic quickly, and let me tell you: it sounds as far away as it looks from my peripheral vision, as the sound seems very muffled and distant from the user. The sound itself is not good, don’t get me wrong, but what makes it worse is the distant sound pickup from the boom being pretty far away. It forces you to raise the input gain via the 600 app, and I recommend setting it to positive 3-6DB so your friends don’t complain about how quiet you sound. (Audio Test in Video Review).
Id like to quickly mention that the range of the USB dongle is quite poor, rendering the headset pretty useless once I walk past one wall. Its always hit or miss with headset range, and antenna costs can certainly alter the MSRP of their parent hardware. Also, there is a very minor white noise hiss at all times with the 600 Pro, although it disappears of course once you play any audio track.
Lastly, do not fear since your headset isn’t broken. As we all do, since I skipped over the manual with hubris, I didn’t realize at first that the dongle must be used with the extension adapter to work with a PC. The manual describes how to install the headset to different sources and consoles, so please do not toss the manual away. Also, the dongle and extension adapter does not work on PC USB 3.0 and only on 2.0 for me. This also made me think my headset was a dud, but we caught this hardware issue with some troubleshooting. A typical user might not understand how to troubleshoot these things, which somewhat degrades the user experience or can even frustrate a customer to the point of returning the hardware.
Conclusion
The RIG 600 Pro is honestly hard to rank, as it offers both strong positives and negatives, but I will admit, I think the positives outweigh here. The headset does have a bit of a list of quirks and non-favorable design choices. Still, the sound quality, relatively sustainable battery life, comfort, and Navigator App experience sealed the deal for a top contender in the $100 or less category. The RIG 600 Pro almost does it all at an affordable rate.
Noisy Pixel is giving the RIG 600 Pro HS a B+.
I think the hybrid “dual” mode got squashed here unless they can fix the multi-output problem, but cheers to a great-sounding, affordable, and comfortable headset.
