I am very particular about certain things when it comes to gaming. My controller needs to feel responsive, and I need my headset to be comfortable. The latter is hardest to find for me because there is always some inevitable little thing that prevents me from forgetting I have a headset on. When the Nacon RIG 900 Max HX became available, it looked interesting enough for me to give it a try and see how it felt (pun intended).
First things first, getting the RIG 900 Max HX out of the box. In the box, we find the headset itself, the charging stand, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and your quick setup guide and a sticker or two. Pretty standard fare for headsets these days, apart from the charging stand.
Space around my consoles (I used the headset on both PS5 and Xbox Series X) is at a premium, so I scrambled to find a place to house the not-small charging stand where a charging cable would still reach it. Behind the TV ended up being the winner, so it lives there now. The headset stands up on the stand freely and connects to a charging touch-point on the right ear-cap.
I left it to charge overnight so I could be well prepared with a full charge the next day. When I placed the RIG 900 Max HX on the charging stand, a convenient red light sprang to life and indicated that I was indeed charging the headset. A nice feature since I don’t always know when my regular headset is plugged in properly.
The RIG 900 Max HX has two methods of charging: using the stand or using an available USB-C charging cable. The former will yield a full charge in roughly 4 hours, whilst the USB-C method, provided a fast-charging system is employed, will see the headset fully charged in about half that time (2 hours).
“The RIG 900 Max HX has two methods of charging: using the stand or using an available USB-C charging cable.”
When I tried to put the headset on for the first time, I was met with a size that was too small. It happens. So, adjustment was the next task. The thing about the RIG 900 Max HX is that it has three firm sizes, and they each have some leeway in how big they can get due to the elastic band that sits atop your head. I quickly took the headset off to try to resize it to my proper head size, but it wasn’t exactly clear how to do so.
It turns out that you have to snap the earcap out of the actual headset construction, reposition it to the next size up (or down) and snap it back into place. I hadn’t even used it yet, and I was afraid I was about to break it, especially when the snap finally did release to a sickening sound, and my stomach dropped for a split second.
The sizing issue was resolved, and a mild heart attack was averted. I finally put the RIG 900 Max HX on for the first time properly, and it felt amazing. The thing about this headset is that it is incredibly light. Lighter than pretty much any other headset I have ever used. I thought my current headset was light, but the RIG 900 Max HX is in a whole different league when it comes to weight (or lack thereof).
One of my biggest worries with headsets that feel light is that the build quality is not there. Well, that is absolutely not the case with the RIG 900 Max HX. The frame itself is actually made of a very light metal, and the earcaps offer a marginal rotation so they are placed comfortably and correctly on your ears.
“Nacon claims that the RIG 900 Max HX will get somewhere around 50 hours of battery life, which is a fantastic return for only 4 hours of charging needed on the base.”
The microphone arm is a solid construction as well, which is a bit of a divergence from what I am used to. It’s not adjustable and only moves upwards or downwards to turn on and off. When it’s not in use, the mic slides neatly up and out of the way. Featuring a uni-directional microphone, the RIG 900 Max HX ensures that any background noise is kept to a minimum.
The biggest selling point, in my opinion, is that this headset can be used on all your consoles, your PC, and your mobile phone. While it was designed for Xbox use, I used it predominantly with my PS5. When it is used on your Xbox, the Dolby Atmos sound capabilities can be activated.
Connecting was as easy as you like. Just plug in the USB dongle to one of the USB ports on the console with the toggle on it set to PC, press the pairing button, and you’re off to the races (quite literally for me, as the squad was playing Gran Turismo, so I hopped in with them).
The second-biggest selling point for me is the battery life. Nacon claims that the RIG 900 Max HX will get somewhere around 50 hours of battery life, which is a fantastic return for only 4 hours of charging needed on the base. In my testing, I needed to charge the headset once, apart from the initial overnight charge when I first plugged it in, and that’s not for lack of usage either.
“…the RIG 900 Max HX features a sleek black finish with some of the softest and most comfortable ear-cushions I’ve ever worn.”
When you power the headset on, it runs you through all of the settings that are on, and one thing I really like is that it tells you what level your battery life is at. So, when it’s fully charged, it tells you that the battery level is high. It’s the small quality-of-life features like that that make the RIG 900 Max HX such a great addition for me.
Going back to the physical device itself, the RIG 900 Max HX features a sleek black finish with some of the softest and most comfortable ear cushions I’ve ever worn. All your controls are on the back of the right earcap: your Bluetooth button, volume wheel, charging port, power button and sound mode button.
The 3D audio afforded by the Dolby Atmos integration on Xbox and PC is wonderful. It performed exactly as I expected it to, and I was never unsure where sounds were coming from, and explosions filled my ears with fiery destruction. The Dead Space Remake never sounded so good, and I am still terrified.
“I’m completely sold on the RIG 900 Max HX headset.”
On the topic of Dolby Atmos, the Dolby Personalization app for your phone gives you a bit further immersion into the sounds by scanning the shape of your head, shoulders, and ears to create a unique-to-you acoustic map, which will produce a much more accurate experience tailored to your physical needs.
On the app front, Nacon has one for the RIG 900 Max HX available on Android and iOS. This app is fantastic for a number of reasons, chief among them that it allows you to determine exactly how much of your own voice you want to hear in the headset. For some people, they prefer hearing themselves a bit, so they know that they are being heard, but I prefer not to hear my voice ever, so that setting went off immediately.
Continuing with the app, you can customize up to three different profiles so each one can be optimized for different experiences. In addition, there is a toggle for Expert mode, so instead of the broad settings for microphone gain and microphone monitoring, you get a much more intricate system for determining these sound levels, and the same goes for the Equalizer. This is an all-around brilliant mobile companion app for a brilliant headset.
I’m completely sold on the RIG 900 Max HX headset. I’ve been wearing it the whole time I’ve been writing this review, over multiple hours, and I have honestly forgotten I had it on. If any headset could make me second-guess my current daily driver, this one could do it. Even the price isn’t awful for all that you get. Coming in at $249.99 USD, there is a lot packed in here for the price. I’d be hard-pressed to find a different headset that can do everything this one can and at a similar price point.
