Review Rig R5 Spear Max HD: A Rare Higher-End Wired Gaming Headset with a Cool Modular Design

With gaming headsets getting ever more expensive as wireless becomes the norm, it's always nice to test out something more affordable that still feels like a quality item. That's the story with the $123/€150 Rig R5 Spear Max HD, a modular wired gaming headset suitable for consoles and PC. It's a capable performer too, with detailed 40mm graphene drivers, customisable components and a USB-C DAC that sets it apart from the cheaper R5 Pro HS in the same family.

Despite its terrifically long name, the Nacon Rig R5 Spear Max HD is a handsome set of headphones, with a gold-coloured metal frame, minimal branding and generously proportioned ear cushions. The headset comes without its magnetic external plates attached, and my review unit came with two options with different branding - I believe retail units only get one, but others are available online. These plates lock into place easily, and it's a similar story for the mic/cable, which can attach on either side. You actually two options here, with a shorter 3.5mm phone cable sans mic or a longer 3.5mm PC cable with an in-line remote and a full-size boom mic. The ear cushions are also intended to be easily removable for swaps or repairs.

It's a thoughtful design, given that the modularity doesn't seem to come with any notable sacrifices to build quality or induce any faff. That said, the ear cups are still plastic, the head band is a little on the thin side, and the soft touch plastic cables don't feel particularly premium.

The 32-bit 384kHz USB-C DAC is probably where most of the extra cost is going versus the Rig R5 Pro HS, which uses the same 40mm graphene drivers but doesn't sound as good. The DAC comes with a short attached USB-C cable for plugging into your device (a console, PC, phone or handheld), with a 3.5mm headset port (for the headset to plug into), a second 3.5mm aux in port (for adding a second audio source), and a USB-C passthrough port (that means you can charge devices with only one USB-C port while still using the headphones). These 3.5mm to USB dongles can feel pretty cheap, but the extra features and a tough matte plastic exterior make a big difference.

In-game, the R5 Spear Max HD definitely sounds like it's been tuned for gaming. I found it easy to pick up footstep sounds in more competitive fare like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant thanks to the mid detail, while more bombastic scenes in the likes of Call of Duty, BattleTech Advanced Universe and 007 First Light came through nicely too. The bass and sub-bass here is far from bombastic, but it's present and nicely restrained, while treble is slightly emphasised but not too fatiguing. I didn't find that the Spear Max HD was as good of a critical listening headset as I was hoping, and even after some EQ tweaking I preferred to listen on the Edifier desktop speakers I'm testing at the moment (review soon).

Weirdly, the mic quality wasn't what I expected, as it was relatively detailed but it also picked up a fair amount of background noise - it could benefit from AI noise cancellation that's the standard on most higher-end headsets now. That's possible to add through third-party software, but it's unusual to see a new headset that doesn't build it in - perhaps due to the fact that the Spear Max HD can be used sans USB power and doesn't really come with an app.

The headset also lacks passive noise isolation, which can make it a bit harder to carry on a conversation in a crowded room. Both of these complaints could be fixed with replacement modules, so I hope that Nacon's ongoing insolvency doesn't prevent the release of more accessories to shore up some of this headset's weak points.

Thankfully, I had no such complaints about the headset's comfort, which met my expectations. The weight of 388g is far from light, but the thick ear cushions and decent headband were able to distribute the weight well. I didn't experience any discomfort while wearing glasses either, which can still sometimes happen on some gaming headsets.

Overall, the Rig R5 Spear Max HD is an interesting wired headset to consider. If you value its modular approach and mainly play competitive games, it could be a great choice. However, for more general use, a similarly priced wireless headset might offer a more convenient experience and perhaps better critical listening too.