RIG R5 Spear Pro Evaluation

Gamers select their most well-liked headset based mostly on a wide range of elements. Whether it’s consolation, sound high quality, microphone high quality, battery life, value, or a bit of every, all of us have our preferences. I took an opportunity on NACON’s RIG R5 Spear Pro as a result of it’s an formally licensed PlayStation headset, and that’s the system I play on essentially the most. Despite not using a wired gaming headset since in all probability faculty (didn’t all of us have that one set of Turtle Beaches 15 years in the past?), my curiosity was too nice to move this one up. Simply put, I can not consider this can be a $70 headset.

The R5 Spear Pro is designed at the beginning for aggressive shooters, and it reveals, although I did take a look at it with some non-shooters as nicely. My recreation lineup included Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, The Finals, Becastled, and College Football 26. They weren’t mendacity after they mentioned this headset is constructed for aggressive shooters, as that’s actually the place it shines. It holds up nicely sufficient for extra common gaming, however its focus is singular: first-person shooters.

But earlier than I get any additional, let’s breakdown the specs:

Microphone:
Frequency Range	50 Hz – 15 okHz
Sensitivity	-44 dBV/Pa
Signal to Noise Ratio	>42 dB
Pick-up Pattern	Uni-Directional
Headphones:
Frequency Range	20 Hz – 40 okHz
Impedance	32 Ohms
Sensitivity	117.5 dBSPL/V
Harmonic Distortion	<0.5% THD
Drivers	2 x Dynamic 40mm Graphene Coated
Volume Control	Inline slider with max quantity lock
Connection:
Wired	3.5 mm TRSS
Length	1.5 m
Supported Platforms	PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC

Cool, so what does all that imply? I gained’t faux to know the technicality of all of it, however in practicality, it means the R5 Spear Pro is a monster for aggressive shooters.

I instantly considered Battlefield 6 once I noticed the headset, so naturally it was the primary recreation I examined it out on. The distinction in sound high quality from the opposite $100+ headsets I personal (and a $150 set) was evident inside seconds. Bullets whizzing previous my head sounded nearer, tank rounds actually thud, and firing my weapon packed the sort of punch that firing one in actual life does. And the primary time a jet flew over my head had me shouting blessings to fecal matter.

Things don’t simply sound louder within the R5 Spear Pro, they sound noticeably clearer as nicely. As on formally licensed PlayStation headset, it’s optimized to help Sony’s Tempest 3D Audio expertise, which I’d argue it does higher than the opposite PlayStation models I’ve had which are made by Sony themselves.

No offense, Sony.

With a readability I hadn’t skilled earlier than, I may extra simply find the place weapons have been being fired, or the place autos have been coming from. This readability on the higher ends doesn’t sacrifice efficiency on the low finish both. With bass that kicks like a mule, that is the most effective of each worlds. I can actually see the aggressive benefit the R5 Spear Pro presents, however much more informal followers of shooters will take pleasure in a heightened sense of immersion.

Its finely tuned deal with aggressive shooters means it doesn’t do as a lot for extra common gaming wants. Playing College Football 26, or a metropolis builder like Becastled, is much less spectacular than blasting fools on Battlefield 6 and The Finals. And that’s okay—the R5 Spear Pro is aware of what it needs to be and embraces it. Just know that it’s extra of a specialised device than a Swiss military knife, by way of recreation audio.

From a consolation standpoint, the R5 Spear Pro is essentially the most snug out of 4 headsets that I personal, due to a mesh fabric-covered reminiscence foam headband and earcups. It match my head snugly, stopping it from sliding ahead or backwards, however due to the mesh masking, it by no means made my ears sizzling, which is typically an issue for me. It is nice for longer play periods, and if it weren’t for the three.5mm cable sometimes getting in the best way, I wouldn’t even know I had it on.

One neat function that RIG is leaning into with this headset is modular design. Both the ear cushions and outer earcup covers may be simply popped on and off due to their magnetic SNAP+LOCK system. So, for those who do put on out your cushions over time, changing them is a breeze. Simply pull them off and snap a brand new set on. On the skin of the earcups, RIG has offered STL information on their web site so that you could 3D print your individual customized earcup covers too, which is cool.

My solely complaints relating to the R5 Spear Pro are about its microphone. The touted enhanced noise cancellation is missing, because it picked up the sound of my lounge tv down the corridor (which usually hovers round a quantity degree of 10), and simply picked up a vacuum working down the corridor as nicely. Not even turning the mic enter quantity down within the PlayStation 5’s settings was in a position to absolutely remove background noise. In different phrases, I wouldn’t stream gameplay with this microphone. It does embrace flip-to-mute performance, although it does really feel slightly stiff—maybe that can work itself out with some additional use.

All in all, NACON’s RIG R5 Spear Pro is a simple, no frills wired headset for PlayStation and PC that greater than carries its weight. At its $69.99 value level, it’s an excessive worth for avid gamers who take pleasure in aggressive shooters. You may do worse for common gaming use as nicely, however there are in all probability higher total headsets for that. For the area of interest it’s focusing on although, it greater than meets the mark with glorious readability, beefy bass, and pinpoint 3D spatial audio high quality. Just watch out for the delicate mic for those who’re wanting to make use of it for livestreaming. Still, the R5 Spear Pro’s immersive sound high quality and excessive degree of consolation make it my go-to headset for aggressive shooters shifting ahead.