Nacon RIG 900 Max HS review - "convenience and comfort all rolled into one great sounding PS5 headset"

Nacon and Sony’s PS5 have been a match made in gaming accessory heaven for a while now. The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is up there with the best controllers cash can buy, even amongst the PS5's own official DualSense and DualSense Edge offerings, and that high quality fortunately extends to gaming headsets too.

Nacon’s headset line is almost as old as the PS5 itself, with the brand acquiring RIG back in 2020. The Nacon RIG 900 Max HS is available from $249.99 / £209.35 at Nacon and is the latest result of this partnership, which looks almost identical to its Xbox-designed 900 Pro Max HX counterpart with its all-black colorway. However, this best PS5 headset contender is designed to work in tandem with your PS5, with its dual wireless connectivity, 2.4GHz low-latency wireless dongle, great-sounding 40mm audio drivers, and handy charging stand.

If you’re on the hunt for mic quality that can rival that found on the best gaming headset, the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS isn’t for you. Instead, this headset is all about convenience. Its handy charging stand made worrying about battery life a thing of the past, and its accompanying app made updating and tinkering around with audio settings a breeze. There are more impressive PS5 headsets on the market, but its array of high-quality features make it still worthy of your setup.

Key Specs

Design

The Nacon RIG 900 Max HS may come with that all-black colorway that is pretty common amongst the best wireless headsets, but its unique headband aesthetic makes it stand out amongst the sea of PS5 headsets I’ve tested throughout the years. Instead of just a plain, curved band, Nacon has designed a futuristic-looking product.

It’s not dripped out in bright colors or RGB lighting, but the main band is a thin steel sheet, with ‘RIG’ proudly plastered on top in a shiny, silver typeface. On either side, there are three cylindrical cutout shapes which can be snapped onto either cup to keep them attached. There are three of these cut-out sections in total, giving you different levels of adjustment. The metal band is also supported by a leather and fabric-coated stretchy second band, which isn’t densely padded, yet still manages to provide a light and comfortable fit.

While the headband is missing some extra padding, the cups aren’t. There’s plenty of cushion for the pushing, which, when combined with the reasonable clamping force, never felt uncomfortable even as a glasses wearer. The padding also makes use of both leather and fabric-coated mesh, and its large oval shape even managed to fit nicely around my Dumbo-sized ears.

The outer edge of the left cup is where you’ll find the majority of the headset’s onboard controls. That includes the mode button, multi-function button, volume control dial, power button, and the flip-to-use microphone which sits flush with the 900 Max when not in use. Begrudgingly, each button has the same glossy plastic texture, so it's hard to differentiate them from each other. That can be a pain when you’ve set up the dual wireless and have a phone call coming through, but the volume dial and its soft rubber texture are at least easy to find at a moment’s notice.

Arguably, my favorite aspect of the headset, the charging stand, also sports an all-black, sleek look. During my time with the 900 Max HS, it sat proudly underneath my smart TV, and became not just convenient for charging, but an ideal way to store and display the PS5 headset when I wasn’t racking up my trophies. My typical go-to pair of cups for my Sony pixel pushing beast, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P, sits at the edge of my Star Wars coffee table when charging, which puts them at risk of being attacked by my cat. But the accompanying charging stand helped keep the 900 Max HS safe, charged, and lent itself to its futuristic and funky aesthetic.

Features

Other gaming headsets like the Logitech G Astro A50 X, which also come with a charging stand (albeit, it’s also an HDMI switcher), don’t include everything you need to get set up, despite its premium price tag - but the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS has you covered. Straight out of the box, you get everything you need, from the headset, charging stand, 2.4GHz dongle, and even the USB-A to USB-C cable required to hook it up to your PS5 console.

Getting set up with the 900 Max was pretty easy. It took a matter of minutes to slot the wireless dongle into the charging stand, and then all I had left was to plug the USB cable into one of the free ports on my PS5. Instead of using one of the ports on the front-facing side of the console (mine lies horizontally), I made sure to use a back port and fed the cable through the back. Not only did this mean my PS5 gaming setup was less busy looking, but it also meant the front ports were free for quick and easy access for accessories like the PDP Riffmaster guitar controller, which I use on a day-to-day basis.

After everything was set up, I was able to make use of one of the headset’s best features, its dual wireless connectivity. With the 900 Max HS, I was able to connect the headset to my PS5 via a 2.4GHz dongle (that’s attached to the stand) and connect to my Samsung S24 phone via Bluetooth simultaneously. This dual-wireless feature means you can talk on the phone to friends in between Marvel Rivals matches, or just switch to your phone’s audio to scroll mindlessly through TikTok (an embarrassingly favorite pastime of mine) while waiting for your friends to pop on Discord. Resentfully, as a millennial, I don’t get too many phone calls on any given day, so I did have to ask my partner to give me a quick call to see just how easily I could switch between modes with the onboard controls, and it turned out to be pretty straightforward. Like briefly touched on before, it will just take a moment to remember what button does what, as they all have the same glossy, plastic touch.

Performance

I wasn’t initially blown away by the sound on the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS headset. Don’t get me wrong, the drivers didn’t sound bad by any means, and in the early days of testing the bass, mid, and treble frequencies of the 40mm audio drivers sounded pretty balanced as I took to learning my new main in Marvel Rivals, Scarlet Witch. However, it didn’t quite have that bassy gut-punching drive that the hero shooter needed to make the end of matches feel truly nerve-wracking. That was, until I pulled out the Nacon app.

With the dual wireless connectivity, I was able to connect the headset to my PS5 via the wireless dongle (as it was plugged into the charging stand) and have my Android-based phone connected via Bluetooth. This gave me access to the app, which provides a battery life rundown, access to updates, settings, and the best part, customization. I always appreciate when a gaming brand has an app for their headsets, as it means I don’t have to run back and forth to my PC in order to get the best sound, and the Nacon app lets me do just that.

There are three profiles you can save to the headset, and a range of audio presets from an FPS audio setting, Bass Boost, Voice Boost, clarity, and a custom option. Annoyingly, the ‘Bass Boost’ option actually made the lower frequencies a tad overwhelming, with tracks like ‘Burning’ by the band Hitsujibungaku (that I’ve had been listening to on repeat) sounding distorted, and not in a good way. However, with some tinkering, I was able to not only get that reverberating bassy sound that you can feel deep in your bones, but the app and the convenience of having all that customization at my fingertips cemented the RIG 900 Max HS as a contender for one of my all-time favorite PS5 headsets.

Much to my chagrin, the 900 Max doesn’t have Dolby Atmos or any other spatial audio support. So it was missing that extra immersive soundscape I’ve grown accustomed to when using headsets like the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless. That being said, whether I was returning to my sea-faring pirate adventures or powering up generators in Dead by Daylight, the 900 Max MS gave justice to everything I threw its way - especially with the app in play.

I’m still slowly making my way through Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and its gorgeous, pseudo-classical score by composer Lorien Testard sounded impeccable through these PS5-designated cups. There’s no active noise canceling found with them, yet I was still able to get totally lost in the game’s hypnotic sound and atmosphere as the large oval padded cups were still able to eclipse my ears and keep everything contained. When not attempting to make my way through the RPG, I was chatting way to friends using the flip-to-use built-in microphone as we grinded through our Marvel Rival daily and weekly challenges.

As you can hear from the above sample, the microphone is the biggest letdown for the 900 Max HS. Any and all outside noise seeps into the mic despite its “noise canceling” claims, making my voice sound crackly and overall unpleasant. I was still audible during Marvel Rivals sessions, but when I got a bit too heated, which is easy to do when you main a healer like Cloak and Dagger, my voice became almost inaudible. This is unfortunate, as there are plenty of headsets with an MSRP half that of the 900 Max HS that manage to give you a high-quality mic, like the Corsair Void Wireless V2, which has an MSRP of $119.99 / £99.99.

At least the handy charging stand almost made up for the disappointing mic quality. When I had had enough matching up with bizarrely named strangers on Marvel Rivals, I hung up the headset on the stand, and it would conveniently charge overnight. I’m not a fan of just leaving my headsets out in the open, especially when I have a cat that believes everything in its path is a toy, so this was a treat. Not only that, I didn’t have to remember to give it a charge, and so never had to deal with its up to 50 hours worth of battery as it was constantly ready to go.

Another neat aspect of the charging stand is that you can pop the 2.4GHz dongle out of it, plug that directly into your PS5, and keep the charging stand stored in another room entirely. This made the PS5 licensed cups extra handy for multi-platform gaming, as I was able to move the stand to my bedroom nightstand or my desk without having to disconnect the low-latency 2.4GHz connection from my Sony console. Setting up the 900 Max HS with my OLED Steam Deck and my OLED Nintendo Switch was easy as pie via Bluetooth, and running through the latest Wonderland Whimsy Disney Dreamlight Valley update on the go sounded exceptional. As did the vibrant scores of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine via Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

Should you buy the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset?

If you’re fed up of charging your gaming headset and want an alternative battery solution without having to fork out the full cost of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, the $249.99 / £209.35 Nacon RIG 900 Max HS is an ideal alternative. Sure, you won’t be getting the crystal clear microphone quality that SteelSeries and its audio tech is known for, or anywhere close, but the accompanying charging stand of the Nacon headset adds an extra level of convenience that almost makes up for its gaps in quality.

Similarly to SteelSeries, Nacon has a free-to-download accompanying app for the 900 Max HS headset, which takes the average sound produced by its 40mm audio drivers and elevates it to new, sublime-sounding heights. There isn’t a list of dedicated gaming presets to choose from, but with the app, you can tailor the audio just to your liking and save your settings as profiles to switch between the next time you want to get stuck into your latest PS5 gaming obsession.

Had the built-in mic’s quality been up to scratch, the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS would have easily earned a spot as one of the best PS5 accessories I’ve ever gotten my hands on. Yet, even with its lack of quality, its high-tier sound, transformative customizable audio settings, dual wireless connectivity, and user-friendly charging stand still justify its high-end price, and place as one of the most convenient PS5 gadgets I’ve used to date.

How I tested the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS gaming headset

During the over two-week testing period, the Nacon RIG 900 Max HS wireless gaming headset rarely left my side. Whether I was gaming on my PS5, answering phone calls, or chatting to co-workers during important meetings, the 900 Max HS remained on my head. As a headset designed with the PS5 in mind, my main games of choice during the testing process were Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and Marvel Rivals. I also made sure to dig out Dead by Daylight and Sea of Thieves, to see how they measured up on the PS5 and PC versions. The 900 Max HS was also put through its paces on the Steam Deck when playing the brand-new Wonderland Whimsy update in Disney Dreamlight Valley, and to play our Switch testing game of choice, Super Mario 3D All-Stars on a Nintendo Switch OLED handheld.

When not racking up my hours in Marvel Rivals, I used the headset while catching up with the anime series Oshi No Ko, and the last season of You on Netflix. I also tested the headset while listening to Spotify across a wide range of genres, from Irish rappers Kneecap, to the relaxing dance tunes of ODESZA. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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