Wired or wireless? This used to be a big debate when it came to picking a gaming headset, but these days it's a pretty simple question to answer. Wireless cans have come on leaps and bounds in the past decade, so wired only really makes sense if you're min/maxing your audio quality options.
The Rig R5 Spear Max HD is the latest addition to Nacon's Rig gaming headset brand, and it's attempting to do just that. It's a wired gaming headset with an included USB Type-C DAC for high-quality audio sources, and it's got some fancy graphene drivers that promise to deliver "studio-grade game audio."
Plus, it's got a modular design that means you can swap out the ear cup sideplates, or switch the microphone and cable unit to either side. For the relatively reasonable price of $150, it's all looking rather good on paper. It's pretty comfy and sleek-looking in person, too.
However, there are two things here that give me pause. One, although a $150 gaming headset with an included DAC and fancy drivers strikes as good value, it's still a wired headset in 2026, and chaining yourself to your PC with a cable feels a touch old-fashioned. And two, while the R5 Spear Max HD can often sound good for gaming, it feels like it's been tweaked so far into gamer-first territory that it suffers in the musical department.
It's an interesting set of cans with lots of nice touches—but there are enough drawbacks to prevent me from giving a wholehearted "yes please" to this quirky-yet-flawed set.
Buy if:
✅ You want nothing but gaming audio: The RIG Spear R5 Max HD isn't great for music listening, even with a tweak. For picking out footsteps in a tactical shooter, though, it works very well.
✅ The modular features float your boat: The snap lock magnetic system for the microphone unit and the earplates is fairly impressive, and there are apparently more customisation options coming in future.
