Royal Kludge is probably better known for its mechanical keyboards, but the company has branched out into other gaming peripherals as well. The HG103 is RK’s wireless gaming headset, offering 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm wired connectivity, RGB lighting, a detachable microphone, and virtual 7.1 surround sound.
After spending some time gaming, watching movies, and listening to music with the HG103, I came away fairly impressed with it as a gaming headset. There are a few things that keep it from being my ideal everyday headset, but some of those come down more to personal preference than anything actually wrong with the HG103.
The Surround Sound Is the Standout Feature
The thing that impressed me most about the HG103 was its positional audio.
The virtual 7.1 surround sound works particularly well in games where knowing where a sound came from matters. Footsteps are easy to pick out, and I found it pretty easy to determine where another player was coming from.
That can make a real difference in FPS games. Hearing footsteps is useful, but being able to tell which direction they’re coming from is considerably more useful.
This is probably where the HG103 makes its strongest case as a gaming headset rather than simply another pair of wireless headphones.
RK uses 50mm dynamic drivers with a frequency range of 20Hz–20kHz, and the headset has a dedicated control for toggling the virtual 7.1 mode.
Sound Quality Is Good, but There Are Better Headphones
Overall sound quality is fine. Games sound good, movies sound really nice, and I don’t have any major complaints about the audio.
At the same time, I’m accustomed to listening through my Philips headphones, and the HG103 doesn’t sound as good to me for general audio listening.
That’s an important distinction.
The HG103 isn’t a bad-sounding headset. It isn’t. But its strengths are clearly geared toward gaming. If my main priority were listening to music, I would still reach for my Philips headphones.
For gaming, however, the HG103 has an advantage my regular headphones don’t have: the surround processing makes locating sounds and footsteps much easier.
So which sounds “better” depends somewhat on what I’m doing.
Wireless Is Really Nice to Have
Going wireless is one of those conveniences that doesn’t sound terribly exciting until you’ve gotten used to it.
The HG103 supports 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.3, and a traditional 3.5mm wired connection. The included wireless adapter supports both USB-A and USB-C, giving you quite a few options for connecting it. RK lists compatibility with PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Mac, mobile devices, and VR devices. Xbox support is through the 3.5mm connection.
For gaming at the PC, I prefer the 2.4GHz connection. Being able to get up from the desk without taking the headset off or worrying about a cable is simply convenient.
Battery life shouldn’t be much of an issue either. RK rates the 1000mAh battery for more than 40 hours of use, with a charging time of approximately two hours and support for fast charging.
I Like the Detachable Microphone
I’m also a fan of the microphone design.
The boom microphone is both adjustable and completely removable. If you’re playing multiplayer or chatting with someone, plug it in and position it where you want it. If you’re watching a movie or playing something where you don’t need a microphone, pull it out.
I much prefer that to having a microphone permanently hanging off the side of the headset.
The microphone also uses environmental noise cancellation to help reduce background noise, and the headset has controls directly on the earcup for volume, microphone mute, RGB, and the 7.1 surround function.
Comfort Is Where the HG103 Didn’t Work as Well for Me
This is probably the biggest issue I had with the HG103.
They’re a little tight out of the box.
The earcups do fit completely over my ears, but they’re close enough that I notice it. The headset itself also feels a little small on my head compared with what I’m accustomed to.
I don’t think that’s necessarily going to be a problem for everyone. Someone with a smaller head may put these on and think they’re perfect.
They also seem like the kind of headset that will loosen up after being worn for a while. If they’re too tight initially, I’d actually suggest leaving them stretched over something slightly wider than your head for a while. That should help speed up the break-in process.
At 299 grams, the HG103 isn’t particularly heavy. For me, the comfort issue is much more about the clamping force and overall fit than the weight.
Closed-Back vs. Open-Back Is a Matter of Preference
There’s one other reason the HG103 isn’t likely to replace my regular headphones: I prefer open-back headphones.
The HG103 uses an over-ear design that isolates you much more from what’s happening around you. That’s actually a benefit for a gaming headset. It keeps outside distractions from interfering with the game and helps you concentrate on the audio.
I just happen to prefer being able to hear what’s going on around me.
That’s not really something I would mark against the HG103 because it’s doing exactly what it’s designed to do. If you prefer the isolation of a typical gaming headset, you may actually consider this an advantage.
For me, it’s simply something I’d want to know before buying.
Final Thoughts
The Royal Kludge HG103 isn’t going to replace my Philips headphones for music or everyday listening, but that’s not really where it impressed me.
Gaming is.
The virtual 7.1 surround does a surprisingly good job of making footsteps and other positional sounds easy to locate. Add 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, a removable microphone, RGB lighting, and more than 40 hours of rated battery life, and the HG103 has a pretty solid feature set for a gaming headset.
My biggest hesitation is comfort. The headset runs a little small and clamps more tightly than I prefer, particularly right out of the box. Someone with a smaller head may have an entirely different experience, and I expect the clamping force to improve as the headset breaks in.
Audio quality is good rather than exceptional, but games and movies sound very nice, and the positional audio is genuinely useful rather than just something to put on the specification sheet.
If your priority is pure audio quality, there are better headphones. If your priority is wireless gaming with good positional audio and the ability to figure out exactly where those footsteps are coming from, the HG103 does that job very well.
RK Royal Kludge HG103 product page
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