Thermaltake E1 Headset Stand Review

Introduction

If you’re anything like me, your PC desk becomes the dumping ground for everything from controllers, keys, your wallet, phone, and gaming headset. Well, Thermaltake hopes to help you organize your space a little better and also add a little flair with their new accessory, the E1 RGB Headset stand. The E1 RGB Headset stand features all-aluminum construction, non-slip base, 8 stunning lighting effects, 2-port USB 3.0 hub, 3.5mm 4-pole audio port, and works with a variety of RGB software. For an MSRP of $49.99 it might just be the accessory you need to tidy up your gaming station.

Thermaltake Take on the E1 RGB Headset Stand

The E1 RGB headset stand provides that all important place to hang your precious headphones and keeps it within easy reach when needed. PUT YOUR HEADSET IN THE SPOTLIGHT!

Features of the E1 RGB Headset Stand include:

• Stunning 16. 8 million RGB color illumination provides the brightest visibility and eye-catching style for your gaming session
• 8 different lighting effect settings: Static, Pulse, Spectrum Running, Wave, Raindrop, Snake Marquee, Music, and System Temperature
• Featuring a 2-port USB 3. 0 hub and 3. 5mm 4-pole audio port, users can directly connect their USB & aux-in compatible devices to the headset stand
• The Thermaltake iTAKE engine software connects all your Thermaltake Gaming Peripherals and TT RGB PLUS compatible products
• SyncALL TT RGB PLUS compatible power, liquid cooling, case fan product lines for seamless color coordination of your ecosystem

Features and Specifications

Technical Specifications:

Packaging and Unboxing

The E1 RGB Headset Stand is packaged in an all-black box with a profile shot of the E1 showing off one of its many RGB presets. To the right, we can see that the E1 is compatible with many pieces of software such as TT Sync, TT RGB Plus, Razer Chroma, and Amazon Alexa. At the bottom it lists some of the most notable features of the E1 that include 16.8 million RGB color, aluminum construction, and dual USB & audio pass through.

Looking to the back of the box, we find a few more photos of the E1 outlining all of its features. In addition to the features mentioned on the front, the E1 also mentions a few more that include a non-slip base and rubberized head to rest your headphones on.

Removing the E1 from the box, you can see it was secured with 2 pieces of foam on either side, and the entire stand is wrapped in a plastic bag.

Emptying the rest of the contents of the package reveals a USB 3.0 cable, 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable, quick installation guide, and a warranty card.

A Closer Look & Testing

As stated by Thermaltake, the E1 required zero assembly out of the box. All it requires is to be plugged into your PC using the USB/Audio cables that are included. After handling the EQ for a few minutes, it’s apparent that it’s extremely well built and the aluminum frame is quite solid.

Looking at the top of the E1, we find a rubberized pad where you would rest your headphones. This is a nice addition, as you wouldn’t want the aluminum frame to scratch your headset and it also provides a non-slip area to better hold them in place.

The face of the E1’s base is finished with a smooth plastic shell that hides the E1 internals and sports a back-lit TT logo towards the front. The surface is angled forward slightly which adds to the sleek design. However, it would have been nice if they kept it flat so that your phone could be placed on it.

Looking at the right side of the E1, you can see the two USB 3.0 pass-through ports as well as the 3.5mm audio jack. At the base is the second RGB element of the stand which wraps around all sides of the E1.

Moving to the back of the stand, we see the USB and audio port that connects to your PC with the included cables.

With the E1 now installed on our desk, it’s time to put the stand to good use and place our headset on it. Once the headset was placed on the stand, it held them in place really well and sure made my desk look much cleaner. One thing we did notice was that there was no place to store the extra slack of the headset cables, so we had to throw the loose wires behind the desk. It would have been nice if some sort of cable management had been installed at the back of the stand in order to place the wire neatly. This would have further added to its clean look.

Now that it’s hooked up to the PC, the E1 starts showing off all its RGB elements which complete the look of our gaming setup.

The E1 RGB elements really pop when the lights are off.

Software

With the E1 RGB Headset stand now installed, it’s time to set up the RGB profile that fits with the rest of our setup. The E1 can be configured using Thermaltake iTAKE software which can easily be downloaded from their website here: https://www.thermaltake.com/downloads. Once the software is installed and opened it will detect the E1 automatically.

The E1 RGB Headset stand comes preloaded with 8 different RGB presets that include:

• Static – Static color
• Pulse – Pulse color in and out
• Spiral Rainbow – RGB rainbow circulating around the E1
• RGB Spectrum – Cycling through colors blending as they change
• Raindrops – Random LEDs going on/off with a raindrop type feel
• Snake – A snake-like animation going around the E1
• Music Mode – Reacts to your music
• Temp – Change color based on your PC temperature

Once you have selected your preferred profile you can change other aspects such as brightness, speed, and color.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

If your desk area is somewhat of a mess like mine, the E1 RGB Headset stand might just be what the doctor ordered. Once installed on my workstation it did help to remove a bit of clutter and it was nice to put my headphones up for display. I enjoyed the non-slip base and rubberized pad feature at the top, as it kept the E1 and headphones secured from slight bumps now and again. I also found that the extra USB ports included on the stand were extremely handy for my wireless/Bluetooth adapters and opened up a port at the back of my PC for another peripheral.

Even though the E1 managed to de-clutter my desk, there did seem to be a couple of things missing. The one thing I wish it had most was a place to gather the extra slack of my headphone cables. Instead, I had to tuck the slack behind the desk where it was out of sight. Another missed opportunity was in creating a sloped design at the base. If the base itself was flat, it could have included a Qi charger for your phone. This would have removed another piece of clutter from the desk and would be a perfect place to charge your phone as well.

Overall, the E1 RGB Headset stand did what it set out to do and helped clean up the mess that is my desk. My headset looked great on the stand and the extra RGB completed the look of my setup. Despite the missed opportunities that would bring the E1 to the next level, it has an MSRP of just $49.99 so it’s a must-have for your battle station!