After sending us the surprisingly impressive Level 20 peripherals, Thermaltake has also dropped us their more budget-friendly Pulse G100 RGB gaming headset and E1 RGB headset stand for review.
Without further ado, let's see what these babies have to offer!
Thermaltake Esports Pulse G100 RGB Gaming Headset
Suddenly, it feels like Christmas
The first thing you'll notice about the Pulse G100 is undoubtedly its RGB-clad earcups, which pulsate randomly like a music visualiser on crack. While it is certainly not my cup of tea, some people may enjoy the wild cacophony of colours on display. Do note that the RGB is non-addressable - what you see is what you get.
The Thermaltake Esports insignia is displayed prominently in the middle of each earcup while the full logo and branding is embossed along the headband. The headband is extremely stretchy and has ample padding - coupled with its lightweight form factor, it was extremely comfortable even after long hours of gaming.
The earcup padding is made of soft foam with a leatherette exterior, and is large enough to fit comfortably over your entire ear. Height adjustment was decent, with approximately 1.5 inches of leeway on each side, so it should fit most head sizes well.
In-line controls, plus lots and lots of cables
The in-line controls allow you to adjust volume, toggle microphone mute and RGB lighting. The volume wheel is well-built while the buttons feel solid as well; one thing to note, however, is that the RGB lighting symbols are reversed - the filled sun corresponds to 'off', while the empty one represents 'on'. It is pretty odd, but once you're familiar with the button orientation you won't even think about it anymore.
At the end of the 6' rubber cable is a USB header along with 3.5mm mic and audio headers. I'm not a huge fan of this setup as I prefer a single USB header that takes care of everything, or a single 3.5mm header. In this case, the USB header is purely to power the RGB lighting - and if you want to use it with a Nintendo Switch or smartphone, you'll have to use the Y-cable included, which is just unwieldy to say the least.
Decent sound quality and serviceable microphone
The Pulse G100 headset utilises 53mm neodymium drivers, which produces surprisingly decent sound for both music and gaming. I took it for a run in Overwatch, and didn't have any issues with identifying positional audio, which is always a good sign - if you notice something's off, chances are that it is.
In terms of music, it performed pretty well as well. Vocals are clear while the bass is strong, partially thanks to the good fit of the earcups which prevents leakage; midtones were slightly sandy at loud volumes, but not enough to be off-putting.
Overall, the audio performed well for an affordable headset, and was certainly above my expectations.
The mic however, was not as good. It does its job, but is noticeably low quality, with 'S'-led sounds being sharp and hissy. The directional pickup is very good, and does not detect the sound of the person next to me typing.
Sadly, the mic is not detachable, retractable, or foldable in any way. Basically, you'll have to put up with it being in your face even when you're not using it - the most you can do is to bend it out of the way. Speaking of bending, I would have liked it to be firmer as well; slight jostles will displace the mic, which can be tiresome at times.
Buy or no buy?
Overall, the Thermaltake Pulse G100 RGB gaming headset offers pretty decent quality for gamers on a budget. While it definitely cannot compare with higher-tier headsets, it still has decent build and audio quality for its price. Although it has a couple of shortcomings, none of them are deal-breakers in my opinion.
If you're looking for a reasonably priced headset which offers good positional audio and long hours of comfort, the Pulse G100 should be right up your alley.
Thermaltake E1 RGB Gaming Headset Stand
This review is going to be considerably shorter, because well, it's just a headset stand, eh? It holds my headset perfectly without toppling over, which is really the only thing we need in a headset stand - but of course, we'll always want as many extra features as we can get, so let's take a brief tour.
Build-wise, it's solid and springy with an aluminium body, while the base and holder are rubberised for extra grip. It is a 1-piece construction which requires no assembly out of the box, which is a big plus.
Extra features include 2 USB3.0 ports and a 3.5mm audio port for easier cable management. In the box, you'll also find a USB cable and 3.5mm cable.
As with any product with 'gaming' in the title, the Thermaltake E1 RGB gaming headset stand features RGB lighting. It comes with 8 presets - Static, Pulse, Spectrum Running, Wave, Raindrop, Snake Marquee, Music, and System Temperature - and is also compatible with the iTake Gaming Engine and TT RGB Plus software.
The only quibble I have would be that the holder isn't rounded and will leave marks on your headset band.
Everything else works as it should, and it is both well-built and pleasing to the eye.
Buy or no buy?
Do you need a headset stand with tons of RGB bling and extra ports for cable management? Buy.
Do you dislike having indents on the headband of your headset? Then don't buy (or buy it and plonk something soft between your headset and the stand to prevent marks.)
All in all, both the Thermaltake Pulse G100 RGB Gaming Headset and Thermaltake E1 RGB Gaming Headset Stand are reasonable buys for the price. Though if you have enough money to buy both, I'd suggest that you invest more dough on a better headset and forgo the RGB bling on your headset stand, as enticing as it may look.
However, if you're on a tight budget and looking for a decent pair of cans, the Pulse G100 will do the trick, and if you're looking to spend extra dollars on something absolutely unnecessary but makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside - the E1 Headset Stand is a good choice. For more info, you can check out their product pages here:
