The Low-Down!
The EKSA E1000 gaming headphones provide a budget solution to those on the market for a vibrant headset under $50. Visually, they fit right into an RGB LED setup with various color trims available. The audio quality plays in the same league as other small brand competitors, though we’d have liked to have seen better performance when it comes to directional sound.
EKSA E1000 Gaming Headphone Specs
Platform
PC, PS4 & Mac
Connection
Cable (USB)
Color Options
Red, Blue, Green & Grey
Frequency Response
20Hz – 20kHz
Additional Information
Driver Diameter: 50mm
Sensitivity: 118±3dB / -42±3dB
Impedance: 32Ω±10%
Microphone Impedance: 2.2KΩ
Supply Voltage: 5V
Current Consumption: Max 200mA
Gaming headsets have become one of the fastest-growing audio products over the past decade. With modern consoles adopting USB compatibility, we saw an increase in demand for affordable gaming headsets. The EKSA E1000 is a budget headset that brings with it striking visuals and decent quality sound for the price.
To set expectations at a reasonable level, these are not by any means premium headphones. But then again, you’re not going to find premium quality at under $50. This headset is designed for younger audiences or those who aren’t looking to spend an arm and a leg on a hobby. In the gaming headset space, there are plenty of quality gaming headsets under $100, however, the sub-$50 space becomes messy, with a number of products, even by larger manufacturers unable to match the quality required by serious gamers.
The EKSA E1000 plays in a competitive space, especially with well-established brand products like the Hyper-X Cloud Stinger and SteelSeries – Arctis 1 sitting at around the same price range.
Appearance
Visually, the E1000 is perhaps visually louder than it is in the audio. The colorful headband and earcup lining give it that youthful appeal that really matches well with an RGB LED setup. The color accents are available in green, grey, red, and blue – giving you a fair bit of choice when it comes to matching your “battle station”.
Additionally, the outer part of the earcup has both a hexagonal, pulsating RGB light as well as RGB lighting across the EKSA brand name on the earcup. If you’re looking for subtlety, that’s not what the EKSA E1000 is about. But if you’re after something affordable that brings a visual flair to your gaming experience, that’s what the E1000 is made for.
Build Quality
The build quality of the EKSA E1000 is a bit of a mixed bag. Firstly, the cable is entwined with rope for protection, as is common with many newer headphone models. The thickness of rope though was perhaps a little more than required.
The movement of the earcups forward and backward feel solid and they don’t feel like they are at risk for breakage, however the same can’t be said when one moves the left and right earcups in opposing directions as one would when putting the headphones on. I do feel like they are a little vulnerable for those with larger heads.
The volume and mic controller on the USB cable feels like it could be prone to accidental damage, something that I’ve found even with the far more expensive Hyper-X Cloud IIs. This seems to be a common oversight with headphone manufacturers. It’s easy for us to accidentally stand on the controller when the headphones are temporarily resting on a chair or table.
The headphone and earcup materials leave a little to be desired in terms of the feel and comfort. Having used similar materials in previous models, I do feel like over time one may start to get some displaced padding. Though I must say I didn’t have any short-term evidence of this during my testing period.
The EKSA E1000 is almost entirely made from plastic. It’s not the weakest or most durable headphones we’ve felt in hand, and mostly what we’d expect in this price range.
Comfort
When testing headphones, it’s difficult to not draw comparisons to one’s daily driver, and the fact that I’ve been using the Sivga sv021 recently means that I’ve become used to an absurd level of comfort. In turn, I had to pull out a pair of competitor Redragon’s headphones for comparison to try and gauge where the EKSA E1000 falls.
I think that the comfort levels are completely acceptable for younger individuals or those with small heads, but I did find that there was a bit of pressure, particularly just in front of the ears when they are placed on one’s head. The good side is, however, that they do fit snug and don’t leave large areas of gaps between the face and headphones where sound can escape from. That doesn’t mean they isolate noise though, the noise isolation leaves something to be desired.
As a gamer, it’s important for me to know I can wear a headset for hours without discomfort. The EKSA E1000 didn’t quite hit that benchmark that I set for myself and I did find the pressure on my head size a little much. I believe this stems from the fairly tight fit that they are built to create. I felt like perhaps these are primarily targeted towards younger individuals, which they probably are. So if you’re looking to buy these for a child or young teen, they may not experience the same problems.
With negative criticism out the way, I’ve owned much less comfortable headphones in the past and while the EKSA E1000 falls slightly short of the likes of Hyper-X, Steelseries, or Razor – they do manage to compete with other budget brands on the market.
Sound Quality
It’s important to preface this section by stating that we decided to examine the E1000 in relation to music and in-game sound quality. The reality is that most of us are going to be listening to music while we wait for our lobbies to pop or using the same headphones for general audio requirements.
In-Game Audio
For casual gamers, the EKSA E1000 is going to be efficient enough to warrant purchasing. When testing audio in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive the one thing I look for, as a previously competitive gamer is how accurate the directional sound is. Whether you’re listening for enemy footsteps or need to know how far that HE grenade is dropping behind you, having a good sense of space is what really makes a gaming headset shine.
I found that HE grenades sounded decent, though lack some sub-bass. The drop-off in the highs works in the E1000’s favor when it comes to flashbang explosions. They don’t give that high-pitched ringing, which despite the intention – can often prove more annoying or even painful than immersive.
Perhaps being a bit too critical, given the budget – I do feel like there could be some improvements to driver placement or work done to better provide depth to the directional sound. Whenever I shot, it sounded like the gun was slightly behind me. Similarly, with footsteps, I was sometimes under the impression the enemy was further behind than they were.
Music
When it comes to in-game audio, the EKSA E1000 does a good job of providing all the essentials. But it doesn’t excel in the same way more expensive devices would. For example, you’re not going to get the rattling sub-bass that premium headsets can provide. With that said, the frequency response isn’t as bad as I expected and still seemed to have a lot to offer in the bass range.
I would highly advise pushing the volume on the EKSA E1000 if you’re looking to get the most out of them. I found that when they are cranked up they seem to do much better in most areas of sound and even the mids and lows just feel more full. As I turned the volume lower, there seemed to be a loss of definition and an increase in the muddiness one can hear in the mids particularly.
In the end, after wearing them for a couple of hours I actually forgot I was testing them out and I had grown quite used to the sound and it didn’t feel as drastic of a quality issue as when I moved directly from my Sivga.
The EKSA E1000 is more than capable of producing sound quality that is in line with competing models.
Microphone
The microphone quality was surprisingly clear when tested, there wasn’t any kind of static or distinct problems. If there was something I would change, it would probably just be the volume of the mic. During testing, I always found that the recorded audio seemed to lack volume which could become problematic for communication while your teamies are under fire.
Overall though, the microphone stood out as one of the better features of the E1000.
Compatibility
These gaming headphones use a USB cable for connection and not an AUX cable, meaning that you don’t need to worry about plugging in two cables in order to get both the sound and the mic working.
They are made to work with PCs, Sony Playstation 4, and Apple Mac.
Conclusion
The EKSA E1000 gaming headphones are a good option for kids and teens who are casual gamers that need an affordable gaming headset. Adults with larger heads may find that the headphone tightness could present a problem.
What sets the EKSA E1000 apart from a lot of other budget headsets is the tasteful inclusion of the pulsating LED lights which aren’t overtly in your face and lighting up the house next door, but they are enough to bring some life to the aesthetic and will fit well into an RGB PC setup.
If you’re a serious gamer that plays a lot of FPS, you’re probably going to be better off opting for something that costs a bit more. I’d personally recommend the Razor Kraken, which provides better overall sound quality and comfort for about $15 extra.