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The headphone stand is a bust of Albert Einstein.Photo: couchchimp@Reddit.com

There’s a lot to like in Redditor Couchchimp’s computer setup, not the least of which is a bust of Albert Eistein that serves as a headphone stand. Not just “serves” — it’s actually a purpose-built headphone stand. That’ll smarten things up nicely.

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In addition to the coolest headphone stand you’re likely to see today, Couchchimp rocks a MacBook Pro on a Brydge Vertical Stand with a 34-inch Samsung curved widescreen display.

A wide-enough widescreen

“I didn’t want to keep turning my head so much, so a 49-inch [monitor] was out,” he said in response to a comment. “Also, the ones that I were looking at didn’t support multiple co-current video sources. I didn’t even consider multiple individual monitors as I didn’t want the screen frames to get in the way when butted up against each other. This monitor does everything I need.”

Lighting and desk

Couchchimp also has his lighting in good order, as evidenced by the KableRika Computer Monitor Light with six color-temperature modes.

A 3.3-foot LIFX Smart LED Light Strip back-lights the desk, which is a butcher block from Home Depot on an electric stand-up desk frame. The light strip is compatible with voice-activated systems (“Hey Siri!”) as well as HomeKit.

“If you look to the right hand end of the desk there’s a little control panel,” Couchchimp said. “You can set the heights you want, press a button, and it will automatically raise lower to those points. Or, you can press the up/down arrows and achieve the same.”

Stream deck not used for gaming

Couchchimp said he uses his Elgato Stream Deck for work and stock trading.

“I’m not a gamer, that more of the area of my 14 yr old, who also has the Streamdeck XL for his Windows (blech) machine,” he said. “I do a lot of conference calls, PowerPoint presentations etc. the usual business stuff. So, specifically, I have mine set up for: Zoom, Webex, MS Teams, PowerPoint. I also do some trading, so I additionally have it configured to bring up a new desktop with all of my stock trading apps.”

The shortcuts a Stream Deck provides help a great deal, he said.

“It might not sound like a lot, but it saves me hunting for the applications and the right keystroke combinations to do what I need, especially when I need to hop between different conferencing platforms ... and then my auto notifications tell me that $GME or $AMC has dropped so I need to buy more!” he said.

Best plugin ever?

And apparently a Zoom plugin for Stream Deck has a “get me the fuck out of this meeting” button. Who knew?

“It’s a Streamdeck command that comes with the Zoom plugin,” Couchchimp said. “Press a button and it closes the Zoom for everyone on the call.”

Charging and connectivity

In addition to the Brydge vertical laptop stand, Couchchimp has a Brydge Stone Pro Docking Station with Thunderbolt 3, USB-C and other ports.

And if that’s not enough, even his desk mat is a charging station. Specifically, it’s a Jelison Leather Desk Pad with 15W Wireless Charging Station, compatible with Qi-enabled wireless charging devices.

That’s a lot of cool gear. But, really, he had us at “Albert Einstein Headphone Stand.” You can find it in the list below.

Shop these items now:

13-inch MacBook Pro

Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Magic Mouse 2

Brydge Vertical Dock

Brydge Stone Pro Docking Station

34-inch Samsung CJ791 Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor

Elgato Stream Deck

LIFX Light Strip

Electric Stand Up Desk Frame

KableRika Computer Monitor Light

Albert Einstein Headphone Stand

Jelison Leather Desk Pad with 15W Wireless Charging Station

If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.

Posted in: News, Top stories

Tagged: 13-inch MacBook Pro, Albert Einstein Headphone Stand, Brydge, Elgato, LIFX, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Samsung, Setups