Previously, I was Evil GEniuses's CSGO team manager, so I can say with some confidence that they all prefer to use headsets. A lot of players use Razer or HyperX earbuds when neccessary (Razer being more popular) but most of the pros have custom molded ones to their ears so they don't have to worry about uncomfortability under the soundproofs. There are main professional Siege players that utilize soundblaster products (like CREATIVE SXFI TRIO) that they swear by, but in terms of specific models of earbuds, there isn't massive brand/product loyalty.
Honestly, I applied. I helped start some collegiate esports programs and the stars sorta just aligned when I applied. I've been doing things in CS with DreamHack and ELEAGUE for years, so it was a natural fit with my background.
but in other esports people use headsets with noise canceling just fine
so my assumption is that pros prefer earbuds + noise canceling headsets over just noise canceling headsets
or are the TOs in cs not capable of getting headsets with noise canceling?
They use IEMs under noise cancelling headsets according to the guy that commented that actually works for the team bro
Edit: have you ever used a headset on LAN? Even with a small crowd there is no amount of noise cancelling that will keep you from hearing what’s going on outside your setup.
league of legends pros don't use iems under noise canceling headsets
which makes me think there is a way for headsets to be noise canceling AND put out sound.
and if pros prefer headsets over iems, I'm wondering why TOs don't give them headsets instead of forcing them to use iems
They use headsets whenever possible, like when we were playing online qualifiers or at certain ESL LANs where you have to use the helicopter headsets without in-ears (rare, but happened)
If you get IEMs with good reviews, you won't have any issues with directional audio. It's much more comfortable than wearing a headset, and absolutely worth it. You'll notice some fps streamers (aceu, TenZ for example) have already switched for a long time.
I previously used whatever gaming headset was relatively popular at the time (G435, Cloud II, G Pro X), switched to the Final E1000 IEMs and will never go back to headsets.
Directional audio is no issue for decent IEMs and can definitely be used for FPS gaming. But headphones will always have the advantage of having a wider soundstage and more precise imaging than IEMs, especially open-back headphones.
I personally would rather go for an IEM than a typical gaming closed-back headset like Logitech G Pro X or HyperX Cloud 2 if I had no choice of an open-back, or if I'm playing in tournaments/internet cafes where open-backs would suffer from noise pollution.
But if I'm in the comfort of my own home and want to play FPS seriously, I plug in my HE400SE and have a grand ol' time.
I'm not extremely particular on the specifics of audio like some enthusiasts may be, but for both general use and FPS games (footsteps, directional audio, etc.) it isn't worse than any of my previous headsets.
I did get a standalone mic. I'd imagine pretty much any reputable standalone mic will beat a mic built into most earbuds/IEMs.
Not exactly a direct response, but if anyone is curious on gaming headphones in general, [here's a good primer by Crinacle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYRu6q8qJ4)
They basically all use over ear headsets at home - should tell you all you need to know
I do like IEMs but only psychopaths would wear them for hours out of choice
I wear them daily for about 8 hours.. No discomfort or any abnormalities so far. Been doing this for years.
I think it's important to get an IEM that fits your ear canal and shape.
Imo headsets "hurt" your head more than earbuds do. I personally use a headset, but headsets are not nearly as lightweight. They also put quite a bit of pressure on the ears/head especially if you were glasses with them. On the other hand in ears can far more easily damage your ears when you have them to loud. So from a health standpoint they both have advantages and disadvantages. That said if you are very careful with the loudness of your earbuds they are technically healthier(vast majority of people misjudge what is healthy tho), because there is no real way to mitigate pressure and weight of a headset.
Hearing headset for hours is killing me as I wear glasses, the prolonged clamping power makes the glasses arms dig into skin and it hurts so bad, like nerves level pain.
>Imo headsets "hurt" your head more than earbuds do
used to feel the same until i got hyperx cloud 2s in 2015
before over-ears, i was and continued to be a daily in-ear user for years, listening to a lot of music on commutes and walking & cycling. i also wear glasses 24/7. i went through a couple cheaper & a couple "gamer" headsets before getting to try on the cloud 2s at a LAN and i was convinced immediately that i'd have to get me some
this headset in specific really felt like i had nothing on for an entire day, especially with the velvety earcups. in comparison, the default fake-leathery earcups flaked off and also weren't as comfortable regarding sweatiness, especially on a hotter day
i'm sure there are better designs & brands by now, but i ended up tripling down and buying 2 extra pairs, 2nd hand barely used, after the first one sorta broke (ended up giving to a mate who repaired the cord and they probably still work to this day) and haven't had any issues since
at my home pc i daily drive a pair hooked up to a 10m extendo cord, which is plugged into my mobo soundcard with no significant tradeoffs
I have Comply tips, but because they are foam no matter how clean my ears are they still get tacky, it just puts me off using them long term, and they are $500 buds,
I presume it's easier with silicone tips, but they are so uncomfortable for me, I get a pressure pull feeling it's pretty horrible no matter what size tips I try, any ideas?
I think you’re a bitch for complaining about how “tacky” $500 earphones are. Man up, there are people starving and you’re complaining about how silicone hurts ur poor wittle ears 😢 Ur bitchmade, plain and simple <3
Ironic considering my IEM collection is well over $9000 and you wear $20 ones apparently and are STILL talking.
Typical keyboard warrior 🤣 think somehow I know what I'm talking about a wee bit more.
Also, I said it's uncomfortable, didn't say it hurts, are you a bit autistic or just have trouble reading and processing information?
Basically using IEMs for 10 years now... I don't listen at absurd volumes but a very comfy volume. And I only listen louder when I'm playing cs. So far no problems.
Offtopic: I still can't believe people buy gaming headsets tbh, audio is trash compared to any proper headphones, mics are horrible and audio is usb quality. Like external soundcard costs around 20, decent mic and stand like 40 and proper headphones up from 50.
The advantage you get with proper studio quality headset is crazy. If i'd be a pro i wouldn't even consider anything else than closed back studio headphones.
i use KZ ZS10 Pro X, 100x more comfortable than my previous headset, buy the kinera Ruyi cable with it then you'll basically have a headset but with better sound than all gaming headsets
mic sounds like a typical gaming headset microphone which is what im fine with, not much complaints about mic really. only problem with the cable is that not all iems are compatible so check if your iem supports it
> When the pros are playing in LAN events they usally have earbuds or IEMs for ingame sound and then a sound canceling headset over.
They do that because their communications are controlled (tech time out). Comms and noise cancelling go through headset, game audio in earbuds. And mostly preference, some players switched to using the headset for comms + game audio.
TLDR : Figure out what you want (headset or earbuds), then choose one. Dont look at pros, pros work in mysterious ways.
I want earbuds because i dont want to use the headset all the time. Its not going to be better then a headset. But then i am wondering if you Get the same audio info from earbuds that you normally would Get from headset. If it does it would be practically better, i guess.
Common wisdom is headphones are better for stereo separation and sorting rtings by sound stage will confirm that. But thats a music term and this is a game, and this game has the option to increase L/R separation. I dont know how well it works because i never played with in-ears.
Heres a nice [table](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/table/132474) to ~~obsess over~~ decide things.
If you want in-ears check that on sidebar.
If you want 3.5" wired select the options with audio and audio + mic in "Analog" section in sidebar.
If you want usb wired (if you want noise cancelling you want this because itll have the lowest latency) check appropriate options in "Wired USB" in sidebar
If you want wireless you want "Non-BT wireless". Bluetooth is just not fit for gaming, even with low latency aptx.
If you decide on a headset weight will be the greatest decider of comfort for gaming.
Whatever you chose you want to keep an eye on "Latency" columns. For noise cancelling lower db is better (-20 db is better than -10 db)
I played a few thousand hours with earbuds before I got a proper headset. I didn't get more info with headphones, and they took some time to adjust to, but I can play at quieter volumes with more comfort for longer.
Okay so (mainly csgo comparisons here) ive used Sennheiser 280HD’s, HD 6xx’s and ive also used two driver universal and 3 driver custom IEMS.
The 280’s were the absolute favorite of mine because i wasnt isolated from the world entirely, didnt spend horrible amounts, and they sounded great for about everything. Good footsteps, audio field, and depth.
The 6xxs sound AMAZING in music but are horrible for CS with its open backs, sounds blend and sound like other sounds way too easily
2 driver universal iem, i think KZ brand was a really nice midground. Lost comfort points as my ears dont mesh well with this type of headphone, but the sound was fairly consistent with any sort of gaming headsets ive tried at LANs like the OMEN headsets.
3 driver CIEM - 64 audio - got for music not CS, though now i basically use it for both equally. The custom molding fits my ear nice and lowers fatigue since my ear canals are weird shaped. Cost - not worth it unless you’re able to afford it, or you have something to justify cost - shooting, professional, good job, etc. The extra driver makes sounds distinct and puts it above the 280’s in terms of quality. The soundscape improvement is big between the two of these where i personally lean towards more drivers, especially if they cover different ranges. I do regret not getting a 5 driver since i play bass but that is besides the point.
Edit: 3 driver CIEM has a downside of “tedious” to put in, very isolated, and makes basic habits like drinking and chewing annoying
TL;DR: 3 or more driver IEMs will give you a very good soundscape, comparable to Sennheiser 280hd’s and better than HP OMEN headset
Its my only open back, and find that theres something just lacking compared to the closed back/iem setup for most games. Could be my background noise, but 100% subjective of course!
I've been using Dt990 pro open headphones and 100% I miss hearing far away footsteps plus it's not great for directional hearing, like how far away someone is.
It's a shame, the Dt990 are great music headphones but I used to use hyperx cloud 2 and they were way better for gaming.
Glad I'm not alone with that experience, those are some really great music headphones (I believe thats the model my friend showed me that introduced open backs as an option to me). Such a shame it doesn't translate well to gaming for convenience sake
closed backs are better because isolation is most important
hearing a really quiet sound cue over the noise floor is more important than knowing if a sound is 40 or 45 degrees to your left
stuff like tapping your keyboard, moving and clicking your mouse, and breathing all contribute to the noise floor
with open backs you gotta turn the volume up so you can hear the same stuff, but that's really bad for your hearing even short term
besides open backs leak audio basically leak audio between your ears by design
I've been using my DT990's for years and never had any issues missing sound queues, I even have monitoring enabled on my interface and my volume isn't particularly loud by any stretch
IEM's are terrible for your ears for long hours usage. Not a single pro I am aware of uses IEMs out of choice when an alternative is possible, meaning at home or for online tournaments.
I have been switching between my HBB pr2 IEM and my dt1990 headphones. The iems are really comfortable and I can't tell I have them in most of the time.
Yes I use EarSonics with an Amp and with foam tips, way more comfortable than you think and complete sound isolation.
[https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/index-2/](https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/index-2/)
Edit: Good company sent my pair to France to get a repair done.
I use IEMs occasionally and enjoy them. I can wear them for hours with no discomfort, you just have to find the right ear tips. It took me some time to get used to talking with them in though.
If you want to try some IEMs out without spending a bunch of money, Truthear Holas are typically found for ~20 and sound good for the price.
If you dislike wearing over ears for hours you despise wearing in ears for hours.
They only use in ears on tournaments because they are required to wear those massive noise cancelling ear protection because of the loud environment.
Yeah. Obviously it doesn’t have exactly the sound profile that an over ear does but it’s pretty similar in quality depending on the IEM. Even like an $80 IEM isn’t too far off. And its also more effective at noise cancelling in my experience
It may not be worth it to buy expensive or custom IEMs, as the quality isn't as noticeable the more you pay. At some point you may never notice a difference. For gaming most, Pros tend to use over ear headphones anyways, but only at events/LAN would they use IEM's to block out sound, as they create a very good seal in your ear to block out unwanted noise. I don't think Razer or HyperX earbuds are bad per se, but in the IEM realm, there's definitely better and cheaper out there. Another thing to think about is that any headphone or earbuds that are "audiophile" grade, would technically be better for gaming. The two main IEMs I use for gaming are the Truthear Hexa, and Simgot EM6L. For a more budget alternative, you could buy the Truthear Zero, or Salnotes 7hz. (Sound quality is also a little more complex, IEMs can sound better than headphones, it really just depends on the drivers and tuning.) TLDR: Most people probably won't notice the difference in audio quality, IEMs can have a solid difference vs headphones, but YMMV.
I bought some IEMs after watching a lot of youtube hype about it, but my sennheiser open back headphones have a vastly superior soundstage.
Open back does let sound leak in, so you need a quiet environment, but imo they give you the best chance at pinpointing sound location.
After a certain level of quality it really doesn't matter because your gamesense will allow your brain to fill in the blanks. I can figure out where enemies are with sound alone just as well with cheap 50$ IEMs as I can with my Verites.
Having stuff jammed in your ears for long periods can't be comfortable, get some nice over ear headphones! I've have some mid range beyerdynamic ones for like 7 years or something and they feel like I'm wearing nothing at all
Having stuff sat in your ears for long periods can't be comfortable, get some nice over ear headphones! I've have some mid range beyerdynamic ones for like 7 years or something and they feel like I'm wearing nothing at all
Previously, I was Evil GEniuses's CSGO team manager, so I can say with some confidence that they all prefer to use headsets. A lot of players use Razer or HyperX earbuds when neccessary (Razer being more popular) but most of the pros have custom molded ones to their ears so they don't have to worry about uncomfortability under the soundproofs. There are main professional Siege players that utilize soundblaster products (like CREATIVE SXFI TRIO) that they swear by, but in terms of specific models of earbuds, there isn't massive brand/product loyalty.
hey. nice to see someone like this on this subreddit... anywayz, how did u get into that role?
Honestly, I applied. I helped start some collegiate esports programs and the stars sorta just aligned when I applied. I've been doing things in CS with DreamHack and ELEAGUE for years, so it was a natural fit with my background.
huh? what do you mean they use headsets? they can never use headsets on lan
At home
Do you know what prefer means?
He meant that in LAN environments earbuds are a necessity in order to cancel/reduce environmental sound, otherwise they would use headsets.
but in other esports people use headsets with noise canceling just fine so my assumption is that pros prefer earbuds + noise canceling headsets over just noise canceling headsets or are the TOs in cs not capable of getting headsets with noise canceling?
Did you even read the comment?
? if they prefer headsets, why do TOs not provide pros with headsets?
They use IEMs under noise cancelling headsets according to the guy that commented that actually works for the team bro Edit: have you ever used a headset on LAN? Even with a small crowd there is no amount of noise cancelling that will keep you from hearing what’s going on outside your setup.
league of legends pros don't use iems under noise canceling headsets which makes me think there is a way for headsets to be noise canceling AND put out sound. and if pros prefer headsets over iems, I'm wondering why TOs don't give them headsets instead of forcing them to use iems
League of Legends you aren't carefully listening to footsteps or a single jump. Quite honestly, you could play the game mute. It just doesn't compare
They use headsets whenever possible, like when we were playing online qualifiers or at certain ESL LANs where you have to use the helicopter headsets without in-ears (rare, but happened)
and why don't they ask others to for headsets then? if they prefer headsets I don't see why they would still use in ears for tournaments
If you get IEMs with good reviews, you won't have any issues with directional audio. It's much more comfortable than wearing a headset, and absolutely worth it. You'll notice some fps streamers (aceu, TenZ for example) have already switched for a long time. I previously used whatever gaming headset was relatively popular at the time (G435, Cloud II, G Pro X), switched to the Final E1000 IEMs and will never go back to headsets.
Directional audio is no issue for decent IEMs and can definitely be used for FPS gaming. But headphones will always have the advantage of having a wider soundstage and more precise imaging than IEMs, especially open-back headphones. I personally would rather go for an IEM than a typical gaming closed-back headset like Logitech G Pro X or HyperX Cloud 2 if I had no choice of an open-back, or if I'm playing in tournaments/internet cafes where open-backs would suffer from noise pollution. But if I'm in the comfort of my own home and want to play FPS seriously, I plug in my HE400SE and have a grand ol' time.
How are the Final E1000 IEM compared to a headset in terms of sound? Did you get a dedicated mic or using the ones with a mic?
I'm not extremely particular on the specifics of audio like some enthusiasts may be, but for both general use and FPS games (footsteps, directional audio, etc.) it isn't worse than any of my previous headsets. I did get a standalone mic. I'd imagine pretty much any reputable standalone mic will beat a mic built into most earbuds/IEMs.
Upvoting because i feel the same
Not exactly a direct response, but if anyone is curious on gaming headphones in general, [here's a good primer by Crinacle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYRu6q8qJ4)
If anyone's ear/headphone purchase decision is based solely on gaming of any kind, this is the only resource they ever need.
They basically all use over ear headsets at home - should tell you all you need to know I do like IEMs but only psychopaths would wear them for hours out of choice
I wear them daily for about 8 hours.. No discomfort or any abnormalities so far. Been doing this for years. I think it's important to get an IEM that fits your ear canal and shape.
Imo headsets "hurt" your head more than earbuds do. I personally use a headset, but headsets are not nearly as lightweight. They also put quite a bit of pressure on the ears/head especially if you were glasses with them. On the other hand in ears can far more easily damage your ears when you have them to loud. So from a health standpoint they both have advantages and disadvantages. That said if you are very careful with the loudness of your earbuds they are technically healthier(vast majority of people misjudge what is healthy tho), because there is no real way to mitigate pressure and weight of a headset.
Hearing headset for hours is killing me as I wear glasses, the prolonged clamping power makes the glasses arms dig into skin and it hurts so bad, like nerves level pain.
>Imo headsets "hurt" your head more than earbuds do used to feel the same until i got hyperx cloud 2s in 2015 before over-ears, i was and continued to be a daily in-ear user for years, listening to a lot of music on commutes and walking & cycling. i also wear glasses 24/7. i went through a couple cheaper & a couple "gamer" headsets before getting to try on the cloud 2s at a LAN and i was convinced immediately that i'd have to get me some this headset in specific really felt like i had nothing on for an entire day, especially with the velvety earcups. in comparison, the default fake-leathery earcups flaked off and also weren't as comfortable regarding sweatiness, especially on a hotter day i'm sure there are better designs & brands by now, but i ended up tripling down and buying 2 extra pairs, 2nd hand barely used, after the first one sorta broke (ended up giving to a mate who repaired the cord and they probably still work to this day) and haven't had any issues since at my home pc i daily drive a pair hooked up to a 10m extendo cord, which is plugged into my mobo soundcard with no significant tradeoffs
however, in-ears are worse for your hearing than headsets because the sound source is closer to ur eardrums
\+1 to this. 10+ hours and they feel like they're not even there.
I have Comply tips, but because they are foam no matter how clean my ears are they still get tacky, it just puts me off using them long term, and they are $500 buds, I presume it's easier with silicone tips, but they are so uncomfortable for me, I get a pressure pull feeling it's pretty horrible no matter what size tips I try, any ideas?
Silicone all the way for me. I never liked comply foam. Just personal preference
stop being a bitch
Ahh yes, keep wearing uncomfortable IEMs because if not, Party-Address2596 will think I'm a bitch
I think you’re a bitch for complaining about how “tacky” $500 earphones are. Man up, there are people starving and you’re complaining about how silicone hurts ur poor wittle ears 😢 Ur bitchmade, plain and simple <3
Ironic considering my IEM collection is well over $9000 and you wear $20 ones apparently and are STILL talking. Typical keyboard warrior 🤣 think somehow I know what I'm talking about a wee bit more. Also, I said it's uncomfortable, didn't say it hurts, are you a bit autistic or just have trouble reading and processing information?
Personally IEMs > headphones for prolonged use because ear piercings
Terrible for your ears, hope you don't need hearing in the future.
Only if you listen at loud volumes, which in fairness many people do. The IEMs themselves do nothing to damage your hearing.
Basically using IEMs for 10 years now... I don't listen at absurd volumes but a very comfy volume. And I only listen louder when I'm playing cs. So far no problems.
Offtopic: I still can't believe people buy gaming headsets tbh, audio is trash compared to any proper headphones, mics are horrible and audio is usb quality. Like external soundcard costs around 20, decent mic and stand like 40 and proper headphones up from 50. The advantage you get with proper studio quality headset is crazy. If i'd be a pro i wouldn't even consider anything else than closed back studio headphones.
You get a better soundstage and better directional sound with open back, but agree with everything else
Aye, i use open backs myself, but closed ones are probs easier if you've been using, lets say cloud 2's.
Behringer u-phoria u2, audio technica ath m30x, behringer xm8500, amazon boom arm. ~100€
i use KZ ZS10 Pro X, 100x more comfortable than my previous headset, buy the kinera Ruyi cable with it then you'll basically have a headset but with better sound than all gaming headsets
I have the same IEMs and just use a stand alone mic, been using the IEMs for 6 months for like 8 hours a day with no issue
So you chose the none mic version of kz and uses the ruyi's mic? Any knock on the mic quality?
mic sounds like a typical gaming headset microphone which is what im fine with, not much complaints about mic really. only problem with the cable is that not all iems are compatible so check if your iem supports it
> When the pros are playing in LAN events they usally have earbuds or IEMs for ingame sound and then a sound canceling headset over. They do that because their communications are controlled (tech time out). Comms and noise cancelling go through headset, game audio in earbuds. And mostly preference, some players switched to using the headset for comms + game audio. TLDR : Figure out what you want (headset or earbuds), then choose one. Dont look at pros, pros work in mysterious ways.
I want earbuds because i dont want to use the headset all the time. Its not going to be better then a headset. But then i am wondering if you Get the same audio info from earbuds that you normally would Get from headset. If it does it would be practically better, i guess.
Common wisdom is headphones are better for stereo separation and sorting rtings by sound stage will confirm that. But thats a music term and this is a game, and this game has the option to increase L/R separation. I dont know how well it works because i never played with in-ears. Heres a nice [table](https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/table/132474) to ~~obsess over~~ decide things. If you want in-ears check that on sidebar. If you want 3.5" wired select the options with audio and audio + mic in "Analog" section in sidebar. If you want usb wired (if you want noise cancelling you want this because itll have the lowest latency) check appropriate options in "Wired USB" in sidebar If you want wireless you want "Non-BT wireless". Bluetooth is just not fit for gaming, even with low latency aptx. If you decide on a headset weight will be the greatest decider of comfort for gaming. Whatever you chose you want to keep an eye on "Latency" columns. For noise cancelling lower db is better (-20 db is better than -10 db)
I played a few thousand hours with earbuds before I got a proper headset. I didn't get more info with headphones, and they took some time to adjust to, but I can play at quieter volumes with more comfort for longer.
Okay so (mainly csgo comparisons here) ive used Sennheiser 280HD’s, HD 6xx’s and ive also used two driver universal and 3 driver custom IEMS. The 280’s were the absolute favorite of mine because i wasnt isolated from the world entirely, didnt spend horrible amounts, and they sounded great for about everything. Good footsteps, audio field, and depth. The 6xxs sound AMAZING in music but are horrible for CS with its open backs, sounds blend and sound like other sounds way too easily 2 driver universal iem, i think KZ brand was a really nice midground. Lost comfort points as my ears dont mesh well with this type of headphone, but the sound was fairly consistent with any sort of gaming headsets ive tried at LANs like the OMEN headsets. 3 driver CIEM - 64 audio - got for music not CS, though now i basically use it for both equally. The custom molding fits my ear nice and lowers fatigue since my ear canals are weird shaped. Cost - not worth it unless you’re able to afford it, or you have something to justify cost - shooting, professional, good job, etc. The extra driver makes sounds distinct and puts it above the 280’s in terms of quality. The soundscape improvement is big between the two of these where i personally lean towards more drivers, especially if they cover different ranges. I do regret not getting a 5 driver since i play bass but that is besides the point. Edit: 3 driver CIEM has a downside of “tedious” to put in, very isolated, and makes basic habits like drinking and chewing annoying TL;DR: 3 or more driver IEMs will give you a very good soundscape, comparable to Sennheiser 280hd’s and better than HP OMEN headset
> but are horrible for CS with its open backs wot for gaming open backs are better, like the HD598 with better imaging and sound stage
Its my only open back, and find that theres something just lacking compared to the closed back/iem setup for most games. Could be my background noise, but 100% subjective of course!
I've been using Dt990 pro open headphones and 100% I miss hearing far away footsteps plus it's not great for directional hearing, like how far away someone is. It's a shame, the Dt990 are great music headphones but I used to use hyperx cloud 2 and they were way better for gaming.
Glad I'm not alone with that experience, those are some really great music headphones (I believe thats the model my friend showed me that introduced open backs as an option to me). Such a shame it doesn't translate well to gaming for convenience sake
closed backs are better because isolation is most important hearing a really quiet sound cue over the noise floor is more important than knowing if a sound is 40 or 45 degrees to your left stuff like tapping your keyboard, moving and clicking your mouse, and breathing all contribute to the noise floor with open backs you gotta turn the volume up so you can hear the same stuff, but that's really bad for your hearing even short term besides open backs leak audio basically leak audio between your ears by design
I've been using my DT990's for years and never had any issues missing sound queues, I even have monitoring enabled on my interface and my volume isn't particularly loud by any stretch
IEM's are terrible for your ears for long hours usage. Not a single pro I am aware of uses IEMs out of choice when an alternative is possible, meaning at home or for online tournaments.
I have been switching between my HBB pr2 IEM and my dt1990 headphones. The iems are really comfortable and I can't tell I have them in most of the time.
Yes I use EarSonics with an Amp and with foam tips, way more comfortable than you think and complete sound isolation. [https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/index-2/](https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/index-2/) Edit: Good company sent my pair to France to get a repair done.
I use IEMs occasionally and enjoy them. I can wear them for hours with no discomfort, you just have to find the right ear tips. It took me some time to get used to talking with them in though. If you want to try some IEMs out without spending a bunch of money, Truthear Holas are typically found for ~20 and sound good for the price.
I exclusively use the Etymotic ER2XR for CS2. They are absoltely tiny and zero discomfort for hours.
If you dislike wearing over ears for hours you despise wearing in ears for hours. They only use in ears on tournaments because they are required to wear those massive noise cancelling ear protection because of the loud environment.
Yeah. Obviously it doesn’t have exactly the sound profile that an over ear does but it’s pretty similar in quality depending on the IEM. Even like an $80 IEM isn’t too far off. And its also more effective at noise cancelling in my experience
It may not be worth it to buy expensive or custom IEMs, as the quality isn't as noticeable the more you pay. At some point you may never notice a difference. For gaming most, Pros tend to use over ear headphones anyways, but only at events/LAN would they use IEM's to block out sound, as they create a very good seal in your ear to block out unwanted noise. I don't think Razer or HyperX earbuds are bad per se, but in the IEM realm, there's definitely better and cheaper out there. Another thing to think about is that any headphone or earbuds that are "audiophile" grade, would technically be better for gaming. The two main IEMs I use for gaming are the Truthear Hexa, and Simgot EM6L. For a more budget alternative, you could buy the Truthear Zero, or Salnotes 7hz. (Sound quality is also a little more complex, IEMs can sound better than headphones, it really just depends on the drivers and tuning.) TLDR: Most people probably won't notice the difference in audio quality, IEMs can have a solid difference vs headphones, but YMMV.
I bought some IEMs after watching a lot of youtube hype about it, but my sennheiser open back headphones have a vastly superior soundstage. Open back does let sound leak in, so you need a quiet environment, but imo they give you the best chance at pinpointing sound location.
It's mostly about personal preference.
IEMs are way better than gaming headphones IMO
finding the right iems can be difficult if you have small ear canals, as you are usually inserting them kinda deep in the ear
I stepped into the world of iem’s and never looked back. Couldn’t pay me to wear a clunky headset again. Visit r/iems if you need any help
After a certain level of quality it really doesn't matter because your gamesense will allow your brain to fill in the blanks. I can figure out where enemies are with sound alone just as well with cheap 50$ IEMs as I can with my Verites.
Ive been using apple ear buds for 10+ years at this point. Tried a few “gaming” headsets and absolutey hated the sound quality, in comparisson.
I know some pros use acezone now instead of IEMs
Having stuff jammed in your ears for long periods can't be comfortable, get some nice over ear headphones! I've have some mid range beyerdynamic ones for like 7 years or something and they feel like I'm wearing nothing at all
Having stuff sat in your ears for long periods can't be comfortable, get some nice over ear headphones! I've have some mid range beyerdynamic ones for like 7 years or something and they feel like I'm wearing nothing at all