Are IEM worth for longer gaming sessions?

TechNickGamer

TechNickGamer

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Previously using HyperX Cloud Stinger Wired Over Ear Gaming Headphones and they started to wear out immediately afterf 1.5 years especially the ear pads. The mic went loose and it's left side stops working so I have to fiddle with slider to get audio from both the sides. I heard about IEMs and tried looking them up and still not sure whats the difference between them and regular earphones audio wise. Although if they can be used for longer gaming sessions then please someone suggest IEMs for gaming? Im looking for my PC and PS5 both. Need plug into the PS5 DualSense controller, good and full sound, with some bass emphasis, clear communication in multiplayer games, footstep sound is actually a priority.
 
TechNickGamer said:
Previously using HyperX Cloud Stinger Wired Over Ear Gaming Headphones and they started to wear out immediately afterf 1.5 years especially the ear pads. The mic went loose and it's left side stops working so I have to fiddle with slider to get audio from both the sides. I heard about IEMs and tried looking them up and still not sure whats the difference between them and regular earphones audio wise. Although if they can be used for longer gaming sessions then please someone suggest IEMs for gaming? Im looking for my PC and PS5 both. Need plug into the PS5 DualSense controller, good and full sound, with some bass emphasis, clear communication in multiplayer games, footstep sound is actually a priority.
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KZ - ZS10 Pro X @ 4.5k
 
TechNickGamer said:
Do you think it can hurt ear or cause ear irrtation for prolonged use. I may use it for 3 hours max when I meant longer gaming sessions.
Also what do you think about

Truthear Crinacle ?
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Best to refer to this guy's channel for gaming iem reviews

www.youtube.com

Fresh Reviews

Fresh Reviews ______________ Former Professional Counter-Strike CAL-i 1.3-1.6 player with a continued passion for mice, computer tech, and high tier competitive / high ranked game play. Love to grind ranked ladders while pushing and testing new gaming peripherals. Current main games: Apex/Valorant.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

I don't game that much anymore, mainly buying IEMs for music (plan to shift to some hd560s in the future). They're really good for the price, chi fi ones especially.

I don't recommend you to get any KZ or CCA earphones though personally, they're not like what they were in the past, there's far better options now, especially at a price point of 4k+
 
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Personally, I think IEM's shine best when you're an avid music listener as well. I like the modularity of most of them so you aren't screwed if the cable tears or anything, and the iem market in india is a lot better than most of the tech stuff, there's reasonable prices and availibility most of the time. I use them for gaming as well and I think they do pretty well there too. Just make sure to get a sound profile which you'll like.
 
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I prefer iems with slightly smaller size since they seem to be a lot more comfortable for me but that depends on your ear size. There are some great iems for 1.6k like the tangzu wan'er and the fiio fd1 I believe. There's also the moondrop chu. The options only increase as your budget increases. I haven't gone back to headphones after getting into iems and I dont think I'll ever go back to headphones as I find iems a lot more comfortable.
 
Just my personal opinion.

As an average user, you don't need to worry too much about whether iem or headphone sounds better, ignore all the audiophile discussions unless you are genuinely into it. The more important thing that you need to consider is comfort and if the audio quality is at least decent enough, I have tried a lot of absolute mainstream trash I wouldn't use for anything, let alone music. Once you start looking at comfort, there really is no best option but rather what you prefer or need. I personally find headphones to be more comfortable than an iem, especially on very long usage. For reference I am using an open back headphone R70x for pretty much everything and use iem chu 2 for outside/traveling. Using iem for too long gets my ears to be a bit icky which I dont face in my open back headphone.

Each headphone and iem has a different fit and may not work for all so would suggest trying it out in a store or just get something cheap but decent like chu which you can easily find around 2k or less. Although most iems tend to be neutral which is what I like but if you want something more bassy either you can try to find other cheap options or just use an equalizer. I am using Easy effects on Linux and Wavelet on Android, both are working flawlessly. Unless you have any hearing problems, pretty much any average audio gear should be good enough to hear any sound. If you really want to increase the footstep sounds then I dont see how you can get that with any device using EQ. I personally never found any trouble hearing sounds in mid/LT playing B site in Dust 2, CS2. I keep the volume pretty healthy as well so as long as there are no noise/people talking, you will hear it.
 
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Yes, IEMs are worthy for longer session gaming with no pain and sweat.
Sound quality: IEMs are superior to my V2 X, Stinger Cloud 2, and G435.
I own the KZ Zex, an entry-level model that sounds top-notch. Apart from all these, it's also durable.

For enhanced sound, I also use an equalizer: on Android, I use Wavelet, and on Windows, I use FXsound.
 
Dhanush said:
Yes, IEMs are worthy for longer session gaming with no pain and sweat.
Sound quality: IEMs are superior to my V2 X, Stinger Cloud 2, and G435.
I own the KZ Zex, an entry-level model that sounds top-notch. Apart from all these, it's also durable.

For enhanced sound, I also use an equalizer: on Android, I use Wavelet, and on Windows, I use FXsound.
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Agreed, I used to use hyperx cloud II, but once i switched to IEMs, i couldn't go back to those headphones. I later placed an order for the Bose qc45 during a sale but ended up returning them because i just didn't find them as comfortable.
 
Soundstage & Imaging is what makes a huge difference in gaming, so any IEM that has better imaging will work and also the eartips matter too. Don't think too much if you're casual gamer, I have used Moondrop Chu 2 (2k inr) & Crinicle Blue for valorant & cs2, they work just fine.

As Rezep suggested, check that youtuber excel for reference.
docs.google.com

Fresh Review's Wallhack Tier List

docs.google.com docs.google.com

Truthear Crinicle Blue 1 (3.5K INR) is considered one of the best budget IEM for gaming, but many find Moondrop Chu 2 to be more comfortable due to its smaller size. Both IEMs dont come with mic , so you have buy upgrade cable.
 
Hey, I am not very sure about long gaming session but I personally have used the VR500 by Finalaudio. I play a lot of PUBG, Tarkov and ABI and the positioning audio is spot on. The sound stage is also very decent. I bought them from headphonezone and for the price of ₹1999 it's really great. You can also look at the VR3000 and VR2000 they're more expensive though. Tanzu Wagner is also supposed to be sounding fine for gaming. But now I have switched to DT990 pro 80 ohms and there's no going back due to the awesome sound stage and the detail I get in ABI and Tarkov. Since you specially mentioned IEM I have mentioned the IEMs with which I had the best gaming experience. But incase you want to get a headphone I suggest you the DT990 Pro 32ohms version since you can plug in directly into your PS5 controller or directly to PC. I had to use a DAC/AMP combo in my case since the volume was not enough for me when gaming (due to a not always quiet gaming environment). I have ordered the Fosi Audio K5 Pro and should be arriving soon. Goodluck finding the perfect earphones.
 
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