Using IEMs for Gaming — My Experience

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Are IEMs better than open-back headphones for gaming? More comfortable? Better sound? Here's my experience after a few months.

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I used to wear IEMs a lot back in the day. Mostly Shures and UEs with foam tips. Eventually, after a number of years, I found my ear canals got aggravated by having them in. That said, recent IEMs do seem a bit smaller when it comes to what actually goes into the ear, and I’m sure these problems don’t exist if you get some custom moulds. I also never really used them in a desk environment - always on the go, where cable drag and body movement make them move around in your ear a lot more.
Eventually I developed eczema in my ear canals, which I think in part was due to this aggravation. Certainly not everyone will have this experience, but I wanted to chip-in a view from someone who wore IEMs for probably something like 10 years.
Good video as always though.

JamesEPhilp

The "I Don't" single frame popup was a nice touch

altrdgenetics

honestly my biggest gripe with using IEMs is just that my ears get super waxy whenever I wear them for a prolonged period of time. I don't know if this is a problem for anyone else, but it definitely keeps me on team headphones

NolzXD

Grade on your footage is top tier on this one mate. Really, really good job, skin tones look amazing, contrast is good. Nice one.

oscara.

Nice video! I used to use a lot of different IEMs, but ever since I switched to open-back headphones I never really use them that much in comparison. The main reason being that IEMs and closed headphones tend to generate more hearing fatigue, specially over long sessions. Open-back are still the best option when you have a comfortable pair and a quiet environment around you, but if you need isolation make sure to take rests every hour or so to avoid damaging your hearing, particularly over high volumes (that drown out any other sounds). Take care of your hearing, folks!

akiraishu

I used IEMs for gaming exclusively for around 3-4 years, including in competitive and semi-pro tournament play. I also collect some higher end headphones and audio gear, both IEMs and over ears. Here are the opinions I formed over that time period:

You really need to sit down and utilize a pair of IEMs for 2+ weeks for the mental burn in to kick in. If you are moving to a new pair of anything after using a different headphone for a long period of time without change, it will sound weird and off to you. I find that 2 weeks is around the minimum point to actually adjust to something new, and over the first 1-2 months you will still be adjusting.

Bass can be good, if you like that feedback, but I find that a tighter, controlled, and quick bass is better than having more. AKA, quality > quantity. Of course, this is a preference, and YMMV, so just like all of these opinions, take it with a grain of salt.

Comfort is key, so finding an IEM that fits you well, and swapping tips to find one that suits your ears is a huge part of using them for gaming. Sessions can be long, especially during scrims or in tournament play, so finding the right fit is the biggest thing. Do keep in mind however, that changing tips does make a noticeable difference in sound presentation in IEMs, and this change can make or break something. Sometimes trying different tips on an IEM will make you like it a lot more, sometimes it will be a terrible tradeoff.

Soundstage is important, but imaging is even more so. IEMs naturally tend to have smaller, more "intimate" soundstages, which actually is not a bad thing. For competitive play, you actually don't want too large a soundstage, as it can get congested with the amount of audio cues you are looking for. What is more important for competitive play is imaging and separation, as you want to be able to pick out the individual sounds and where they are coming from, even if yhou don't have as large a space to place them in. Of course, if you are looking for immersion in something like a singleplayer RPG, you will probably want soundstage instead.

Price is not a good representative factor of quality. Some things that cost quite a lot of money may not be the best fit for you, and some things that are cheap may be just right. I have experimented with IEMs from $10 up to around $1000, and my personal favorite pair for gaming costs a nice solid $40.

At the end of the day, the best way to find something that works for you is to find the things that don't. When you try something, really give it a go for a week or two, and write down the things you like or don't like. Use these lists to slowly lock down the features and qualities you like, then try the next pair. Is this the cheapest way? Not at all, but start with very cheap budget options to get yourself into this, then if you are wanting to invest in a more expensive pair, do a LOT of research to see what scales up those qualities you find the most important to you.

Hope this helps someone!

pyrobunny_mdpl

I’m a guitar player who plays out live a lot, I use custom molded IEMs when I gig. I started using them for gaming and mixing audio at home and I don’t think I could ever go back to over the ear headphones. Not only do they sound better in games, they are significantly more comfortable and less sweaty lol.

ryanbaker

Hate wearing headphones, hate sticking things in my ears even more. Such is life.

thomast

from where i'm at, the climate and weather always makes me perspire. i'm using the logitech G733, Philips SHP9500 and the moondrop aria from time to time, using the IEM gives me alot more isolation and clarity but it really needs to fit in snug sometimes when it came off without you realizing and suddenly everything sounded awful....

ivegyattocomment

Just recently switched from a headset to earbuds for playing apex. The comfort after long sessions really is a game changer. Honestly just been using the cheap Apple earphones that used to come with the iPhone and they work great for apex and discord. Saw some pro players using them so I gave it a try

theWynn

Open back headphones are unbeatable in my opinion but you do need a quiet environment and PC.

andreas

Yes! I'm contemplating on what type of audio upgrade I need to make for my gaming setup and this is the perfect video!

troger

I've actually been gaming with moondrop aria's for a while now!

I took it one step forward and paired them with the null audio ethos mkIII pro (cable), which gives you a boom mic and combo jack for a real headset/mic for gaming

taanneth

I shifted to IEMs but have them plugged in my HyperX 7.1 Sound Card from my Cloud 2s. Of course I don't use 7.1, but the sound card just really works so well for games.

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