Earbuds for Gaming

[Whichmotherboard]

Hello I've been using earbuds for gaming as headphones make my ears too warm and uncomfortable.

Can someone tell me what's the difference between high-end/mid-range/low end earbuds.

Right now I'm using Plextone G30. However recently I've seen an ad for HyperX cloud which is like 5 times more expensive. But what's the difference between these two?

[191x7]

I would recommend switching from earbuds to in-ear monitors (IEM-s).

 

IEMs vs Earbuds

 

 

Depending on your budget I would recommend these:

- Truthear Zero ($50)

- QKZ x HBB ($25) or 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25)

- Moondrop Quarks DSP ($15)

 

All of them are great for gaming, better than anything you've mentioned. Better than any Razer, Logitech, Steelseries or Roccat.

[Whichmotherboard]

9 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

I would recommend switching from earbuds to in-ear monitors (IEM-s).

 

IEMs vs Earbuds

 

 

Depending on your budget I would recommend these:

- Truthear Zero ($50)

- QKZ x HBB ($25) or 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25)

- Moondrop Quarks DSP ($15)

 

All of them are great for gaming, better than anything you've mentioned. Better than any Razer, Logitech, Steelseries or Roccat.

except for Truthear, I've found the others in local market. Between QKZ and Moondrop is there any difference? Both are same price here.

[jaslion]

10 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

I would recommend switching from earbuds to in-ear monitors (IEM-s).

 

IEMs vs Earbuds

 

 

Depending on your budget I would recommend these:

- Truthear Zero ($50)

- QKZ x HBB ($25) or 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25)

- Moondrop Quarks DSP ($15)

 

All of them are great for gaming, better than anything you've mentioned. Better than any Razer, Logitech, Steelseries or Roccat.

id like to add the kz 10's great budget ones far better than the razer or hyper x's

 

Difference here is that these are audio focused devices relying on self marketing and targeting the audio market. Which is a VERY cuttroat market so they have to stand out at their price or the company dies.

 

Razer, kingston, steelseries,... all target the gamer market which is filled with overpriced stuff and filled with garabage. Cheap crap can be sold for a lot of money and still make em a decent amount

 

So get proper audio stuff and avoid gamer gear. Yes there is good stuff but thats a LOT less common.

 

The hyper x's are compared against those 4$ earpods from ali expresa that are pretty decent forgot the name

[jaslion]

Just now, Whichmotherboard said:

except for Truthear, I've found the others in local market. Between QKZ and Moondrop is there any difference? Both are same price here.

Qkz is a bit better in terms of range of sound

[191x7]

26 minutes ago, Whichmotherboard said:

except for Truthear, I've found the others in local market. Between QKZ and Moondrop is there any difference? Both are same price here.

The Quarks DSP use a USB Type-C connection. Not a TRS jack.

If you have the QKZ available locally, you can also check the QKZ HBB Khan, those are a bit better than the regular QKZ x HBB.

The Quarks DSP sound better. QKZ x HBB have boosted bass (low frequencies) and overall a V-shape. The others are more linear.

 

25 minutes ago, jaslion said:

id like to add the kz 10's great budget ones far better than the razer or hyper x's

 

Difference here is that these are audio focused devices relying on self marketing and targeting the audio market. Which is a VERY cuttroat market so they have to stand out at their price or the company dies.

 

Razer, kingston, steelseries,... all target the gamer market which is filled with overpriced stuff and filled with garabage. Cheap crap can be sold for a lot of money and still make em a decent amount

 

So get proper audio stuff and avoid gamer gear. Yes there is good stuff but thats a LOT less common.

 

The hyper x's are compared against those 4$ earpods from ali expresa that are pretty decent forgot the name

Don't do the KZ 10's. Those are terrible for gaming. Especially multiplayer fps/tps.

 

25 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Qkz is a bit better in terms of range of sound

Not really. Quarks DSP are tuned to nearly match the Moondrop Variations, one of the best IEM-s on the market.

QKZ is better for gaming, but just for music the Quarks DSP is OP.

 

DSP is important, regular Quarks (with a jack) are terrible.

[Dr. Will0hlep]

1 hour ago, 191x7 said:

I would recommend switching from earbuds to in-ear monitors (IEM-s).

 

IEMs vs Earbuds

 

 

Depending on your budget I would recommend these:

- Truthear Zero ($50)

- QKZ x HBB ($25) or 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25)

- Moondrop Quarks DSP ($15)

 

All of them are great for gaming, better than anything you've mentioned. Better than any Razer, Logitech, Steelseries or Roccat.

Very helpful as I was about to go looking for some earbuds for my switch

[NinJake]

7 hours ago, 191x7 said:

Don't do the KZ 10's. Those are terrible for gaming. Especially multiplayer fps/tps.

If you're referring to the KZ ZS10Pro's, what's the reasoning behind this? I personally haven't tried too many different IEMs so you've piqued my own curiosity in this regard.

[191x7]

1 hour ago, NinJake said:

If you're referring to the KZ ZS10Pro's, what's the reasoning behind this? I personally haven't tried too many different IEMs so you've piqued my own curiosity in this regard.

 

He's right, when there's a lot going on everything mixes and you lose the positioning, directionally, distancing....

[Dr. Will0hlep]

1 minute ago, 191x7 said:

 

He's right, when there's a lot going on everything mixes and you lose the positioning, directionally, distancing....

Yeah, I saw alot of people saying this when I was looking at IEMs today

[NinJake]

Interesting. I have some old ZS10 Pro's and just picked up some KZ ZSN Pros a few days ago. I've only ever used these for music listening / audio production but I'll have to test them out. Of course they won't be anywhere near comparable to larger drivers and open back headphones but I'll try to report back in a few days with my own findings. Does this mean that other IEM's have significantly wider soundstages and/or "better audio positioning"? Thanks for the insight @191x7

[191x7]

11 minutes ago, NinJake said:

Interesting. I have some old ZS10 Pro's and just picked up some KZ ZSN Pros a few days ago. I've only ever used these for music listening / audio production but I'll have to test them out. Of course they won't be anywhere near comparable to larger drivers and open back headphones but I'll try to report back in a few days with my own findings. Does this mean that other IEM's have significantly wider soundstages and/or "better audio positioning"? Thanks for the insight @191x7

Some do. For example, the Truthear Zero is vastly superior to those in any regard. Even the QKZ x HBB is better (but the bass is a bit overpowering).

 

I follow most of the IEM reviewers and keep up with their content, but to be blunt Fresh Reviews, who specializes only for gaming audio (Valorant, Apex etc) and who I know to have good hearing and decent gaming experience, has never failed me in choosing headphones for gaming. He knows what he's doing it seems.

[Whichmotherboard]

On 1/30/2023 at 4:54 PM, 191x7 said:

The Quarks DSP use a USB Type-C connection. Not a TRS jack.

If you have the QKZ available locally, you can also check the QKZ HBB Khan, those are a bit better than the regular QKZ x HBB.

The Quarks DSP sound better. QKZ x HBB have boosted bass (low frequencies) and overall a V-shape. The others are more linear.

 

 

Out of curiosity what is your opinion on using Applications like FXSound to adjust the audio?

[191x7]

18 minutes ago, Whichmotherboard said:

Out of curiosity what is your opinion on using Applications like FXSound to adjust the audio?

For gaming - wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole - those softwares add latency.

For music listening etc; sure, why not, if you need it.