You really shouldn't underestimate earphones and IEMs for gaming.
🎧 IEMs (affiliate links):
KZ ZS10 Pro: geni.us/QPz1
Moondrop Aria Snow: geni.us/cU0A
Moondrop Chu: geni.us/LCRpxO
NSMO JR: geni.us/ijraWA
NSMO 3D: geni.us/KqBsA
🎛 Audio Interfaces (affiliate links):
EPOS GSX 1000: geni.us/vXpggjc
EPOS GSX 300: geni.us/4gg2
Creative G3: geni.us/tOUjrfw
Creative X4: geni.us/XspI
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Support me on Patreon:
/ techlessyt
Instagram:
/ iamtechless
I honestly can't thank you enough for this video, I'm just getting into IEMs and I was a little lost, this has brought some much needed clarity and direction, thank you very much!
liked how you showed what's needed in an IEM gaming setup. switching from a gaming headphone to an IEM was a day and night difference for me in terms of comfort and sound quality while playing valorant, but the one thing that's really missing is good mic quality. hope the detachable boom mic becomes a common feature for budget IEMs in the future
IEM mic cable from Null Audio
There is a cable called kinera Gramr. There is a 2 pin and a mmcx version and it comes with a mic, you can watch reviews
What IEM do you use? I also want to buy one for playing valo specifically, any suggestions?
Do iems have better directional imaging than over ear headphones ? Like hyperx cloud 2
Just buy a nice desk mic for like 80$ can get a yeti for that
Been using IEMs for some time after switching from headsets, mainly due to comfort. Seeing the different frequency responses makes me want to try some new ones out. Another thing, I've never really had a problem with the sound isolation and prefer it rather. Personally I don't have this issue, but I noticed that if someone was going to start speaking loudly, they'll speak loudly regardless of whether or not they can hear themselves so I wouldn't worry about getting open backs for that purpose. I've had my ears torn several times in one sitting even after asking teammates to please speak at a level volume/quieter. The usual, turn up their volume, they start screaming, turn down the volume, turn it back up because their mic volume is low by default...
I was really impressed when you showed that you do your own measurements for frequency response. Keep up the great content!
I primarily used IEM's on my phone just like anyone else and haven't tough much about using them on PC since it felt weird and somewhat claustrophobic, especially coming from open-back headphones along with the sore/numb initial feel in your ears if you're not used to wearing IEMs for longer periods, also if you don't have external audio source placed near you, the cable is way too short. Once i gave my ears a week of getting used to wearing IEMs for prolonged time my neck was very-very grateful. No more neck strain or headache from the headband while still offering excellent audio quality. I couldn't be happier about making the transition. As for sound, i've used wide variety of audio gear across games and came to the conclusion that to me it simply doesn't matter and it doesn't affect my gameplay/performance whatsoever as far as i can hear the enemy. I'd rather spend my money on a good quality audio that fits my genre taste and makes listening to music and media a pleasure rather than hunting what works best for "X game".
More contents like this, please. As a casual gamer/PC user, it's really easy to buy unnecessary stuff or miss out on good audio products. I appreciate this kind of video that showcases good value audio products. I'm personally using an IEM and I don't know if I should get an audio interface or a DAC/AMP device. I really don't know the difference or if there is another option. I would also like a video discussing stuff like monitor arms, microphone arm, and microphone. I'm planning to buy these things so having your guidance or review would be very helpful.
Got some low-mid tier IEMs (shure se215) for gaming a couple months ago, hands down best purchase I’ve made for gaming. Way way more comfortable, better sound, cleaner set up. I would definitely turn on bass boost in Windows so you can hear the thump of footsteps you’re gaming with those IEMs.
I got first IEMs a couple years ago and now i have a growing collection. I tune them myself with nozzle rebuilds, would like to build some from scratch eventually with more acoustic impedance tuning possibilities to have a few more articulation points to shape the response, i actually found some suppliers which do just parts for scratch builds, it's going to be fun. I was actually surprised how even surprisingly cheap ones perform, they are promising right out of the box even when they don't sound quite right, like how the hell are they getting so much displacement linearity out of these things and so much range, simple in-ears like we're used to since Ergofits and such, while not terribly tuned, could NEVER perform like this before. My recommendation for those willing to experiment is TRN MT1, a 1DD IEM for $6. The first batch came reasonably tuned, with a tight nozzle mesh covered by a showerhead grill. In later revisions, they have spared the grill and ruined the tuning, so you'll need to add at least some light acoustic foam or something as nozzle impedance, for sure. The original ones benefit from a tiny carefully trimmed roll of acoustic polyester wool in the nozzle as well, but it's not quite as critical. I reassemble the nozzle grill with B7000 glue or similar. Without extra nozzle impedance, the response around the presence region is peaky and shouty, especially in the reissue, but the more impedance you add, the more bass boost you get, and at some point the midbass emphasis will just be too much. But very worth experimenting with. The unusual bit about these is that they aren't really as strongly V-shape prone as others, they have a good amount of midrange power. A tune which leans into V or bathtub too heavily just sounds louder than it is (Fletcher Munson's fault), which after a while gives you an uncomfortable impression that it's always shouting in your ear, no matter the volume, so it's fun but not so well suited to spend a longer session in. Another pro i found with these is an unexpectedly high level of comfort with small ears. Shell finishing and assembly is visibly terrible though. Stock TRN cable isn't uncomfortable or super noisy, so it could have been worse (thinking of KZ and QKZ ones), but at 3 Ohm resistance, not quite ideal either. JCAlly 8-core cables are nice and better in every regard. I heard the opinion that QKZ VK4 might be the best tuned 1dd cheap plastic things out of the box. Haven't heard them, but from the look of tuning openings, i have a vague idea of how they might sound like, and i expect them to be somewhat too V-shaped to my liking. Above that price there's many interesting options. Honestly gaming headsets are kind of an unfair competition as a category, because... well it's difficult to find a piece of garbage that doesn't beat most of them. Against even cheap IEMs, it's not a fight, it's a slaughter. I've even found $3 IEMs which surprised me... though that's price without the cable, these need MMCX. They didn't have so much amplitude linearity so not as low distortion as the bigger ones, nor as efficient, but the tune was spot on and the comfort of those was insane. Unbranded, plain packaging some DIY group or other, using shells similar to early revisions of mee m6 pro. Some construction quality issues though.
I use an IEM mic cable from Null Audio. It was designed to be paired with a pair of Kingfisher IEMs, but you can buy the IEM mic cable separately. The cable is compatible with any 2pin IEMs. The mic quality is better than in-line mics and it has good noise rejection. Anecdotally, I had a fan pointing at the back of my head and my friends couldn’t hear the fan but could hear me normally. It’s expensive but it’s a nice feeing cable and it’s been going solid for almost 2 years for me.
Ethos MKIII? Asking for a friend.
@@Divinity_vA that’s the one.
IEMs are decent for gaming, especially if you're coming from a non-audiophile setup. Where IEMs are really lacking is in soundstage; I have Moondrop Arias as well, and properly gauging distance and where things are happening spatially in your game can get really tricky in comparison to my HD600 headphones.
This comment is why I'm here. I've worn Logitech G935s for about 8 years, and I find my ability to pinpoint enemies in all directions really good!!! I just purchased some earphones, steel series tusq's, and man are they disappointing... Of course the price range isn't the same between the two but I wouldn't bother spending another dollar on a better pair if the soundstaging remains this poor.
on my side it's in reverse, IEMs give me better soundstage in game than a headset. I think if your budget is less than 150 dollar, you should buy IEMs since IEMs compares to headset around that price is far better.
KZ-ZS10 PRO X can do that, but the sound is not that confortable like bassy and cousy, it is a little bit hard and solid, too clean for me.. i prefer a little bit bass in like my headsets, but im trying the kz-zs10 pro x and the sound is amazing, pretty close to my headsets, just need more bass
for only 34€. pretty nice deal
@brooksybaby03 you bought shit iems. Of course the Soundstage is poor. Stop buying big brand products.
switched long time ago. i'm also more comfortable with the silicone buds instead of the foam seal. vshape or flat with boost base is better, cause you can hear the footsteps and explosions better and where it is
Great video, never imagined that some iems could be good for gaming, always though that they lack of soundstage, maby will have good pin point where steps/shots are coming from but will lack that feel of distance it coming from... And now I'm love Fiio FD5 iems for music and gaming, that I own for about 3 months, especially in summer And saying this as owner of Asus stx II modded with op-amps: 2x Burson Audio Vivid v6 L/R & 1x Burson Audio Classic v6 And headphones: Beyers 770/990 , Sennheiser HD555/595/560s/600/660s/700
I genuinely find you extremely underrated man, you really deserve more views!
I use the KZ ZSN Pro which I originally bought purely for music but since I had problems with my Razer Hammerhead because it was summer, I started using it for gaming and never changed it ever since. I highly recommend it! Edit: It was a Razer Kraken X, not a Hammerhead. I mixed it up because I have both and I had a hard time choosing what to use 😅
Love your content bro its relaxing and im a monitor enthusiasts aswell thats why im subscribed
Great video! Especially for gaming, I am very interested in IEMs with detachable boom mics that have some decent quality. the NSMO models seem like a really good option. I've done a quick search for them on the web and only found delivery options from the US which would include shipping costs that exceed the actual price of the product (I live in Austria). Do you by chance know of any other ways of getting them cheaper? :D
Finally someone who speaks about this. I have always been a supporter of IEMs for gaming but people were always screaming at me like if I was trying to spread fake magic. Anyway, considering that you have the measurement of the NSMO JR, and that you don't like the extremely bassy signature, we can always try EQing them by compensating to Diffuse Field or Harman Target and then using the EQ values as AutoEQ on EqualizerAPO. I think that would save the signature.
hi mate, so which iem should i get for "CSGO" ? i rly wanna hear them damn footsteps! haha
@@GRiMS2K it really depends on your budget. In general, for lower brackets, you can look for Moondrop SSR/SSP (the SSP have more bass and is more suitable for music enjoyment as well) or something like the Moondrop Chu if you want to go even lower. In slightly higher brackets (under 100) then Moondrop Aria SE (Snow edition) or Titan S.
I have the ZS10 Pro. I play valorant ranked all the time as well battle royales. I don’t have a problem with the sound signature when listening for footsteps and gunshots. I also use FX sound along with the headset which might be what helps
I just bought the KZ ES4, cant wait for it to arrive, it is very similar to the KZ ZS10 Pro
For IEM gaming, which is what I do primarily, I plug it directly into a USB mic that has zero latency monitoring. I used the Samson Go mic and Samson Q2u for a while and they worked great, but I've since upgraded to the Elgato Wave 3 which has a surprisingly clean dac/amp that also lets me adjust my game volume and mic volume separately with a knob on the mic itself. Easiest setup for me, since I just use the 7hz Dioko with the Wave 3, and no additional need for an audio interface or a dedicated amp.
I was thinking about getting a Samson go mic. 2 questions do u get game audio through the monitoring jack? Also can u adjust the volume using software or hardware?
@@turnipt8422 for the samson go mic, yeah you can get game audio from the jack. However, you cant mix both the volume of game audio and zero latency monitoring, but you can just adjust game volume from your pc
9:45 You have 3rd party cooling gel earpads that certainly helps for me, it keeps the sides of my head a little cooler and a lot less sweat. Yes, they are not the total problem solver but it certainly helps.
currently rocking with my oppo enco x tws buds and a usb microphone. so far the best experience ive had
Try the Hörluchs "Headset Cable 2-Pin". It's a Cable w/ mic you can use on almost any iem, including the moondrop aria snow.
Cool video, i picked up the moondrop aria as soon as i finished watching this. Can you make headphone recommendations with similar budget pricing like hyperx cloud 2 for example. Since hyperx cloud 2 is the closest one i could afford :p
Moondrop variations are a good Item, another one for a high price but a more comfortable fit would be IE 900. But if you want the best audio quality then. I recommend speakers and a subwoofer along with learning about the room correction.
I have use my KZ ZST Candy for about 4 years now and its still perform good for gaming and music
Moondrop arias for me. Paired it with dolby atmos and it seems completely underrated for what I get out of it
Thanks for the video! That desktop wallpaper is really nice, can you please share a link to it?
Love this. To your point - where are the slightly higher quality IEM with mic? Check out the STEALTH SONIC VULCAN GAMING IEMs. Also the ETHOS MKiii earphone cable.
Open-back IEMs are a thing with a couple of Final Audio dynamics which are open-back, but they're not great, and certainly not neutral. Also, there was a big push by Audeze for open-back planar IEMs with the iSine series, and later the LCD-3i and 4i. They're amazing sounding (I have the iSine LX, a cheaper version of the iSine 10), but they have a critical issue of requiring DSP correction to sound good, and that may be limiting for most users, using EqualizerAPO isn't hard if you know what you're doing, but that's a big hurdle to clear, and using Audeze Reveal (or Reveal+) isn't exactly easy either. Monoprice went with their own copy of it, but that didn't take off either.
I really liked their iSine 10 and 20, but without DSP they indeed sound terrible. EQAPO is amazing. Especially the option to use IRs is awesome. The latency with IRs is way to high for gaming though. Haven't tried the normal EQ for gaming though.
Great video man. Didn't know side tone was a thing.
Gonna pickup the NSMO 3D gaming earphones down the line, thanks 👍
Highly agree with this video. Headphones are just not it for long gaming sessions. An added bonus is that the IEM market is so much cheaper as compared to their headphone equivalents. I do want to note that the Aria and Chu are still not true neutral, but they are IEMs I can comfortably recommend to the general public since they still have a good but not overpowering amount of bass. The HZSound Heart Mirror is the king of directional accuracy (imaging) for "budget IEMs", but this is very neutral and could take some time to get used to for people who are not audiophiles.
The Aria Snow actually has reduced bass compared to the original Aria so that might be why it's recommended here idk tho I haven't tried it for myself
I prefer headphones though for long sessions. Although I do use an IEM if I'm using my phone
recommend them solely for the pretty anime covers
@@mib5633 they're great, I was never a basshead and I put these on and they are just perfect
@@kenjikodai nice!
You are good at tech stuff. Any opinion on Soundmagic E11C? what would be the next upgrade that's miles ahead of it? Something with attributes like Bass + soundstage + instrument separation + warm (not overly but minimized sibilance). I've tried KZ products and some other lower cost earphones before but couldn't find anything better than soundmagic for the price.
great vidoe ! and I just wanted to ask you real quick. right now I am thinking of switching from dt 770 pro to sennheiser ie 400 iem. and the only question I got here is do I need an amp to prove the sound and the quality with this iem? or is the GOXLR mini enough to handle it all?
KZ ZS10 Pro 2 got released a couple weeks ago. I ordered one today can't wait to try it :) Gonna be my first IEM. It's so new that there's 0 reviews on amazon lol
The coolest thing about them is there's little levers on them so you can adjust the bass/pitches whatever. Pretty neat little feature
Can you buy me one😢
For those who play csgo there is a console command called voice_loopback 1 It works reasonably well if you use in game voice chat. I'm not sure if other games have this but it would be pretty cool
Just switched to the Truthear Zero (V1: Blue) and I love them. Gonna invest in the Kinera Ruyi for a mic solution
I found my perfect solution to be right in between headphones and IEMs. I'm using the Koss KSC75. They're clip ons, sound pretty decent and are, by design, open back if you're, like me, into that.
Interesting 🤔
They have a big design flaw though, the cable and how it connects to the driver. It's not replaceable and it dies within months for some people. All Koss headphones are plagued with this issue and it's hard to recommend it, regardless how amazing they sound and well priced they are. Sure, they do have a lifetime warranty but still :/ I was somewhat lucky with my KSC75's, the right driver died after 3 years. Not sure how one would stick a mic to it, like a modmic, but a desk mic would work. Though I will admit, the KSC75's and KPH30i's are amazing. Had no issues pinpointing people in comp games on the KSC75's, even on my puny onboard soundcard (VT2021)
@@techlessYT the KSC75s are also well-loved within the audiophile community as it has amazing details for the price. I suggest you try it as well as it's so cheap anyway. (very VERY neutral though, and NO bass. I would not listen to anything that involves a drum or a kick with this one 🤣)
What would your mic solution be with the ksc75s ? I know the massdrop versions have a in line mic but still. I'm thinking a cheap lav mic to pair wouldn't be thatttt bad of a combo ?
I love koss, i use porta pros for my switch. Bassy and clear
There’s actually a IEM cable that you can use with any pair of IEMs to add a boom mic, just picked up a KINERA GRAMAR Mic cable and a pair of 7hz zero’s and I feel like that combo for $70 delivers on what you were wanting, love the clean sounding zeros and is nice not have the bulky headphones always on my desk
I'm currently testing the kinera gramr - pretty cool product 🙂
would the kinera gramar fit the moon drop snows?
i haaaated the ZSN 10 Pro and they have quite a bit of hissing when plugging direclty into things without an amp/dac, and honestly open backs are king
Now there is a good option for IEM´s with microphone! The Antlion Kimura single or duo!😁
if you want a seperated mic but still need mobility, try out some lavalier mic, mine using sony ec-lv1, the sound kinda small but some tweak and boost with the EqualizerAPO you can get a good mic output experience
Been using IEMs for gaming since 2019 starting with the TRN V90, then now the Tin T3+ although the sub bass response isn't as good as my former. I noticed Stewie2k uses one on some of Cloud 9's games.
Which one he uses?
A good iem alternative is the Dunu Titan S. Balanced and neutral sound signature and open back. And the price is around the Aria's.
true, i change from gaming headphone to IEM and it's way better in term of quality and long time usage. And i only use a $7 IEM. i use KZ EDX pro.
just bought my KZ ZS10 pro and they sound as good as my HD 450BT's I got for 160, and they sound as good as my brothers sennheiser 660S (minus the bass and slightly tinny highs, but this was solved through tuning). I absolutely love them and have only struggled with some slight static (ended up just wrapping tinfoil around my aux to USBC adapter and it fixed it :P)
The sound blaster G6 does have 1Ohm output impedance, as far as the tech specs are concerned, wondering if that is truly the case
i have the same problem that my ears get too warm under my plushy beyerdynamics which leads to headaches an hour into playing games, switched to the moondrop chu when they came out and am really happy with that setup. i have a standalone mic on an arm but might the suggested NSMO as well whenever they are back in stock
Hey techless, could you review the lg 27gn800? That monitor seems to be the cheapest 1440p 144hz monitor available right now (at least here in Germany, sells for 210€ quite often). Would be nice to be able to use your ICC profile as well
You can also buy the cable with separate microphone, just need to buy a cable that fits your Chu or Kz ZS10 pro
Would be nice to get some wireless earbuds/IEM recommendations
Moondrop Variations is the best and my favorite. He have the best graph Harman Target i've seen.
Great review and I like how you even mention some of the parts. I hope you can review the Tanchjim Ola since they claim it to be HRTF-tuned and I'm not sure how they compare to the ZS10 Pro and Chu.
If not for competitive gaming you could just take your tower off your desk and use desktop monitors, I sometimes do when playing more casually thought that wall on the right might be a problem. I can stand in ears thought I'd rather not and in summer/at night I sometimes use earbuds. They're not as crisp or as neutral as some in ears but they sound more natural than any iems I've tried. If you want to try I'd recommend something from VE, my preferred ones are the zen lite but they're out of production. The zen LL are similar and cheaper if just want to try some though unlike the lite you need to use the foam and I find that less comfortable. Don't expect any sub bass or more isolation than on an open back headphone.
Hey man you should review the Acer VG240YS 165hz IPS monitor the backlight strobing of that one was the best its like Benq XL2546k on a budget but IPS and there is also a factory hidden menu inside that can increase the brightness by holding the 4th button and power button while turning on the monitor
Where are you find this wallpapers, this wallpapers is so cool (sorry for my english I from poland) can you give me a link for this wallpapers
Haven't thought about using it for gaming since I have an open back headphones setup but... I do use IEMs and a lavallier mic (powerdewise lavallier specifically) for discord calls when I'm not on my pc and for work meetings when Im not at my home desk (working from my gfs house or from the office). That might be something you want to look into, I use my Moondrop Kato or 7hz dioko with a lav and always get people complimenting the mic quality!
can i ask you a question about the planar magnetic headphones? from what i understand they need some kind of amplifier, would the Sennheiser GSX 1000 be beefy enough to power a pair of planar magnetic headphones? or would i need to buy something more powerful?
hey techless could you review the Dell S2422HG? I'm thinking of buying since I got an insane discount on it, just wondering if it has any ghosting problems
new planar KZ PR1 wipes the floor for sure, recommend to try
great vid! On hotter days I personally use Shure SE215s with a Fiio μBTR and the cable routed around my back so it's out of the way of my chest.
Thanks! What are you using as your mic with that setup?
@@techlessYT I have an ATH2020USB+ mounted to my desk so I default to that, but the μBTR does have a half-decent mic in a pinch.
Thanks for this video! I've been trying to use an IEM and avoid the headphones but I run into the mic situation you describe. Do you know if those mics that wrap around your ears people use for speaking on stage would work? I couldn't find anything on the internet regarding people using them for a PC setup so I'm curious if you could see if those work!
Good idea, need to dig into that 👍 There are two boom mic cables that I'm aware of that are specifically made for IEMs: Null Audio Ethos mk3 and Stealth Sonics make one as well. But I couldn't get my hands on them yet.
You can also get neutral IEMs and add a generous EQ after the fact if you want some oomph
I run the fidelio x2hr as my daily but a few days ago I got my self a pair of tin t3 plus because the imaging on the x2 is just not good enough for competitive shooters. Best purchase I have made they are normally 80 got them on sale for 50
KZ ZS10 are fantastic and so cheap! I would recommend getting some memory foam ear tips.
@techless Have you try´t out some Equalizer APO Settings from AutoEQ to get the Sound Signatures more Neutral ? Is it worth it ?
Can we get update list for IEM for gaming in September 2023 ?
I have been using a kz IEM for mobile and portable switch gaming. Not the best, but pretty good for the price.
do you know the raptgo hook x? i would love to have an IEM (ideally open back) with a mostly flat frequency response but dont know if its good for gaming. i currently own the sennheiser hd58x jubilee and love the sound of it (yes i know its not really flat in the bass thats why i want to try some open back IEMs)
I got the kz zsn pros and damn they are good ...cheap but better than most gaming headphones twice or thrice the price
Plz check the gigabyte g27f version 2 monitor 🙏🙏🙏 Or is it the same settings and features as the g24f that you already did a review about 9 months ago
Du hast mich überzeugt. Werden gleich sofort welche bestellt! 🤭
Sehr gut! 😁
i am actually using a IEM since a week or so and noticed, that you have a echo that sounds like your recording with speakers on or so.. like when you hear a radio caller and his radio is on in the background. Didn´t noticed on my normal headsets. Its unlike the echo from the inline mic, more like a electric vibration or little feedback.
Have you tried the Final audio vr3000? They're my endgame for sure
@techless sir what's your beautiful main dac/amp that you use to drive 2 earphones? also, some raccomandations for dacs amps to drive both good iems and good headphones mainly for music and gaming?
5:28 I use smartphone DACs support TRRS mic input provide ASIO driver. so open DAW, and add mic track, and monitor it. latency is about 4~5ms at 256 buffer samples I believe. it is possible to listen ASIO application, and WDM application at the same time.
🤔
I use IEM as my daily usage for PC since 2016, only problem was I had to DIY a 3.5mm Port extender that convert TRS to TRRS because they were Smartphone oriented Earphones (JBL-T100), I dont have to deal with those ears hurting after long duration, messing up the Hair & etc. I just don't understand the point of using headphones anymore.
Any thoughts about new earbuds logitech GFITS for valorant,i literally cant found anything about em for valo,i dont like heavy sounds need more steps and for example RN im usings hyperxcloud 2 with loudness eq enabled.But since i got em 7 years im looking forward for and upgrade. Thanks in advance
Yes finally some noticed IEM's is better for fps game . I'm who own , Sennheiser game zero , Sennheiser HD680 and my final thing i bought is Final Audio VR3000 IEM . Tbh i always feel like VR3000 give me same audio detail where enemy is like HD680 without feeling hot on my ears after couple hours using them
Hey, I Need your Help, I cant decide which Monitor to buy, I found all of them to a similar price: AOC 24g2zu, the Asus Tuf VG259QM pro the MSI MAG 251RX.☺️ Please answer soon😂
Why do you prefer the NSMO JR dual drivers over the NSMO 3D triple drivers? Due to preference or sound quality?
Great timing! I started looking into iems for gaming last week. Do you think the Dunu Titan S would be a good choice?
Haven't tested the Titan S, but judging from the frequency response it should sound very similar to the Aria Snow.
Love the titan S. It's more neutral compared to the original Aria's that I have. Having not tried them yet, the Tripowin Olina and the 7hz Dioko are also something to look out for as they are very similar to the Titan S in their frequency response. If you want something warm, relaxing/fun, and easy to listen to, I would recommend the original Aria's. Though, Moondrop has had some quality control issues so they might not be as viable. I feel like every option is great for their price. It all boils down to what type of sound YOU are looking for in an iem. Gaming wise, I can't really tell if there is a competitive edge for iems under $100. If you are looking for something more immersive and casual, the original Aria's are great for open world games.
you guys have to try out CCA CA10. Its an all BA setup so its very accurate. I enjoy using them for GTA 5 and HZD
Kz and cca are basically the same company c10 is same same as kz zst10 i have used many over the years from 50$-300$ as i was never a fan of headphones i have lgg8 as my phone which has a excellent built in dac i personally like the kz sound signature which is more base heavy Cca is more balanced but blon is even more balanced you may even feel its somehow less audio
@@8butsideways295 For me I have always been a bass-head so its nice to try out these balanced IEMs. I agree the sound can be bland or even painfull to listen to for some people but footsteps can be heard more easily. The bass in KZs makes games and media more immersive especially for non-competitive games so I also get why you like them.
What do you recommend for dac/amp for IEMs for gaming ? I am new to this so I am finding something that I can buy for my IEMs.
Very informative video! However, I will say that while IEMs may be great, your mileage will vary. I was in the market for an alternative to over-ears and I stumbled upon the moondrop chu's. Great sounding IEMs with solid imaging and soundstage. Sadly, I'd end up returning them after a couple weeks as I was shipped heavily imbalanced drivers. I also learned that the metal body of the Chu's are less than ideal for keeping moisture out, which negates the whole "use them during the summer", as you'd have to be weary of moisture build up affecting the drivers and the sound/volume. Concerned about the QC, I looked up many other posts on reddit also describing similar issues, and ultimately decided to give up on the chu's. After further research, looking for a solid headphone that I could wear for long periods of time, and be both cost and gaming effective, I ended up with the Koss KSC75x's. They are a neutral sounding on ears headphone with great soundstage and imaging. I played Valorant and It almost felt like I was cheating with how well I could hear footsteps. No issues with build quality and (following the PE mod/yaxi earpads mod) they are extremely comfortable, sometimes I'll forget I'm wearing them when I leave my desk. They are also just as economical as the chu's, at only 20$ for a pair(the mods brings it up to 40, but still really cheap for the sound quality/comfort). If any one is looking for a replacement for over head headphones, I would highly recommend the Koss KSC75(x)'s.
I am very late, but to give you more info: Moondrop Chu has QC Problems in their production... apparently, this issue is notorious in old chi-fi reproduction cycle, KZ & CCA included... all their old releases has QC issues. The safest solution from this problem is to buy an IEM from their 1st to 3rd production period, you are guaranteed to have at least a stable product. Currently, I can named a few budget IEM that are relatively new: 7hz Zero, Tangzu Wan'er, Truthear Hola... these are my top $20 IEM, unless you have bigger budget, go for anything that is newly developed.
Just into IEM lately because how tiring to use full size headset, and tbh, my current IEM are sickly good for games, but the microphone not realy great so i need to use my SLR microphone again (Lmao) Im curently using CRA+, i know its cheap but oh boy, this thing slaps!
If your buying an IEM purely for gaming, get the Dunu Vulkan. If you want to use them for music and still be amazing at gaming AND have an open feel similar to full-sized headphones, get the Raptgo Hook-X. It's being sold at a discount because HBB did a collab and ruined the tuning so just get the original at a discounted price!
I was watching these on my Aria SE!!
Currently im gaming with my moondrop aria for me my ears are weird. Everytime I talk or laugh and game with them for a long session i get some pain in my ears (and Im using my moondrop aria with the spring tips) but not gonna lie they all are real good for listen to music and gaming too
I bought the Steelseries Arctis 5 2019 edition after every single review went on about how comfortable they are. The short of it is, I have a big, bulb like head and these things are not comfy AT ALL. Sure they look amazing but man they just dont get the job done. Sound is also lackluster. The solution? The headset has a 3.5mm port. I bought a pair of $5 earphones and plugged them into the 3.5mm port. I am now able to use the headset's sound card, the audio mixer as well as all the software which steelseries provides AND the headset's mic - which is actually really decent (i wear the headset around my neck with the mic angled upwards). Is it perfect - no Is it comfortable - yes does it work much better than the headset itself - hell yeah is it better than the sum of it's parts - yes is it jank - LTT levels of jank
you should try final audio e500 great imaging for a cheap in-ear
Switched from my hs70 pro to blon 05s with spinfit cp145 eartips for gaming. The sound quality is significantly better idk how but I am absolutely loving it.
Can you do a tier list of 27 inch 1440p monitors. That you have review?
What monitor are you using? Can you review that?
Check out ethos MK III pro cable by null audio. It's an iem cable with boom Mic option. You can use your aria SE with it.
Have you ever tried the Fiio FH3? Heard they have incredible directional audio
I actually just ordered a pair of those lol. I’m hoping I made a good choice based on reviews, but none of these top 5 lists seem to have em. I just want something fun (not too flat)for my steam deck and for music.
Does the motherboard's audio driver have an impact or are the generic Realtek drivers enough to utilize the IEMs?
Look into antlion modmic. Im thinking of getting and iem setup and attempting to attach a mod mic to one of the iems
im looking for IEMs that have open back and good sound stage, also would prefer not getting an AMP, but guess we are not at make a wish