My thoughts on IEMs vs open back headphones for competitive gaming

[@l67swap1]

The hd800 is open back yes , but it does muffle some of the ambient noise... Now hifiman headphones are basically completely open and can hear everything

[@cydeYT]

Unfortunately I think my ears canals are too weirdly shaped for IEM’s unless I get custom tips. A KSC75 would probably be the best for me.

[@yetanothermousereview]

weird question but have you tried etymotics?

[@cydeYT]

@@yetanothermousereview No I have not.

[@3ildcard]

After seeing many "Pro players" switching to earbuds, it made me think as of "why". Didn't took long since the answer is quite simple : not just the superior sound quality, compared to the generic headsets most casuals use of course, such as Razer, Logitech, Steelseries, but also the weight. Last headset i've bought, PC38X despite being very good compared to most generic ones, using over-ear headphones in general can be a bit...exhausting. Especially in long/er periods. Since i have 2 pairs of IEMs just sitting around, primarily listening to music on my phone. When i initialy bought them few months ago i gave them a go on PC, but i just felt...clamped? Claustrophobic? coming from not only open-back headset but also over-ear. Lately i do have more time to sit behind the monitor and noticed how tiring headphones can be and gave the IEM's a go again, but this time around i decided not to let that clamped feel get to me and took my time to overcome it. On my 3 day of using IEMs on PC and my head and neck at the end of the day feel just so, so, so much better. There is no strain. Tho, i am still adjusting so my ears hurt a bit. I have nothing fancy, a pair of TRI Starsea and Tin T3 Plus, yet i dare to say the sound quality is superior compared to what the brands i listed above can offer. Also, comfort - whole another level. As i said, no more neck strain, tiriness etc. Closed-back headphones are quite "suffocating"? But, i do agree with you, not the biggest fan of open-backs for gaming too, most certainly better than closed-back, i like being aware what is going on around me. IEM's seems to be most versatile - comfort, good sound, good isolation, light. Main downside for me being, as i said, to keep the awareness of my surrouding,but if am not playing i can always just remove my left bud and i am good to go. Also, the cable lenght - way too short. Luckily i've found a temporary solution until i buy some dac/amp to place near me.

[@eyang7]

Getting a pair of moondrop blessing 2. Excited to test it. Thanks for explaining this. Kinda getting tired of headphones, the heaviness, and how it messes up my hair lol.

[@snowmean1]

While you made a really sane points, you also missing that IEMs are generally also can be irritating to the ear canals, plus blocking your ear canals for 6-8 hours also can develop bacterial infection, so you must clean your IEMs at least once a week if you are using them regularly for prolonged time. Generally speaking bellow $100 IEMs will provide better sound quality, as they simply contain less details and require less materials. Something like KZ ZS10 Pro for $50 will blow away pretty much any headphones in $150-200 price range, but for $500 there are plenty of great headphones suitable for gaming, and providing better value that similarly priced IEMs. For example you can buy Dan Clark Aeon RT Closed and they will be unmatched by pretty much any IEM. Personally I still prefer open-backs, and you don't have to pay HD800 price in order to receive absolutely accurate and well defined sound-stage imaging and resolution: Philips X2HR, AKG K702, Hifiman HE400 or Sundara, they all provide absolutely phenomenal sound-stage and pin-point imaging for $350 or less.

[@AceDeclan]

IEM’s that have less details have a better sound quality? What?

[@snowmean1]

@@AceDeclan I meant less physical details (parts). You don't need a headband or earpads and drivers are 10mm not 50mm which are cheaper to manufacture, so in similar priced budget IEMs you have more budget dedicated to the things important for sound quality.

[@Phil_OG]

How does the Hifiman HE400se compare to the KZ ZS10Pro?

[@snowmean1]

@@Phil_OG they are vastly different headphones. One is an IEM and second is an open-back planar over-ear. I don't have neither of them currently at hands, but from the memory KZ has much more bass, and slightly recessed mids/vocals, while HFM have more neutral sounding but still tight planar bass and more natural and detailed vocals. Also soundstage of the HE400se is amazing for the price - good depth, good imaging. HE400 also much smoother sounding. ZS10 Pro had few peaks in highs I didn't like. But I honestly don't see much value in this comparsion due to vastly different application for each of them.

[@cydeYT]

Can confirm, ear acne, ear infections and everything shit. I think open ears are my only option now.

[@26faizalam10]

What will be good for pubg mobile under 100 dollar i play in break not continuous 6-7 hour but i do take break after every one or two match my are has noise some times so i do get distracted plz some one help bcz i have never used high price headphone but have used one cheap one improvement in my gameplay was like 9 times boost plz help for best headphone or iem for bgmi or pubg gamming i play tpp

[@miguelcortez9742]

are u still recommending iems for competitive gaming? if so what are ur top picks currently? moondrop chu?

[@eryll]

ty for this video

[@Wyn3e]

They are good for gaming

[@danlesak00]

what cable are you using in the video? I like that there is a mic on it, on amazon there seem to be only 2 options and not a lot of reviews on them (on the quality and sounds). I ordered the Aria btw. You make good, to the point videos!

[@yfam4yfam431]

really? took him 6 minutes to get to his point. how hard is it to write down what you want to say into a script and read it? Nearly fell asleep waiting for the point.

[@cult2]

@@yfam4yfam431 then you should be watching this video every night sleep. that'd help you sleep

[@luizengrazia5169]

You just said it ALL, dude!

[@burbryl9318]

I have the sennheiser 560s theyre good for gaming but the imaging could be better also i hate how it ruins my hair should i get the arias? Also i own kz edx rn

[@yetanothermousereview]

i recommend the tanchjim ola actually I think it's potentially better for gaming than the aria due to it having less bass

[@h6ghost718]

Should I go with the blessings 2 or just pull the trigger on monarch mk2’s I play val/siege the most with some apex on the side

[@yetanothermousereview]

get the blessing 2, it has less bass increasing perceived detail and the rest of the frequency range is basically the same. please do not spend 1k on an IEM lmao

[@h6ghost718]

@@yetanothermousereview I figured, last question. Blessing 2 over my ie300’s?

[@h6ghost718]

@@yetanothermousereview scratch that not last question lol, which version of the blessing 2’s do you recommend I get?

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@h6ghost718 b2dusk is more enjoyable for music, technically worse for gaming, can't really go wrong with either honestly

[@h6ghost718]

@@yetanothermousereview kk tysm!

[@lamfound]

So I’m just getting into IEM’s, I’m looking at moondrops IEM’s specifically. I want to get a pair of starfields, would those be a good choice for a starter or should I go with a pair of Arias just to be on the safe side for my first IEM. These are specifically to play Apex Legends btw

[@yetanothermousereview]

starfields are virtually the same IEM, just get the arias since they're cheaper.

[@ViniRustAlves]

@@yetanothermousereview They are not, in fact, Starfields are more mid focused, while moondrop is more bass focused, it is subtle, but it is significant enough to notice. Yet, the Aria just sounds better for gaming IMO. Either competitive or story driven. They have a more enjoyable sound signature.

[@yetanothermousereview]

​@@ViniRustAlves they are, in fact, virtually the same iem. if you're referring to the ~1db difference in precog or super's measurements these are easily within margin of error (crin's units measure identically), and regardless you will never hear a 1db difference in a volume matched blind test anyway

[@shanereardon5678]

Did you ever end up getting the moon drops? How are they for apex? Im looking for the same!

[@lamfound]

@@shanereardon5678 dude they are awesome. I purchased the starfields which I absolutely love over my old traditional headphones. So definitely a good investment

[@TheValonquar]

Any recommended DACs or dongle for IEMs? Or is it sufficient to just plug directly into motherboard?

[@yetanothermousereview]

apple dongle is all you need. audibly transparent and more than enough power to drive any relevant iem in existence even on android

[@birdgaming9291]

hey im new to iems and headphones. I have around $300 to buy it then what should i buy?

[@Gufolicious]

I really like my dt770pros and use it more often than my senheiser se300

[@yetanothermousereview]

both are terrible

[@imrin4059]

shure se215 ,moondrop aria ,kz zs10 pro. can you review and compare them or do you know already? for gaming.

[@daf676]

yo i was wondering which one should i pick up for R6s and some music (mainly for listening music) the aria or SHP9600 they had the same price right now so can you give me some advice? or maybe another iem/hs for the same price range

[@yetanothermousereview]

i haven't used the shp9500 but they measure like ass honestly, just get the aria

[@snowflower3267]

i wanted to uise iem mainly for valorant gaming, will the Behringer umc22 make these iem better?

[@EnormeEkoH]

So many weeks that i cant decide from moondrop blessing 2 (not even know if normal or dusk) or hd600, should be the best iem and open back for my budget (300€ more or less) Need for games, music etc Also i got 0 problems abt background noise with my old open backs

[@yetanothermousereview]

blessing 2 is pretty uncomfortable if you have smaller sized ears. i prefer the 7hz timeless anyway or hd560s if you want budget headphones

[@EnormeEkoH]

@@yetanothermousereview damn audio things are so expensive that 300€ is considered budget, but i love it 😀 How to know if blessing 2 will fit me without buying them before? And hd560s over hd600/58x etc?

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@EnormeEkoH there's no way to know if they'll fit you. i prefer hd560s over hd600/58x especially for gaming, more treble and wider soundstage.

[@EnormeEkoH]

@@yetanothermousereview thanks again

[@crate718]

Get the dt 900 pro x will blow away the hd600. HD600 have decent imaging with a very narrow sound stage. Great for music listening. Mutex on twitch uses hd600

[@jyip1442]

I wanted to get kato as my daily driver music and FPS gaming for my pc, but is it worth it tho 😕

[@yetanothermousereview]

honestly no just get an aria for half the price or a b2 dusk for $100 more

[@Frankie-kn4ex]

Hello, I am about to pick some iems up. And I was wondering would you recommend the Blessing 2 or the Blessing 2 Dusk? Will be focused on comp fps games and listening to music on the free time.

[@yetanothermousereview]

it doesn't matter, if you like more bass just get the dusk otherwise both are great I personally wouldn't spend more than 100 on iems though. right now I use a tanchjim ola at my desk and an er2se for music. er2se is probably the most natural sounding iem on the market.

[@Frankie-kn4ex]

@@yetanothermousereview ola for gaming? Ill take your advice for 100 dollar. Would you prefer the aria or ola

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@Frankie-kn4ex ola is better than aria for gaming but the fit is pretty bad if you have larger ear canals otherwise yeah just get aria difference between aria and dusk is maybe 10% of performance for 4x the cost

[@Frankie-kn4ex]

@@yetanothermousereview thank you!

[@showkatnawaz1685]

which IEM will be best for PUBG(pinpoint footsteps , reloading sound , directional audio) in budget ?? I dont have any idea about sound. please recommend me

[@cult2]

qkz x hbb 20usd

[@katsumi656]

What budget IEM would you recommend for fps games like csgo and valorant? Do you recommend KZ earphones?

[@yetanothermousereview]

cca cra and no, pretty much all kz iems are bad

[@katsumi656]

@@yetanothermousereview What is cca and cra?

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@katsumi656 the "cca cra" is an iem

[@yh12z1]

@@yetanothermousereview do you like the quarks for gaming?

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@yh12z1 they're okay, I personally don't love them without EQ.

[@joeyroman84]

Is there an easy way to add a mic to these for Xbox gaming?

[@yetanothermousereview]

yeah just find a decent two pin or mmcx cable with a mic.

[@ayushsajwan7339]

Should I buy a earphones of 2500 or blon 03 iem for pubg mobile ?

[@marianack111]

I have the blon, and they are very good, you dont need to buy iem with extreme prices, iems are really good even on the 20 euros/ dolars range

[@FUSEDFORCE]

open backs all the way sound stage is everything he has not tried / AKG K7XX / HD800S /DT1990 .

[@yetanothermousereview]

i've tried all those headphones k7xx is absolute trash, dt1990 is trash, hd800s is actually really nice but way too expensive. and again, soundstage doesn't mean anything when you hear less due to ambient masking

[@crate718]

@@yetanothermousereview you said the dt 1990 and hd800 are trash 😂😂😂😂. They have the best imaging hands down. How bro? Iems are head phones shoved in your ear. If iems were better then regular headphones audiophile guys would only use iems. I will buy one moondrop just to add to my collection. I love ear candy both for games and music

[@yetanothermousereview]

@@crate718 bruh reread, I didn't say the hd800(s) was trash. that headphone is god tier. but the dt1990 is not good. the treble peak is real and it destroys timbre. the imaging on both is fine, though. I personally think imaging on good iems is arguably better. more isolation = much easier to pick out sounds and because of the way iems are designed there is intrinsically less distortion and a smooth FR which equals less auditory masking (which reduces detail). both things make it easier to identify direction. regardless it doesn't really matter, pros compete with trash IEMs and play fine so audio in general is a wash lol

[@crate718]

@@yetanothermousereview which iems do you use?

[@crate718]

@@yetanothermousereview everyone’s ears are tuned differently. Not everyone is trible sensitive.

[@louiebanal6421]

Make more iem vids for fps gaming

[@kyu_273]

yeah im pretty sure its csgo pros go for items instead for me I'm getting some ssrs

[@yetanothermousereview]

i would be careful with the ssr it has very odd imaging to my ears I woiuld just pony up the extra $30 or so for the aria

[@isaac.e]

What eartips are you using on the Oracles?

[@RitzyBusiness]

I am mixed, my expensive closed backs are great, they hit harder than anything I own, and yet my moondrop starfields please me more.

[@yetanothermousereview]

yep, closed backs generally have nice bass but have terrible tuning the best closed backs I've heard aren't expensive either. the k371 is literally $100 on sale and probably the best closed back headphone on the market lol. none of the focals are good. the aeon closed is decent.

[@SoloDol0]

What would u recommend for tarkov. I’m new to IEM

[@mooshy8178]

just ordered a pair of shure se215s i’ll let you know how i like them compared to my steelseries 9s. i haven’t seen any tarkov reviews but i said screw it why not try it.

[@gzardo]

I saw u had the moondrop quarks before, are they good for competitive gaming on a budget?

[@yetanothermousereview]

yeah they're really solid. final e2000 is a good option too for cheap. I don't like ssp for gaming due to its weird imaging.

[@MSmithT]

You've got nice hands my dude, thumbnail had me expecting someone else. The video was very informative, thank u. 👍

[@fierybl4de400]

fr though thought it was a chick

[@shuangstudio]

Great explanation !! I do prefer IEM for gaming as well! It just feels different to mainstream open back headphones

[@DieTabbi]

Which headphone do you had before? My DT990 pro sound fantastíc.

[@jaygee3032]

Not a good solution yet it's what landmark is using Either that or the same brand q lot higher end drivers but still Not good for gaming doesn't compute Dude hears shit so well people swear he is hacking with radar

[@jaygee3032]

Talking about tarkov particularly

[@mooshy8178]

his are also 2k lol

[@miguelreyes5924]

After watching 5 or 6 videos I came to the conclusion that you should change the name of the channel to "yet another hot take"

[@AceDeclan]

You just wanted to show off your nails

[@Ryzen-gh1en]

the problem with iem that most of them are super uncomfortable because i have small ear and after 10-20 min it start giving me pain and most budget iem i have use have pretty bad midrange and vocals and i do play mostly single player games where i need more immersive exprience where they even failed to give me any wide soundstage, for competitive game imagine is way more important then soundstage but in the end whatever suit you man you can use, i mean if yours skills are meh not any amount of sound or having a 12900k and 3090 playing 1000 fps make you pro lmao

[@_paczki]

This entire paragraph is just nonsense.

[@crate718]

I don’t know what planet you live on lol. I bet my dt 900 pro x or my HD560s will blow away 99% of iems out there. With open back headphones I don’t hear out side noise. Sure I wouldn’t mind iems for my collection but you can’t mess with what works 100%

[@yetanothermousereview]

you probably haven't used good iems my guy. dt900 pro x has a hole at 4khz. very very high distortion too. hd560s is very good but the newer revisions have a large peak at 5khz due to the new pads. pros don't use open back headphones btw, most of them play on bad closed backs or cheap IEMs + earmuffs in tourney. because guess what, it's most important you get as much isolation as possible which is why iems are the best solution for gaming

[@crate718]

@@yetanothermousereview I was thinking of moondrop kato. The dt 900 is so so good. I don’t even have to think where the enemy is. The imaging is unreal

[@James-sd7eo]

@@crate718 what FPS games do you play?

[@crate718]

@@James-sd7eo warzone

[@Max-if5zp]

Фаггот

[@buddhet]

nice nails

[@MiguelGarcia-fw4vz]

nice coding lmao

[@yetanothermousereview]

thanks bb 😘