I think iems are the future. I’m 99% an over ear guy but I think price to performance in the low end iems is absolutely insane, to get over ears that are on par will cost you a hell of a lot more.
@@DasRota yeah most people seem to prefer them, I really still prefer my over ears though. I also got some Koss kph40 recently for £40, and compared to any iems I’ve tried under £150 the Koss are so much comfier and better for gaming imho. Even the ksc75 are a better pick for me (obviously there is no isolation with these so that is a big no for a lot of people) The initial wow factor I had on the moondrop chu and zero has since gone and all I find with them is a sparkly shouty, bass light mess. I’ve tested a lot of headphones and iems over the last few years and yeah, cheap chi-fi is not for me.
If you're looking to go deep into the IEM world, spending $300-600 on a set of custom molded in-ear headphones isn't even hitting the 'expensive' mark lol. They'll seal tight to your ear canal and block out external noise nicely. Getting triple or quad drivers (the 'speaker' in the headphone) from a brand like Alclair would be a great option. Having multiple drivers splits up the entire frequency response of the headphones and allows individual drivers to be tuned and focus on a particular range, maximizing their efficiency, output, and clarity while giving you a realistic sounding stereo image. I'm biased towards Alclair, love their custom stuff (they also make a universal fit/foam tip IEM), but there's other companies like 64 Audio, Westone, Shure, etc, that make custom and universal fit IEMs.
You need a warm sounding IEM for gaming. Refrain from a bright sounding as the sound it gives is really sharp to the ear. I've been gaming with vido buds for 2 months then switched to IEMs. I have TFZ MLE and a TKZK wave. Gaming with IEMs is weird for the first time as the foot steps/gun sounds seems to revolve around your head instead of your actual ear lol. But you'll get the hang of it for some time and its really effective for FPS. My room is always hot as hell that's why I don't use headphones and most of my collections are IEMs so... :D
Oooooh man. IEMs can be a rabbit hole LOL. But one thing to consider when upgrading is whether you want them moulded to your ears for a perfect fit. You would have to go in for a mould session and then send that to whoever is making the IEMs. A good company to look at is Alclair Audio. Another important factor is the number of drivers you want or need, based on their use. For gaming/editing, I would go for 3-4 drivers with the focus on voice. Hope that helps you on your journey to upgrade. And great content as usual
"For gaming/editing, I would go for 3-4 drivers with the focus on voice. Hope that helps you on your journey to upgrade." With that statement in mind, do you have a recommendation from a specific brand or product?
Just ordered my first set (moondrop aria snow) currently using my dt990 80ohm plugged into Evo 4 interface. Cant wait to try the IEM. I used to love rocking the apple earbuds back in the day
Can’t go wrong with a solid pair of custom IEM’s if you like them. You go pretty high up in qualify if it’s worth the price. But if it’s strictly for gaming, audio technica has some good options if you don’t want to go the custom route
Welcome to the ChiFi IEM rabbit hole, you'll be here a while :) For gaming audio there are 2 schools of thought. First is the immersion side, V-shaped freq response graph for in your face explosions and everything else that puts you "in the game". The second school of thought is the competitive side, leaning more towards flatter or more neutral freq response graphs so you get to hear everything better from footsteps, opponents reloading etc.. Where ever you fall into, even if its somewhere in the middle; there are great options. My current: Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk BGVP W01 tips small NiceHCK Blackwheat cable Fiio K3s
What do you think about the dusk for competitive games(are they even the best)? do you think that they are better than the zs10 pro and the Dunu falcon pro? and what games have you tested?
@@ZOOZV_I only got to listen to the ZS10 pro once, and the treble was a bit too spicy for my subjective preference (your mileage may vary). Its still a good option at its price for others who prefer its tuning. I feel the Dusk has better detail, imaging and wider soundstage Do note that i fall in the middle of the 2 schools of thought i mentioned in my earlier comment. IMHO The Dusk is perfect for me, best balance of both worlds I have not listened to the Dunu Falcon pro yet, but from the graphs; the sub bass looks a bit lacking for my preference. My games: CSGO, Insurgency Sandstorm, entire Metro Franchise, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 1&2, Holdfast, Frostpunk
I just bought my first pair of IEMs, what do I need to pay attention to with tips? Do they need to be a bit bigger so they close up well or smaller for comfort. Which material? This is all for competitive gaming not music listening. I do ofc still also do that on the side, but it's not the focus for me with my KZ ZS10 pro
@@linegrinder You should go for the smallest size that creates a full seal. You should feel like youre wearing earplugs with the outside world sounds almost blocked off. Communicating in-game moves your jaw, which in turn moves your ear canal which could compromise the seal if you went too small in eartips. On silicone vs. memory foam. I honestly think you should try both first so you know your preference. But remember there is no extreme competitive advantage with either. Silicone is already great for gaming. They're more durable, easier to wash/clean. Bass is stronger, but not enough to drown out the lower mid range of sound Memory foam can be more comfy for some It gives better isolation and tones down the bass a bit which allows one to hear audio prompts slightly better (enemy footsteps, reloading , moving etc.). The downside is that they require practice to seat properly in your ear. With silicone you just shove em in. But with foams you first have to pinch and roll it to get it thinner and shove them in before they fully expand. Memory foam also gathers dirt and earwax more and can tear easily. DONT BUY the foam eartips that are made of regular non-memory foam. They fully expand before you can get them into your ear. If you want to try memory foams on the cheap, look for the brand New Bee on amazon. Just remember to pick the right hole size to fit snugly on your iem's nozzle
@@diegoveloso3rd Thank you very much for that thorough explanation. That really helped me a lot and I will most likely get a pair of good silicone tips then for the start. Can you recommend any brand?
I have the KZ ZS10 Pro and they are ok... for gaming. The best buds for gaming though is the Sennheiser IE300 paired with the Schiit Fulla 4, hands down. If you get these, you won't need anything else.
I really like my 7hz timeless while gaming. They're amazing. I haven't bought any more IEMs since then so there's probably some better choices now, but look into 7hz, sennheiser, moondrop for some super solid IEMs in all price ranges.
The moon drop arias are just fantastic for their price, durability, comfort, and sound quality. If you have 80 bux to spare, definitely go try them out, they are basically worth the blind. (and for any anime fans out there, moon drop has dedicated characters to every one of their products)
Love the content! 👍🏽 you inspired me to make the switch to TH-cam long ago. But because of family events I took time off and now I have wonderful son and am back up streaming on TH-cam! Thank you for making these videos because I been wanting to look into in ear gaming buds for a long time!
ive owned many different over ear headphones for gaming. Razor, Hyper X, Turtle Beaches (yeah not good today but back in the day TBs were the most popular xbox headsets), Astro A40s, Steelseries, Logitec, even tried beats and JBL over ear headphones. most of the time the audio was fine for gaming, while some were better for directional audio and the sound didnt blend together when alot was going on. It was a comfort thing for myself. I already deal with headaches and migraines and pretty much all over ear headsets seem to cause headaches or migraines after extended use. the top of my head will get quite sore after a few hours of gaming and i have large ears so more times than not my ears become sore and its just not a enjoyable experience. got myself some Moondrop Blessing 2's and frankly im extremally happy with them. I didnt realize music could sound as good as these make it, the directional audio is great (i play Escape from Tarkov and atm the games audio is fucked but even with that ive been able to get a better idea of where the sound is actually coming from with the IEMs than my over ear headphones), if theres alot going on the audio doesnt mix together causing everything to sound like its mashed together like some headphones will. the Bass isnt crazy while these specific IEMs are more of a mid range (sound & price) which is actually ideal for gaming. too much bass makes it hard to pin point directional sound but no bass takes away all immersion. also most Pro players use IEM's now for game sound and have over ear headphones for communicating with there team and for extra noise cancelation. IEM's are the way to go but idk if the prices for top of the line IEM's are really worth it if your not an audiophile. im sure you wont notice a big difference in gaming comparing a 1000$ IEM to a 400$ IEM. only major thing is bass and the tune
@@cameronewing983 if your looking for a good mid range one I haven’t had any problems with the moon drop dusk 2’s. Atm in tarkov regardless you can barely tell if someone’s behind or in front of you. Even these streamers using 3000$ 64 audio IEM’s can’t even tell where people are atm. These have made things slightly better but I’m still getting tripped up if someone is behind or in front of me. Was on factory and was fighting a 3 man, got 1 off guard. Second took a bunch of shots and I backed off to reload. Heard one of them pushing but it sounded like he was going around to pop up in front of me but as it was sounding like he was right on me I still never saw anything so I instantly whipped behind me to check and I saw dudes KS23 sticking out from around the corner, I was able to 1 tap him before he could see me but still the audio is absolutely fucked rn no matter what headphones you use. Once they fix it I’m sure I’ll be able to get a better idea of these iem’s specifically. I’ve hopped on MW2 to see how they worked on a game with good special audio and I haven’t sound whored like that since MW3 sitrep pro
@@TheCrazzyGuy11 I ended up getting the og blessing 2s just because I didn’t want any of the extra bass, I’m hoping I made the right decision. I did extensive research and felt comfortable going with the blessing 2
I was thinking of dipping my toes into the water that is the audiophile hobby and decided that I wanted a pair of GK GS10 iems for Christmas this year. I can't wait to try those out.
Just made my purchase of the Linsoul Kiwi Orchestra lite and cannnot wait to test those out on my Schiit Magi+modi AMP/DAC. I peeped Fresh reviews on IEMS and hes the main reason why i got these. I'll update everyone on how they perform for Tarkov.
Is the technology of IEM really getting just as good as over the ear headphones? I want immersive sound for (Gaming like FPS, Star Citizen and video editing), but don't want the bulkiness of a headset when gaming or doing my content creation.
I picked up the Sennheiser IE600 recently. They are absolutely amazing. I really like my Sennheiser HD58X, but was never a fan of the stock pads. Purchased Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for my 58X and comfort increased immensely.
O recommend the CCA CRA. They are very cheap and will provide better sound quality than most gaming headphones. But why still use gaming headphones? Well, they have a built in mic that does work better and they seal off the surrounding noise very well
For gaming, Diffuse Field tuned IEMs are great. For example, cheap and awesome pick would be Moondrop SSR. KZ lineup is okay, but there are certainly better options out there.
i noticed ur headphones are very curled like the earphones almost touch each other when you showed them. this means there is greater pressure on the head when worn. when i take my headphones off (arctis nova 1/60$ headphones) my fist can fit in between the earpieces. i dont remember if they initially were curled like yours and over time got more "loose" but i never have headaches and i wear these all day 12+ hours a day. I highly recommend the steelseries arctis nova 1 (60$) but they have higher end headsets too i tried a wireless one once but i didnt like the audio quality, but the 60$ one is perfect honestly. i used to have logitech headphones and those would give me headaches. the main reason i will try iem is because headphones mess with your hair and they make my ears sweaty during the summer. also some new iems got released very recently like a couple weeks ago they're an upgrade from the ones you linked but the pro 2 version. they dont have reviews on amazon yet thats how new they are. saw some reviews on yt and they are supposedly better so i bought them.
still rocking these IEMs since you first recommended them! They've been awesome but I am looking to get a wireless setup for them to get rid of the cable since it is a little short for my setu.
The UTWS5 adapter by fiio might be for you then. It turns any iems into true wireless. Though I’m holding off until utws7 because from what I seen, the latency in utws5, even in gaming mode, is still to high for pc gaming and you’ll notice it
The kz az09 pros will convert your kz items to wireless. Has the Qualcomm chip and will give you great sound. Also has a low latency mode, but I haven't needed to use that.
Great review man..a pro x version of these just came out..you might wanna try them and compare it to zs10 pro. Also you can have this iems wireless, using the kz as09 pro bluetooth module.
I’ve really enjoyed using the HBB Olina’s for gaming and casual music listening. I’ve heard high praise for the Dunu Titan S which is cheaper than the Olina’s. But for me personally I liked the included case and the aesthetics of the Olina more than the vector style design of the Dunu’s.
Seeing the FR graphs, I never realized similar the Olina's are to the Titan S. They only slightly differ in their treble region and the mids are slightly more relaxed on the Olina's. I don't have experience with the Olina's but I can tell you the Titan S is much cleaner and more "audiophile" like than the Moondrop Aria's. Though I miss how fun and relaxing the Aria's were.
@@Pikachu123OP I sort of like them for that relaxed playful sound it produces and not so flat and balanced as other “audiophile” iems. I have experience live mixing for musicals and other concerts and I like how the Olina’s pull vocals, very similar to how I mix my shows. It just feels more relaxing to me and pleasing for long sessions. I got some 560s with a nice DAC/AMP combo for that flat response when editing tracks.
I have been using IEMS for Music Listening and gaming for around 4 years now. I prefer IEMS because I prefer the quality of the sound and also the definition of being able to pick out specific sounds. The soundstage will never be as big as headphones, but there are IEMS with pretty large soundstages. I don't want to get overly technical in my explanations below First thing is first - COMFORT! Find the right sized ear tips and i cant stress this enough- I hear people complaining all the time that their ears get sore after a short period if time - this shouldn't happen, even when wearing them all day. I would personally recommend the Dunu Titan S as an entry way to IEMS - Its good for listening to all kinds of music and has a decent sound stage that punches above its price point and is good for gaming too. Another very honorable mention is the Moondrop Aria's - I'd say start at this point and you can determine if the IEM route is for you. The issue is with IEMS that you can spend anywhere in the region of $50 up to $2000+. I''m currently rocking the Senn IE600 and they are just so bright and clear, I wouldn't suggest spending this amount if it's your first IEM I'd only really suggest the IEM route if you have a separate Microphone too, All IEM/earphone mics are very bad quality. but I'd suggest everyone to take the plunge one day and try it.
Don't go around spreading false information, IEM's and headphones alike have an amount of ~0% audible sense of space if you subtract the level of diffuse sound with the direct sound coming from source since they operate entirely in pressure chamber conditions. Also, companies like harman have proven through research that sound is an objective topic, and the best objective headphone that has the best scores through countless tests with male and female, trained and untrained listeners is the moondrop variations as it is the closest to the harman 2019 v2 target. Meaning that you don't need to spend more than 400$ to get the perfect headphone
IEMs start hurting after a while. Tried different tips etc.. also there is some heat building up inside and most manuals warn that you should take a break every 1 hour. IEMs are great value but only for short listening periods. I think if you have a good over-ear there is no need to "upgrade". The only exciting thing is that IEMs really can sound like very expensive headphones for a fraction of the price, but when fatigue kicks in or something inside your ear starts nagging it becomes a moot point quick. However, if you dont have a good headphone yet or just rocking a gaminjg-headset, i would say try it out as it can be a real upgrade. If you own studio headphones or something HiFi, then over-ears win in comfort.
i also unexpectedly like IEM for gaming, and any other daily purposes it has a great customizability (very modular) and a very good scaling device you can turn it into bluetooth with adapters, add some mic by swapping the cable, tip rolling, and even custom molding it can varies from 50 to even 1000 dollars on the IEM itself, so pick your hole carefully not to mention you will also spend a few bucks for a good quality DAC
Dunu Titan S (80) + elastic tips (15 for set) + Fosi DAC-Q4 with bass/treble knobs (50) = a happy gamer😁 The setup is getting a BIG upgrade soon, but this small combo has been So pleasing to my ears and comfortable for my head CHEERS!
This may be a dumn question, but how should I properly connect IEMs to my PC for gaming? I've strictly used Astro A40s and a Mixamp TR for years. Should I plug directly into my motherboard? Can use the mixamp? DAC? What's the appropriate setup for getting accurate sound while gaming?
These create a static noise when there’s no audio playing, is it the same for you? If so did you find a solution to this or did you end up getting used to it
I personally love the portable and comfort factor of IEMs, with that I suggest the IE300/400Pro or 600 for a good "end game" IEMs for gaming and even content consumption. Surprisingly good directional audio and bass for such small drivers.
@@maxowhatyouon The Senns usually have more bass from the other IEMs that ive tried so its perfect for COD my only complaint is vertical imaging isnt as good as say a full headphone (eg pc38x) but it is still better than most gaming headsets ive tried
@@adamalberto7403 sorry to bother you, do you know if sound card will be a good purchase to make sound more better for them or you didnt tried them with a sound card?
@@maxowhatyouon it depends on the IEMs/headphones youre planning on using but dedicated amp dacs are better than a sound card imo and you can use them for other audio equipment as a bonus
I'm only saying this to help you and maybe I'm the only one here. However, the thumbnail was a little confusing when I clicked on it. It took me a moment to see what it was on my screen. Maybe this is cause of background colors? idk. Just thought I'd be helpful and point that out though.
I've always thought of if I should get them, but I'm really nit-picky with my money. Would you say that IEM's are good for detecting footsteps in all directions?
A lot of very good gamers (TGLTN, ALISA,HAMBINO CRUTCH etc etc) use bose quiet comfort 20s some even with a nice little cheap DAC like the Fii0 E10K olympus 2 and from watching their streams Audio is really really never an issue for them. so much so that I'm planning to by the same combo.
@@musamajid1726 PUBG players here I can see :) I don't like the IEM that goes on the top of the ears, anything great ones you can recommend that kind of look like the QC20 ?
Great video E! I have been looking at these since watching your stream. My only problem is I use a gaming headset for the mic as well. In picking these up I would then have to get a mic as well. Any recommendations?
@@SymptomzYT yeah mainly just game chat! Just want to try something different than the Arctis Steel Series I have for the same reason that E switched, because of headaches. I’m a casual gamer and play a few times a week.
Man, I was all about those big headphones / sets a few years ago, but I didn't take them when I moved out. But what I had were my Shure se215s from years ago when I worked in the kitchens and started using them for my gaming recently. They've done better for my audiospatial ability than my headphones did ngl. Threw Peace on with the equalizer preset and bam, I dont plan on switching out anytime soon.
Made the switch recently sounds great, plugged in a Goxlr mini but the only issue is the terrible interfering noise when i'm using my Microphone .... Dunno how to fix this :/ any tips guys plz ?
been using this particular model for a year and they are worth it. swaped original cable for 20 dollar cooper cable and that increased the sound quality drastically. they are definitely worth particularly for gaming.
if you find yourself yanking this everytime you get up, you can buy the bluetooth module for these and go wireless with having the same quality of sound or veey unnoticable difference if there's any..look for kz az09pro. A good match for these.
Been running the Dunu Titan S for a month now, Never switching back to over ear for gaming. I bought these thinking it would be a waste of $80, but a day into their use i found myself sleeping with them on. In the 2nd week of owning the Titan S, i picked up some Truthear x Crin Zero and a pair of Moondrop Startdust (i wanted the startdust because of the size for the price) The Titan S provides great gaming experience. The Zero provide a great music experience (listening to mostly hip hop/rap with some heavy rock). and the Stardust provide me the comfort of IEMs with decent quality i can take everywhere without worrying about ruining my actual good pairs. in about a month im going to be picking up some IE 600 or something on par with that in its price range. Ive gotten the best of the treble, the best of the bass, and some decent mids... now i want to experience the full package. If the 600 are as amazing as i hope, im going to be giving my TitanS to my younger brother so he can start his ear-pleasure journey. CHEERS!
What kind of gaming are you talking about? Single player? I’m curious whether IEMs are good for more atmospheric single player games, something like Bioshock
@@TheHulksMistress the crin zeros that i have are actually very pleasant for listening experience, and thats probably due to having more bass that the dunu S that i use all the time. i suppose you could find something bassier than the crin zeros and that could potentially give you a enjoyable atmospheric sound for your single player/story based games.
Just made the switch from over ear to iem 3 years ago, have tried couple diferent iem's. Theres Dinamics Drivers only, Electrostatics, Balanced Armatured and Hybrids. Has been testing a couple, and so far the best i've found are the KZ ZSX Terminator, 12 Units Hybrid IEM, with 5 Balanced Armature for mids and highs and 1 Dinamic Driver for Bass, on each ear. Great Sound and Sounstage super confortable and light. You should try those! Great Video!!
i also own the terminator. their specs are actually better than those of the zs 10 pro, but that doesn't make them better. that's a general guideline btw. more drivers don't necessarily mean better sound. on top of that there's also personal preference. i also own the zs 10 pro and i prefer those actually. they're more comfortable in the ear. the terminator are quite big actually. they also have a noticeable stronger bass which i also prefer. don't feel a huge difference in the mids. there's a minor difference in the highs though. the terminator is certainly more detailed in the highs, but can also be quite sharp on very high notes which can be exhausting. i don't have this on the zs 10 pro. both very good iem's. terminator is technically better, but i prefer the zs 10 pro quite a bit.
And these expensive IEM make you a better gamer? Or does games have highres sound files? And does most gamer have the hardware for high res if the game would have it?
I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm just getting into audiophile territory and don't currently have any personal experience. However, a lot of the reviews I've seen like the FiiO FD5 as a step up from the AZ ZS10 Pro, although for gaming, you'll want either an external mic or FiiO's UTWS3 (or similar) Bluetooth adapters since they have a built-in mic (hardcore audiophiles will hate the Bluetooth suggestion since it's lossy but that's the trade-off for the convenience)
I love the sound of the ZS10 pros but for me personally these get really uncomfortable and the outside and inside of my right ear ear hurts around the 20-30 minute mark enough for me to remove them for atleast an hour. Headphones to me don't give that discomfort at all and I'm not happy with this, knowing it's the fault of my ear shape.
@@jdb9388 i see, i had to plug them in for 2-3 hours a day for a week and now they feel comfortable enough. Still not a great fit and not a great design as you have mentioned.
@@equaniman647 they're just not ergonomic for ear canals, IEM's are designed to worn for long periods of time like on stage, i think foam tips might help with the comfort level cause it'll reduce drag and hold it in place
I need help please. Been looking at getting into iem and would appreciate if someone could recommend a set for price around £100-£200 for gaming. Mainly games like apex or escape from tsekov so ones that have good sound direction etc. Thank you
Moondrop Kato are very good in the iem world and very well priced, if you want to go for more expensive and more high quality options the 7hz timeless are one of the best with the moondrop blessing 2 . There cheaper options you could try for les tan 50$ for example moondrop chu (best bang for the buck20$), tripowin melee (i like it more than kz 10 pro, personal opinion, 50$) for 50$ bucks more there are the moondrop aria (the mos beautiful in my opinion) and they sound pretty premium for the price.
Check out this video. With this company you can get semi molded IEMs for less that $400. And you don't have to go to an audiologist! This guy is an audiophile so I trust his opinion.
There are actually much better options under 50 now. Still a good package but something like the cca cra are a much better value and have less problems than something like the zs10pro. I would recommend the moondrop aria at 79.99 or the tin t3 plus both are going to be better for most people than the zs10pro. The most apparent thing for me is soundstage and imaging. Overall the tuning will be more pleasant and less harsh as well.
I would have also recommended the Aria's but I have seen more QC issues, recently, with Moondrop. Went through 2 pairs already and gave up on them. Instead, I went with Dunu Titan S. Until they do something about the QC, I am a bit wary of cheaper Moondrop stuff as it seems like a hit or miss. The Tin T3 Plus's are a good V-shaped tuning, and I believe the there's an improved iteration of the CCA CRA's call the CCA CRA Plus's. All great recommendations though.
@@Pikachu123OP can't believe I forgot about the dunu titan S I have them as well they are wonderful. Just a lil uncomfortable to me. My Aria actually had their wire fail on me recently so I can also confirm some qc issues.
I use to use regular apple wired earbuds and they had amazing bass but when I switched there's not much bass but there is a lot of tremble to me there not that worth it but they do sound good for 50 bucks
I started using iems about a week ago for gaming and was completely surprised at how clear sounding they are. Also the level of detail is amazing compared to headphones
Ngl, since people are listening to relatively loud sounds directly in ears at younger and younger ages, it would be safer for everyone if they knew more about IEMs. I’m an audio person but IEMs are safer in the long run for hearing
Welcome to the world of Chi-Fi. If you want to move up and try something that many have regarded as being "better than its price", anything from Moondrop. In this case either the Moondrop Arias or Starfield. They are nearly identical in sound/tuning, a bit of variation which you can pick up on if you got both, but the Starfield are definitely better in build quality which is reflective in its price point.
I don’t own both, just the aria. However from what I’ve seen, when choosing between these two, the arias have a better build quality. Arias are a black matte finish while the star fields have a blue glossy finish that chips away. I’ve seen the posts of the arias finish being chips away, but I feel like the chipping will be more noticeable in the starfields compared to the aria due to the blue color vs black
With iems though your not gonna get that precise tracking and soundstage you would get with headphones no matter how much you spend you might get more intimacy but not much soundstage
KZ10s are horrendous, i can't believe how uncomfortable they are and the cable is like a copper cord, At the moment im using Shure with Fiio cable and its sooooooo damn comfortable, if you're gaming for extended sessions get Shure they are the most comfortable on the market, i don't think people know how amazing a decent pair of IEM's + foam tips are, big sound with no sound bleed and foam tips you can barely feel you're wearing, i've bought Studio beats wireless, Sennheiser Momentum, Astro A50's the "high end " wireless headphones, but they can't hold a candle to the detail and immersion of IEMs
Wait until you try real solid headphones with a DAC and Amp. :D Btw I started last year thanks to the summer heat, and tried out the Moondrop Aria and the Moondrop Starfield Now i own: The Sennheiser HD 800s, Moondrop Starfield, Moondrop Aria, Moondrop Aria Snowedition, Moondrop Chu The 7 Hertz Timeless And soon the Abyss DIANA® TC and maybe some Stax If you don't wanna drop down the rabbit hole u better turn away and run now :D
If you play. COD, apex, xdefiant, siege, cs2, battlefied, valorant then getting iems is geniunely not going to give you some hearing advantage. however if you play arma, dayz, tarkov, squad. Then yes iems do give you a massive advantage..
One thing about them, audiophile aproved IEMs tend to be a lot cheaper than over the ear ones, so in theory they should sound better than majority of "gaming" headsets out there (i use both over the ear Cougar Vm410 and IEM ZSX Terminator)
I think iems are the future. I’m 99% an over ear guy but I think price to performance in the low end iems is absolutely insane, to get over ears that are on par will cost you a hell of a lot more.
Came to tell you that you were correct. This is all you see on TikTok now and everyone moving to IEM.
@@DasRota yeah most people seem to prefer them, I really still prefer my over ears though. I also got some Koss kph40 recently for £40, and compared to any iems I’ve tried under £150 the Koss are so much comfier and better for gaming imho. Even the ksc75 are a better pick for me (obviously there is no isolation with these so that is a big no for a lot of people)
The initial wow factor I had on the moondrop chu and zero has since gone and all I find with them is a sparkly shouty, bass light mess. I’ve tested a lot of headphones and iems over the last few years and yeah, cheap chi-fi is not for me.
i see more and more people using IEM, and in a few days, i ll be using them too.
If you're looking to go deep into the IEM world, spending $300-600 on a set of custom molded in-ear headphones isn't even hitting the 'expensive' mark lol. They'll seal tight to your ear canal and block out external noise nicely. Getting triple or quad drivers (the 'speaker' in the headphone) from a brand like Alclair would be a great option. Having multiple drivers splits up the entire frequency response of the headphones and allows individual drivers to be tuned and focus on a particular range, maximizing their efficiency, output, and clarity while giving you a realistic sounding stereo image. I'm biased towards Alclair, love their custom stuff (they also make a universal fit/foam tip IEM), but there's other companies like 64 Audio, Westone, Shure, etc, that make custom and universal fit IEMs.
Great minds think alike. Alclair is AMAZING
If I end up liking iem's I am going to go with a 64 audio pair In a year or 2
How about NOBLE Kublai Khan Iem quad hybrid iem , that is also a great one
$600?
:Campfire has Entered the chat
@@jdb9388 the ones I want are $1300
You need a warm sounding IEM for gaming. Refrain from a bright sounding as the sound it gives is really sharp to the ear. I've been gaming with vido buds for 2 months then switched to IEMs. I have TFZ MLE and a TKZK wave. Gaming with IEMs is weird for the first time as the foot steps/gun sounds seems to revolve around your head instead of your actual ear lol. But you'll get the hang of it for some time and its really effective for FPS. My room is always hot as hell that's why I don't use headphones and most of my collections are IEMs so... :D
crinacle+ has a HUGE list of iems that he has reviewed, and I mean a HUGE list. IEM's as others have stated is a rabbit hole.
Oooooh man. IEMs can be a rabbit hole LOL. But one thing to consider when upgrading is whether you want them moulded to your ears for a perfect fit. You would have to go in for a mould session and then send that to whoever is making the IEMs. A good company to look at is Alclair Audio. Another important factor is the number of drivers you want or need, based on their use. For gaming/editing, I would go for 3-4 drivers with the focus on voice. Hope that helps you on your journey to upgrade. And great content as usual
"For gaming/editing, I would go for 3-4 drivers with the focus on voice. Hope that helps you on your journey to upgrade." With that statement in mind, do you have a recommendation from a specific brand or product?
@@BrianGlaze aaand they don't reply as usual lol. They never do.
@@Hatemx1 😭🤣
Just ordered my first set (moondrop aria snow) currently using my dt990 80ohm plugged into Evo 4 interface. Cant wait to try the IEM. I used to love rocking the apple earbuds back in the day
And how are the iems
I feel like the quality of content you make is just so underrated! Keep doing your thing brother! Hope you're having a good day!
Can’t go wrong with a solid pair of custom IEM’s if you like them. You go pretty high up in qualify if it’s worth the price. But if it’s strictly for gaming, audio technica has some good options if you don’t want to go the custom route
What would be your go to for Audio Technica IEMs for gaming?
@@BrianGlaze And as usual, they never reply lol.
@@Hatemx1 lol some people don't have the notifications for replies on
Welcome to the ChiFi IEM rabbit hole, you'll be here a while :) For gaming audio there are 2 schools of thought. First is the immersion side, V-shaped freq response graph for in your face explosions and everything else that puts you "in the game". The second school of thought is the competitive side, leaning more towards flatter or more neutral freq response graphs so you get to hear everything better from footsteps, opponents reloading etc.. Where ever you fall into, even if its somewhere in the middle; there are great options.
My current:
Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk
BGVP W01 tips small
NiceHCK Blackwheat cable
Fiio K3s
What do you think about the dusk for competitive games(are they even the best)? do you think that they are better than the zs10 pro and the Dunu falcon pro? and what games have you tested?
@@ZOOZV_I only got to listen to the ZS10 pro once, and the treble was a bit too spicy for my subjective preference (your mileage may vary). Its still a good option at its price for others who prefer its tuning. I feel the Dusk has better detail, imaging and wider soundstage
Do note that i fall in the middle of the 2 schools of thought i mentioned in my earlier comment. IMHO The Dusk is perfect for me, best balance of both worlds
I have not listened to the Dunu Falcon pro yet, but from the graphs; the sub bass looks a bit lacking for my preference.
My games: CSGO, Insurgency Sandstorm, entire Metro Franchise, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 1&2, Holdfast, Frostpunk
I just bought my first pair of IEMs, what do I need to pay attention to with tips? Do they need to be a bit bigger so they close up well or smaller for comfort. Which material? This is all for competitive gaming not music listening. I do ofc still also do that on the side, but it's not the focus for me with my KZ ZS10 pro
@@linegrinder You should go for the smallest size that creates a full seal. You should feel like youre wearing earplugs with the outside world sounds almost blocked off. Communicating in-game moves your jaw, which in turn moves your ear canal which could compromise the seal if you went too small in eartips.
On silicone vs. memory foam. I honestly think you should try both first so you know your preference. But remember there is no extreme competitive advantage with either. Silicone is already great for gaming. They're more durable, easier to wash/clean. Bass is stronger, but not enough to drown out the lower mid range of sound
Memory foam can be more comfy for some It gives better isolation and tones down the bass a bit which allows one to hear audio prompts slightly better (enemy footsteps, reloading , moving etc.). The downside is that they require practice to seat properly in your ear. With silicone you just shove em in. But with foams you first have to pinch and roll it to get it thinner and shove them in before they fully expand. Memory foam also gathers dirt and earwax more and can tear easily.
DONT BUY the foam eartips that are made of regular non-memory foam. They fully expand before you can get them into your ear.
If you want to try memory foams on the cheap, look for the brand New Bee on amazon. Just remember to pick the right hole size to fit snugly on your iem's nozzle
@@diegoveloso3rd Thank you very much for that thorough explanation. That really helped me a lot and I will most likely get a pair of good silicone tips then for the start. Can you recommend any brand?
I have the KZ ZS10 Pro and they are ok... for gaming. The best buds for gaming though is the Sennheiser IE300 paired with the Schiit Fulla 4, hands down. If you get these, you won't need anything else.
Damn those are 300! You went from a 60 dollar pair of iems to 300? Lol
I really like my 7hz timeless while gaming. They're amazing.
I haven't bought any more IEMs since then so there's probably some better choices now, but look into 7hz, sennheiser, moondrop for some super solid IEMs in all price ranges.
dude they are 200 dollars
@@googletumadre5499 ok??
They're amazing 😅
If you want cheaper those brands I listed have many really cheap ones.
@@Morden97 yeah i want some iem, but the problem is that im from argentina
@@googletumadre5499 my a40s were 250
The moon drop arias are just fantastic for their price, durability, comfort, and sound quality. If you have 80 bux to spare, definitely go try them out, they are basically worth the blind. (and for any anime fans out there, moon drop has dedicated characters to every one of their products)
Do they need a dac?
@@eddybeatpain nah
Been waiting for this video!
Love the content! 👍🏽 you inspired me to make the switch to TH-cam long ago. But because of family events I took time off and now I have wonderful son and am back up streaming on TH-cam! Thank you for making these videos because I been wanting to look into in ear gaming buds for a long time!
ive owned many different over ear headphones for gaming. Razor, Hyper X, Turtle Beaches (yeah not good today but back in the day TBs were the most popular xbox headsets), Astro A40s, Steelseries, Logitec, even tried beats and JBL over ear headphones. most of the time the audio was fine for gaming, while some were better for directional audio and the sound didnt blend together when alot was going on. It was a comfort thing for myself. I already deal with headaches and migraines and pretty much all over ear headsets seem to cause headaches or migraines after extended use. the top of my head will get quite sore after a few hours of gaming and i have large ears so more times than not my ears become sore and its just not a enjoyable experience. got myself some Moondrop Blessing 2's and frankly im extremally happy with them. I didnt realize music could sound as good as these make it, the directional audio is great (i play Escape from Tarkov and atm the games audio is fucked but even with that ive been able to get a better idea of where the sound is actually coming from with the IEMs than my over ear headphones), if theres alot going on the audio doesnt mix together causing everything to sound like its mashed together like some headphones will. the Bass isnt crazy while these specific IEMs are more of a mid range (sound & price) which is actually ideal for gaming. too much bass makes it hard to pin point directional sound but no bass takes away all immersion. also most Pro players use IEM's now for game sound and have over ear headphones for communicating with there team and for extra noise cancelation. IEM's are the way to go but idk if the prices for top of the line IEM's are really worth it if your not an audiophile. im sure you wont notice a big difference in gaming comparing a 1000$ IEM to a 400$ IEM. only major thing is bass and the tune
Brother this is the comment I’ve been looking for, I main Tarkov and have been searching for endless hours on which IEMS would suit best for tarkov
@@cameronewing983 if your looking for a good mid range one I haven’t had any problems with the moon drop dusk 2’s. Atm in tarkov regardless you can barely tell if someone’s behind or in front of you. Even these streamers using 3000$ 64 audio IEM’s can’t even tell where people are atm. These have made things slightly better but I’m still getting tripped up if someone is behind or in front of me. Was on factory and was fighting a 3 man, got 1 off guard. Second took a bunch of shots and I backed off to reload. Heard one of them pushing but it sounded like he was going around to pop up in front of me but as it was sounding like he was right on me I still never saw anything so I instantly whipped behind me to check and I saw dudes KS23 sticking out from around the corner, I was able to 1 tap him before he could see me but still the audio is absolutely fucked rn no matter what headphones you use. Once they fix it I’m sure I’ll be able to get a better idea of these iem’s specifically. I’ve hopped on MW2 to see how they worked on a game with good special audio and I haven’t sound whored like that since MW3 sitrep pro
@@TheCrazzyGuy11 I ended up getting the og blessing 2s just because I didn’t want any of the extra bass, I’m hoping I made the right decision. I did extensive research and felt comfortable going with the blessing 2
Update: I am beyond happy with the blessing 2s. Absolutely love them
@@cameronewing983 my only complaint is I didn’t get the foam tips like I’ve seen others get. Need to find some that work with these
I wonder how they would work with DJing, as a headphone and blocking out external noise so you do not damage your ear.
They work great! I use some KZ’s while playing guitar live and it blocks out everything.
@@HerroYuy246 i appreciate the reply! I’ve really only seen James Hype wear some IEMs but it’s like two birds one stone type of deal
I was thinking of dipping my toes into the water that is the audiophile hobby and decided that I wanted a pair of GK GS10 iems for Christmas this year. I can't wait to try those out.
Just made my purchase of the Linsoul Kiwi Orchestra lite and cannnot wait to test those out on my Schiit Magi+modi AMP/DAC. I peeped Fresh reviews on IEMS and hes the main reason why i got these. I'll update everyone on how they perform for Tarkov.
I have a few pairs of IEMs, and I am blown away by the sound quality. Brilliant headphones
Is the technology of IEM really getting just as good as over the ear headphones? I want immersive sound for (Gaming like FPS, Star Citizen and video editing), but don't want the bulkiness of a headset when gaming or doing my content creation.
Man the scenes and close ups on this video 🔥
Omg I just looked into these. Needed this video! What are the chances lmao
I picked up the Sennheiser IE600 recently. They are absolutely amazing.
I really like my Sennheiser HD58X, but was never a fan of the stock pads. Purchased Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for my 58X and comfort increased immensely.
I did this with steelseries. Wicked cushions I think was the name
Would you know why i get a buzzing sound in the headphones when it being plugged into the goxlr? Using these iems in this video
O recommend the CCA CRA. They are very cheap and will provide better sound quality than most gaming headphones. But why still use gaming headphones? Well, they have a built in mic that does work better and they seal off the surrounding noise very well
For gaming, Diffuse Field tuned IEMs are great. For example, cheap and awesome pick would be Moondrop SSR. KZ lineup is okay, but there are certainly better options out there.
i noticed ur headphones are very curled like the earphones almost touch each other when you showed them. this means there is greater pressure on the head when worn. when i take my headphones off (arctis nova 1/60$ headphones) my fist can fit in between the earpieces. i dont remember if they initially were curled like yours and over time got more "loose" but i never have headaches and i wear these all day 12+ hours a day. I highly recommend the steelseries arctis nova 1 (60$) but they have higher end headsets too i tried a wireless one once but i didnt like the audio quality, but the 60$ one is perfect honestly. i used to have logitech headphones and those would give me headaches.
the main reason i will try iem is because headphones mess with your hair and they make my ears sweaty during the summer.
also some new iems got released very recently like a couple weeks ago they're an upgrade from the ones you linked but the pro 2 version. they dont have reviews on amazon yet thats how new they are. saw some reviews on yt and they are supposedly better so i bought them.
still rocking these IEMs since you first recommended them! They've been awesome but I am looking to get a wireless setup for them to get rid of the cable since it is a little short for my setu.
The UTWS5 adapter by fiio might be for you then. It turns any iems into true wireless. Though I’m holding off until utws7 because from what I seen, the latency in utws5, even in gaming mode, is still to high for pc gaming and you’ll notice it
Check some of the wireless iems from moondrop. Their products are too notch
The kz az09 pros will convert your kz items to wireless. Has the Qualcomm chip and will give you great sound. Also has a low latency mode, but I haven't needed to use that.
Great review man..a pro x version of these just came out..you might wanna try them and compare it to zs10 pro.
Also you can have this iems wireless, using the kz as09 pro bluetooth module.
I am testing the same brands pro versions right now.
Am a console player
Is it worth to try for call of duty & apex legends ?
I’ve really enjoyed using the HBB Olina’s for gaming and casual music listening. I’ve heard high praise for the Dunu Titan S which is cheaper than the Olina’s. But for me personally I liked the included case and the aesthetics of the Olina more than the vector style design of the Dunu’s.
Seeing the FR graphs, I never realized similar the Olina's are to the Titan S. They only slightly differ in their treble region and the mids are slightly more relaxed on the Olina's. I don't have experience with the Olina's but I can tell you the Titan S is much cleaner and more "audiophile" like than the Moondrop Aria's. Though I miss how fun and relaxing the Aria's were.
@@Pikachu123OP I sort of like them for that relaxed playful sound it produces and not so flat and balanced as other “audiophile” iems. I have experience live mixing for musicals and other concerts and I like how the Olina’s pull vocals, very similar to how I mix my shows. It just feels more relaxing to me and pleasing for long sessions. I got some 560s with a nice DAC/AMP combo for that flat response when editing tracks.
I have been using IEMS for Music Listening and gaming for around 4 years now. I prefer IEMS because I prefer the quality of the sound and also the definition of being able to pick out specific sounds. The soundstage will never be as big as headphones, but there are IEMS with pretty large soundstages. I don't want to get overly technical in my explanations below
First thing is first - COMFORT! Find the right sized ear tips and i cant stress this enough- I hear people complaining all the time that their ears get sore after a short period if time - this shouldn't happen, even when wearing them all day.
I would personally recommend the Dunu Titan S as an entry way to IEMS - Its good for listening to all kinds of music and has a decent sound stage that punches above its price point and is good for gaming too. Another very honorable mention is the Moondrop Aria's - I'd say start at this point and you can determine if the IEM route is for you.
The issue is with IEMS that you can spend anywhere in the region of $50 up to $2000+. I''m currently rocking the Senn IE600 and they are just so bright and clear, I wouldn't suggest spending this amount if it's your first IEM
I'd only really suggest the IEM route if you have a separate Microphone too, All IEM/earphone mics are very bad quality. but I'd suggest everyone to take the plunge one day and try it.
Don't go around spreading false information, IEM's and headphones alike have an amount of ~0% audible sense of space if you subtract the level of diffuse sound with the direct sound coming from source since they operate entirely in pressure chamber conditions. Also, companies like harman have proven through research that sound is an objective topic, and the best objective headphone that has the best scores through countless tests with male and female, trained and untrained listeners is the moondrop variations as it is the closest to the harman 2019 v2 target. Meaning that you don't need to spend more than 400$ to get the perfect headphone
What iem do you think would be best for competetive gaming and listening to footseps etc? Under 50dollars
Qdc Anole vx, they're pretty good and pretty cheap in terms of iems, loving mine and i think anyone who's not broke should buy one
IEMs start hurting after a while. Tried different tips etc.. also there is some heat building up inside and most manuals warn that you should take a break every 1 hour. IEMs are great value but only for short listening periods. I think if you have a good over-ear there is no need to "upgrade". The only exciting thing is that IEMs really can sound like very expensive headphones for a fraction of the price, but when fatigue kicks in or something inside your ear starts nagging it becomes a moot point quick. However, if you dont have a good headphone yet or just rocking a gaminjg-headset, i would say try it out as it can be a real upgrade. If you own studio headphones or something HiFi, then over-ears win in comfort.
what would you say the surround sound is for the iems, for games like csgo, so footsepts and the ability to tell where its coming from
I'm a audio guy and have no complain on this video
But I do recommend other stuff instead of kz
Kz is the last brand I'm going for try other stuff
i also unexpectedly like IEM for gaming, and any other daily purposes
it has a great customizability (very modular) and a very good scaling device
you can turn it into bluetooth with adapters, add some mic by swapping the cable, tip rolling, and even custom molding
it can varies from 50 to even 1000 dollars on the IEM itself, so pick your hole carefully
not to mention you will also spend a few bucks for a good quality DAC
Dunu Titan S (80) + elastic tips (15 for set) + Fosi DAC-Q4 with bass/treble knobs (50) = a happy gamer😁
The setup is getting a BIG upgrade soon, but this small combo has been So pleasing to my ears and comfortable for my head
CHEERS!
How are these in competitive standpoint? Can you hear footsteps and directions of enemies easily ?
This may be a dumn question, but how should I properly connect IEMs to my PC for gaming? I've strictly used Astro A40s and a Mixamp TR for years. Should I plug directly into my motherboard? Can use the mixamp? DAC? What's the appropriate setup for getting accurate sound while gaming?
These create a static noise when there’s no audio playing, is it the same for you? If so did you find a solution to this or did you end up getting used to it
try pushing the aux port more inside the port?
I could never get used to wearing headphones they always hurt my head and ears. So that's why I use IEMS now
I personally love the portable and comfort factor of IEMs, with that I suggest the IE300/400Pro or 600 for a good "end game" IEMs for gaming and even content consumption. Surprisingly good directional audio and bass for such small drivers.
hello, i just bought ie300 , are they good for gaming like cod mw2? trying to switch from headphones to iems and i do not know what to expect
@@maxowhatyouon The Senns usually have more bass from the other IEMs that ive tried so its perfect for COD my only complaint is vertical imaging isnt as good as say a full headphone (eg pc38x) but it is still better than most gaming headsets ive tried
@@adamalberto7403 THANK YOU! didnt expected for you to reply, tyvm
@@adamalberto7403 sorry to bother you, do you know if sound card will be a good purchase to make sound more better for them or you didnt tried them with a sound card?
@@maxowhatyouon it depends on the IEMs/headphones youre planning on using but dedicated amp dacs are better than a sound card imo and you can use them for other audio equipment as a bonus
I'm only saying this to help you and maybe I'm the only one here. However, the thumbnail was a little confusing when I clicked on it. It took me a moment to see what it was on my screen. Maybe this is cause of background colors? idk. Just thought I'd be helpful and point that out though.
Due to shipping limitations in my country lol, I only have the kz zsn pro x available, do you think they are worth it, for gaming and music?
I prefer iems for my Gaming. I brought KZ ZS10 Pro last year and it's so comfortable and good sound quality. I really recommend this brand of IEMs.
I've always thought of if I should get them, but I'm really nit-picky with my money. Would you say that IEM's are good for detecting footsteps in all directions?
Is there a way to mute the mic? I recently picked it up with the mic but I can’t find a way to mute it
I use these also for gaming. Love them for it. Feel I hear footsteps better in Battlefield and COD. Check out the Moondrop Aria.
A lot of very good gamers (TGLTN, ALISA,HAMBINO CRUTCH etc etc) use bose quiet comfort 20s some even with a nice little cheap DAC like the Fii0 E10K olympus 2 and from watching their streams Audio is really really never an issue for them. so much so that I'm planning to by the same combo.
TGLTN uses IE900, shrimzy uses shure 846,, IEM to the picture now...
@@musamajid1726 PUBG players here I can see :)
I don't like the IEM that goes on the top of the ears, anything great ones you can recommend that kind of look like the QC20 ?
@@DIOPA i have the qc20 as well. No doubt one of the best, the only downside is, it needs to be recharged.. now im just exploring chi-fi
Great video E! I have been looking at these since watching your stream. My only problem is I use a gaming headset for the mic as well. In picking these up I would then have to get a mic as well. Any recommendations?
Click the link for these and get the option with a mic for five dollars more.
Or consider getting a standalone. But if you aren’t using it for anything more than some game chat it’ll work!
@@SymptomzYT yeah mainly just game chat! Just want to try something different than the Arctis Steel Series I have for the same reason that E switched, because of headaches. I’m a casual gamer and play a few times a week.
@@BigE just snagged a set! Thanks E!
@@WhosRyan give them a go. I have these same exact ones. For the price hard to beat. I still prefer my DT990s for FPS games.
Man, I was all about those big headphones / sets a few years ago, but I didn't take them when I moved out.
But what I had were my Shure se215s from years ago when I worked in the kitchens and started using them for my gaming recently.
They've done better for my audiospatial ability than my headphones did ngl. Threw Peace on with the equalizer preset and bam, I dont plan on switching out anytime soon.
Switched over to iems during my gaming sesh and i love them, now i have all these over priced over the ear headsets sitting on the shelves…
Made the switch recently sounds great, plugged in a Goxlr mini but the only issue is the terrible interfering noise when i'm using my Microphone .... Dunno how to fix this :/ any tips guys plz ?
been using this particular model for a year and they are worth it. swaped original cable for 20 dollar cooper cable and that increased the sound quality drastically. they are definitely worth particularly for gaming.
Do you have a link or know where you got the copper cable upgrade?
Which port or DAC did you use with them. I just bought the same ones
if you find yourself yanking this everytime you get up, you can buy the bluetooth module for these and go wireless with having the same quality of sound or veey unnoticable difference if there's any..look for kz az09pro. A good match for these.
But does headphones usually dont have better sound than aerbuds or its it not so????
Been running the Dunu Titan S for a month now, Never switching back to over ear for gaming. I bought these thinking it would be a waste of $80, but a day into their use i found myself sleeping with them on. In the 2nd week of owning the Titan S, i picked up some Truthear x Crin Zero and a pair of Moondrop Startdust (i wanted the startdust because of the size for the price) The Titan S provides great gaming experience. The Zero provide a great music experience (listening to mostly hip hop/rap with some heavy rock). and the Stardust provide me the comfort of IEMs with decent quality i can take everywhere without worrying about ruining my actual good pairs. in about a month im going to be picking up some IE 600 or something on par with that in its price range. Ive gotten the best of the treble, the best of the bass, and some decent mids... now i want to experience the full package. If the 600 are as amazing as i hope, im going to be giving my TitanS to my younger brother so he can start his ear-pleasure journey.
CHEERS!
What kind of gaming are you talking about? Single player? I’m curious whether IEMs are good for more atmospheric single player games, something like Bioshock
@@TheHulksMistress any game. most pros in most games use IEMs as well at competitive settings, so there's that.
@@TheHulksMistress the crin zeros that i have are actually very pleasant for listening experience, and thats probably due to having more bass that the dunu S that i use all the time. i suppose you could find something bassier than the crin zeros and that could potentially give you a enjoyable atmospheric sound for your single player/story based games.
@@deathsaidhello thanks a lot, that’s really helpful. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the TruthEar Zeros so I think I’ll give them a try
Just made the switch from over ear to iem 3 years ago, have tried couple diferent iem's. Theres Dinamics Drivers only, Electrostatics, Balanced Armatured and Hybrids. Has been testing a couple, and so far the best i've found are the KZ ZSX Terminator, 12 Units Hybrid IEM, with 5 Balanced Armature for mids and highs and 1 Dinamic Driver for Bass, on each ear. Great Sound and Sounstage super confortable and light. You should try those! Great Video!!
i also own the terminator. their specs are actually better than those of the zs 10 pro, but that doesn't make them better. that's a general guideline btw. more drivers don't necessarily mean better sound. on top of that there's also personal preference. i also own the zs 10 pro and i prefer those actually. they're more comfortable in the ear. the terminator are quite big actually. they also have a noticeable stronger bass which i also prefer. don't feel a huge difference in the mids. there's a minor difference in the highs though. the terminator is certainly more detailed in the highs, but can also be quite sharp on very high notes which can be exhausting. i don't have this on the zs 10 pro. both very good iem's. terminator is technically better, but i prefer the zs 10 pro quite a bit.
How is the positional audio on IEM's?
Can they be wireless with the CCA KZ AZ09 Bluetooth 5.2 Module IEM Bluetooth Adapter . New to IEMS
you dont need an amp or anything to power these right just plug and play ?
I recommend JH audio, they’re the best quality, I’ve got the Jolenes, quite expensive but they have 12 drivers with 4 low dynamics for ur bass
And these expensive IEM make you a better gamer? Or does games have highres sound files? And does most gamer have the hardware for high res if the game would have it?
is this good for fps games like valorant, apex and csgo?
Anyone use the Fiio FD5 for fps games? Was thinking about picking them up but I'm not sure how well they would perform for competitive shooters.
dude check out Fiio BTR5, they make your IEMs wireless, and boost the sound dramatically, built in EQ, its a mini bluetooth amp
I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm just getting into audiophile territory and don't currently have any personal experience. However, a lot of the reviews I've seen like the FiiO FD5 as a step up from the AZ ZS10 Pro, although for gaming, you'll want either an external mic or FiiO's UTWS3 (or similar) Bluetooth adapters since they have a built-in mic (hardcore audiophiles will hate the Bluetooth suggestion since it's lossy but that's the trade-off for the convenience)
Is there any noise cancelling iem's?
I love the sound of the ZS10 pros but for me personally these get really uncomfortable and the outside and inside of my right ear ear hurts around the 20-30 minute mark enough for me to remove them for atleast an hour. Headphones to me don't give that discomfort at all and I'm not happy with this, knowing it's the fault of my ear shape.
its not your ear shape its the poor design of the ZS10, my ears were hurting too
@@jdb9388 i see, i had to plug them in for 2-3 hours a day for a week and now they feel comfortable enough. Still not a great fit and not a great design as you have mentioned.
@@equaniman647 they're just not ergonomic for ear canals, IEM's are designed to worn for long periods of time like on stage, i think foam tips might help with the comfort level cause it'll reduce drag and hold it in place
@@jdb9388 Yes, agreed, I am using the KZ foam tips and they do help. Not too much but good enough.
Your camera work is nice.
If you can checkout Letshuoer S12 costs between 149-169$ depending on sale fantastic iem (4.4mm version).
I need help please. Been looking at getting into iem and would appreciate if someone could recommend a set for price around £100-£200 for gaming. Mainly games like apex or escape from tsekov so ones that have good sound direction etc. Thank you
eyyyy we have the same IEM's :D lets go!
non custom up to $100 get the aria or aria snow
$100+ planara like the 7 htz timeless and dioko
$200 moondrop kato
$300 bleesing 2
How can an IEM with this super mini speakers compare with headphones? And for same price I got better headphones.
same for me head ACh , sweating and nausea.all gone after era buds .Due gaming switched to Iems
Moondrop Kato are very good in the iem world and very well priced, if you want to go for more expensive and more high quality options the 7hz timeless are one of the best with the moondrop blessing 2 . There cheaper options you could try for les tan 50$ for example moondrop chu (best bang for the buck20$), tripowin melee (i like it more than kz 10 pro, personal opinion, 50$) for 50$ bucks more there are the moondrop aria (the mos beautiful in my opinion) and they sound pretty premium for the price.
Check out this video. With this company you can get semi molded IEMs for less that $400. And you don't have to go to an audiologist! This guy is an audiophile so I trust his opinion.
I just picked up the kz zs16 pros and they’re 10000000% better than my old headset. Never going back to headsets lol
I've been using the same IEMs for 2 months now and all I can say is that my Audio Technicas are collecting dust lol
I have that same exit sign in the background that you have.
There are actually much better options under 50 now. Still a good package but something like the cca cra are a much better value and have less problems than something like the zs10pro.
I would recommend the moondrop aria at 79.99 or the tin t3 plus both are going to be better for most people than the zs10pro. The most apparent thing for me is soundstage and imaging. Overall the tuning will be more pleasant and less harsh as well.
I would have also recommended the Aria's but I have seen more QC issues, recently, with Moondrop. Went through 2 pairs already and gave up on them. Instead, I went with Dunu Titan S. Until they do something about the QC, I am a bit wary of cheaper Moondrop stuff as it seems like a hit or miss. The Tin T3 Plus's are a good V-shaped tuning, and I believe the there's an improved iteration of the CCA CRA's call the CCA CRA Plus's. All great recommendations though.
@@Pikachu123OP can't believe I forgot about the dunu titan S I have them as well they are wonderful. Just a lil uncomfortable to me. My Aria actually had their wire fail on me recently so I can also confirm some qc issues.
@@ht8138 just the wire? That's not too bad. I've had the entire right bud die on me.
@@Pikachu123OP damn fr? That really shouldn't be happening at that price point.
@@ht8138 yeah it's very common for one bud to just go quiet or even die.
I think it all comes down to
Preference.
I use to use regular apple wired earbuds and they had amazing bass but when I switched there's not much bass but there is a lot of tremble to me there not that worth it but they do sound good for 50 bucks
I use the Moondrop Blessing 2. Couldn't be happier with getting rid of my over ear headphones.
I started using iems about a week ago for gaming and was completely surprised at how clear sounding they are. Also the level of detail is amazing compared to headphones
what ones did you get ?
what ones did you get ?
what ones did you get?
what ones did you get?
what ones did you get?
Ngl, since people are listening to relatively loud sounds directly in ears at younger and younger ages, it would be safer for everyone if they knew more about IEMs. I’m an audio person but IEMs are safer in the long run for hearing
Welcome to the world of Chi-Fi. If you want to move up and try something that many have regarded as being "better than its price", anything from Moondrop.
In this case either the Moondrop Arias or Starfield. They are nearly identical in sound/tuning, a bit of variation which you can pick up on if you got both, but the Starfield are definitely better in build quality which is reflective in its price point.
I don’t own both, just the aria. However from what I’ve seen, when choosing between these two, the arias have a better build quality. Arias are a black matte finish while the star fields have a blue glossy finish that chips away. I’ve seen the posts of the arias finish being chips away, but I feel like the chipping will be more noticeable in the starfields compared to the aria due to the blue color vs black
Is this model good for PS5?
With iems though your not gonna get that precise tracking and soundstage you would get with headphones no matter how much you spend you might get more intimacy but not much soundstage
I don't know what soundstage is, but I don't want it lol
I turn my ears buds upside down like I IEMs and the sound quality was boosted ten fold.
As someone that just got into IEM's remember to wash the tips daily your ears don't like random bacteria. Use dish soap that removes oil like Dawn.
KZ10s are horrendous, i can't believe how uncomfortable they are and the cable is like a copper cord,
At the moment im using Shure with Fiio cable and its sooooooo damn comfortable, if you're gaming for extended sessions get Shure they are the most comfortable on the market,
i don't think people know how amazing a decent pair of IEM's + foam tips are, big sound with no sound bleed and foam tips you can barely feel you're wearing, i've bought Studio beats wireless, Sennheiser Momentum, Astro A50's the "high end " wireless headphones, but they can't hold a candle to the detail and immersion of IEMs
These do not provide adequate noise isolation from real acoustic drums.
i bought these the other day for 40 bucks and so far they r rly rly nice
Wait until you try real solid headphones with a DAC and Amp. :D
Btw I started last year thanks to the summer heat, and tried out the Moondrop Aria and the Moondrop Starfield
Now i own:
The Sennheiser HD 800s,
Moondrop Starfield,
Moondrop Aria,
Moondrop Aria Snowedition,
Moondrop Chu
The 7 Hertz Timeless
And soon the Abyss DIANA® TC and maybe some Stax
If you don't wanna drop down the rabbit hole u better turn away and run now :D
Long Door E Ations?? What's that word?
I am from México and i recommend you the Moondrop Aria Snow Edition 🇲🇽
(Personal experience and not an expert)
I heard about those!
If you play. COD, apex, xdefiant, siege, cs2, battlefied, valorant then getting iems is geniunely not going to give you some hearing advantage. however if you play arma, dayz, tarkov, squad. Then yes iems do give you a massive advantage..
Why is that so bro?
bro watched optimum tech (he will forever be my favorite youtuber)
One thing about them, audiophile aproved IEMs tend to be a lot cheaper than over the ear ones, so in theory they should sound better than majority of "gaming" headsets out there (i use both over the ear Cougar Vm410 and IEM ZSX Terminator)