Audio is one of the best ways tocreate a truly immersive gaming experience, but choosing the right pair of headphones is not easy. The biggest choice you have to make when looking for anew pair of headphones, regardless ofwhether you are using them for gaming or not, is if they will be over-ear or in your ear. Both have their pros and cons, but just looking at store listings makes it hard to figure out which option is better.
In this guide, we will compare the larger and more powerful over-ear headphones to the more compact and noise-isolating powerhouse of IEM (inner ear monitor) earbuds for gaming to see which is the best option for you.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro are audiophile-quality headphones ideal for content creators recording and editing their own productions. The over-the-ear DT 990 Pro perfectly balances low, mid, and high tones with a transparent listening experience. The headphones have exceptionally comfortable and stylish gray velour earpads for hours of pain-free listening. The adjustable steel headband is equally pleasant to wear, part of the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro’s durable yet lightweight construction.
Fiio FH3
The FH3 utilizes a hybrid system of a 10mm beryllium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver and a silver-plated copper cable that delivers outstanding sound in a small package. The beryllium-plated driver is light, thin, and highly rigid, allowing for powerful yet lightning-quick, responsive, and dynamic bass. The refined design of the buds is guaranteed to provide a comfortable fit for hours at a time with little to no strain.
Sound Quality
The overall sound quality that these options deliver is arguably the most critical factor. Both overhead and IEMs offer a variety of sound quality levels, from model to mode. However, because overhead headphones deliver sound to your ear fundamentally different from IEMs, two options at similar prices will sound reasonably different.
Over-ear headphones have a distinct advantage when it comes to imaging and soundstage because the drivers are larger and sit away from your ears slightly. That is not to say IEMs cannot deliver a wide sound stage, but they do have to work a bit harder to do so because the drivers are sitting in your ear canal rather than outside of it.
Taking soundstage and imaging out of the equation a bit and just looking at the frequency response, over-ear headphones have the advantage again because of the larger driver size, being able to produce a more robust bass typically. However, with finely tuned IEMs like the Fiio FH3, the bass response is just as impactful and, in some cases, is tighter and more responsive than its over-ear counterparts.
Without delving too deeply into the physics of sound, typical headphones produce sound by vibrating a diaphragm through electrical pulses. Big movements of the diaphragm produce the bass frequencies, and the high frequencies are created in shorter movements in between. So, while a larger driver allows for more powerful bass, a smaller driver with good tuning can create comparable bass and a bit quicker response time. In headphones like the DT 990 and the FH3, this difference is hard to notice while gaming and only really shows itself when analytically listening to content.
Winner: Slight Edge to Over-Ear Headphones
Comfort
A comfortable pair of headphones is key to an excellent gaming experience. There is nothing worse than getting an hour into a session and needing to take a break because your ears are starting to hurt or get sweaty.
Finding a perfectly comfortable pair of headphones is a very personal journey. Even more so than sound quality, the comfort of headphones varies significantly from model to model, regardless of whether they are IEMs or over-ear headphones.
That being said, if you are prone to sweaty ears and don’t want something covering a good portion of your head, it is hard to go wrong with a pair of IEMs. They will not prevent sweat building altogether, especially in the ear canal; however, thanks to the much smaller form factor, IEMs do a great job of preventing heat build-up even during the warmer summer months while gaming. IEMs do have their comfort drawbacks, though. Because they sit in your ear canal, they are much more prone to create ear strain when listening to content for hours on end, and finding the right ear tip size is key to getting the most comfortable fit.
Just because over-ear headphones are larger and heavier doesn’t mean they can’t be comfortable. In fact, when they are done right, over-ear headphones are incredibly comfortable to the point where, after a while, they are easy to forget about, especially when immersed in a game.
Winner: Draw
Portability
There’s no denying that IEMs are definitely easier to pack away and be ready to game wherever you are. Whether you are using ahandheld gaming consoleor agaming laptopfor a trip, IEMs can easily slip into any bag. As long as you carefully wrap the cable, you’ll be ready to game in mere seconds. Over-ear headphones, on the other hand, are quite cumbersome and take up a lot of bag space, whether they are in a carrying case or not.
Winner: IEMs
Price
While price is not the most fun deciding factor, the price of a pair of headphones is one of the key factors when making the final decision. Both over-ear headphones and IEMs have a ton of excellent options at various price points, so whether you are looking for a budget-friendly, mid-range, or premium option, both are going to be fantastic choices.
However, because over-ear headphones have been in the mainstream for longer and are a bit easier to manufacture, if you are looking for the best price and performance possible, you are going to have more luck with them. That’s not to say budget IEMs are going to be outclassed by every budget over-ear headphones; theLinsoul KZ ZSN PRO Xis an excellent example of this, with tremendous performance for only $24.
Winner: Over-ear headphones
Over-ear headphones vs. IEMs: Which One Is Better For Gaming?
After these four categories, both over-ear headphones and IEMS are still in a dead heat, with one only inching its head in some categories. If you are after headphones that can provide a large sound with a powerful bass response, you should probably look at a pair of over-ear headphones. However, if you want a compact pair of headphones that still delivers fantastic sound, IEMs are hard to beat for gaming.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if you choose over-ear headphones or IEMs as long as you get a good pair of headphones.
FAQ
Q: Why do audiophiles like IEMs?
Because they are much smaller and more compact than traditional headphones, IEMs offer a similar HiFi sound that can be taken on the go much easier than over-ear headphones. Even when used at a desk, IEMs are a great option for a more compact audio device.
Q: Why do gamers use IEMs?
Better noise isolation, small form factor, and low latency make IEMs perfect for at-home and on-the-go gaming, especially compared to similarly sized wireless earbuds. While IEMs might not have as widespread popularity as over-ear headphones and traditional gaming headsets, they are definitely gaining steam thanks to these key advantages.
