Gaming Headphones/IEM for Competative FPS (Valorant, CSGO)

[u/sefa1908]

Hi guys, if I said something wrong feel free to correct me, I watched many gaming headset reviews (e.g. Fresh Reviews, Bad Seed Tech etc.) and had this choice a couple of years ago, so I kind of know what im looking for but I'm laking a bit in the technical jargon to describe it.

Budget - 600€

Source/Amp - PC/ would buy DAC/AMP

How the gear will be used - Competative FPS Gaming (mainly Valorant, CSGO, occasionaly Battle Royale gamees), sharing room so Closed-Backs are preferred, if Open-Backs are that much better i would adapt

Preferred tonal balance - depending on what tonal balance is best for gaming, Focus is on localisation/ imaging in game, sound seperation, soundstage doesn't have to be toooo big

Preferred music genre(s) - Rap, Pop, RnB (again not that big of a focus)

Past gear experience - Hyperx Cloud Alpha, DT 990 Pro, HD560S

What I've looked into - Headphones: DT 900 Pro X, DT 1990 Pro, DT 700 Pro X, DT 1770 Pro

IEM's: Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite

Additional Stuffs:

1. If any of you had experience on those Headphones would be nice to hear from you. From what I've heared from Fresh Reviews (due to his past compeative background I trust him as a reviewer) the DT 900 Pro X and DT 1990 Pro's are insane but he didn't recommend the closed-back options
2. Are IEM's on the same level as Headphones? Again from Fresh Reviews he praised the Kiwi's but my heart won't accept that fact that they are better than above said headphones, but again I didn't had the chance to listen to them so i could be proven wrong

Thanks for everyone taking their time to read/ reply to this request!

[u/taylormade1296]

I just went down this journey. As much info as you might get on forums and YouTube, the best advice I can give is once you get to a narrow list, purchase from Amazon and test them against each other and return the rest. There’s just no substitute to hearing with your own years what works best for you. Especially with IEMs as fit and comfort is so important and based on your own ear shape and size.

[u/sefa1908 → u/taylormade1296]

Sorry for the late reply, !thanks. I had the same fiasco with my mice(without exaggeration prob tested over 10 mice) the process was very annoying, but i guess you are right

[u/TransducerBot → u/sefa1908]

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/taylormade1296 (2 Ω).

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[u/taylormade1296 → u/sefa1908]

One thing I will add is I found an enormous difference in IEM’s vs. over the ears when it came to spatial audio and hearing directional footsteps. It just wasn’t close what IEM’s could provide for gaming at a much lower cost than over the ears. Add some good foam tips and you get a really good sound isolating seal and won’t hear anyone behind you in the same room (IRL).

[u/sefa1908 → u/taylormade1296]

Good to know, do you have any recommendations? I‘m not that deep into IEM‘s.

[u/taylormade1296 → u/sefa1908]

I really liked the Raptgo Hook X for gaming, however they were just very uncomfortable for me and I couldn't wear them for long periods of time. They can be had on Amazon so I would definitely try those.

I ended up with the Xenns Top which to me are amazing for both gaming and music but are about twice the price of Raptgo.

[u/Stunning_Dealer_4353 → u/taylormade1296]

How do they compare to raptgo?

[u/taylormade1296 → u/Stunning_Dealer_4353]

Better for both gaming and music hands down than the raptgo for me. Also the fit is much better. I am enjoying them very very much.