[enz0pt]

Only have the S12 as IEM, don't like it for competitive titles, not as much as my sennheiser pc game zero.
Although, the S12 are nice for plug in to the dualshock and play some games on the PS5. Details are very good and overall tunning is enjoyable for games like god of war etc..

 

[Leonarfd]

DUNU SA6 is great for competive FPS gaming, from what I have tested in gaming the SA6 and also the ThieAudio Oracle has been very good for this.
I do think the more neutral all BA iems is best suited for competive gaming, also to be sure it has a safer treble tuning and not to much elevated bass.

On to SA6 great soundstage separation and imaging, great details to pick up thing. No big treble spikes that resonates with gunshot.

Most planars I have tried has had to much exaggerated treble peaks making gunshots ear piercing, while also boosting the bass to much.

 

[OneEyedHito]

Picked up a set of ie900 and while for music they are a bit too recessed in the mids for my tastes they are the best iem I’ve tried to date for competitive FPS (COD) games. IEM’s tried for gaming exclusively are Meze Rai Penta, U18T, U12T, and ie900.

Footstep audio comes through in bass notes not treble notes (as my brain thinks they should) so the ie900 do a great job with footstep audio and then the highs of the ie900 are clear and make gunfire direction easier to locate.

Comfort is the best I’ve tried in an iem for certain, I’ve tried Traiiilii , most Shure, Etymotic, and the above mentioned iem’s over the years. I find the ie900 to fit how I can only figure a hearing aid which I’ll eventually need will fit like.

 

[whitedragem]

I agree with post above, and flagship Sennheiser parts can make for good ‘neutral’ kit for relaying HRTFs correctly.

some ie80bt iems were on clearance at Sennheiser homepage for 200 quid (a quarter of their new cost), and that price is still being honoured on clearance parts at ‘addicted to audio’ (australia)

those ie80bt have low latency codecs and sound incredible for gaming (I pair them with the consoles and PC using a FiiO BTA30 / BTA30Pro)

headphone ‘surround’ via those detailed IEMs is as good as my best overears, but with everything on a ‘finer’ scale.. (fair that some small IEMs do not outmuscle some Sony MDRZ7’s; large over ears)

I have bought a couple and encourage all gamers (certainly ‘those on a budget’) to grab a set whilst at that bargain price.

later ‘sennheiser flagships’ really shot up in price,.. and mostly were improved via ‘cavity tuning’, something that is variable on the ie80bt using the included tool.

sure it ain’t no ie900, but then it is 1/10th the cost and ‘most’ of the performance…

 

[dunring]

I got to check out a bunch of ear buds and IEM's for gaming the last few days. Here's how I'd rank them (use a Soundblaster X1 lined out to a Topping L30 II)

Final E500 $24.99 This was the best, but not by much compared to the VE Monk. The treble is not great for music (forward upper mids can be too much). Not worth the price compared to the others.

Venture Electronics VE Monk $10 Soundstage is best, this is the one I'd game with the most since on the earbud design makes them easy to take on and off during the day.

These two are the best all around if you want to use them for music and gaming. Despite the freq chart, the bass on the Yincrow wasn't overbearing for explosion heavy situations. If you just want one pair with convenience of on the ear buds or hassle of switching for music, these two we're keeping in daily use.
FENGRU DIY Tingo TC200 $7.99
YINCROW X6 $11.86

Great for music heavy games, but a disaster for large battles with tons of explosions, literally can't hear over the bass. Harman curve perfect. I use these all the time just as a reference point. Close sound stage, but the sound isolation really works to pick up on tiny details. I'd use these over the DT770 250 ohm any day. They need current though to sound as good as they do, just a mild amp though is fine. I was halfway into mid gain on a Topping L30 II, to give an idea how a phone isn't going to power these fully.
TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero $49

They're ok but nothing memorable. I don't regret trying them, but probably will sit in a drawer or glove box of the car.
FAAEAL Snow-lotus 1.0 $8.60
NiceHCK Traceless Vido $6.99

 

[Grimros]

I do think IEM's work quite well for competitive gaming. Although I don't use them often or have many IEM's to compare them with.
They do even better for spatial sound awareness than my Razer Nari Ultimate, which has 'built-in spatial audio'.

If you have good fitting IEM's that don't hurt your ears while playing for hours, I'd pick that above any headphones any day of the week.
Also minding that the sides of my head sweat quite easily, so wearing headphones for hours on end is uncomfortable due to that.

 

[SilverEars]

Either openback, closed, or iem, your ears will adjust to that change in imaging over time. Only times you really notice differences is when you transition from one type to another, but over time, your ears adjust.

Our brains are not really objective like computer sensors. Our brains tend to try to adjust or cope to new stuff over time. Humans are rather poor at measuring things by sensing because our senses are so relative and adapts, and not uniform from person to person (Main reason for subjectivity).

"gaming" for headphones is just really a term. Use whatever sounds good.

 

[CT007]

I think people mistake sound stage's importance over imaging when it comes to gaming. Something even a lot of low end chifi IEM's do well.

Exactly... Soundstage helps you tell the distance the sound is at, but you need accurate imaging to tell exactly which compass direction the sound is at. Imaging is the primary desired variable. And you don't want a super large, exaggerated soundstage where everything sounds distant(ex K702). You want a natural sounding soundstage, where things close to you are loud and clear, and things in the distance sound faint(ex FiiO FD5). Or conversely, something with no soundstage depth and only imaging(K612).

 

[Kyonnie]

I know this is a pretty inactive thread already, but here's my two cents: as a competitive gamer that played pro for a while, I generally prefer headphones better than IEMs because of the soundstage so that you can locate enemies better through sound. I called this "echo locating/location" lol. I do play with my IEMs sometimes, but it's not ideal; it feels a bit claustrophobic, and it hurts my ears after a long session. If you're looking for more portable or comfortable play, I would suggest using earbuds instead. I use it whenever I play at home or on the go; it gives you almost the same soundstage and details you need.

Some of my recommendations for headphones are the Koss KSC75, Philips SHP9500, and Grado SR80x. Anything with an open back and neutral tuning would work. I personally use these, but for competition, either the HD600 or whatever the event organizers or sponsors force us to use.

For earbuds, I would recommend Faaeal Rosemary, Vido/Yincrow X6, and Fiio FF3S.

But if you insist on using IEMs, I would probably go with something with neutral tuning like the Tin T2, Salnotes Zero, and Truthears Zero Red. I hope that helps!