[ZheGoose]

I recently bought a pair of SoundMagic E80S's to game with on my xbox one. The SoundMagic's came with a lot of extra silicone ear tips and comply ear tips. How would the sound change with the opening of the ear tips being wide compared to it being narrow? Would it make a difference with how games sound? I primarily play fps games so being able to hear footsteps and tell where an enemy is are crucial. Both wide and narrow tips fit with no problems and I can wear both for an extended period of time. I know the comply tips provide more isolation and help boost the base since I use them with my Jaybird X3's.

Thanks

 

[nuke350]

I think it more personal choice, especially with games. I use to play a lot FPS games and for me the most important was sound isolation from outside world and space awareness inside the game. It have to be also very comfortable and not distracting you during mission, the worst is when you need to readjust your headphones and got toasted in result of this movement. Listening to music is different story and can start a repeated many times long discussion here

 

[ajaxender]

All else being equal - and that is usually not the case, because it depends on the exact tip design and material, the headphone more than you'd think, and mostly on the physiology of the user which can greatly affect the fit and seal, all of which is why impressions and opinions vary and conflict - the effect is generally considered to be a subtle increase in higher frequencies (say, > ~5kHz) for wider bore silicone tips. Some tips, like comply foams and spin-fits, have been measured to slightly reduce those frequencies. But again, all is not equal; I tend to perceive spiral dot tips as having more bass than other wide bore tips, and that's probably because they seal better for me.
But for (competitive) gaming, what you want is precision; accurate transient response and timing of left/right sounds. The exact frequency balance matters less, although overblown bass tends to cloud detail - but the E80 certainly doesn't have that problem (in fact I don't use mine because I simply like more bass in my music, but then I never used it for gaming or outputting from a console). What you should do, is pick the tip that makes these small sounds, and changes in sounds, most audible to you. Could be higher frequency detail you want, could be lower frequency fundamentals of sounds for footsteps and the like. Ultimately, again, the effect is subtle, so as nuke says long-term comfort will likely end up the biggest factor.

 

[SilverEars]

Have the foams and complies really have been measured to reduce the highs? I'm curious where that info is documented. Because that's exactly what I've experienced when I would use foams or complies in the past, and always preferred silicones the most. Even the materials on the pads of the full sized headphones can effect the sound to some degree.

Fit is really important, and if you can get the ibuds to fit like an IEM, it would sound much better. Make sure you have a good seal with the IEMs. A way to tell is try different sizing, and listen. You can tell the differences in audio frequency response.

My issue with universals, and this is something I've recently discovered is that shallow fit, I tend to have an uneven fit due to the shape of my ear canal, and for the more deeper fits(ER4 triple flanges for example) works best.

 

[dannyking]

Can anyone recommend a wide bore foam tip? thanks

 

[deafdoorknob]

Have the foams and complies really have been measured to reduce the highs? I'm curious where that info is documented. Because that's exactly what I've experienced when I would use foams or complies in the past, and always preferred silicones the most. Even the materials on the pads of the full sized headphones can effect the sound to some degree.

Fit is really important, and if you can get the ibuds to fit like an IEM, it would sound much better. Make sure you have a good seal with the IEMs. A way to tell is try different sizing, and listen. You can tell the differences in audio frequency response.

My issue with universals, and this is something I've recently discovered is that shallow fit, I tend to have an uneven fit due to the shape of my ear canal, and for the more deeper fits(ER4 triple flanges for example) works best.

http://rinchoi.blogspot.hk/2013/04/the-effect-of-ear-sleeves-tdk-ie800.html?m=1