Finding The Best Gaming Earbuds of 2019 & 2020: Gaming Earbuds & Earphones
Earbuds are nothing new in the audio universe, however, with eSports becoming larger by the day, earbuds have managed to creep their way into the gamer specific category. Whether it's because over-ear headphones are too warm, or you're just looking for something slightly more incognito, there is an in-ear headphone offering that will suit your needs.
In the following article we sit down with what we believe to be the best gaming earbuds available in today's market. We have a bunch of different options which range from the affordable all round gaming earbuds to the king of IEM's and everything inbetween.
Let's dive straight into our best gaming earbuds this 2019.
Everything about the HyperX Cloud earbuds is designed for gamers. In fact, this is specifically designed for the eSports gaming community.
The design is carefully thought out to make sure these earbuds provide just about everything gamers will ever need. It has a built in in-line microphone which provides solid voice pickup even in the loudest gaming scenarios.
The Razer Hammerhead Pro V2 didn’t compromise on anything.
Overall build quality of these earbuds is aboslutely fantastic. The earbuds themselves are made of aluminium which offer both solid aesthetics and a lightweight finish. Razer have equipped the V2's with much larger drivers than the original Hammerhead earbuds which hugely improve bass and acoustic performance.
The volume controls aren’t quite as well-built like the earbuds since these are made out of plastic. Nonetheless, they still feel very solid and sturdy.
One of the higher end, gamer specific earbuds in this guide come in the shape of the Cooler Master Masterpulse MH710's.
These earbuds come to the table with a tonne of cool features and benefits which we feel justify it's high price tag. FocusFX 2.0, superbly comfortable ear inserts, high build quality and newly enhanced 10mm Neodymium drivers are just some of the perks we can look forward to in these buds.
The first true IEM's in our list are the Shure SE215-CL earphones.
The sound isolating earbuds from Shure come to shelves at the higher end of the price spectrum, but with that offer excellent audio output and fantastic comfort for hours of endless gaming sessions
What we have here is our luxury pick. The IE800s earbuds have been designed with the highest materials and product manufacturing available to bring the absolute best products to todays market.
They come equipped with the smallest extra wide-band sound transducer available which boasts distortion-free sound at high pressure levels. The sound quality these speakers provide is nothing short of superb boasting almost zero audio distortion and extremely deep bass.
How We Choose Gaming Earbuds
Choosing the best gaming earbuds, or any other hardware component or peripheral for that matter, is a process which our team have done endless times before. We get each product in our testing studio and put it through strict benchmark and criteria tests.
With the earbuds, it was a slightly different process because there's a huge number of different products to choose from. We decided to make a list of all the best and most reputable audio manufacturers and researched their latest offerings.
Once we've selected the best gaming earbuds from each manufacturer, we specifically looked at features that matter most when gaming, such as:
- Sound quality
- Microphone quality
- Comfort
- Adapter
- Drivers
Once each of the products we select completes the testing process, we narrow down our list into a refined top 5 which should cater to most consumers needs.
We have the results in our conclusion section so check that out if that’s all that matters to you.
What To Check Before Buying A Gaming Earbud
Drivers
In headphones, speakers and other sound systems, “drivers” refer to one of two things: the software component that allows the device to be used with a computer and the hardware component that produces the sound in the headphones.
Larger headphones typically have multiple drivers per-ear, each used for different frequency ranges. The more drivers you have, the “cleaner” your sound should be since you won’t have just one driver being over-stressed with too many things to do.
Because of the smaller, cheaper nature of earbuds, though, many units will only come with one driver or two. In general, the larger the driver and the more there are, the better your listening experience will be.
Adapter and Mic
In this context, we’re referring to an adapter that you can use to split your single headphone cable into two- one for your mic, and one for your headphones. This is because most PCs won’t be able to take both of those inputs from just one input, unlike most smartphones.
Having this adapter included is a great feature that saves the user money spent on workarounds or just buying it themselves.
Of course, a mic is also important for the purposes of communications. While you can also look into our collection of best microphones for gaming if you’re serious about that, having a mic in your gaming earbuds is much more convenient overall.
How We Tested
We want to make sure we’re testing the earbuds right.
So instead of the usual music listening experiment like we did to benchmark the earbuds at AudioCheck, we want to see whether or not they sound great when used for gaming.
This is where we decided to plug these in and play a wide range of games from different genres. To make a very detailed conclusion, we score the earbuds based on the following criteria:
- Sound quality - 50%
- Comfort - 35%
- Durability - 10%
- Extra features - 5%
We played a lot of popular games that specifically require audio to either win the game or at least improve your gaming experience or performance. To name a few, we played a lot of PUBG, Fortnite, Overwatch, Paladins, CS:GO, and Black Squad.
The fact that these games need accurate sound detail to pinpoint where gunshots are coming from helped us a lot in evaluating the earbud’s performance.
We carefully listened to a lot of gunshots and then evaluated which earbud produced the clearest sound quality.
Moreover, we also evaluated which earbud produced the most accurate directional sound. We thought it would be the same but after a series of testing, we all agreed that the HyperX cloud, as far as a budget gaming earbud option goes, gave the most detailed directional sound.
How comfortable the earbuds are and how well they fit was also tested. We did our best to sit comfortably and took note of which earbuds fell off, which got in our way, which affected our gaming experience negatively, and more.
In order for us to test the durability of the earbuds, we decided to get wet. However, it would be gross to purposely sweat ourselves just to test every set of earbuds.
So we did this the easy-and-clean-but-still-wet way - misting bottles.
Gamers can get really sweaty just by playing games (not me). We mist the pair of earbuds every 20 minutes (plugged in and used) to see which earbuds show signs of negative effects first or which dies out throughout the process.
We also evaluated the extra features that come with the gaming earbuds to see whether or not they affect our gaming experience and comfort.
It’s a tedious job having to test these out but we had a lot of fun in the process. After finalizing the results we managed to put together what we believe is the best gaming earbuds of 2019.
The 5 Best Gaming Earbuds 2019
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | HyperX Cloud Earbuds
| Check Current Price | |
 | Razer Hammerhead Pro V2
| Check Current Price | |
 | Cooler Master Masterpulse MH710 Gaming Earbuds
| Check Current Price | |
 | Shure SE215-CL Earphones
| Check Current Price | |
 | Sennheiser IE800S in-Ear Headphones
| Check Current Price |
HyperX Cloud Earbuds
TECH SPECS
- Drivers2 14mm Drivers
- Frequency Response20Hz – 20kHz
- ExtrasIn-line microphone
PROS
- Nice in game spacial awareness
- 3 varying ear inserts
- Comfortable fit
- Budget gaming specific buds
- Included gaming microphone
CONS
- Not great for music listening
- Longevity is questionable
HyperX are a house hold name when it comes to gaming headsets and audio devices. What we have today however, is their latest offering in the earbud category.
The Cloud's ,as we like to call them, come to the table with a bunch of features and benefits which allow for effortless sessions of gaming. They have a 90degree angled plug and tangle free cable which allows for obstructive free gameplay which is always welcomed.
The design is strictly red with black accents around the controls and earbuds. The patented silicone ear inserts come in 3 different sizes helping to cater these buds to all consumers. We found them particularly comfortable but we prone to slipping out occasionally.
The built in mic worked very efficiently and provided excellent audio playback with mid/low outside noise pickup. The actual sound output is pretty decent offering good high's and bass respectively, whereas spacial awareness which was pretty decent, was ultimately nothing to write home about
Overall, if you're looking for a budget set of earbuds with decent audio output and a solid built in mic, the HyperX cloud's could be the pick for you.
Razer Hammerhead Pro V2
TECH SPECS
- Drivers2 10mm Drivers
- Frequency Response20Hz - 20kHz
- ExtrasMicrophone, Adapter
PROS
- Great Sound Quality
- Good Bass
- Microphone Included
- Adapter Included
- Volume Controls Included
CONS
- Questionable QC
- Highest Price
We initially anticipated the Razer Hammerhead Pro V2 to be our top pick in this best of guide, however, build and quality control issues have ultimately cost these earbuds that crown.
No, it’s not because these don't have RGB lighting.
We’ll cover the negatives in more detail shortly. For now, let’s talk about the things we actually like about these buds.
The design is classic of Razer and makes use of their signature neon green for the tangle free, ultra durable cables. The earbuds are formed of high quality aluminium for extreme robustness and a lightweight feel in the ear.
Bigger drivers have been implemented into the V2's for increased bass performance and superior acoustic clarity making them excellent for in game feedback. Overall spacial awareness was very accurate and made pin pointing where enemies were.
The Hammerhead Pro V2 aren't just for gamer's either, they've been designed with smartphones in mind as well and come with a number of different adapters variations.
On the flipside, whilst the build quality felt decent, longevity was an area which left more to be desired. Everything felt a little tacky after a while and I couldn't imagine these lasting years down the line. Fairly typical with Razer products, just take their mice range as a prime example.
If you're a fan of Razer then you'll probably really enjoy these. The sound was great and the mic worked perfectly. However, if you're looking for a product which is future proof i'd advice looking elsewhere.
Cooler Master Masterpulse MH710 Gaming Earbuds
TECH SPECS
- Drivers2 10mm Drivers
- Frequency Response20Hz – 20kHz
- ExtrasIn-line microphone
PROS
- Excellent design and aesthetics
- 3 varying ear inserts
- Nice comfortable fit
- Solid build quality
- Included gaming microphone
CONS
- On the expensive side for earbuds
- Only 1 style of ear insert
Cooler Master are better known for their range of excellent cases and fans, however, they've developed some cool keyboards, mice and now earbuds for the consumer to get their teeth into.
They have a cool design which offers a sleek metallic finish with 3 different sized ear inserts to accommodate all types of users. The braided cable feels robust and light and has the ability to adapt to different device platforms which include PC, Xbox one, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
The audio output is very pleasing and works excellently in game to give pin point spacial awareness in games such as fortnight, CS:GO and PUB:G. A fantastic feature Cooler Master have implemented is the new FocusFX 2.0 switch which when pressed alters the audio output between stronger bass to a more balanced, cleaner sound.
The microphone is works well and provides solid voice output, it does pick up some background noise but nothing too crazy.
They come to shelves in the mid/high price range so be ready to splash over $50 for these ear buds. This being said, we feel they justify that pricetag and offer decent value for money.
Shure SE215-CL Earphones
TECH SPECS
- DriversSingle Dynamic Driver
- Frequency Response22Hz – 17kHz
- ExtrasNo out of the box extras
PROS
- Cool aesthetic design
- Very light weight
- Wireless
- Solid audio output
- Decent bass
CONS
- Quite expensive
The Shure SE215-CL earbuds signify the start of the premium offerings in this best of guide. They are the first of the IEM's (Inner ear monitors) which provide superior audio playback and comfort over the gamer specific choices.
The professional series comes in clear shell which shows off the intricate inner technology nicely. The cable is also clear creating a really unusual design which we loved here at WEPC.
The single dynamic driver helps product great sound output which is brilliant for both in game audio and music playback. They provide excellent sound isolation to help users become immersed in their gameplay. Crucial for tournament level gamers.
Unfortunately the mic these headphones have been equipped with can only be used alongside phones meaning you would have to purchase a standalone microphone for gaming purposes. What you lose in microphone accommodation is made up for with superior audio playback and comfort.
With great sound and comfort naturally comes a higher price tag and these currently sit at $100. However, for IEM's this is considered good value.
Sennheiser IE800S in-Ear Headphones
TECH SPECS
- DriversDynamic linear-phase driver
- Frequency Response8Hz – 41kHz
- ExtrasNo out of the box extras
PROS
- Absolutely incredible sound quality
- Extra wide band
- Zero audio distortion
- Fantastic sleek design
- Incredible bass
CONS
- Massively expensive
Finally we come to what can only be described as our luxury pick, the Sennheiser IE800S in-ear headphones. Sennheiser have classed these earbuds as the ultimate experience in true audio immersion, at almost $1000 we would expect nothing less.
You get the sense no stone has been left un-turned in Sennheisers quest to provide the consumer with the absolute best product possible. Dynamic linear-phase drivers with extremely wide bandwidth have been used in these premium ear buds. The 7mm diameter boasts the smallest extra wide-band sound transducer available and promises distortion-free sound across a huge range of sound pressure levels.
Audio output is unmatched across the board and provides a sublime frequency response of 8Hz-41Khz. These IEM's provide the ultimate audio listening experience and smash everything else out of the park in this list. However this comes at a price unfortunately.
The design is made up of sleek, quality products which only add to the luxurious feel of these buds. Two protective meshes can be found within the earbud to protect them from any dirt or dust infiltration. Everything is packaged in a premium leather carrying case for your convenience.
Ultimately, the IE800s earbuds are a luxury purchase. However, if you have the budget and are in the market for the best possible audio experience, look no further.
Which Gaming Earbuds Best Suit You?
So the big question remains, which pair of gaming earbuds are best for you and your specific requirements.
We have outlined 5 products which all have varying levels of quality and comfort, meaning there SHOULD be a product suited to you. If nothing in this list suits your needs however, Amazon currently stock a huge number of earbuds for you to consider.
I'd recommend asking yourself some of the following question's when debating which ones are going to be for you:
How much are you willing to spend on a pair of gaming-oriented earbuds? Less than $20, or up to $70? Are you looking for audio excellence? Are you looking for gamer specific earbuds? Do you need something wireless and lightweight?
These are the questions you need to be asking yourself before you make a selection from our list.
However, we think the best balance is found in the HyperX cloud or Razer Hammerhead V2 earbuds, thanks to their abundance of features and utter lack of compromise. Good bass, good sound quality and full control panel.
These elements combined make both sets of earbuds a worthy contender for your consideration, at least in our opinion. If yours differs, you’re welcome to comment below and tell us which pair you went with!
Conclusion
So there you have it, our list of top gaming earbuds available this 2019.
What was your favourite? Was there something more suited to our list that wasn't there?
Leave us a comment letting us know your thoughts and how you got on with the choices we recommend.
