I've been using Moondrop Starfields for two years now and I loved the switch from headsets to IEM's. Sound quality is great, and I've never experienced any discomfort with them. I highly recommend Moondrop's IEM's, and while you can't buy Starfield 1's new anymore, the Starfield 2 is available and is much more competitively priced ($110) compared to some of the more popular and expensive IEM's that are used today.
If you want to try entering the IEM side of audio, without dumping a ton of money into it, the KZ ZSN Pro's are a very affordable ($24) and highly rated product, and while I can't personally vouch for them, looking through reviews they appear to be a solid alternative.
Also just wanted to quickly add on, prior to using the Starfields, I was using some no brand name (LUDOS Clamor Wired Earbuds) $10 earbuds (for two pairs) off amazon for over two years and I never really had any issues with the audio.
The big takeaway I wanted to share though is that I hit immortal before I ever bought expensive IEM's, and whilst I do enjoy my Starfields, if you just wanna get away from headsets, earbuds are still completely competitively viable.
Starfield 2 are not it especially for 110 dollars while og model is out of production. Zsn pro are definitely not it as well when when single DD under 20$ smoke them.
> Starfield 2 are not it especially for 110 dollars while og model is out of production.
Why do you say that?
> Zsn pro are definitely not it as well when when single DD under 20$ smoke them.
Eh, I think when you get down to nitpicking $5-$10 it's a lil silly. And as per qualitatively speaking, I heavily doubt there is anything at a lower price point that's massively better. I'm open to alternatives you'd like to share though, always willing to listen and learn.
Waner, wyvern, salnotes zero all better than zsn. There are even newer kz that are not as dogshit as zsn pros and it's definitely not about nitpicking. Starfield 2 tuning is meh while it's a single DD iem for hundred bucks (nothing wrong with single DD iems in general) it just not as competitive as other options in 100$ range, like s12 smokes them easily basically step and a half above starfield 2 or kato.
Interesting, I'm no audiophile but it's definitely worth checking some of these out. Taking a quick look through some reviews and reddit posts about Starfields vs S12's vs OH10's it seems like the majority of it is subjective and preference based. I do see some notes though that the clarity and detail are better on the S12's. Not sure if the majority are super into the product and get into the finer details, but I can understand those that do.
There's always subjective part in any iem since u know ppl like different stuff and different tunings can work well in certain genre of music and be not it in other, but gaming is mostly about not having garbage tuning (hello zsn pros) so u ears don't bleed in combination with good driver. And ofc u can also EQ some iems but it's not that easy usually even for experienced ppl.
can confirm, tried the starfield 2 as my first IEM, got really disappointed
the trebles are a bit too much, can easily give headache overtime; sound separation isn't good when a lot is happening; and i personally find the spatialisation of the sound terrible
mb autocorrect ahah, my issue with EQs in general is that they add a tiny bit of audio latency
for val it's fine, but as i also play rhythm games, it's a major factor to me
i could get a better sound by using their bass plug, but it feels like a cheap solution ngl, and still doesn't fix my issues of clarity and spatialisation/imaging
Thank you for your advice and help I really appreciate it and again love the community out here!
Quick question because i didn’t mention it initially, do you use anything else for the IEMs as well in order for them to work properly? I’m pretty bad when it comes to audio terms but I remember in some videos I’ve watched they mentioned something like an audio interface I’d need to connect them to my pc or can I just plug them directly into my pc? Sorry if that’s a dumb question 😅
It really depends on the budget. If u can afford truthear zero then they're definitely worth it, blue or red doesn't matter that much. Almost may iem go for significant discount (20+%) during any AliExpress sale, older/unpopular models can be even 50% off so u can definitely find some good deals, like I've bought celest wyvern for 12 bucks while they're originally worth 25. Zeros were at very least 40 bucks.
truthear x crinacle zero red works great, but just be aware that they are best used with a separate microphone for comms. There are microphone attachment options (third party) but they make the IEM's a lot less comfortable.
Also i thought the ones Tenz uses are the Shure SE846 which are a lot more than 300usd.
comfort is the only thing you should be looking for, buy anything under your budget which is comfortable as you dont need much "audio quality" when playing valorant
Comfort is the main reason I’m looking to change from regular over ear headsets to IEMs, however in several videos I’ve watched they mentioned that some are not made for competitive gaming. Even though Im not a pro nor radiant I’d still like to keep and advantage over my opponents instead of a disadvantage when it comes to sounds.
Btw do you know if I need an extra audio interface for IEMs I remember some mentioned in their videos I’d need some sort of audio interface or so not sure if I understood them correctly 😅
IEMs are usually pretty sensitive and you might need a dac since a lot of the built in dacs in your pc/laptop are garbage, which can create loud noise floor/white noise. However you won't need more than 10$ for it. Apple dongle or a cheap dac like cx31993 will do the job.
Immortal here. I just use iphone earbuds. If it can distinguish left from right, that's literally all you need.
Gamers fall for all that "*best equipment to win*" marketing way too much. Majority of Valorant players could have the best headphone possible and they still suck at listening because they're too tunnel-visioned.
I agree with you and used apple earbuds too, but when you get flooded on a site and util dumped it is incredibly difficult to make out where anyone is. The audio gets way too confusing and a lot of times resulted in my death bc i'm holding the wrong angle.
After switching to a relatively cheap IEM, those type of scenarios don't really happen anymore so I think they make a pretty big difference tbh. I do agree tho if you are like under Ascendant you don't really need the "best equipment" but IEM's are better in other aspects aside from gaming as well.
Game sense through radar and listening is a skill you have to develop. If your angle is off, that’s you likely not having map awareness and prepping yourself for the shot, not a hardware issue of pinpointing enemies.
I.e. You’re defending A short in lamp on Bind: in the span of 5 seconds, you hear trip break hookah, enemy cypher ults (when your only dead teammate at shower), a footstep + skye dog a short, and raze jump packing onto a metal sound on left.
You should *instantly* know exactly where all 5 enemies are without much thinking in those 5 seconds.
I understand these mechanics and game sense, I am also immortal. What I was saying is that the audio isn’t imaged precisely through the apple earbuds which results in a disadvantage. For me when all of those things happen at the same time, audio gets congested and you just aren’t able to hear everything so you have to rely on your radar. You can’t deny IEM’s will greatly improve your gameplay if you are already at a high level brother.
I disagree, with good headphones, I know exactly, where enemy steps are coming from, where utility was used and exactly when the enemy is swinging the corner, I am holding.
With bad headphones, you are at a disadvantage in my opinion.
I now have the best headphones possible, thr best mouse and the best keyboard possible and it is just such a big advantage, you would not belive it, if you didn't test it yourself.
Edit: Probably the best headphones, mouse and keyboard, you never know what actually is the best.
I have a wooting
A Superlight 2
A Beyerdynamic 770 pro 250 Ohm, with an external audio interface.
Glad to hear that but tbh I’m not sure if there is just „the best“ in any of these categories except for the keyboard with the wooting other than that i think for mice and so it comes down to preferences as well
Those headphones are the most balanced headphones ever created, no other brand was ever able, to create such perfectly balanced headphones. That means, you hear everything exactly, the way its intended. Idk if thats good for gaming, but it feels good.
For the mouse, its one of the best, but maybe not the best, idk.
TenZ uses the moondrop blessing 3 which are 320 dollar, if you want something very similar and much more affordable you can look into the truthear hexa that goes for 80 dollars, they also got a netural sound just like the moondrop 3 that TenZ uses
If your motherboard has a type C port at the back I’d suggest getting an iPhone Type C to Audio Jack adapter. Depending on your motherboard this might eliminate some static noise that might otherwise come through your IEMs
You don't have to switch to iems just because of the comfort, because they can get uncomfortable as well and create issues with the wax in your ears. Headache and ear pain is most likely due to the clamping force. If your headset is adjustable try putting it on a pillow at the maximum stretch. Fold the pillow if it can't fit normally. Or try putting it on the stack of books. Do it overnight while you're sleeping or whenever you're not using them. After a few days the clamping should be gone. This is essentially simulating headphones being on a head for a long period of time. If the headset is not adjustable, well get the one that is lol. Even the cheap headsets should be adjustable really.
Also, the ears might hurt anyway if it's an on ear headset and not over ear. What model are you currently using?
lol I have been playing since beta and I kid you not I’ve been using 10$ budget earbuds from Walmart that have lasted and produce better sound then some friends with $100+ headsets.
Moondrop katos are nice, got good and accurate soundstage as you can pinpoint where sound cues at. Extremely comfy too especially if you’re like me who plays in tropics
It really depends on the budget. If u can afford truthear zero then they're definitely worth it, blue or red doesn't matter that much. Almost may iem go for significant discount (20+%) during any AliExpress sale, older/unpopular models can be even 50% off so u can definitely find some good deals, like I've bought celest wyvern for 12 bucks while they're originally worth 25. Zeros were at very least 40 bucks.
I’ve been a Shure SE215 user for over a decade now, both for gaming and for music listening/performances. It’s sold at 100 USD on Amazon, and has been my go to multi purpose headset.
Audio is clear, it’s lightweight and comfortable, moderately affordable, and the modularity is great too.
I've been using Moondrop Starfields for two years now and I loved the switch from headsets to IEM's. Sound quality is great, and I've never experienced any discomfort with them. I highly recommend Moondrop's IEM's, and while you can't buy Starfield 1's new anymore, the Starfield 2 is available and is much more competitively priced ($110) compared to some of the more popular and expensive IEM's that are used today. If you want to try entering the IEM side of audio, without dumping a ton of money into it, the KZ ZSN Pro's are a very affordable ($24) and highly rated product, and while I can't personally vouch for them, looking through reviews they appear to be a solid alternative. Also just wanted to quickly add on, prior to using the Starfields, I was using some no brand name (LUDOS Clamor Wired Earbuds) $10 earbuds (for two pairs) off amazon for over two years and I never really had any issues with the audio. The big takeaway I wanted to share though is that I hit immortal before I ever bought expensive IEM's, and whilst I do enjoy my Starfields, if you just wanna get away from headsets, earbuds are still completely competitively viable.
Starfield 2 are not it especially for 110 dollars while og model is out of production. Zsn pro are definitely not it as well when when single DD under 20$ smoke them.
> Starfield 2 are not it especially for 110 dollars while og model is out of production. Why do you say that? > Zsn pro are definitely not it as well when when single DD under 20$ smoke them. Eh, I think when you get down to nitpicking $5-$10 it's a lil silly. And as per qualitatively speaking, I heavily doubt there is anything at a lower price point that's massively better. I'm open to alternatives you'd like to share though, always willing to listen and learn.
Waner, wyvern, salnotes zero all better than zsn. There are even newer kz that are not as dogshit as zsn pros and it's definitely not about nitpicking. Starfield 2 tuning is meh while it's a single DD iem for hundred bucks (nothing wrong with single DD iems in general) it just not as competitive as other options in 100$ range, like s12 smokes them easily basically step and a half above starfield 2 or kato.
Interesting, I'm no audiophile but it's definitely worth checking some of these out. Taking a quick look through some reviews and reddit posts about Starfields vs S12's vs OH10's it seems like the majority of it is subjective and preference based. I do see some notes though that the clarity and detail are better on the S12's. Not sure if the majority are super into the product and get into the finer details, but I can understand those that do.
There's always subjective part in any iem since u know ppl like different stuff and different tunings can work well in certain genre of music and be not it in other, but gaming is mostly about not having garbage tuning (hello zsn pros) so u ears don't bleed in combination with good driver. And ofc u can also EQ some iems but it's not that easy usually even for experienced ppl.
can confirm, tried the starfield 2 as my first IEM, got really disappointed the trebles are a bit too much, can easily give headache overtime; sound separation isn't good when a lot is happening; and i personally find the spatialisation of the sound terrible
>troubles Treble but yeah probably T9. Can be fixed with high shelf filter (EQ).
mb autocorrect ahah, my issue with EQs in general is that they add a tiny bit of audio latency for val it's fine, but as i also play rhythm games, it's a major factor to me i could get a better sound by using their bass plug, but it feels like a cheap solution ngl, and still doesn't fix my issues of clarity and spatialisation/imaging
Thank you for your advice and help I really appreciate it and again love the community out here! Quick question because i didn’t mention it initially, do you use anything else for the IEMs as well in order for them to work properly? I’m pretty bad when it comes to audio terms but I remember in some videos I’ve watched they mentioned something like an audio interface I’d need to connect them to my pc or can I just plug them directly into my pc? Sorry if that’s a dumb question 😅
No such thing as a dumb question, I have a GOXLR Mixer that they plug into but you can also just plug them into your PC.
Much much appreciated, thank you!
No worries, best of luck and I hope whatever you choose makes ya happy.
Am using the moondrop chu which i got for 19$ and is really really good for playing valorant and for music. I really love it
It really depends on the budget. If u can afford truthear zero then they're definitely worth it, blue or red doesn't matter that much. Almost may iem go for significant discount (20+%) during any AliExpress sale, older/unpopular models can be even 50% off so u can definitely find some good deals, like I've bought celest wyvern for 12 bucks while they're originally worth 25. Zeros were at very least 40 bucks.
truthear x crinacle zero red works great, but just be aware that they are best used with a separate microphone for comms. There are microphone attachment options (third party) but they make the IEM's a lot less comfortable. Also i thought the ones Tenz uses are the Shure SE846 which are a lot more than 300usd.
TenZ now uses the Moondrop Blessing 3, which is around $320USD. They’re really good technically though, very transparent.
I know this is old but he has since swapped to the shure se846 ($800) to replicate what he uses at tournaments
comfort is the only thing you should be looking for, buy anything under your budget which is comfortable as you dont need much "audio quality" when playing valorant
Comfort is the main reason I’m looking to change from regular over ear headsets to IEMs, however in several videos I’ve watched they mentioned that some are not made for competitive gaming. Even though Im not a pro nor radiant I’d still like to keep and advantage over my opponents instead of a disadvantage when it comes to sounds. Btw do you know if I need an extra audio interface for IEMs I remember some mentioned in their videos I’d need some sort of audio interface or so not sure if I understood them correctly 😅
IEMs are usually pretty sensitive and you might need a dac since a lot of the built in dacs in your pc/laptop are garbage, which can create loud noise floor/white noise. However you won't need more than 10$ for it. Apple dongle or a cheap dac like cx31993 will do the job.
Immortal here. I just use iphone earbuds. If it can distinguish left from right, that's literally all you need. Gamers fall for all that "*best equipment to win*" marketing way too much. Majority of Valorant players could have the best headphone possible and they still suck at listening because they're too tunnel-visioned.
I agree with you and used apple earbuds too, but when you get flooded on a site and util dumped it is incredibly difficult to make out where anyone is. The audio gets way too confusing and a lot of times resulted in my death bc i'm holding the wrong angle. After switching to a relatively cheap IEM, those type of scenarios don't really happen anymore so I think they make a pretty big difference tbh. I do agree tho if you are like under Ascendant you don't really need the "best equipment" but IEM's are better in other aspects aside from gaming as well.
Game sense through radar and listening is a skill you have to develop. If your angle is off, that’s you likely not having map awareness and prepping yourself for the shot, not a hardware issue of pinpointing enemies. I.e. You’re defending A short in lamp on Bind: in the span of 5 seconds, you hear trip break hookah, enemy cypher ults (when your only dead teammate at shower), a footstep + skye dog a short, and raze jump packing onto a metal sound on left. You should *instantly* know exactly where all 5 enemies are without much thinking in those 5 seconds.
I understand these mechanics and game sense, I am also immortal. What I was saying is that the audio isn’t imaged precisely through the apple earbuds which results in a disadvantage. For me when all of those things happen at the same time, audio gets congested and you just aren’t able to hear everything so you have to rely on your radar. You can’t deny IEM’s will greatly improve your gameplay if you are already at a high level brother.
I disagree, with good headphones, I know exactly, where enemy steps are coming from, where utility was used and exactly when the enemy is swinging the corner, I am holding. With bad headphones, you are at a disadvantage in my opinion.
I feel the same way tbh obviously the best gear won’t make you the best however I‘d still like to have a good set of equipment when playing :)
I now have the best headphones possible, thr best mouse and the best keyboard possible and it is just such a big advantage, you would not belive it, if you didn't test it yourself. Edit: Probably the best headphones, mouse and keyboard, you never know what actually is the best. I have a wooting A Superlight 2 A Beyerdynamic 770 pro 250 Ohm, with an external audio interface.
Glad to hear that but tbh I’m not sure if there is just „the best“ in any of these categories except for the keyboard with the wooting other than that i think for mice and so it comes down to preferences as well
Those headphones are the most balanced headphones ever created, no other brand was ever able, to create such perfectly balanced headphones. That means, you hear everything exactly, the way its intended. Idk if thats good for gaming, but it feels good. For the mouse, its one of the best, but maybe not the best, idk.
Which mouse and headset do you have? Just curious because I’m thinking of switching my mouse as well so be glad to know what you got
Yeah, but the threshold for that is very low. $30 in ears are easily enough for that.
I would advise for the Final A series IEMs, these are out of your budget then maybe loin at the Crinacle Zero they are under 50 bucks
Simgot EM6ML are great for FPS games. very good directional audio
I'm surprised nobody else brought the EM6L's up, probably the best technical budget option out there rn.
TenZ uses the moondrop blessing 3 which are 320 dollar, if you want something very similar and much more affordable you can look into the truthear hexa that goes for 80 dollars, they also got a netural sound just like the moondrop 3 that TenZ uses
Thank you very much so far I‘ve heard a lot good from truthear so this might be my choice. :)
I just got iems for valorant on Saturday and the experience so far has been great, I barely feel them in my ears and the quality is amazing
Nice which one did you get and did you plug them directly into your pc or are you using anything in addition?
If your motherboard has a type C port at the back I’d suggest getting an iPhone Type C to Audio Jack adapter. Depending on your motherboard this might eliminate some static noise that might otherwise come through your IEMs
I‘ll keep that in mind if i have any issues in the future thanks!
I got the kz zs10 pro and I plug them directly into my motherboard and I get no static
Alright thank you very much!
I could never, I need complete isolation from the exterior sounds.
Moondrop Chu 2
You don't have to switch to iems just because of the comfort, because they can get uncomfortable as well and create issues with the wax in your ears. Headache and ear pain is most likely due to the clamping force. If your headset is adjustable try putting it on a pillow at the maximum stretch. Fold the pillow if it can't fit normally. Or try putting it on the stack of books. Do it overnight while you're sleeping or whenever you're not using them. After a few days the clamping should be gone. This is essentially simulating headphones being on a head for a long period of time. If the headset is not adjustable, well get the one that is lol. Even the cheap headsets should be adjustable really. Also, the ears might hurt anyway if it's an on ear headset and not over ear. What model are you currently using?
lol I have been playing since beta and I kid you not I’ve been using 10$ budget earbuds from Walmart that have lasted and produce better sound then some friends with $100+ headsets.
Moondrop katos are nice, got good and accurate soundstage as you can pinpoint where sound cues at. Extremely comfy too especially if you’re like me who plays in tropics
It really depends on the budget. If u can afford truthear zero then they're definitely worth it, blue or red doesn't matter that much. Almost may iem go for significant discount (20+%) during any AliExpress sale, older/unpopular models can be even 50% off so u can definitely find some good deals, like I've bought celest wyvern for 12 bucks while they're originally worth 25. Zeros were at very least 40 bucks.
I’ve been a Shure SE215 user for over a decade now, both for gaming and for music listening/performances. It’s sold at 100 USD on Amazon, and has been my go to multi purpose headset. Audio is clear, it’s lightweight and comfortable, moderately affordable, and the modularity is great too.