Why Pros Use Earbuds AND Headphones

If you watch pro gaming tournaments with any regularity you’ve probably already noticed that players are often wearing both earbuds and headphones at the same time. Sometimes they’re even wearing a second headset around their neck, but why is that?

The explanation is fairly simple: the earbuds are playing the actual ingame sounds, while the headphones/headset that they’re wearing is a noise-reducing pair which is usually also transmitting white noise. Sometimes (but not always) pros are also wearing a third headset around their neck, which is mostly for sponsoring reasons, though sometimes they’ll use the mic on that pair for communication. This is all done to make sure no outside sounds (casters and crowd mostly) can reach the players so that there’s no chance of them picking up vital information from either the casters or the audience, and to ensure a relatively distraction-free playing environment.

KennyS and Ex6TenZ wearing the familiar setup at ESL Cologne 2018.
Source: 99Damage CSGO

Earbuds

The earbuds usually aren’t seriously specialized or extremely expensive earbuds. In most (if not all) cases players choose what they want to wear, and quite often they seem to go for a decent pair of mid-range earbuds, such as the Razer Hammerhead. As mentioned, the earbuds will take care of all of the ingame sound, so it’s not wise to cheap out here, but it’s also not necessary to go for super high-end audiophile products either. A LAN tournament is a very noisy environment, and combine that with the vibrations of the bass on the stage and the overall bustling atmosphere and it’s quite clear that you won’t be able to fully appreciate the subtleties of a high-end audiophile pair.

The headphones/headset

The earbuds that the pros are using on stage are consumer-grade earbuds, but the same can’t be said about the set of cans that they wear over them. These are quite often (high-end) aviation headsets, which are specifically designed to reduce the amount of outside noise that reaches your ears to an absolute minimum. In addition to outfitting the players with these noise-canceling headsets, events will usually also play white noise through the headset in order to further reduce the odds of the players picking up any crowd calls or sounds.

The ‘third headset’

Sometimes players will have a third consumer-grade headset hanging around their neck. This is mostly done to allow the team/player gear sponsor to display their products, or when there is no mic on the main noise-canceling headphones. Players will use the microphone on these third headsets to communicate with their teammates, but otherwise they serve no purpose.

 

Lars

Competitive/semi-pro gamer for over a decade now. Damn I'm getting old. Whenever I'm not gaming I like to write about games and hardware.

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41 Responses

  1. Miles says:

    Why don’t they just use the noise cancellation headphones for the game audio as well??? I mean I saw In one event that they were using Bose headphones… Which i believe has good sound clarity. Why use another earphones for the game sound???

  2. David says:

    What are the absolute best gaming earbuds that the pros use for CS-go. Price is no issue. I’ll gladly pay $500 for a pair of good earbuds. I want a built in mic. But if I have to buy separate mic, I can do that. I’ll be using these at home so the best is ok. I hate wearing headset on my head.

    • propeller says:

      hyperx cloud v2 best headset

    • BigChungusBigChanges says:

      you’ll have a hard time getting a good microphone on earbuds, but for gaming, most decent earbuds should do. Even razer’s tws earbuds have a super low latency mode for gaming, but even non-gaming ones will do you just fine. I’ve been using tin t2 pros without complaint. definitely buy a mic separate though. There is no best since sound itself is very much personal preference. If you want something by a gaming company I’ve heard great things about the hyper-x earbuds

    • Mio says:

      Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC
      Want a cheap test? KZ ZSN

  3. Daniel Shnaydman says:

    Is there an advantage to using earbuds over a headset for game audio? If not, why do they not use the noise- cancelling headset for game audio instead of having earbuds, which some people (like me) find uncomfortable..

  4. FraggerFly says:

    I have a headset with mic but I don’t use that, I stead I use earbuds, but I want to set up both like pros, that is use earbuds for in game sound and headset mic for communication, how can I do it

  5. bitlife says:

    This headset is great for gaming

  6. A very excellent blog post.Thank you so much for such a well-written article.

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  8. SpencerTracy says:

    Professional gamers often love the feeling of playing while wearing headphones. Me too, every time I play the cuphead game, I will also wear headphones to clearly feel each shot of the giant chicken.

  9. The answer is very straightforward: the headphones/headset they’re wearing are noise-reducing units that often also broadcast white noise, while the earbuds are playing the real in-game noises.

  10. MarkAllen says:

    Can anybody tell me the updated price of these earbuds? I need to buy this and looking to know about its price so that I have an idea about its cost and also tell me which is the best place to buy it. If I tell you about myself so I work in the marketing department where we tell about our ghostwriting australia services and this need to be done on call and earbuds is the best thing to do as we get clear voice and can make your conversation smoothly which is why I want to buy it.

  11. A LAN tournament is noisy, and the stage bass vibrations and bustling atmosphere make it impossible to fully appreciate a high-end audiophile pair.

  12. Earbuds are best for hearing something with the good effect.

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    When it comes to audio equipment, there are a lot of choices out there. Two of the most popular choices are earbuds and headphones. Both have their own pros and cons, and each has a specific purpose. Here’s why pros use earbuds and headphones.

    Earbuds: Earbuds are compact and convenient, so they are ideal for on-the-go listening. Because they are small and lightweight, earbuds are perfect for when you need to be able to transport your audio gear quickly and easily. They also provide excellent sound isolation, meaning that you won’t be disturbed by outside noise.
    Headphones: Headphones provide a much fuller sound with a wider frequency range. Because of this, they are perfect for serious audio work, like mixing, mastering and critical listening. Headphones also have larger drivers, which means more power and better bass response. This is especially important for music production and recording applications.

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  15. Professional gamers often wear both earbuds and headphones at the same time. The earbuds play the game sounds, while the headphones reduce outside noise. This ensures a distraction-free environment and prevents the players from picking up any vital information from the casters or audience. Sometimes a third headset is worn for sponsorship reasons or communication.

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    Pros use both earbuds and headphones in gaming tournaments to create a focused and noise-isolated environment. The earbuds play in-game sounds, while the noise-reducing headphones block external noise. Sometimes, a third headset is worn for sponsorship or communication purposes. This setup prevents players from hearing commentary or audience noise, ensuring a distraction-free playing experience.

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  25. Why do professional gamers wear both earbuds and headphones during tournaments, sometimes even with a second headset around their neck?

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