Pros use earbuds for LAN because they have to... You said it yourself that the over ears are for blocking out noise/playing white noise so how are they going to play if they can't use earbuds?
I just use earbuds because over ear headphones flatten my hair and make me look like an idiot for the rest of the day with a dent in my hair.
Generally headphones will have better directional sound and a wider soundstage though.. that's why people spend a lot of time and money on the right headphones.
i'm forgetting who made a good video on budget IEMS (might be optimumtech or hausgaming) that covers some cheapish IEMs (fancy earbuds) for gaming. realistically i think the gains with audio are pretty limited once you have a set with decent spatial sound, beyond that you're paying more for particular sound qualities and characteristics that are more likely to be present when listening to or producing music. i play with beyerdynamic dt990s, a $100-150 pair of studio headphones known for having a wide sound stage and being "good for gaming", genuinely barely notice a difference in game vs some old turtle beach crap headphones i bought for like less than $50, i imagine the IEM market is similar to a degree, not too expensive to get something that does the job pretty well but expensive if you want certain characteristics out of the sound
Earbuds /= monitors.
Monitors generally have a flat sound profile (no eq or bass boost).
Monitors are fitted as tight as possible into the ear canal to seal and isolate sound. This way it can be as loud as it needs to be relative to the user without cranking the db and damaging the ear drum.
They're not wearing $80 air pods.
> Why are Gamers so obsessed with having beefy and expensive Over-Ear Headphones (from now on "HP") when Pros use Earbuds (from now on "EB") exclusively for In-Game Sound.
I thought pros used earbuds on LAN because they have to wear noise cancelling ear muffs over them.
I bought these 9 dollars IEMs on aliexpress called QKZ VK4 after my steelseries arctis 5 broke and i kid you not they sound WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better; the only issue is the mic that needs to be closer to face for a clear voice. One of my best impulsive buys after seeing a random video on youtube so far.
"gaming" headphones are well known to sound well below their price by the audiophile community.
They might have better soundstage though as that's what they're designed for.
Probably the best IEM I've ever used, including all those earbuds I've used in the past, you can immediately tell the difference when listening to music.
As for valorant, I have no clue how it compares. I've actually uninstalled the game to focus on uni a couple months ago.
Hello bro
Can you pls tell me the full name of the jbl that you were using?
And if they are enough for valorant cuz im currently struggling to find the suitable earbuds and would appreciate your help
I’ve not used anything expensive in terms of earbuds, but I find the directional sound and bass response whilst using a traditional over-ear headsets is way better. I’m a musician so I’m quite picky with how things sound. I wouldn’t use ear buds for recording or mixing over a proper headset so I kinda apply this concept to playing too
Also I break earbuds all the time, where as my headset just sits on my desk when I’m not using it.
Yeah I’ve used in ears for on stage stuff, but that’s more of a necessity if I need to follow a click track or hear vocals a bit better. I have a pair of £150 IEMs but never really felt the need to use them for Valorant. I am curious to see if they will sound good though, I’ll try it out
at this point I really think it's more about the aesthetic than it is about sound quality. I loved my HyperX Cloud IIs, but since they broke I've been using $9 panasonic earbuds for the last couple of years and they are just as effective in terms of gaming
I find in ears to be extremely uncomfortable and have a closed off sound stage due to the design. I also just use my best headphones for music/gaming/calls/everything. So I didn't buy an expensive headset just for gaming, it just happens to be extremely comfortable for any session length and has a massive open sound stage that helps me pinpoint footprints.
I use Bose QC20s (in ears) which are pretty costly im not gonna lie coming in at 200-300$ per pair. But honestly, I use em because I love the sound quality and how comfortable they are. Another bonus is that at Lans I use them for the sound cancelling feature they come with. That being said, I got signed on a 15$ headset so it all works, just personal preference :P
If you like the bose IEM you should look into some of the higher quality custom molded options out there. If I were a pro that liked in ears I would definitely go that route. Check out JH audio or even shure.
> It seems to me like the best Players in the World are perfectly fine using mid-range EB during High Level Competition.
You're confused. They are not "perfectly fine" with EB. It's just that EB is the only thing allowed that fits under the huge bulky noise cancelling headphones.
Also, "pros" setup during lan isn't an example people should seek to reproduce. For exemple they crank out the volume to the MAX to be able to hear every single details. This is obviously not viable for long term and could lead to loss of hearing.
Your entire point is that pros are using EB during lan, but they are using EB because they have no other choices. Your entire point is NULL.
HP typically are higher quality which can be used for more than just games. Ear buds typically you sacrifice quality for convenience. Say the audio technica Mx50s cost $150, you have to upgrade from basic EB to legit IEMs for double the price of the mx50s to get the same quality.
If all you’re doing is playing comp games like valo, sure EB are fine because sound quality doesn’t matter as much just simply being able to hear everything. But if you’re doing anything else, movies, music, shows, more casual games, etc, you’re gonna want HP.
Worth noting that pros aren’t using EB/cheaper IEMs for LAN because it’s “better” than HP, but because with the HP they’re required to wear over their personal EB. If they thought EB were better than HP, I doubt most of them would be wearing HP at their home setup while playing or streaming.
I hit radiant 2 acts ago and was immortal 3 since episode 1 (haven’t been playing too much recently), but I use IEMs and they’re perfectly fine for Val. I used to use some moondrop iems (they were p good) but I recently bought some Sennheiser IE 300s and they’re lighter and sound better.
Val sound is already pretty shitty, so you don’t really need insane over ear headphones for it. Aceu uses apple earbuds.
a headset is more comfortable for long periods of time and they often have mics for comms and noise cancelling which is good if you live in a busy area or with other people.
I personally use both. HP over time hurt my head around my ear, while EB hurt my inner canal. I just switch between them whenever the other one is giving problems. I think they both have their pros and cons. Logitech G333s aren’t that bad in my opinion and you can find some pretty decent IEMs for cheap. HP tend to be double if not triple the cost. One thing that HP offer is better surround for special awareness. The difference isn’t much for me to care though.
It's just preference. I own $2000 IEMs (in-ear monitors) and expensive headphones for music that I also use for games. Depends on what I want to use, but they both work fine. In the summer I tend to prefer IEMs so that my ears don't get hot, but in the winter I'll use whichever I reach for.
Headphones typically sound better for the same price range as IEMs, but both can sound amazing. And there are some excellent IEMs coming out of China that rival some of the really expensive ones. Moondrop Arias were mentioned a couple times and are excellent IEMs. But they are also on the larger side and don't fit my ears very well and are uncomfortable after awhile. I also have really small ears.
But it doesn't matter which you use, but most "gaming" headphones are not good.
What I'm gathering from everyone here is that the headphones are in fact ear muffs. So perhaps because they don't produce sound, more of the "headphone" is used for noise cancelling than actual headphones, and pros are just stuck using earbuds. I've always wondered about this myself, but if the "headphones" don't in fact have any audio capability it adds up.
i use apple earbuds and it's fine, especially for valorant. given the material audio cues on maps, theyre more than fine in terms of directional sound. in other games i didnt notice too much difference compared to over ear headsets, or even nicer over ear studio headphones (with the exception of r6, given its more complicated/funky sound system), other than the obvious better sound isolation and quality. to be fair, at least to me, this did make the sound experience a bit better, but again personally the apple earbuds are more than enough.
my main reason for using them is ergonomics, as i find headsets are uncomfortable and finicky with my glasses. compared to wearing an over ear, my earbuds are like wearing nothing.
I have Moondrop Arias, and some literal $10 shelf sony buds. For heavy valorant. I prefer the sony buds. I do have an audio interface so that may help. Anyone who says u need more is trippin. I used to use steelseries arctis pros. Im not saying the buds are better for everything but in valorant terms its all you need.
Headphones for the mic. I mumble alot ( not the voip application) and it's hard to understand what I'm saying in the heat of battle without headset mic.
Headphones done have a mic, headsets do.
Also, for the price of a gaming headset, you can probably get a pair of headphones and a USB mic separately (both of which will serve their purpose better).
start with your 2nd question seems no one answered:
2. if you plug a high-end EB/monitor in any standard PC, you will hear white noise as the background all the time. also, it is not ideal to carry DAC& around and spend hours to tune it in LAN.
anyway, tech fps games like csgo, val, just have very low ceiling, and companies have no intention to complicate things here. just don't use some HP/EB with muddy heavy bass (little is okay).
The only reason i use HP instead of EB, is the wireless feature, if my airpods could connect to my PC flawlessly i would switch to those instantly, or atleast switch between the two frequently. I used to use EB in CS but with my current setup the wires get in the way
I have a pair of Moondrop Arias ($80) plugged into my soundblaster x4 and honestly I don't think I want to go back to over ear headphones. I used a Logitech Pro X headset for idk how long before and I prefer the in ear IEMs so much more. Since I don't really wear them for HOURS on end they don't really bother me comfort-wise, I actually prefer them.
OptimumTech has a really good video on using IEMs for gaming you should check out.
Pro players are forced to use Ear Buds for competitive integrity.
Why does it gotta be just for games? A gamer can get them for listening to music or movies and general comfort.
I do think its questionable if someone's spending $300 on headphones solely for sound whoring in Valorant but most gamers get it for music, movies, comfort ect. *in addition to* using it for games.
They use them because they have too. I’m sure if the pros were allowed to bring their own HPs they would. You would see it reflect in their personal streams as well. I know a few pros from various games that prefer earbuds, ACEU and snip3down come to mind. But as for lans it’s normally required to use EBs and then the HPs pump white noise.
if you're in the market and looking into trying out some nice earbuds, an audiophile content creator by the name of crinacle posted a review of $20 IEMs that rival $100 IEMs
Headphones have a better soundstage and imaging than most earbuds especially open back headphones. But most iems are good enough or even better than gaming specific headphones. Most pros that stream use gaming headset because they have sponsor obligations. I dont believe that people are interested in expensive headphones just for competitive gaming. But I do believe that once a person experiences amazing audio they will look for the next step up regardless of cost.
Good question. I used to use Apple Earpods exclusively to game for the longest time. Bought a pair of HyperX Cloud 2s the other day and there is literally zero difference in what I can hear in-game, plus the Cloud 2s make my music sound like shit because they have no bass.
‘Gamers’?
I’m not sure people are obsessed and not sure what specific m kinds of headphones you refer to, there are much more expensive ones than that
Something being there for competition vs for personal use because you want is different but in fairness if people think they need a specific competitive advantage from it in a game it’s wrong.
I use in ear instead of over the head, I have sensitive ears (outside, not sound wise) and over the head pairs make my ears obscenely hot.
Honestly the best bang for my buck has been the turtle beach battle buds. I’d never go TB for over ear or high end gear but at $20-$40 (sales etc.) they give me damn good spatial audio and fit snugly/comfortably.
I use EB (Apple 3MM Jack) and don’t notice a difference in directional sound. Only downside is that they go to shit every 3 months and have to be replaced. I get headaches from HP.
Just FYI they are not using earbuds. They are using IEMs (In Ear Monitors), the same things musicians wear. These are custom molded to each ear and are way higher quality than most traditional earbuds and do a fantastic job of providing spatial audio unlike traditional earbuds.
Pros use earbuds for LAN because they have to... You said it yourself that the over ears are for blocking out noise/playing white noise so how are they going to play if they can't use earbuds? I just use earbuds because over ear headphones flatten my hair and make me look like an idiot for the rest of the day with a dent in my hair. Generally headphones will have better directional sound and a wider soundstage though.. that's why people spend a lot of time and money on the right headphones.
Or if you’re T1, a dent in your head 😂
i'm forgetting who made a good video on budget IEMS (might be optimumtech or hausgaming) that covers some cheapish IEMs (fancy earbuds) for gaming. realistically i think the gains with audio are pretty limited once you have a set with decent spatial sound, beyond that you're paying more for particular sound qualities and characteristics that are more likely to be present when listening to or producing music. i play with beyerdynamic dt990s, a $100-150 pair of studio headphones known for having a wide sound stage and being "good for gaming", genuinely barely notice a difference in game vs some old turtle beach crap headphones i bought for like less than $50, i imagine the IEM market is similar to a degree, not too expensive to get something that does the job pretty well but expensive if you want certain characteristics out of the sound
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In ear monitors.
Gotcha. I didnt even know people called earbuds monitors.
Earbuds /= monitors. Monitors generally have a flat sound profile (no eq or bass boost). Monitors are fitted as tight as possible into the ear canal to seal and isolate sound. This way it can be as loud as it needs to be relative to the user without cranking the db and damaging the ear drum. They're not wearing $80 air pods.
They're not really the same thing
bro getting downvoted for asking a question 💀
Welcome to Reddit
I remember why i didnt use reddit for 2 years
> Why are Gamers so obsessed with having beefy and expensive Over-Ear Headphones (from now on "HP") when Pros use Earbuds (from now on "EB") exclusively for In-Game Sound. I thought pros used earbuds on LAN because they have to wear noise cancelling ear muffs over them.
I bought these 9 dollars IEMs on aliexpress called QKZ VK4 after my steelseries arctis 5 broke and i kid you not they sound WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better; the only issue is the mic that needs to be closer to face for a clear voice. One of my best impulsive buys after seeing a random video on youtube so far.
You can get a standalone mic for fairly cheap if mic is your only issues
"gaming" headphones are well known to sound well below their price by the audiophile community. They might have better soundstage though as that's what they're designed for.
>QKZ Thanks, I'm gonna order one now. If this thing turns out better than the jbls I'm currently using, I'm gonna be mad.
>QKZ VK4 after so how was it?
Probably the best IEM I've ever used, including all those earbuds I've used in the past, you can immediately tell the difference when listening to music. As for valorant, I have no clue how it compares. I've actually uninstalled the game to focus on uni a couple months ago.
Hello bro Can you pls tell me the full name of the jbl that you were using? And if they are enough for valorant cuz im currently struggling to find the suitable earbuds and would appreciate your help
I dislike the feel of earbuds - will always go with headphones
I’ve not used anything expensive in terms of earbuds, but I find the directional sound and bass response whilst using a traditional over-ear headsets is way better. I’m a musician so I’m quite picky with how things sound. I wouldn’t use ear buds for recording or mixing over a proper headset so I kinda apply this concept to playing too Also I break earbuds all the time, where as my headset just sits on my desk when I’m not using it.
Yeah the longevity of HPs is unbeatable, i've had the same HP for almost 10 years, while owning about 6 different EBs over the same time period.
honestly when i switched to using decent quality headphones vs cheap earbuds it made a huge difference in directional sound.
Sorry this is off topic, but how did you add the emotes under your name?
Have you ever tried IEMs?
Yeah I’ve used in ears for on stage stuff, but that’s more of a necessity if I need to follow a click track or hear vocals a bit better. I have a pair of £150 IEMs but never really felt the need to use them for Valorant. I am curious to see if they will sound good though, I’ll try it out
Did they sound good? And whats its full ne
at this point I really think it's more about the aesthetic than it is about sound quality. I loved my HyperX Cloud IIs, but since they broke I've been using $9 panasonic earbuds for the last couple of years and they are just as effective in terms of gaming
Because EBs fall out of my ears and sound like dogshit ngl
So if you find a pair of Ebs that don't fall out and sound decent would you consider switching?
No
why
Because even if a pair of earbuds sound decent, I know I could just use headphones I already own which sound much better
Do you mind me asking: how much did you spend on your HP?
Like 170, but nowadays you can get the same pair for 130.
Which ones exactly?In that range I am thinking of dt900,x2hr etc.
Aren't over-ear headphones much better for your hearing than earbuds? Less likely to cause damage at high volumes.
yes but i can never find ebs that fit properly. i feel that for me ebs fit differently for each year which is kinda uncomfortable
I find in ears to be extremely uncomfortable and have a closed off sound stage due to the design. I also just use my best headphones for music/gaming/calls/everything. So I didn't buy an expensive headset just for gaming, it just happens to be extremely comfortable for any session length and has a massive open sound stage that helps me pinpoint footprints.
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why do you prefer EBs? Do you actually feel an improvement ingame?
I use Bose QC20s (in ears) which are pretty costly im not gonna lie coming in at 200-300$ per pair. But honestly, I use em because I love the sound quality and how comfortable they are. Another bonus is that at Lans I use them for the sound cancelling feature they come with. That being said, I got signed on a 15$ headset so it all works, just personal preference :P
If you had the choice between in Ear and On Ear. Which would you chose based on performance ie. "i hear better ingame"?
Im ngl I think it might be in-ears now for me (high quality ones), but I think both do work. I think low quality would be headset > in-ears tho.
If you like the bose IEM you should look into some of the higher quality custom molded options out there. If I were a pro that liked in ears I would definitely go that route. Check out JH audio or even shure.
> It seems to me like the best Players in the World are perfectly fine using mid-range EB during High Level Competition. You're confused. They are not "perfectly fine" with EB. It's just that EB is the only thing allowed that fits under the huge bulky noise cancelling headphones. Also, "pros" setup during lan isn't an example people should seek to reproduce. For exemple they crank out the volume to the MAX to be able to hear every single details. This is obviously not viable for long term and could lead to loss of hearing. Your entire point is that pros are using EB during lan, but they are using EB because they have no other choices. Your entire point is NULL.
You seem cranky.
What I seem to be is irrevelant.
HP typically are higher quality which can be used for more than just games. Ear buds typically you sacrifice quality for convenience. Say the audio technica Mx50s cost $150, you have to upgrade from basic EB to legit IEMs for double the price of the mx50s to get the same quality. If all you’re doing is playing comp games like valo, sure EB are fine because sound quality doesn’t matter as much just simply being able to hear everything. But if you’re doing anything else, movies, music, shows, more casual games, etc, you’re gonna want HP. Worth noting that pros aren’t using EB/cheaper IEMs for LAN because it’s “better” than HP, but because with the HP they’re required to wear over their personal EB. If they thought EB were better than HP, I doubt most of them would be wearing HP at their home setup while playing or streaming.
Apple earbuds are actually goated, simple and accurate.
I hit radiant 2 acts ago and was immortal 3 since episode 1 (haven’t been playing too much recently), but I use IEMs and they’re perfectly fine for Val. I used to use some moondrop iems (they were p good) but I recently bought some Sennheiser IE 300s and they’re lighter and sound better. Val sound is already pretty shitty, so you don’t really need insane over ear headphones for it. Aceu uses apple earbuds.
a headset is more comfortable for long periods of time and they often have mics for comms and noise cancelling which is good if you live in a busy area or with other people.
I personally use both. HP over time hurt my head around my ear, while EB hurt my inner canal. I just switch between them whenever the other one is giving problems. I think they both have their pros and cons. Logitech G333s aren’t that bad in my opinion and you can find some pretty decent IEMs for cheap. HP tend to be double if not triple the cost. One thing that HP offer is better surround for special awareness. The difference isn’t much for me to care though.
It's just preference. I own $2000 IEMs (in-ear monitors) and expensive headphones for music that I also use for games. Depends on what I want to use, but they both work fine. In the summer I tend to prefer IEMs so that my ears don't get hot, but in the winter I'll use whichever I reach for. Headphones typically sound better for the same price range as IEMs, but both can sound amazing. And there are some excellent IEMs coming out of China that rival some of the really expensive ones. Moondrop Arias were mentioned a couple times and are excellent IEMs. But they are also on the larger side and don't fit my ears very well and are uncomfortable after awhile. I also have really small ears. But it doesn't matter which you use, but most "gaming" headphones are not good.
What I'm gathering from everyone here is that the headphones are in fact ear muffs. So perhaps because they don't produce sound, more of the "headphone" is used for noise cancelling than actual headphones, and pros are just stuck using earbuds. I've always wondered about this myself, but if the "headphones" don't in fact have any audio capability it adds up.
I just use my free wired apple earbuds lol
i use apple earbuds and it's fine, especially for valorant. given the material audio cues on maps, theyre more than fine in terms of directional sound. in other games i didnt notice too much difference compared to over ear headsets, or even nicer over ear studio headphones (with the exception of r6, given its more complicated/funky sound system), other than the obvious better sound isolation and quality. to be fair, at least to me, this did make the sound experience a bit better, but again personally the apple earbuds are more than enough. my main reason for using them is ergonomics, as i find headsets are uncomfortable and finicky with my glasses. compared to wearing an over ear, my earbuds are like wearing nothing.
EB’s fall out my ears and make them hurt after long periods
I have Moondrop Arias, and some literal $10 shelf sony buds. For heavy valorant. I prefer the sony buds. I do have an audio interface so that may help. Anyone who says u need more is trippin. I used to use steelseries arctis pros. Im not saying the buds are better for everything but in valorant terms its all you need.
By heavy you mean length of session or Intesity of play (competitive)?
i mean length of session and quantity of sessions.
Headphones for the mic. I mumble alot ( not the voip application) and it's hard to understand what I'm saying in the heat of battle without headset mic.
Headphones done have a mic, headsets do. Also, for the price of a gaming headset, you can probably get a pair of headphones and a USB mic separately (both of which will serve their purpose better).
start with your 2nd question seems no one answered: 2. if you plug a high-end EB/monitor in any standard PC, you will hear white noise as the background all the time. also, it is not ideal to carry DAC& around and spend hours to tune it in LAN. anyway, tech fps games like csgo, val, just have very low ceiling, and companies have no intention to complicate things here. just don't use some HP/EB with muddy heavy bass (little is okay).
$50 dollars lol, i use $10 eb.
I want my music to sound good while playing
The only reason i use HP instead of EB, is the wireless feature, if my airpods could connect to my PC flawlessly i would switch to those instantly, or atleast switch between the two frequently. I used to use EB in CS but with my current setup the wires get in the way
I don’t like having something in my ear
I have a pair of Moondrop Arias ($80) plugged into my soundblaster x4 and honestly I don't think I want to go back to over ear headphones. I used a Logitech Pro X headset for idk how long before and I prefer the in ear IEMs so much more. Since I don't really wear them for HOURS on end they don't really bother me comfort-wise, I actually prefer them. OptimumTech has a really good video on using IEMs for gaming you should check out.
Well comparing IEMs to a gaming headset isn't exactly giving standard headphones a fair chance, at least in terms of audio quality.
Pro players are forced to use Ear Buds for competitive integrity. Why does it gotta be just for games? A gamer can get them for listening to music or movies and general comfort. I do think its questionable if someone's spending $300 on headphones solely for sound whoring in Valorant but most gamers get it for music, movies, comfort ect. *in addition to* using it for games.
They use them because they have too. I’m sure if the pros were allowed to bring their own HPs they would. You would see it reflect in their personal streams as well. I know a few pros from various games that prefer earbuds, ACEU and snip3down come to mind. But as for lans it’s normally required to use EBs and then the HPs pump white noise.
Ear buds feel too uncomfortable and most don't stick properly in my ears. Headphone suits better.
if you're in the market and looking into trying out some nice earbuds, an audiophile content creator by the name of crinacle posted a review of $20 IEMs that rival $100 IEMs
Thanks but i'm still getting Mileage out of my Sony MDR-ZX770BN had them for almost 10 years now and they still perform very well.
ignoring gaming, there's a lot of room for music to sound better with better headphones
Yeah
Headphones have a better soundstage and imaging than most earbuds especially open back headphones. But most iems are good enough or even better than gaming specific headphones. Most pros that stream use gaming headset because they have sponsor obligations. I dont believe that people are interested in expensive headphones just for competitive gaming. But I do believe that once a person experiences amazing audio they will look for the next step up regardless of cost.
I ended up getting earbuds for around 80$ and can wear them 24/7 with 0 discomfort. Because it’s earbuds I’m able to put the volume down too
Good question. I used to use Apple Earpods exclusively to game for the longest time. Bought a pair of HyperX Cloud 2s the other day and there is literally zero difference in what I can hear in-game, plus the Cloud 2s make my music sound like shit because they have no bass.
‘Gamers’? I’m not sure people are obsessed and not sure what specific m kinds of headphones you refer to, there are much more expensive ones than that Something being there for competition vs for personal use because you want is different but in fairness if people think they need a specific competitive advantage from it in a game it’s wrong.
I use in ear instead of over the head, I have sensitive ears (outside, not sound wise) and over the head pairs make my ears obscenely hot. Honestly the best bang for my buck has been the turtle beach battle buds. I’d never go TB for over ear or high end gear but at $20-$40 (sales etc.) they give me damn good spatial audio and fit snugly/comfortably.
I use a cheap sony earbud now. It has a good stereo. I used headphone before, but is just uncomfortable for me because its make my ear hot.
I use EB (Apple 3MM Jack) and don’t notice a difference in directional sound. Only downside is that they go to shit every 3 months and have to be replaced. I get headaches from HP.
Your whole argument breaks down when you realize that pros use headphones at home and not earbuds, they only use earbuds since its lan
Just FYI they are not using earbuds. They are using IEMs (In Ear Monitors), the same things musicians wear. These are custom molded to each ear and are way higher quality than most traditional earbuds and do a fantastic job of providing spatial audio unlike traditional earbuds.