Whether you are a console or PC gamer, finding an excellent audio setup is critical to an immersive gaming experience. For a long time, this has typically been done withheadphonesandgaming headsets. Now, withsoundbarsbecoming more accessible to gamers, the choice isn’t as easy.
While other peripherals, like monitors for PC gamers and TVs for console gamers, make a difference in gaming immersion, audio often goes underappreciated for how much of a difference it can make. From different gaming scenarios to living situations and even setting up time, we will cover the pros and cons of headphones and soundbars to help you decide which is right for you.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro are audiophile-quality headphones ideal for content creators recording and editing their own productions. The over-the-ear DT 990 Pro perfectly balances low, mid, and high tones with a transparent listening experience. The headphones have exceptionally comfortable and stylish gray velour earpads for hours of pain-free listening. The adjustable steel headband is equally pleasant to wear, part of the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro’s durable yet lightweight construction.
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro
Experience the next innovation in 3D audio with the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro – the world’s first PC soundbar with head-tracking AI and adaptive beamforming powered by THX Spatial Audio. Directing sound to your ears through intelligent on-the-fly tracking, enjoy ultra-personalized audio with untold accuracy and immersion.
Headphones vs. Soundbars: What’s It Like To Use?
The most obvious difference between using headphones and a soundbar is the way that the audio is delivered to your ears. While they both work with the same basic principles, headphones are directly feeding the audio into your ears, so there is not a lot of room for the audio to be affected by surrounding noise as much, but that also means the sound cannot get as wide or create as much separation as headphones do.
Soundbars typically sit three to six feet from you if you use them in a living room setup or one to two feet in a desktop setup. This means you want to get as quick of direct feedback compared to headphones, and depending on the soundbar, some of the detail can be lost due to surrounding noise. Still, the wideness of the soundstage you can accomplish with a soundbar takes a relatively premium pair of headphones to compete.
Of course, the main dealbreaker for many gamers with a soundbar is whether the people who live with them are okay with gaming audio being played via speakers instead of just in a pair of headphones. Unless you are in a living situation that allows for it, those late-night gaming sessions might be more challenging to swing with a soundbar than a pair of headphones.
Winner: Draw
Headphones vs. Soundbars: Setup Process
Even if you get the perfect pair of headphones or the best soundbar known to man, there is a bit of setup process left once you get the product in your hands. This can be as easy as just plugging the cable into a headphone jack, or it can be as complicated as running multiple sound tests to ensure you get the best sound possible for where you sit to play games.
The setup process is typically pretty straightforward, whether you are using wired or wireless headphones. you may either plug a wired pair of headphones into your chosen device or pair the headphones wirelessly, and you are ready to go. However, if you want to, you can have more to play around with the setup process for headphones; you can EQ higher-end options to sound precisely the way you want it to. This is totally optional, though.
On the other hand, soundbars are typically a bit more involved for the best sound quality possible. To accomplish the same surround sound effect that full surround sound systems provide, soundbars usually have to go through a setup process that calibrates the sound for the space it is in. A lot of this has become relatively automated with modern soundbars, but it can still be finicky, and you have to redo it anytime you move a piece of furniture or decide to sit in a different seat.
Companies like Audioscenic are trying to make this more approachable, but since they are still not as widespread, most soundbars will have a more involved setup process than a pair of headphones.
Headphones vs. Soundbars: Gaming
Single-player Games
Single-player and narrative games emphasize stunning sound design that helps immerse you in the world you are playing, but they do not focus as much on low latency. Because of that, with a quality soundbar, you can get much more comprehensive sound with a wider soundstage for a typically more affordable price point than a pair of headphones with similar performance.
Soundbars do a great job of utilizing the surrounding space to deliver accurate imaging that not only covers the left and right channels but also, with sounds bouncing off of walls and ceilings, gives you a full 360-degree sound experience. This, of course, does vary from soundbar to soundbar, but typically, they can provide a better player experience than headphones.
Winner: Soundbars
Competitive Gaming
On the other hand, headphones really shine in competitive gaming. Whether you are an aspiring e-sports player who plays in tournaments or loves playing competitive games, headphones easily give the best experience.
While good imaging and separation are vital for an immersive, competitive gaming experience, latency plays a much more significant factor. There are wired soundbars, and Bluetooth has gotten better. Still, because headphones can fire the sound directly into your ears instead of from the other side of the room, you may hear sound cues from headphones just a bit faster. In competitive gaming, every extra second to react gives you an advantage over other players.
Winner: Headphones
Headphones vs. Soundbars: Which One is Right For You?
While it would be awesome for gamers to have access to high-quality headphones and soundbars, this is not always an option for everyone. Many gamers typically choose one or the other. Because both soundbars and headphones can deliver stellar gaming audio experiences, it really comes down to what your living space allows and what type of games you typically like to play.
If you are a competitive gamer through and through and only really play single-player narrative games once in a while, you will have the best experience with a nice pair of headphones. If you are a huge fan of narrative games and want to experience the full sound stage that games have to offer in a space that allows it, a soundbar will be the way to go.
FAQ
Q: Is Bluetooth audio good for gaming?
Bluetooth audio will always have some latency to a degree, so it will never be as quick as a wired connection. However, modern Bluetooth codecs and standards have made it more than usable as long as you don’t need frame-perfect latency.
Q: Why are gamers switching to IEMs?
Recently, many gamers have been switching to IEMS or inner ear monitors for their excellent noise isolation, low latency connection, and, most importantly, fantastic audio quality in a minimal form factor.
