Introduction
When it comes to choosing the right gaming audio gear, most people hone in on sound quality, mic performance, and whether it’s wireless or not. But if you’ve ever gone through a long gaming session and ended up with sore ears, a sweaty head, and/or a creeping tension headache, you know what’s up: comfort matters. A lot.
Whether you’re actively choosing between gaming headsets vs. earbuds or just curious about what feels right for long gaming sessions, this guide will help you compare the real-world comfort differences between the two. We’ll break down how each option handles heat, pressure, fatigue, and more; so you can game longer as comfortably as you can get your setup to be.
This post is part of our longer in-depth Gaming Comfort Guide that dives into build materials, ergonomic design, and long-term wearability; worth checking out if you want the full picture.
Let’s start with one of the biggest issues gamers run into during extended play: heat, sweat, and fatigue.
Heat & Sweat: Staying Cool When the Game Heats Up
Headsets
Closed-back over-the-ear headsets wrap completely around your ears, which does help with immersion and passive noise cancellation …except it comes at a cost. That soft and pillowy padding also traps heat and sweat, especially during longer sessions. So if you’re gaming in a warm environment, or don’t have decent airflow, things are gonna get uncomfortable really fast.
Some gamers even talk about taking “headset breaks” every couple of hours just to cool down and air out the sweaty skin. If you’ve ever peeled off a headset and found your ears a bit sweaty, you know exactly what that’s like.
Earbuds
By contrast, earbuds have a lot better ventilation. The less surface contact on your skin means less heat retention. And because they’re also not enclosed like headsets, they don’t trap in the moisture from sweat either.
This makes earbuds a great option for players who sweat easily or game in warmer spaces or climates (read: non-air-conditioned setups or long summer nights). Of course, earbuds can still cause discomfort if the fit isn’t right. But in terms of pure heat and sweat management, they tend to win over headsets hands-down.
Long Session Fatigue: When Comfort Turns Into a Grind
Headsets
Beyond the heat, there’s the weight. A lot of gamers won’t feel it right away, but after just one hour, your headset will start to feel heavier. That extra weight you’re adding to your head can easily add extra strain on your neck and shoulders. That weight is no joke either; up to 1 pound on average, or about 450 grams actually, which is about a can of soup or a loaf of bread. And that’s just on average; bulkier wireless models or those with extra features like vibration or surround sound modules will weigh more.
What usually starts out as pure, blissful comfort when you first put these things on, ends up becoming this pain that we rarely even notice. A subtle kind of fatigue that slowly builds up, especially in marathon sessions where you’re locked in for hours. Some describe it like a slow creep: everything feels fine at first, and then you start to notice you’re shifting your posture a bit more, then you’re adjusting your headset more often, and then neck stretches start to take you out of it.
Now, you might be wondering, “If they’re that uncomfortable, why did headsets become popular in the first place?” You’re gonna want to read through this because trust us, we have one hell of an explanation coming up! (We did say this was a deep dive, right?)
The thing that a lot of people forget about gaming headsets is that these things came from the type of headphones enjoyed by music enthusiasts: the Audiophiles. Yes, the official first-ever gaming headset, the Game Voice from the 1990’s, was invented with the sole purpose to integrate a mic into it for online gaming.
And yes, gaming headsets as we know it today can all trace their origins from SteelSeries’ Siberia, which was released in 2004. The Siberia was designed to provide gamers with comfort unlike any other gaming headset before it. In fact, it was the first one ever to be marketed under the term “gaming headset”. But the Siberia was patterned after higher-end premium stereo headsets that people used to enjoy just listening to music with; these things were heavy.
The main difference between listening to music and gaming is posture: people usually sit on the couch or recline whenever they’re in the mood to really listen to their favorite songs or albums, and usually for about the length of a music album at a time—or about 1 hour, 2 hours max? In comparison, gamers usually sit upright for extended periods of time—ideally, the gaming never ends.
The result was that you got a headset that was meant for something else, being used for a lot longer than it was meant to be, in a posture that it was never intended for. It’s the perfect storm of ergonomic nightmares.
Earbuds
Earbuds dodge this ergonomic clusterfrick practically entirely. Their featherlight build of just a few grams on each ear, makes them easier to wear for longer sessions, especially if you’re lounging, reclining, or switching positions mid-play. There’s no top-of-head pressure, no weight weighing down on your neck. Just great, amazing sound right in your own ears.
Well, assuming you got a good pair of these things, that is.
That said, earbuds do come with their own version of fatigue, which we’ll be talking about in the next part. But here’s a quick overview: if you’re wearing these for hours and the tips don’t sit just right, you can get that weird sore feeling in your ear canal. But from weight and the fatigue that comes from using these things for a long time? Earbuds are far less likely to make you feel like you’ve been wearing something all day, when in reality it’s only been just a few hours; sometimes, less.
Pressure Points & Physical Fit
Headsets
Headsets can be a hit or miss when it comes to physical comfort. These things use a clamping action to stay secure on your head. Which is fine for short sessions like the music listening that we mentioned above. But over time, that pressure can lead to headaches, jaw tension, or sore spots around your temples or crown.
And unfortunately, even high-end headsets with thick padding aren’t immune to giving you discomfort. Headsets are designed by factories to be one-size-fits-all. So if you’re lucky, you have a head that’s within that optimal range that the product designers designed that headband for. Too big and the clamping pressure’s gonna be too much; too small and it’s barely gonna hold its place, and you’re likely to rely more on gravity to secure it. And this applies to adjustable headsets too.
Now if you happened to be one of the 64% of all people who wear glasses, you’ll feel these clamping problems even more. Your headset will press your frames into your skull, and this pinching will get old, really fast. The solution?
If, as a glasses-wearing person, you really wanted to go for headsets, you’re gonna have to go for the smaller ones that only cover your earlobes and not make a full seal over your ears. But let’s face it, these don’t give the best sound quality …if they still even make those kinds these days.
Earbuds
With no clamping and no weight on top of your head, earbuds bypass most, if not all, of the pressure or clamping-related issues that headsets come with. That said, earbuds do come with their own unique set of pressure problems: the physical one, and the audio-based one. The physical one is simpler, so let’s start there.
Physical Pressure
There are two main types of earbud designs: in-ear (what most of us use today with silicone or rubber tips) and open-ear, which were more common back in the early 2000s. In-ears won out for a reason: they simply deliver better sound quality for their size and weight. Literally, in terms of raw material weight to performance.
But there’s a trade-off: pressure inside your ear canal.
The problem with in-ear earbuds, as you can imagine, is that we jam these things right into the opening of our ear canals, and this is where the physical pressure comes from. If the ear tip is too big, you’ll get better noise isolation and bass. But you’ll also get a lot more of that outward pressure as the tip pushes against your ear from the inside. It’s like the clamping force of over-ear headsets, but radiating from within.
The good news is that this can all be solved with having the right ear tip size. Most good brands include small, medium, and large tips. You simply have to match the ear tip size with the size of your ear canals and you’re golden. And the best way to do this is to use the largest ear tip first, and move your way down.
That said, that’s just one or two points of contact. Even with a proper fit, earbuds can still slip out—especially if the tips are made from smooth, low-friction rubber or silicone. This is where sport hooks come in.
Taking a cue from mountain and rock climbers, we can simply add a third point of contact to improve the fit and stability.
Earbuds already rely on two points of contact: pressure inside the ear canal and the natural pull of gravity. A sport hook adds a third, anchoring the earbud to your ear’s outer structure.
Sport hooks aren’t actually anything new. Those loop-over-the-ear designs are most associated with runners, fitness people, and secret agents. But for those who want something more low-profile, some newer designs of sport hooks hook right into the inner ridges of your ear (like the concha or upper lobe) for a more discreet fit.
The Beats Fit Pro, for example, uses a flexible wing that secures itself to the upper ridge of your ear. Others, like SAN Sound’s SANWEAR lineup, take a different approach—anchoring the earbud inside the concha, which is closer to the ear canal opening, adding just enough counter-pressure to keep the bud stable without relying solely on the canal fit.
Bottom line? A properly-fitting ear tip and a well-designed sport hook can help a lot in improving not just comfort, but also securing your earbuds well. And if you’re gaming for hours at a time, that combo actually helps reduce fatigue and the annoyance from you constantly needing to reset the earbuds that keep falling out.
Let’s move on to the second, and arguably the more important kind of pressure to fix: the audio-based one.
Audio-Based Pressure
A poor ear tip fit can lead to ear canal soreness and the need to constantly readjust your earbuds during gameplay. This is usually a result of poor-fitting ear tips from using the wrong size, or using low-quality tips that don’t provide any kind of grip on your ear canal opening.
And if the tips seal too tightly, or if you have earbuds that aren’t properly tuned right (the bass, mids, and/or highs are out of balance, with one or more overpowering the others), you will experience “ear fatigue” from internal pressure buildup.
Still, many gamers find the lack of bulk and clamping pressure refreshing. Especially when they’ve struggled with tight headsets for years, without any good alternatives. Fortunately, we have a lot of options now.
This is just a quick overview. We’ll go deeper and compare headsets and earbuds in greater detail in another section below, because we believe that this is one of the most important, but least talked about aspects of audio gear.
Weight, Mobility & Ergonomic Endurance
Headsets
There’s no getting around it: most gaming headsets are big and bulky. These are fine when you’re dug-in at your gaming station. But after a while, that weight—especially from wireless models with built-in batteries—starts taking its toll. It might first start showing up as a very minor neck strain, or it can end up snowballing into full-blown muscle aches that go all the way to your back and shoulders.
If you like to lounge back on the couch, recline, or switch positions a lot, big headsets can also be restrictive. The extra weight can throw off your head’s weight distribution, which in turn helps increase the strain these have on your neck. And the bulk also means that you can’t lean or lie down on your side while wearing these; not comfortably at least.
Earbuds
Earbuds on the other hand, are about as lightweight and low-profile as it gets. And it’s gonna just keep getting more lightweight and low-profile as the tech improves. Earbuds are great for people who like to, or tend to move around during gaming sessions since the lack of extra significant weight won’t put any extra strain on your neck and shoulders.
Because they don’t rely on a headband (which in turn relies on a clamping force to secure these on your head), earbuds let your head and neck stay free and relaxed for longer. If mobility and minimalism matter to you, earbuds are a huge comfort win.
And if they’re wireless, you won’t have to deal with cords that snag on stuff either. While you can just unplug and plug your 3.5mm headphone jack into different devices, wireless earbuds are great for couch gaming, on handhelds, or even using these things out in public—and yes, I’m talking about just one pair of earbuds filling all of these roles.
Audio Comfort: When Sound Itself Becomes Fatiguing
Comfort and fatigue isn’t just limited to the physical. Audio comfort is all about how your ears physically respond to prolonged exposure to certain sound signatures, volume levels, and frequencies. So yes, even sound waves can wear you down.
Ever had those cheap $1 earphones at the DollarTree? The ones you used to get for only for emergencies?
Sometimes you get a good one, but most of the time they’re garbage that leave your ears ringing if you listen to them for more than 20 minutes at a time. And you only ever notice these things when you replace them with better ones because usually, these things tend to sound alright.
Headsets
With most over-ear headsets, especially gaming models, the sound profile tends to lean toward bass-heavy and “immersive”—this is how they get you. They can feel powerful and cinematic, and wow you when you first put them on. But over time, the constant low-frequency rumble or boosted treble can start to give you a headache. This is what’s called listening fatigue.
Closed-back designs can also trap and amplify the sound closer to your ear drum, which creates an intense, sometimes overwhelming experience that some people can find tiring after a while.
High volume combined with poor tuning results in ear fatigue. Even the mild hissing that we really need to stop and force ourselves to pick up, the sibilance, and the sharp highs. All of these can trigger discomfort over time.
Especially when you’re gaming, and the audio flips back and forth between long walks of silence, and constant gunfire, explosions, and voice comms. Because you have these things on you for hours at a time, you just don’t notice the discomfort until it’s too late. And usually you’d think the headache you’re having was because of the eye strain.
Earbuds
Earbuds, especially those tuned more neutrally, can sometimes feel more forgiving during extended use. Their open or semi-open nature (depending on the design) allows a bit more “breathing room” for your ears, especially at lower volumes, and even with the closed ear tips type.
However, again… poorly tuned or cheap earbuds won’t save the day. Their small drivers often lack the clarity or balance needed to avoid distortion, which can create a harsh or tinny sound that’s even more tiring than that silent hiss from bass-heavy headsets. And let’s be 100% fair here: a lot of earbuds, especially among those bass-heavy $20 IEM’s, have this same exact problem as gaming headsets: heavy bass and the lack of fine-tuning can wear you out even more!
It’s because earbuds funnel audio directly into the ear canal, and it seals it too. So the poorer-quality earbuds end up really showing their quality (or lack of) because a lot of the outside noise gets blocked out a lot better than the closed-back designs of headsets. And everything gets amplified even more.
If your drivers lack the bass that it needs, the sound can feel shouty, tinny, or abrasive, especially at higher volumes. And if your earbuds have drivers that are “bass-boosted” and they’re not well-tuned, that’s just a one-way trip to Headache Town, Population: You!
What Matters
Ultimately, audio fatigue from sound comes down to audio tuning and good driver quality. Having the lack of both will result in you trying to compensate with higher volumes, and when that happens you’re simply making it worse for you.
Nothing can beat a well-balanced headset or pair of earbuds. The ones with clean mids and highs, controlled but still powerful bass that gives you what you need, and proper driver quality that’s well-tuned. These will almost always be more comfortable than gear that’s just “loud” and “bassy”.
The downside is that these features are behind a higher paywall. Yes, you can get decent performance from gaming headsets and even the IEM style earbuds at the $10 to $20 price range. You can get good quality drivers at that range—for sure! But tuning is another matter entirely.
Anyone can theoretically slap a bunch of magnets and rare earth metals and come up with what can technically be classified as an audio driver that produces sound. But anyone can also slap a bunch of wooden pieces of strings together and call that a guitar too. The difference between a good guitar and a great sounding one is the right balance and proportions between that structure. This is what tuning ultimately is, and there are no shortcuts to achieving great sound.
If you find yourself turning the volume down more often than you have to, or needing breaks and taking these off just to “let your ears breathe a little”, that’s usually a sign that your audio gear may not be fit for long-term gaming.
And this is a simple test you can do: can you put on your headphones or earbuds, plug them into your device, not play anything, and not get a headache in the next hour or so? That’s the easiest way you can tell.
Want to Get The Best of Both Worlds? Go Hybrid
Let us teach you a lifehack for a second: there’s no reason to stick to just one team.
Team Earbuds or Team Headsets…
Team PC or Team Consoles…
Team Red or Team Blue…
Okay, that last one you might need to pick a side due to driver-related issues …but you get the point!
Many gamers don’t stick to just one setup, and instead prefer to have multiple variations of their gear. And for good reason: hybrid setups are increasingly becoming more common, especially among players who balance different types of games, or those who switch between short and long sessions, home-based or mobile, etc.
Many gamers rotate between earbuds and headsets depending on…
- Their gaming session length,
- Their comfort needs,
- The setup type, and even
- The genre of game that they’re playing.
Having options and flexibility in your gear setup, as opposed to having just one “endgame setup” could be the best setup for most people.
For example, a gamer might use earbuds for casual, quick matches or mobile/handheld gaming where portability and lightness matter. Then they’ll switch to over-the-ear headsets for when they’re dug in on long dungeon raids and competitive matches. You know…
The type where you’re taking a day off of work or school to be fully in on it. You’re whipping out the full snack tray rather than just a few bags of chips and drinks you usually do on the side. And best of all, the A/C is on full blast so you won’t need to worry about the heat buildup—these types of all-in gaming sessions.
Yes, if you’re in university, or fresh out of it and you’re just starting your career, you are going to encounter some budget limitations. This is the era where you actually have to be more vigilant about your spending because it’s crucial that you set yourself up right and don’t go broke at this stage.
But right after that part, the world starts to open up a bit more, and you’ll simply start noticing that you have both the budget and inventory space to have some of the finer things in life, or more stuff.
(Coincidentally this is also the same stage where a creeping void of emptiness manifests inside people that causes them to spend a lot of money on shopping, more than what they normally do …but we don’t have to talk about that now.)
The point is: you don’t have to choose just one. If you can, why not have both??
BONUS: Cleaning & Maintenance — Comfort Over Time
Not to stereotype gamers (because we have come a long way since the early days and deserve some love for it), but what’s the one thing that often gets overlooked when discussing comfort?
Hygiene.
All of your gear deserves a bit of love and maintenance every now and then, and both of your earbuds and headsets are no exceptions. Being exposed to sweat, dead skin cells, and ear wax constantly, these things need regular cleaning for you to stay as comfortable as you can.
And also for sanitary reasons, which goes hand-in-hand. Here are the basics when it comes to maintaining your earbuds and headsets:
- Earbuds are prone to wax buildup, given that these things rest directly on the outside of your ear canal. Having wax buildup can affect both the comfort and sound quality since these can become slippy, and in extreme cases the wax can cover the port holes.
- You can regularly take out the ear tips and wash them in soap and water. But if you can’t, you can do a quick clean and wipe them off with some tissue and rubbing alcohol.
- Some earbuds are IPX5 certified, which means they are waterproof and can be washed directly under running water. If you want to be more cautious, however, don’t submerge it under water, or don’t run it under water for too long.
- Take note, however, that some ear tips, especially those that have memory foam, can degrade when rubbing alcohol is introduced to them. Instead just wash them with soap and water.you can gently wipe these tips with a damp cloth using only water, and then allow them to air dry.
- Headsets, as we’ve discussed extensively, can absorb sweat, oils, and dust, especially on the ear pads and headband. Without regular cleaning, they’ll start to smell and cause skin irritation over time. Since headset pads are usually foam-based, alcohol will ruin them too, so here’s how to clean them:
- If you can take off the padding, gently wipe the surface with a damp, soft cloth and mild detergent. Taking it out helps ensure that no water can breach your device, which is very important if your headset isn’t IPX5 certified. If you can’t take the pads out, just be careful in wiping the surface with the damp soft cloth.
- For those with leather pads, use a dedicated leather conditioner sparingly, and ensure that the pads are completely dry before reattaching.
Look, we’d rather be gaming and doing literally everything else instead of doing a bit of maintenance every now and then. But neglecting this necessary part of the process can turn even the most high-end gear into the absolute, most disgusting piece of biohazard threat to humanity.
If you’re investing in audio equipment for the long run, maintenance matters just as much as your enjoyment of these devices..
Conclusion: Find What Feels Right for You
At the end of the day, comfort is subjective. But there are always good rules of thumb to follow.
These tips aren’t for you just so you can be more comfortable. You need to take care of yourself, and if you ever plan to be gaming, whether it’s for long marathon sessions or quick matches, we can all benefit from avoiding unnecessary fatigue, and making sure that your gear actually helps you, rather than distracts you.
Here’s a quick summary of our main points:
- Heat & Sweat: Earbuds stay cooler and drier than headsets, especially during long or warm gaming sessions.
- Long Session Fatigue: Headsets get heavy over time, while earbuds remain practically weightless and less tiring.
- Pressure Points & Fit: Headsets clamp down and cause pressure; earbuds avoid this but require proper sizing and optional hooks.
- Weight, Mobility & Endurance: Headsets limit movement and strain your neck, but earbuds stay light and flexible for all positions.
- Sound Quality & Immersion: Headsets offer richer sound and better immersion, but earbuds have improved enough to compete closely.
Ultimately, the best choice is the one that works for you, and your use case. Our bodies and our circumstances are all different, and it’s best to really get the right device for you to get the best comfort that you can. Choose what fits your lifestyle, playstyle, comfort, and ergonomics. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to try new things and mix things up!
If you want our recommendations on the most comfortable earbuds and headsets, you can find our guide here.
