Why Streamers Choose To Use Earbuds At Their Desk

Streaming has become a popular internet trend attracting thousands of streamers and views every day. Now, if you are an avid stream watcher, you’d notice that a lot of them like to wear earbuds. Usually, we associate gaming headsets with professional gamers. So, why do streamers use earbuds so often?

There are many reasons why streamers use earbuds compared to something like headphones. Earbuds are more portable and high-end ones actually give you some solid sound quality as well. Then you also have the fact earbuds are great for reducing noise leakage and much more comfortable making it easy to stream for hours.

There is more to it than just that. I will go more in-depth about the benefits of earbuds that make them popular among streamers, especially pro gamers who make serious money. So, without further to do, let’s jump right in.

Benefits of Wearing Earbuds When Streaming

There are quite a few benefits of wearing earbuds that make them so popular among streamers. Here, I will discuss each of those benefits in detail so you may have a complete idea of why that is.

Easy to Get Started

When you are just starting out, getting a decent pair of earbuds can be easier than shelling out hundreds of dollars for headphones. Good headphones can cost quite a lot while you can get a decent pair of earbuds for $20.

And most people already have a pair of earbuds anyway. This makes it easy to get started with streaming. That is why so many beginner streamers are seen to have earphones on while streaming.

Great Sound Quality

A good pair of earbuds will do wonders for the sound quality. If you have not experienced a decent pair, you will be shocked to see how much of a difference it makes. In the past, earbuds did not have that high-end sound.

Now, the story is a bit different. You have a lot of players in the field and even renowned gaming peripheral manufacturers who make some top-notch earbuds. Sound quality is definitely one of the advantages for using earbuds.

Built-in Microphone

I have yet to come across a streamer who does not talk or engage with their audience while on stream. Sure, there might be some categories where streamers are not expected to talk much but you will agree with me when I say most streamers do talk to their audience.

That is another reason why earbuds are great. They have built-in microphones which means you can easily communicate with your followers without needing to tediously set up a separate microphone. And I am all for things that make streaming easy and more accessible.

No Noise Leakage

Some streamers can stream for hours. And that is great. When you love what you do, you do it more. The problem can be some headphones can have serious noise leakage. This might end up disturbing others in the household.

It is especially true if you live with a flat mate or a roommate. Good earbuds essentially take care of these problems since they can mitigate noise leakage. Since they sit inside your ear canals the chances of the sound leaking outside is quite low.

They Give You Flexibility

With earbuds, you can carry them with you when you are out and about. And when you are at home, the same earbuds can just be easily connected to your streaming setup. Within minutes you are all set for streaming.

Unlike most gaming headphones earbuds aren’t all that clunky and large. Not only that makes taking them off and on much easier but you can play longer more comfortably on them due to earbuds being light.

Very Portable 

By far the biggest advantage has to be portability. Think of it, you probably wear earbuds every time you leave the house anyway – at least if you’re a music lover like me.

That level of portability is not something you will get with headphones. They are bulky and also sometimes need to be carried on an even bulkier carrying case. The portability is great for someone who does live vlogs or streams from their phones.

Streaming mobile games has also been taking off lately. And earbuds are just as convenient for game streaming on a phone. You whip them out, connect them and boom! You are good to go.

More Comfortable

Some streamers love earbuds simply because they find it more comfortable. And it’s true. Earbuds don’t make your ears hot and sweaty. So, if you’re a streamer living in a hot climate and you don’t have air conditioning then earbuds are basically your only option.

Also, as stated before, earbuds are much lighter than your regular gaming headphones. Streamers are usually seen streaming for hours and large heavy headphones can tire out your neck pretty easily. For that many streamers prefer the lightness of earbuds over headphones.

Disadvantages of Earbuds

It is not all sunshine and roses though. There are some disadvantages to earbuds as well. There are two major ones you need to consider.

Poor Noise Cancellation

Noise cancellation is a feature that stops outside ruckus from entering your ears. Earbuds are not really known to give you the best noise cancellation. So, if you live in a busy household with lots of sounds you might get a tad bit annoyed when you are streaming.

High-end headphones do a great job of canceling out the noise. Although earbuds can provide some noise cancellation, they are not quite at the par with headphones.

Speaking of noise cancellation, there is actually a cool little trick many pro players and streamers have under their sleeve. I will talk about that a bit later.

Earbuds Are Not as Comfortable

The second one is that they are not as comfortable as headphones when you are streaming for longer hours. Headphones come with a headband that easily rests on the top of your head.

This makes wearing them easier and more comfortable for extended periods of time. With earbuds, however, since they are jammed inside your ears, it can get a bit uncomfortable. There is a workaround for this though.

Make sure you get a comfortable pair of earbuds to begin with. And also ensure that the tips or the buds of the earbuds fit snugly in your ears. They will often come with different-sized buds. Pick the one that is most comfortable for you.

Wearing Earbuds Under Headphones

Remember how I mentioned that earbuds do not give you the best noise cancellation? Well, here is a cool little trick. A lot of pros will actually wear earbuds and also wear a set of headphones or a headset over it.

As weird as it might sound, this is quite ingenious. You essentially get the best of both worlds this way. High-quality sounds from the earbuds and also noise cancellation from the headphones on top.

Earbuds are very small. So, fitting a headphone over them will not be a problem either. So, if you already have a pair of earbuds then just buying headphones to get that awesome noise cancellation is a great way to combine the benefits of both in a cool little setup.

Conclusion

There you have it. Many people wonder, why do streamers use earbuds? As you can see there are quite a lot of benefits to wearing earbuds that make earbuds such an attractive option to streamers. Mainly their portability, ease of use and comfort make them so popular among streamers.

I hope this article was of help to you and answered all of your queries. Thanks for reading and until next time, farewell.