TANGZU - Oxygen

In my quest for the best gaming IEM, I've tried or owned the Tanchjim Oxygen, TripowinxHBB Olina, Softears RSV, Simgot EM6L, Letshuoer EJ07, Truthear Nova, and ZiiGaat Odyssey, among others not worth mentioning. Some $2,000 invested in my handicap of not being able to use open back headphones, which is most ideal for gaming by nearly every measure. Fuck me for having heatsinks for ears! What I've learned is that staging and, to a lesser degree, imaging are critical, yet often under appreciated when you see answers to the question of the best gaming IEM. By staging I mean being able to determine exactly where a particular sound (such as footsteps) is coming from in 2 or, ideally, 3 dimensional space, as well as distinguish it from other similar sounds coming from that direction that are even slightly nearer, farther, above, or below.  Currently, the ZiiGaat Odyssey, paired with DTS:X Headphones (worth paying for! Stick with balanced), Tripowin foam tips, and a decent DAC+AMP, is serving me the best in FPS games on PC like OW2, Squad, Battlefield, Marvel Rivals, and STALKER 2. Of all the IEMs I've tried, Odyssey's staging is the widest, most accurate, and most immersive for my ears. All the others I mentioned are varying degrees of "effective enough" at ensuring that I hear footsteps, but the Odyssey beats them all at telling me exactly where those footsteps are in 3 dimensions. It's also great for general purpose listening.

The Tanchjim Oxygen is a better Starfield. (I have personally owned both) If you see a deal on the Empire Ears Bravado Mk2, jump on it. Bassy default tuning, capable of literally anything with EQ.