How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a full-size wired gaming headset with a genuinely detachable boom mic and big 57mm drivers, choose IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4; if you need ultra-light in-ear monitors that disappear on your head and still take calls, choose YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. One is a classic over-ear PC headset built around a twist-lock removable microphone. The other is a 2.3-gram hybrid IEM with a detachable cable and an inline mic. Both are wired 3.5mm products, but they solve completely different problems, and the "detachable mic gaming headphones" angle is exactly where they split apart.
• IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 — biggest strength: 57mm dynamic drivers at 32 ohms with a 20Hz–20KHz range, plus a boom microphone that twist-locks on and off the headset.
• IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 — biggest trade-off: It's a bulky 16-ounce over-ear with a plastic ABS build and a wired 3.5mm connection, so it's desk-and-couch gear, not pocket gear.
• YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming — biggest strength: A 1DD + 1BA hybrid driver setup at 16 ohms and 110dB sensitivity in a 2.3g in-ear shell, with a detachable 2-pin cable.
• YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming — biggest trade-off: The mic is inline on the cable, not a boom you can position at your mouth, and the cable is the part that carries your voice.
• Who each pick is for: IO CREST for PC and console players who want an over-ear headset with a removable boom mic; YINYOO for phone, tablet and handheld players who want near-weightless IEMs that double as call headphones.
The headline spec here is the driver. 57mm dynamic drivers are large for a gaming headset, and IO CREST pairs them with a 32-ohm impedance and a 20Hz–20KHz frequency range. In practice that combination is about headroom and body: bigger drivers move more air, which is why this headset is positioned around intensifying gameplay and giving sounds more definition. If you play shooters or story games on PC and you want footsteps, gunfire and dialogue to feel weighty rather than thin, this is the design intent behind the PC200-I.
The second thing to understand is the microphone. It's a boom mic held on by a twist lock, so it unscrews and reconnects without tools. That matters more than it sounds. You can run it as a full chat headset during a session, then pull the boom off and use it as a plain pair of over-ear headphones for music, video or single-player games. That's the whole appeal of detachable-mic gaming headphones: one product, two roles.
Comfort is handled by floating ear cups that are shaped to follow the angle of your ears, which is meant to reduce pressure over long sessions. The enclosure is ABS thermoplastic, and IO CREST explicitly frames it as surviving backpack travel and desk drops. The trade-offs are equally clear. It's a wired 3.5mm headset with a 4-pole plug and an included audio splitter, it weighs 16 ounces, and it's over-ear plastic. Buy it if you want a stationary, comfortable, big-driver headset with a removable boom mic and a one-year warranty. Skip it if you need something pocketable, wireless, or light enough to forget you're wearing.
The Melody goes the opposite direction. Each earpiece weighs 2.3 grams. That's the entire pitch in one number. YINYOO builds the shell from a PC cavity finished with UV varnish, fits TPE ear tips and a TPE ear fin behind the cavity, and uses a wrap-around memory ear hook that holds its shape around your ear. The result is an in-ear that stays put while you move, which is why the design language mentions workouts as much as gaming. Three sets of soft ear tips are included so you can size them to your ears.
Under the hood it's a hybrid: one dynamic driver plus one balanced armature, rated at 16 ohms with 110dB sensitivity and a 20–20kHz range. Low impedance and high sensitivity together mean it's easy to drive from a phone or a controller jack without a separate amp. YINYOO describes the tuning as bright, clear and transparent, with deep bass and crisp treble. Groove detailing at the ear cap and short sound guide tubes are there to reduce sound loss and widen the stage. In my reading of the specs, this is a music-first IEM that happens to game well, not a gaming headset that happens to play music.
Two features deserve attention. First, the cable is detachable with a 2-pin connector, so you can swap in another YINYOO HiFi cable if the stock one wears out — that's real longevity for a wired in-ear. The cable itself is 4-core 4N OFC. Second, the microphone is inline, sitting just below your jaw, with remote buttons for answer/end, play/pause and track skip. Volume control is not supported, and that's worth knowing before you buy. The inline mic is fine for calls and casual chat, but it is not a boom you can aim. Warranty is one year. Buy it for phone calls, handheld gaming, tablet use and music on the move. Skip it if you want a positional boom mic or over-ear isolation.
• Best for a detachable boom mic → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. The twist-lock boom comes off and goes back on; the Melody's mic lives in the cable.
• Best for long desk sessions → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. Floating ear cups and an over-ear fit spread pressure; the Melody is in-ear by design.
• Best for all-day lightness → YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. 2.3g per earpiece versus a 16-ounce headset.
• Best for big-driver impact → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. 57mm dynamic drivers at 32 ohms move far more air than a hybrid IEM.
• Best for easy phone driving → YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. 16 ohms and 110dB sensitivity are built for weak headphone jacks.
• Best for cable longevity → YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. The 2-pin detachable cable can be replaced; the IO CREST cable is fixed to the headset.
• Best for music-first listening → YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. The hybrid tuning and TPE tips are aimed at detail and fit.
• Best for PC plus console plug-and-play → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. 3.5mm 4-pole plug with a splitter included for separate mic and headphone jacks.
• Best for travel and gym → YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming. Memory ear hooks and a wrap-around fit versus a 16-ounce over-ear.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 — because the question in the title is really about detachable mic gaming headphones, and the twist-lock boom mic is the feature that defines that category. It gives you a real, positionable microphone for team chat and the option to strip it off for solo listening. In my opinion, the YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming is the better buy only if your priority is weight, portability and music quality on a phone. For a PC-first player who wants one headset to do everything at the desk, IO CREST is my recommendation.
are studio headphones better than gaming headsets
Neither is universally better — they're tuned for different jobs. Studio headphones prioritize flat, accurate sound, while gaming headsets like the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 pair large 57mm drivers with a detachable boom mic and inline volume control for chat. If you need a microphone and a 3.5mm 4-pole plug with a splitter, a gaming headset is the more complete single purchase.
do all headphones have mics
No. Plenty of headphones are listen-only. Of the two here, both include a microphone, but in different forms: the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 uses a detachable twist-lock boom mic, and the YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming uses an inline mic on the cable that sits just below the jaw. The Melody's inline mic also offers call and track buttons, though not volume control.
can studio headphones be used for gaming
Yes — any 3.5mm headphone can output game audio. What you give up is convenience: most studio headphones have no mic, so you'd need a separate one. The IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 solves that with its removable boom mic, and the YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming solves it with its inline mic plus a 16-ohm, 110dB rating that's easy to drive from a controller or phone jack.
what headphones do pro gamers use
There's no single answer, and it changes by game and by player. What the specs here show is the two common approaches: a full-size over-ear with a detachable boom mic for desk play, or a lightweight in-ear monitor like the YINYOO CCZ Melody Gaming with a hybrid 1DD + 1BA driver and a replaceable 2-pin cable. Competitive players often favor IEMs for isolation and low weight, while streamers tend to want a boom mic.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: Uliptz Headphones Over Ear vs Bose QuietComfort 45, WUNIAK Charging Cable vs CNBRO Invisible Mini Sleep, STAR4EVER Open-Ear vs YADGS Headphones: Bluetooth Headphones, ONITOON Cat Ear vs Ozeino 2.4GHz