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Do You Need Headphones To Stream?

I am sure most of the time when you watch your favorite streamers they usually have a sweet pair of headphones wrapped around their head am I right? But do they really need these headphones?

In this article we will discuss whether or not you need to use headphones when you stream as well as things you can do if you choose to stream without using headphones. 

Do You Need Headphones to Stream?

No, headphones are not required to stream, but they are highly recommended. The reason they are highly recommended is because headphones make it much easier to hear what is happening in the game that you are playing and to hear any alerts that you have set up on your stream. Even if you are not streaming a video game, it is still nice to have headphones so that you can hear the alerts that happen on your stream. 

The headphones that I always tell people to get are the Audio Techinica, which you can get here on Amazon. These headphones are very versatile meaning they are good for gaming, music and just streaming in general. Not to mention they look super clean. Here is my pair.

Like I said, you don’t NEED headphones to stream, but let me explain how to stream if you choose not to use a pair of headphones and why having a pair of headphones is a good idea.

How to Stream Without Using Headphones?

If you choose to stream without headphones, then you will want to do two things: one, try to IRL stream like cooking, travel, etc. so that way you don’t have to plugged into a game. Secondly, if you do play a video game, you will want to position your speakers so that you can hear your gameplay, but that it doesn’t effect your game play. You may also need to adjust your mic settings as well just to make sure your mic isn’t picking up your speakers too much. 

If you you choose to do an IRL stream then it is likely that you will be streaming without headphones. You will be focused on what’s going on around you whether you are out on vacation, cooking, exercising or anything else. You won’t need headphones because you can just look at chats and alerts on the device that you are streaming on.

If you want to stream a video game without using headphones then you will have to get creative. Most games are tough to play without headphones, and especially without any sound at all. You will most likely need sound to play your game.

If you aren’t going to use headphones, then you will need to adjust your speakers and mic so that way the sound is still good enough for you to hear, but not too loud that it is playing on your mic the whole time. 

You will want to make sure that the sound coming from your speakers is not too loud, not too quiet and that it doesn’t sound like it is coming from somewhere far off in the distance in your mic.

To do this, you will need to mess with both your mic and the speakers to get the sound just right. I don’t think that just messing with the speakers will do the trick.

As far as adjusting the mic, try going into your setting and suppressing the sound pickup on your mic. You should also try lowering the gain on your mic as well to reduce the sounds that your mic picks up.

If you are going to stream without headphones then you need to get a good mic. A random, cheap mic will probably not be able to make the adjustments you will need to sound good. 

Something like the Blue Yeti X, which you can get on Amazon, would be perfect for streaming without headphones. This mic is super customizable, is widely considered to be one of the best mics today, and has a gauge on the front that measures your sound input.

The meter on the front will register your sound and so you can easily see how much sound is being picked up from your speakers just by looking at the gauge in front of you. 

If you decide you don’t want to stream with headphones, then these are a few of the things you can try to do to still have quality sound on your stream. If you can though, it is better to stream with headphones.  

Why Should You Use Headphones When Streaming?

If you are streaming video games, then using a pair of headphones is pretty much a must do. If you are doing something like an IRL stream, then you can probably get away with not wearing a pair of headphones; just make sure you are constantly checking in on your stream to make sure you don’t miss any alerts. 

There are a ton of reasons why you should be using headphones when streaming video games on Twitch. For one, and this is probably obvious, having a good pair of headphones lets you hear what is happening in your game.

If you are a gamer then you know how crucial this is, especially if you are playing battle royal games like Fortnite or Warzone. 

The pair of headphones you use doesn’t have to be anything super fancy. You can get a good pair of headphones for a fair price. If you are looking for a good pair of headphones, or a headset at a good price then check out the Turtle Beach on Amazon.

I use a cheaper version of this pair of headphones when I am playing on console and they are great.

The surround sound is awesome and helps me to hear what is going on around, like those pesky footsteps of people sneaking up on me. 

You can also detach the mic so you can use your own mic if you don’t want to use the cheap mic that is comes with. I like this mic and it has always worked well for me.

It is durable as well and I say this because I have used headsets in the past that break within a few months of me using them. I hate that. 

As always, if you have any questions or just want to hang with me, stop by my Twitch channel here and say what’s up!



For even more streaming tips and how-to content check out my Youtube channel here. And if you want to check out my streams then stop by my Twitch channel here.

At the end of the day, streaming with headphones is not required, but using them will really makes streaming easier for you.

If you don’t want to or can’t use headphones for whatever reason then there are other things that you can try to do to get by without using headphones.

As always, the most important thing to do is just to stream, with or without headphones. Don’t let headphones stop you.

👋 Hey There, I'm Eric!

Since 2018, I've been making streams come true.

I like gaming, streaming and watching other people stream. I created this website to help streamers, viewers, and gamers answer questions they have regarding live streaming, gaming, and PCs. I am a Twitch affiliate and currently stream on Twitch 3 days a week. I also have a Youtube channel where I make videos about streaming. I hope you find my content helpful. Feel free to stop by one of my streams to say hi.