The Tenner Monitor: Supermarket Earbuds, a Free EQ, and the Flanks You've Been Missing

There is a particular kind of quiet in a UK ranked lobby just before the flank lands. Not silence — the hiss of a cheap fan, the fridge, someone's dog — but the moment your ears should catch a crouch-walk behind the site. Most of us have been sold the idea that this moment costs £120 and comes with RGB. It does not have to.

Over a week of evening queues, I swapped a big-brand headset for three pairs of wired earphones from the supermarket shelf, all under £12, and a free EQ app. The result was not audiophile nirvana. It was better information: footsteps where there used to be mush, fewer surprises, and a tenner left for the battle pass.

The marketing tax is real

Gaming headsets are not magic. Above a certain price you are paying for comfort, a microphone, build quality and a logo. Those things matter. But the core job — putting a directional cue in your ears — can be done by a cheap pair of wired buds if the fit is decent and the tuning is not fighting the game's mix. The trick is not buying 'gaming audio'. The trick is using a free EQ to pull the useful frequencies forward and push the painful ones back.

This is especially relevant in the UK winter. Windows are shut, radiators are clicking, and the flat is full of low-level noise. A muddy headset makes you turn the volume up, which makes gunshots worse, which makes you tired by the third match. Cheap earphones plus a careful EQ is a way to get more signal without more volume.

What I tested

Three pairs, all from the supermarket aisle: an own-label set at £8, a budget high-street brand at £12, and a clearance pair at £10. I am not naming them because stock changes weekly and the lesson is the category, not the badge. All three had the same compromises: thin cables, cable noise when they rub your collar, and no real isolation unless you get the fit right.

All three also did the same useful thing once EQ'd. The own-label pair was the brightest and picked up scuffs and reloads well, but gunfire got sharp. The £12 pair was warmer and more comfortable for long queues, though footsteps sat further back. The clearance pair was the best balance after a small cut around 6 kHz. None of them embarrassed a decent headset for comfort. All of them embarrassed it for price.

The EQ recipe

On PC, the free route is Equalizer APO with the Peace GUI. Install it, point it at your output, and keep the preamp at around -4 dB so you are not clipping. Then start gentle. Every game mixes differently, so treat these as starting points, not gospel.

• A low-mid lift around 250–600 Hz by 3–5 dB. This is where a lot of footstep weight lives. Use a narrow-ish Q so you are not turning explosions into mud.
• A small touch around 2–4 kHz for the scuff, snap and gear rattle. Keep it to 2–3 dB unless your buds are very dull.
• A cut around 6–8 kHz if gunfire stings. This is the 'migraine band' for a lot of cheap earphones.
• A gentle cut below 60 Hz if your buds boom. You do not need sub-bass to hear a flank; you need the mids to stay clean.

On console, your options are thinner. Use the game's built-in mix presets first, then any TV or monitor EQ you have. Do not crank the volume to compensate. The same principle applies: lift the mid-range a little, cut the harsh top end, and leave the explosions alone.

The A/B test that keeps you honest

Do not test this in a live ranked match. Use a firing range, bot mode or practice lobby. Set your volume to the same level for every test. Then get a mate to walk, crouch-walk and sprint at set distances — say 10 metres, 20 metres and around a corner. You score each cue for direction and distance, not for how 'good' it sounds. Repeat with EQ off and EQ on. If you cannot tell the difference blind, you have overdone it or the buds are not seated properly.

A quick free in-game audio test is enough. Most shooters have some form of sound check or bot mode. Use it for five minutes, not fifty. The goal is to hear a flank earlier, not to turn your ears into a studio monitor.

Avoiding the migraine

The fastest way to ruin this is to boost broad bands. A wide +10 dB lift across the mids will make footsteps louder and everything else unbearable. Use narrow filters, keep the preamp down, and cap your volume. If your ears ring after a match, stop. Take a break. Cheap earphones are not worth tinnitus.

Cable noise is the other annoyance. Loop the cable over your ear, use the shirt clip if there is one, and keep the inline mic away from your collar. If the buds came with foam tips, try them; a better seal means less volume and more detail. If they did not, a £3 pack of foam tips is still within the tenner-ish brief.

The verdict

A £10 pair of supermarket earphones and a free EQ will not fix a bad game mix, and it will not replace a good headset for comfort or comms. But for awareness on a budget, it is the best tenner I have spent this winter. The flanks are still there. You just hear them before they hear you.