How Gaming Brands Enter the Audio Market: ANC Earphone ODM Case Study

When a Top Gaming Brand Steps Into Audio: What We Learned From This ODM ANC Earphone Project，Why gaming companies entering audio need a different development mindset — and how deep acoustic R&D can make or break the launch.

1. The First Meeting: When a Gaming Brand Asks for HiFi-Level Testing

In a recent video meeting with an ODM gaming brand customer — a fast-growing global gaming peripherals brand known for its mice and keyboards — the discussion quickly took an exciting turn.

They asked a question we rarely hear from non-audio companies:

“Do you have a real HiFi audio testing system? Not just the typical CRY 6151.”

I switched on my camera, walked into our Acoustic Testing Room, and showed them our B&K 4128 Artificial Head with Ears.

The moment they saw it, their eyes lit up.

Most factories only use standard production testers.
B&K 4128, however, offers:

• True human acoustic simulation (head + pinna + ear canal)
• High-resolution HiFi measurements
• Data depth far beyond normal QC testers
• Essential accuracy for multi-driver, ANC, and gaming tuning

That moment instantly aligned our development direction.
They understood we weren’t just another “earphone assembler” — we were ready for real audio engineering.

2. The Challenge: Can ANC Earphones Be Tuned for the Gaming Market?

The client wanted something bold:

👉 A gaming-focused ANC earphone, not a music TWS.
👉 With a V-shaped target curve — deep lows + bright highs.
👉 A signature sound that stands out in the gaming scene.

Their target curve looked like classic gaming EQ:

• Very low bass floor
• Very high treble extension

At first, we considered balanced armature drivers.
BA drivers naturally produce:

• Tight, clean bass
• Clear, lifted highs
• Fast transient response (good for footsteps & direction cues)

But then the acoustic reality hit:

❗ For strong ANC, low frequencies cannot be too low

ANC requires:

• Enough low-frequency acoustic presence
• Stable back volume
• Predictable diaphragm behavior

If the bass is too weak, ANC loses cancellation depth — especially below 200Hz.

So we sat down with the client, walked through the physics, and re-shaped the tuning target so ANC could perform properly.

To their credit, they immediately understood.
Great brands listen to engineering.

3. The Conversation Behind the Scenes

Internally, I asked our engineer:

“Is this project difficult?”

One of our 95-born engineers answered calmly:

“Not really. It just needs time and patience.”

People often assume high-end ANC + gaming tuning must be extremely complex.
In reality, with the right tools, the right iterative process, and the right expectations — it becomes a solvable engineering puzzle.

That confidence was exactly what the client needed.

4. Why Gaming Companies Entering Audio Need a Different Approach

From our exchanges, we learned that this gaming brand is:

• Strong in mouse & keyboard hardware
• Growing rapidly
• Planning collaborations with major partners
• Preparing to invest heavily in their first audio line
• Motivated to build a representative “flagship” ANC gaming earphone

But they also admitted:

“This is a big adventure. We can’t confirm quantities yet.”
“If the ANC model and the gaming model succeed, we’ll expand further.”

This is extremely common when gaming brands enter audio:

They know the gaming market.

But audio is a whole different battlefield.

Success depends on:

• Acoustic tuning
• ANC/ENC signal processing
• Driver configuration
• Chamber design
• Real HiFi measurement
• Iterative A/B listening
• Rapid prototyping
• Supply chain discipline

This is where a real audio OEM/ODM partner becomes the determining factor.

5. Why This Project Will Likely Succeed

Three reasons:

① They invest aggressively.

Gaming brands that rise fast don’t hesitate — they move, test, iterate, and reinvest.

② They understand brand momentum.

They know that a strong flagship audio product can create a chain reaction across their ecosystem.

③ They listen to engineering.

Accepting the tuning adjustment for ANC was a critical turning point.

From our perspective, we’re not just building an earphone —
we’re helping them build their first audio identity.

6. The Bigger Question for the Community

This whole journey raises an interesting industry question:

🎮 Can ANC earphones become truly competitive in gaming?
Or does ANC interfere with positional accuracy and cue clarity?

With the right architecture, the answer can be yes — but only when tuning and ANC structure are engineered together, not separately.

7. Final Thoughts

Working with ambitious gaming brands entering the audio world is always fascinating.
They bring creativity, design vision, and marketing power.
We bring acoustic engineering, measurement capability, and ODM experience.

And somewhere in the middle — great products happen.

If you’re a brand exploring your first audio line, or planning to move from keyboards/mice into earphones/headphones, we’re always open to discussing development paths, driver configuration, ANC strategies, or even early-stage feasibility studies.

Audio thrives when engineering and imagination meet.