Don't you think Headphones have become such an essential device for us nowadays? Really! Think about it! With the expanding idea of “personal space,” headphones have become such an integral part of our daily routine that we carry them everywhere around us. Due to its increasing importance in everyday life, defective headphones can be a real concern for most users. Therefore users are always on the lookout for quick and easy solutions.
One of the biggest problems is the sound of your headphones suddenly turning significantly low. Whether you are attending your online office conferences, your online study lectures, speaking to your friends in a public place, or simply listening to some new trending beats while hitting the gym, sudden fluctuation in the headphones sound can be a real nuisance. Here we explain what could be the possible reasons for this outcome and how you can try to tackle them to help you understand this issue.
Why Are My Headphones So Quiet
There can be numerous reasons leading to the sound in your headphones turning suddenly low. These reasons may or may not be related to a fault in your device. Therefore you need to look into several things to understand your source of inconvenience. Some of the most commonly observed causes are listed as follows.
Improper Socket Connection
The matter of loose connection of wires with the audio socket is a common problem in wired headphones. Without a proper connection, unusual static noises can disrupt the sound of the system. This leads to the sound frequency damping, making it harder for the listener to focus on the device's actual sound.
Besides a loose connection, one of the causes of irregular sound production could also be the accumulation of debris and dirt in the device’s sockets and ports. A dirty socket can prevent the proper connection of wires leading to defective sound quality. If neither the connection is loose nor the port's cleaning is doing you any good, you should try plugging in another device to try a sample test. This helps ensure that your socket is working perfectly fine with other devices, and the problem lies somewhere else.
Connectivity Issues of Wireless Headphones
In the case of wireless headphones, you may not face any kinds of wiring issues. However, the process of connectivity may be problematic at times. Generally, this issue can arise when there is a physical barrier like a thick concrete wall or a steel plank, etc., between the devices. Similarly, a large distance between the media player and your headphones can also be problematic for a steady connection. In case of weak connectivity, the sound frequency may often dampen, leading to lower and bad quality sounds. As a result, you feel your headphones sound quieter.
Incorrect Settings of Your Device
At times, you may notice that even your device's highest volume is not giving you the same sound quality as it usually does. You may also notice that the sound in the left side earplug is different compared to the right side. This may be a result of some accidental changes in your audio settings. You can always recheck your phone or tablet settings to make sure the device settings are set according to your set of preferences.
Playing Problematic Audio Files
Although this one is very obvious, you may want to recheck your audio file instead of rushing to the professional whenever you face audio issues with your headphones. At times, the audio we are listening to may be faulty; hence, its sound appears low.
In this case, try using a different audio file to make sure there is no such issue. If you can hear any other file completely fine, then it is clear that your device is free from any fault, and it was merely the problem of a corrupt audio file. In fact, try using multiple audio files before looking through other issues in the headphones that could be the reason for the low sound production.
The Headphones Are Defective
When you have thoroughly examined your wiring and wireless connection and your audio files, focus on the headphones set itself. Look for some physical damage that may have caused a sudden change in the performance of the device. If no such physical damage is visible, your headphones may have started glitching due to prolonged use. In the case of overuse of headphones, you can try getting them fixed by professionals, or get budget headphones under 50 dollars.
However, if you have been using them for a very long time, it's rarely possible to easily fix them now. A worn-out set of headphones mostly indicates that it's time you replace them with new ones. However, sometimes even a brand new headphone set can perform poorly in terms of its sound quality. In this case, you can contact the company to inquire about their warranty policy. Make sure to get them fixed or replaced as soon as possible before the warranty time runs out. Lastly, if the earpads are in a bad shape try replacing your earpads first.
Ear Impairment of The Listener
If your headphones are working perfectly fine and your audio files have no issues, but your problem persists, you may want to give the doctor a visit. There could be a chance you are facing some problem with your hearing ability. With so many noise pollution sources around us, it is no surprise that so many people around us, both young and old, are facing hearing disabilities very commonly nowadays.
Other than over time disability, different people have different ear shapes. Hence what headphone fits perfectly for one user may not be a perfect fit for you. Therefore depending on your ear shape, you may want to choose a product shape that works for you. Buying a product that is not meant for your ear shape can give you an unpleasant experience. This includes uncomfortable wearing, pain in the ear, and low-quality sounds.
Tips on How To Fix Low Sound Problems of Headphones
Resetting The Audio Settings
For iPhone users, you can try pressing the up and down volume buttons on the sides of your phone. Or you could use Siri to increase or decrease the volume for you. This helps the device refresh its settings. You can also click the settings and navigate to the adjustability, where you can select the suitable settings on the sound balancing slider.
Similarly, in android phones, you can go to the sounds and vibration option to ensure your device is not on mute. Here multiple slider options for call notifications and music allow you to select your headphones' suitable sound options.
For those working on Macs, go to the Apple menu and select the system preferences and choose sound. Now select the headphones options available under the output tab and adjust the volume accordingly to get a louder sound in your headphones.
Ensure Proper Placement of EarPlugs
As mentioned earlier, not all headphones fit all ear shapes perfectly; therefore, make sure you find the most suitable headphone design for yourself. Additionally, to get a secure fit of your headphones, gently pull on your ear before plugging in your headphones.
This shall create ample space for the earplugs to fit your ear. Not only does this help the headphones sit easily and comfortably in your ear, but it also enables you to hear the sounds more clearly. Make sure you remove all kinds of debris or ear wax before wearing your headphones to get an even better sound experience.
Proper Storage of Headphones
Most of the time, problems in headphones' sound quality occur due to the device's wear and tear. To prevent this, we advise you to ensure proper storage of your headphones. Especially in the case of wired headphones, you should never stuff your headphones directly in your pockets.
Storing your headphones in an organized manner helps keep them neat and prevents the wires from tangling. You can either keep your headphones in a small pouch or roll them up neatly. This helps delay wear and tear in the headphones hence increasing the life of your product. Spending a little extra time storing your product right now can help save you the money needed for a new replacement later.
Tape Your Headphone Wires
This one is safer when it comes to quick solutions. If you experience your headphones giving lesser volume in one earbud of the headphones, give your wire a quick scan. If you notice a cut or broken wire at any point, simply go and get an electric tape or duct tape. Hold the torn part in place and wrap a good amount of tape around this point to give it a firm grip. You will notice that the sound quality improves after this quick fix. If this doesn't work, you may be facing the sound issue due to something other than the wiring defect.
Take Care of Your Ears
For those of you who realize the low volume problem is due to their hearing inability must be extra careful. No matter how much you take care of your devices or spend money on new upgrades, none is effective if your hearing gets worse. Therefore you must pay special attention to the safety of your ears.
One of the simple tips that can help you take better care of your ears is listening to music at a lower volume. Excessively loud sounds can damage your eardrums, causing long-lasting and irreversible damage. Similarly, we advise you to remove your headphones from time to time to give your ears some rest between continuous sound exposure intervals. This helps prevent some serious damage that might occur otherwise.
Another important tip is that you should regularly clean your ears. Not cleaning them regularly can leave in moisture that can lead to the build-up of bacteria with time. However, using cotton swabs deep inside the ear canal can be somewhat dangerous. Therefore while cleaning your ears, be careful with the use of cotton swabs. With these few tips, you can try and maintain your hearing ability for a longer time.
Using Volume Boosting Applications
There are several applications on the app store that can help you increase your device volume. These applications can help you hear louder through your headphones. A few of these applications include the bass booster. This one is available to Apple users as it is found in the ios store. It helps hear the sounds clearer and with an amplified sound frequency.
Kaisertone is another ios application that can help you in case you think your headphones sound quieter. It boosts the audio levels to give you maximum sound output. Boom music is an application available for both ios as well as android users. It offers various features, including the surround system effect, to give you better audio experiences. Precise volume and equalizer fx are some other apps that android users can use to hear better sound quality with their headphones.
FAQs
Do Volume Booster apps really work?
Yes, these applications do help increase sounds, although not to a very significant extent.
What causes headphones to stop working?
Overtime wear and tear in the headphones due to the user's careless use can often cause your headphones to stop working before time.
Why do my headphones have low volume?
Various reasons like dirt accumulation, wear and tear, incorrect audio setting, or even your hearing impairment can lead you to hear lower sound in your headphones.
Conclusion
Several incidents can lead to your headphones producing a lower volume than usual. In this case, you need to check all three things, i.e., The hardware, your device, and yourself. A defect in either of these three things can lead to inefficient sound quality in your headphones. Once you find out your issue, you can try one of the tips mentioned above. Hopefully, one of these tips will help solve or atleast prevent your issue.
Now, next time you face an issue regarding your headphones' sound quality, try figuring out the cause of the problem yourself before rushing to a professional or spending money on a new replacement. Remember, little money that you save today can always come in handy later, so give these tips a shot and save yourself some money as well as time!
