Imagine that you’re listening to your favorite song and suddenly you feel that the audio volume of your headphones or earphones has reduced. Even if you try to increase the volume, nothing happens. It’s annoying as you have no idea what the issue is. However, asking yourself “why are my headphones so quiet” is not enough. You need to read this detailed guide to get your answers!
If you own a pair of headphones, you’ve probably experienced the problem of them being too quiet. It’s a frequent problem that many individuals have, regardless of their headphones’ type or brand.
In this article, we’ll provide solutions for problems like why my headphones are so quiet and how you can fix them.
Do Headphones Get Quieter Over Time?
If it’s not a hardware or software issue that’s making your headphones or AirPods sound quieter, there’s a fair probability it’s just the earwax that got stuck in the front and back vents.
The possibility of headphones becoming quieter with time is not much (but not zero) because they are simple devices with only a moving coil driving a speaker cone. As a result, your ears may be causing temporary partial deafness due to listening at too high a volume or low-quality headphones prone to distortion.
If you wear headphones outside, be mindful that you can increase the volume to conceal external sounds, particularly the noise from traffic, which is effectively ‘white noise.’ However, it has the potential to cause irreversible hearing impairment.
But yes, headphones, just like any other device, can break or malfunction over time. They’re complex gadgets with external and interior components that wear down over time, preventing it from working properly.
The majority of the time, headphone damage is undetectable. You only hear static in one ear before realizing that your headphones will cause additional harm. In case of AirPods, you can detect this type of damage if your AirPods are connected but there’s no sound, and suddenly, they start working. The ear cups of your headphones may also crack if you drop them.
The most common cause of headphone damage is carelessness. We all have been the culprit of tangling the wires of headphones, not placing them in their case, and not taking enough care of them.
Why Are My Headphones So Quiet on My Phone?
Let us look at some of the most common reasons your headphones feel so quiet!
Issue With Plug
It’s easily identifiable that the connection between the headphone jack and the phone’s connecting hole is loose. It usually happens because of bad headphone plug quality You would either hear a funny sound or strange noises because of a loose connection resulting in poor sound quality.
Furthermore, you could have broken your device’s headphone jack. There could be a chance of port contamination. Either of these issues can make your headphones go slack with sound quality. This problem is major in wired headphones.
Issue With Wireless Headphones
Another issue can be that the media player and your headset are at odds. So, for example, if there are interventions such as you are away from the device while connecting and there is a wall, you may have loudness issues with your headset.
Wireless devices get disconnected or freeze very frequently and easily, which could be frustrating.
Thus, it needs to be checked once in a while listening to your tracks as to whether the connection with Bluetooth or media player is still there. You would get to know about this issue when suddenly the volume in headphones is lower, or only one side gives low volume.
Issue With the Audio File
An issue with audio files arises when any file has a faulty code. So that file may have been coded or recorded to affect the volume of that file, or you may say audio.
That’s why it doesn’t matter how much you try to volume up your favorite song, and you won’t be able to build it to 100%.
Although it seems unlikely, the audio file could be the source of your headphones’ low volume. However, this can happen if the composers record the audio at a low volume.
Issue With the Settings
One of the most common causes of one of the sides of your earphone giving quieter sound than the other one is incorrect audio settings.
If this continues to be an issue, use alternate devices to connect with. You’ll also know whether your phone has a problem with its settings or the headphones have deteriorated. If it works as before, the problem is quite obvious with the smartphone’s configuration.
Furthermore, the audio player you’re using might have a setting that restricts the loudest volume of the headphones. The iPhone, for example, has such a limit in the Settings app that you may switch on or off.
Check to see whether you’ve turned on any noise-canceling features. This reduces the loudness of your headsets, causing them to feel dimmer than they are.
Consider turning off any noise-isolation capabilities on your gadget or modify the volume so that you really can detect activities around you, such as others talking on their cellphones.
Issue With Headphones
It’s also conceivable that it’s a hardware defect. It also causes the sound to be overly quiet. It could be because you just bought your headphones or using the old ones.
It’s possible that the main sound-generating equipment is broken or damaged or some problem is there with a headphone jack. This happens when you use the device for a long period or when it falls, gets into water, or has loose wiring.
This seems obvious, but make sure the earphones’ loudness slider is ratcheted up. Turn the headphone volume to the maximum limit in your phone that you’re using if there’s no problem with the headphone volume controls.
Grit and grease can jam volume knobs, leaving it tough to reduce the level. Push the knobs a few times to dislodge any particulate matter.
High impedance headphones can also be an issue. Likely, your device won’t be able to generate enough power to produce a loud sound. This issue is more common with desktop and laptop computers, and it only affects high-end headphones.
If you have the poor volume on all of your devices, your headphones may have impedance problems.
Insufficient Battery
It happens while using wireless headsets. If you use your headsets on low power frequently, the loudness may well be compromised. Whenever the battery in your Bluetooth headphones runs out, the loudness is dynamically reduced. As a result, you won’t be able to listen to the sound.
Why Are My Headphones So Quiet on Windows 10?
In Windows 10, a low PC volume isn’t an uncommon occurrence. However, software sound that doesn’t level up with the PC’s volume level in most circumstances, you may fix them quite easily.
If you have a low volume on your laptop or desktop, a few options can most likely solve your volume problem.
It’s possible that your headphones won’t operate with the newest software updates if you’re running old drivers. So when you’ve had old headphones and used them for long and new upgrades that don’t work or cannot work with them, this problem can arise.
If there are any accessible updates for your computer’s software, you can try updating them. Pay close attention to the operating system you’re utilizing as well.
Some older drivers may not operate with newer ones, resulting in low volume issues, especially on Windows, notorious for such problems.
Your PC would revert to older driver versions, which may help you resolve the problem. If that doesn’t help, the problem could be something else entirely.
If the problem is in your PC or Windows, it’s important to go through the sound settings once. You can do that by going to the sound settings menu and opening the volume mixer. Try to slide different sliders and check whether there’s a change in the volume.
You can adjust the master volume by going to the volume settings of the windows and adjusting the master volume under the output option. You can also check advanced sound options for advanced checkups.
How to Fix Quiet Headphones and Make Them Louder?
Here are some quick fixes to make your headphones louder.
Clean Them
It takes two steps to clean quiet headphones. First, try to remove any dirt or pollutants obstructing the sound.
Brush the headphone jack lightly with a soft brush to remove the dirt particles easily.
Next, blow out any dust or lint sitting on the ports of headphones using a can of compressed air.
To use, dampen a cotton bud stick with rubbing alcohol and remove any dirt away that you’ve noticed.
Plug Wired Headphones Correctly
Check that the headphone plug or plug for EarPods or other in-ear headphones is placed correctly in the port for headphones.
Check to see if you have properly plugged in your headphones. Ensure you properly place the jack into the headphone socket for over-ear headphones.
If you can’t hear sound from your headphones when using any apple devices, make sure nothing obstructs the headphone port. Dirt or lint, for example, could be clogging the port.
Remove Damaged Parts
You will need to get your headphones repaired or replaced if some of their parts cause a problem in the device. Getting a new pair of headphones is generally a better idea because it ensures you have a functional pair of headphones.
It would be best if you also inspected the wiring of your headphones for any defects. If you’ve utilized the wire for a long time, you may have damaged it. It can also happen because of the sloppy wire tying. The internal link is then disconnected.
Improve the Quality of Audio Files
Try using higher-quality files if you’re utilizing low-quality audio files downloaded from a free source.
High-quality downloads from iTunes or Amazon Music can make a major difference in the quality of your audio file.
Change the Settings in Your Device
If you’re an iPhone user, make sure you’ve turned off the Volume Limit setting, limiting the volume. On these devices, you can also change the quality of your songs by going to the preferences option.
When using your computer, you can control audio quality by going to the Hardware and Sound option and making the headphones the default device under the playback option.
Ensure Your Headphones Are Properly Stored
If you want to keep your silent headphones or earbuds from becoming an issue, make sure you store them properly after each use.
Don’t let them become twisted up by leaving them here and there. It will have an impact on the longevity of your headphones. The earphones can be rolled up and stored in the proper case.
Check the Bluetooth Connection
The loudness of your wireless earphone might also be insufficient due to poor transmission. Check to see if you’ve completely charged your battery. If that’s the situation, try repositioning or shutting them out. If this doesn’t change anything, consider swapping Bluetooth sources, which you can generally locate in the options menu of your gadget or Bluetooth receiver.
Final Words – Why Are My Headphones So Quiet?
So these were a few problems that make your headphones excessively quiet and some potential fixes. You can even make your AirPods louder with these hacks! If none of these work, there may be a problem with the device itself, in which case you should contact customer service for assistance.
We’ll be glad to hear if this article helped you solve any issues with your headphones.
We hope you found the complete guide on quiet headphones and how to fix them useful.
