How To Fix Headphones With One Earphone Louder Than The Other? (Fix Easily!)

How To Fix Headphones With One Earphone Louder Than The Other? Unbalanced headphones can be caused by a variety of factors, but they are also simple to correct with a few simple, easy-to-learn adjustments.

Have you ever listened to music while wearing headphones and noticed that one side is louder than the other? You've tried adjusting the audio jack, unplugging it, and twisting it but to no avail.

This is especially aggravating when one side delivers a full range of high-quality melodies while the other is slightly muffled or completely silent. You may be considering replacing your headphones with a new pair, but don't do so just yet.

See Also: Multi-Channel Home Theater?

HOW TO FIX HEADPHONES WITH EARBUD LOUDER THAN THE OTHER?

If you have done the above and you are still facing a problem with uneven volume in your headphones, then you can try the below-mentioned steps.

Also, in case you are looking for a new set of earbuds, our recommendation is Samsung Galaxy Buds Live – fair price and awesome sound quality!

1. Clean the earbuds

The first step to fixing one earbud louder issue is to clean them. Take some lukewarm water in a bowl and dip cotton swabs in it. Remove excess water from the cotton and clean your earbuds.

This should remove any loose dirt or other substances that might be blocking them.

Alternatively, you can also use an alcohol-based liquid on the cotton swab to clean the headphones. However, do note that such liquids can result in the headphones' paint coming off. So, do it carefully.

Do not in any circumstance dip your headphones in any sort of liquid as this can permanently damage them. If there is ear wax on your headphones, you can first dry dust them.

To do this, use a soft brush like a hairbrush or a paintbrush to wipe the ear wax off the headphone. Once this is done, you can follow the steps mentioned above to clean the headphones.

2. Adjust the sound balance setting

Another reason for unbalanced volume in your headphones could be the sound balance setting. If the balance is not in the center, then this can result in one side being louder than the other.

To check your sound quality, click on the Settings tab of your mobile phone and then head over to the volume or sound controls and fix the one earbud louder issue.

There you should see an option for experiencing unbalanced audio, sometimes under the Accessibility option in Settings. See if the balance is in the center or not. If not drag it and move it towards the center. Once you do this, plug in your headphones and see if the problem has gone away or not.

Moving the balance completely towards the defective can give you an indication if that side is damaged or not. Sometimes, it can lead to issues such as airpods connection but no sound – for which you can check this guide.

3. Check the wires for any damage

One of the major causes of headphones being louder in one ear issues is often the wires. Most of us fold the wires in an improper manner and this leads to electrical shortages and other issues.

If your headphone wires are tangled, first untangle them. Once you are done, carefully inspect the wire for any cracks or tears.

To fix cracks in the wire, you can use electrical tape to cover the affected section. Tightly wrap the tape around the damaged part, straighten the wire and see if this solution works.

If it does, then you have to ensure that the tape stays on the wire for as long as you intend to use the headphone. Wires often short out resulting in sound problems. To identify if this is the cause, slowly start bending the headphone wire one small section at a time.

See if the sound icon changes. Keep moving along the wire and as soon as you see a chance, mark the section. Sometimes, just slowly twisting it a couple of times fixes the issue. However, if the wire inside is damaged then you might not be able to salvage the issue.

4. Clean the headphone jack slot

Prolonged usage and exposure to dirt and dust affect your device's performance. The slot where your headphone jack is inserted is prone to dirt accumulation. Remove your headphone from the jack and then with a torch to see if there is any dirt inside the slot.

If you see some, take a cotton swab and then roll it into a thin shape. Dip this into an alcohol-based liquid or lukewarm water, squeeze excess water out of it and then attempt the clean the inside of the headphone jack.

After this, take a dry cotton swab and dry the headphone slot. Any liquid left behind can permanently damage your device. Try not to blow air into the slot as it might push the dirt further inside ruining the sound further.

5. Check the mesh for any blockages

To protect headphones, manufacturers often install a thin mesh on them. However, the mesh can also get dirty due to wax and dust. Inspect the headphone to see if it's clean or not.

If you find dirt particles on them, do not blow air on them. This will push the dirt further inside.

Take a mild-powered vacuum cleaner and a hose with a narrow opening to suck the dirt out of the mesh. If the vacuum is powerful then it might damage the headphone. Once you are done vacuuming then wipe off the mesh with a cotton swab dipped in lukewarm water or an alcohol-based cleaner.

A few headphones models come with removable covers. If you have these then it might be a good idea to take them out and clean them with lukewarm water.

If you have been provided with additional covers, then replace the existing ones with the new ones. If the covers are dirty they could be blocking some audio output.

6. Test your phone/device with another pair of headphones

It's easy to blame your headphone's sound when they don't work but there could. be a possibility that there is a problem with the device connection.

Just to make sure that your headphones are faulty or not, try to use a different set of headphones with your device. Sometimes, you might face an amber light issue with airpods for which there is an easy fix!

If the same problem persists, then there is an issue with your device or some sound settings or volume settings. You can use the solutions provided here to sort it out. And if the headphones work fine then you know for sure that there is something wrong with them.

7. Swap the sides

Well, this is a very obvious troubleshooting step but you also need to ensure that the problem isn't with you! All you have to do is to swap the sides.

Put the defective side into your one ear and then play some music. If the problem still persists on the other side of the headphone, then for sure there is a problem with the headphones.

8. Restart your device

One of the most popular tech troubleshooting steps is always to restart your device. A lot of the tech issues seem to go away once the device is rebooted so it is recommended that you do the same.

Unplug your earbuds and then restart your device. connection with the earbuds once the system is booted and experiencing unbalanced audio again with one ear.

9. Reset your phone/device

This is probably the last resort and should only be done once every other step has failed. And if for some reason you don't want to switch to a new pair of headphones. Resetting a device can be a painstaking process but it does fix problems at times.

Once you are done with the reset, check the sound settings and plug in your earbuds to see if they worked. Resetting devices can fix existing sound software issues. If it didn't, then there is nothing much you can do to fix them.

10. Check for signs of water damage

Most of our headphones are not waterproof and even the smallest amount of precipitation can spoil the sound.

Closely inspect the defective side of the headphone to see if there are signs of water damage. Headphones are often exposed to sweat, rain, water spillage, etc and this will result in a defect.

It is great if you manage to spot water damage. Even if you don't, you can try this trick. Take the earbuds and insert them into a container full of rice. Make sure that the entire device is inside the rice.

Keep it this way for a couple of hours. If there is any kind of liquid or moisture inside the headphones, the rice will absorb them.

Take out the earbuds after some time and then dust them off carefully to remove any rice husk. Clean the headphone jack with a dry cloth and insert it into the device to check if they work or not.

HOW TO FIX A HEADPHONE ISSUE ON A COMPUTER?

If you are using your earbuds on a computer then the troubleshooting steps are a little different from the volume Settings/ sound settings mentioned above.

1. For Mac

For Mac users, you first need to navigate to System Preferences. Once you are there, you can replicate the following steps.

1. In System Preferences, click on the Sound option
2. Check all settings in the Sound Effects tab. See if something looks out of place. Fix any irregularities you find
3. Navigate to the output tab and see if the experiencing unbalanced audio is in the center. If it isn't, adjust it
4. You will see Output sound Volume under the Balance controls. This needs to be close to the maximum level
5. Restart the Mac once and see if the problem was resolved or not

2. For Windows

Windows users can follow the below steps to troubleshoot the headphone issue.

1. Navigate to your Start Menu or My Computer and click on Control Panel
2. You will see an option for Hardware & Sound. Alternatively, you can search for ‘Sound' in the search bar
3. Once the Sound window opens, click on the Playback tab. If your ear buds have a connection, they should appear there
4. Right-click on the headphone name and click on Properties
5. Then click on the Levels tab, click on Balance and make sure it is in the center
6. Restart the system and check your headphones

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO FIX YOUR HEADPHONE ISSUE?

Well, then there are really two things you can do.

1. Check your headphone warranty

If you paid a hefty price for your headphones, then it is understandable that you want to fix the sound. Take out the warranty card that came with the product and check the warranty information. However, do remember that the manufacturers will only tend to problems arising out of manufacturing defects.

If it is indeed a manufacturing issue, then you should get a free product replacement. At least you don't have to worry about losing your money now!

2. Buy new headphones

You won't like this but if there is no solution to salvaging your ear buds then you will need to purchase a pair of new ones. Sometimes with time and usage, products can go bad.

So maybe, your ear buds have done their time, and it's time to retire them now. Before you buy one, make sure they have Windows sonic (what is windows sonic for headphones)

WHAT CAUSES HEADPHONES TO BECOME UNBALANCED?

There is not one issue that leads to defective headphones. It could be a variety of reasons and most of them have been covered in the points above.

Issues can range from hardware defects and cleanliness problems to software problems. In devices that have multiple audio jacks, sometimes earbuds are inserted into the wrong jack to connect speaker.

For example, if you insert the ear buds into a mono audio jack then this could result in media and audio player issues. It can be fixed but most of us use devices with a single audio jack so this problem isn't very common.

If you use a computer system employing special sound quality effects, you might want to check if some headphone settings are hampering the flow of audio into the headphones.

Alternative Video: How To Fix Headphones With Earphone Louder Than The Other?

CONCLUSION On Earphone Louder Than The Other

Good audio is essential if you are a music lover or gamer or use your ear buds a lot. And unbalanced audio hampers the experience in a really irritating way.

Hopefully, out of all the steps that you have gone through, you find one that helps you fix your headphone issue. Irrespective of the device you are using to have connection those headphones too, these troubleshooting steps will work.

Use them easily on Windows, Android, iOS, etc devices. And if the above-mentioned solutions helped sort out the headphone problem then we are glad you are back to enjoying your uninterrupted music and best sound quality!

Also, make sure to check out our guide on using apple ear buds as mics on pc. Also, check out this guide on how to disable the headphone jack on android.

FAQ on Headphones Louder