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It’s annoying when your headphones sound uneven, right? Fortunately, you can fix this problem yourself. So, how do you rebalance headphones?
Have you encountered a situation where one side of the headset sounds louder than the other? This can make you uncomfortable while playing games or watching movies.
Fortunately, you can fix this on your own. Don’t rush to throw away your headphones and go buy a new one. Let’s find out how you fix unbalanced headphones?
Read more:
10 Best Headphones For Electronic Drums That Make Accurate Sound
How do you fix unbalanced Bluetooth headphones?
There are many ways to fix unbalanced headphones, based on your device
- Fix on a PC
- Fix in Android
- Fix in IOS
It’s annoying when your headphones sound uneven (link)
Fix unbalanced headphones on a PC
For PC, to be able to check your audio parameters, you need to visit the ‘Sound’ section of the Control Panel. Here, you can change the way your headphones produce sound through a few basic manipulations. Specifically, there are three main things that you will need to do including:
- Check the balance of two speakers.
- Check if you have turned off special effects. They can affect playback.
- Make sure you don’t plug headphones into a mono jack.
1. Check the balance of two speakers
The cause of your headphones unbalanced is the amount of sound emitted from the two sides is not equal. Simply put, the right speaker sounds louder than the left speaker, and vice versa. To fix it, you need to follow these steps exactly.
- Step 1: Navigate to ‘Control Panel’
- Step2: Navigate to ‘Audio’
- Step 3: Choose your headphones. Click on “Properties”. Then choose the ‘Levels’ tab.
- Step 4: Select the ‘Balance’ button
- Step 5: At the ‘Balance’ button, you need to adjust until the sound on both sides of the headset is the same.
2. Check if you have turned off special effects
In fact, PCs have built-in special sound effects. Unfortunately, these features can negatively affect the playback of your headphones. So, it is best to turn off all sound effects if not necessary.
- Step 1: Open ‘Control Panel’
- Step2: Navigate to ‘Audio’
- Step 3: Right-click on your headset, click “Properties”
- Step 4: Select the ‘Properties’ tab
- Step 5: In the ‘checkbox’ section, select “Disable all sound effects”
After you completed the above steps, you have turned off all special sound effects, including 3D sound effects. As a result, you can restore the balance of the sound on either side of your headphones.
3. Make sure you do not plug headphones into a mono jack
Using the wrong jack can also throw your headphones off balance. If your headphones only output sound from one headphone speaker, you have probably plugged your headphones into a mono jack. Try following these steps.
- Surely you plugged your headphones into the headphone port.
A headphone port usually comes with a headphone icon. You need to choose the right port for the headphone so that your headphone can sound the same in both speakers.
You need to choose the right port for the headphone (link)
- Make sure you don’t have plugged your headset into an ‘earphone’ jack
Even if you connect your headphones to an “earphone” jack, your headphones will have an imbalance of sound between the two ears. It’s best to read the manufacturer’s instructions to know exactly where the headphone port is.
Fix unbalanced headphones on an Android device
For Android devices, accessibility settings could be the cause. Check if it’s on by following these steps:
- Step 1: Navigate to the ‘Settings’
- Step 2: Slide the list down to select “Accessibility”
- Step 3: After navigating to “Accessibility”, a slider will appear. You can use it to shift the speaker balance left or right.
If accessibility settings aren’t the cause, it is time to check out the ‘Mono audio’ feature. The ‘Mono audio’ feature can remove the stereo effect. As a result, both ears of the headset will emit the same sound.
Fix unbalanced headphones on an IOS device
Like an Android device, the first thing you need to do is check the accessibility settings on your iOS device.
You need to navigate to “Settings”, select “General”, and go to “Accessibility”. Here you can customize left/right sound balance or enable the “Mono” feature
Some other popular ways to fix unbalanced headphones
1. Regularly clean the headphone jack slot
Over time, dirt can build up in the headphone jack slot. This can negatively affect your listening experience. Therefore, you need to clean your headphone jack slot regularly.
Let’s start with removing your headphones from the jack. Then you need to use dry cotton to clean the inside of the headphone jack.
You should not use wet cotton to clean. Water or other liquid as alcohol can damage your device.
You also should not clean the headphone jack by blasting air. This can cause dust to go deeper inside.
2. Restart your device (PC, Android device or IOS device)
It is true to say that you can fix common technology problems by simply restarting the device. In many cases, the problems seem to disappear after we restart the device. Therefore, in this case, you should also try restarting your device.
Before restarting the device, you need to remove the headset from the device. After you have finished restarting the device, plug in your headphones and test again.
3. Check your device with another headphone
When your headphones don’t sound the way you want them to, don’t blame it right away. Your device may be the cause. Therefore, you should connect another headset to your device. If the problem persists, your device is the cause.
4. Make sure the mesh is well ventilated
Headphones often come with a layer of mesh that can protect them. However, it can be an obstacle if dirt or earwax gets on it. Therefore, you need to clean it regularly.
You must not blast air to clean the dust. This only causes the dust to go deeper inside the earphones.
Headphones often come with a layer of mesh that can protect them (link)
5. Check the wires
Your headphones will not work as they should with a set of worn wires. Frayed wires cannot cause electric shock. However, it can be the cause of the uneven sound. They can even damage your device.
Depending upon the extent of the damage, you may repair the wires or replace them with new ones.
If the wires are slightly cracked, you can use tape to wrap the cracked wire. Straighten your wires and use insulating tape to tightly wrap the crack. Then try plugging your headphones into the device to test.
Even if your wire breaks the wires, buying new headphones is not necessary. All you need to do is ask a phone repairman to replace the wires for you.
On the other hand, if your wires are fine, you need to check the auxiliary plug.
Even if your wire breaks the wires, buying new headphones is not necessary (link)
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is headphone imbalance?
Headphone imbalance is a condition in which a headset emits uneven sound on both sides. That means that the left speaker produces a louder sound than the right speaker or vice versa.
2. What are the signs that the headphones are not balanced?
- The right speaker sounds louder than the left speaker or vice versa
- The right speaker is quieter than the left speaker or vice versa
- Both speakers emit uneven sound
- Both speakers are silent
3. Should I throw away my headphones if it makes an uneven sound?
Absolutely not! Sometimes your device is the cause of this problem. Or maybe your headset isn’t really damaged enough to throw it away. It is wise to persevere in finding the causes and figuring out how to solve them.
4. Why is my headphone unbalanced?
There are many reasons that lead to an imbalance in headphones.The following are the most common causes.
- Physical damage: Physical damage occurs when you drop or bump the device. This can happen to both your device and your headset.
- You haven’t plugged in the jack properly: The cause may be that you inserted the wrong jack. Make sure you insert the correct headphone jack.
- The headphone jack is dirty: Over time, dirt can build up in the headphone jack slot. Thus, you need to clean the headphone jack slot regularly.
- Lost signal: It is likely that your headset and device are fine. However, the problem lies in the audio signal.
- The problem lies in the output devices: You can solve this situation with some simple installation steps.
Conclusion
Hopefully, through this article, you can balance the sound of your headphones. Before you throw your headphone in the trash, you should try our tips to fix it. With a little ingenuity as well as patience, you can make your headphones work as good as they were original.