If you’re a regular user of headphones, you’ve probably had your music interrupted by a pretty abysmal sound coming from both of your ears. Or perhaps you’ve been troubled by the fact that you can’t hear out of one ear at all! It’s the most typical difficulty that most of us face almost regularly and ruins your entire headphone experience which you just didn’t pay for.
You might be tempted to replace your headphones with a new set, but don’t do it just yet. Instead of straining your ears to hear a consistent tune, why don’t you try to solve the problem by yourself? Balancing the sound of your headphones is typically a straightforward repair, irrespective of your device. Let’s find out, How To Fix Unbalanced Headphones.
What Is Headphone Imbalance?
If you listen to loud music on one ear bud and a weak song on the other, your auditory nerves will be fatigued, no doubt about that. The audio transmission technique usually needs the use of two wires to form a loop. Each channel, left and right, is connected by two cables in a set of headphones.
A ground wire is required to prevent impedance or distortion. The cable in an imbalanced arrangement has three wires: left, right, and common ground. The use of a separate ground wire for each terminal improves signal-to-noise ratio, reduces distortion, and lowers impedance signals.
When Headphones Aren’t Balanced, What Happens?
If you have imbalanced headphones, it’s possible that:
- The speaker on the left is louder than the one on the right, or vice versa.
- The speaker on the left is quieter than the one on the right, or vice versa.
- In earbuds, the sound is uneven.
- Both sides are deafeningly quiet.
What Causes Headphones To Be Unbalanced?
One of your audio channels, where the signal is transferred from the audio source to the devices, is often the root of the problem. The signal is divided across the headphones’ left and right channels, resulting in the equal quantity of sound for both speakers.
When the flow of this signal is disrupted, however, it provides the appearance that your headphones are imbalanced.
Unbalanced Audio Channels Can Occur For a Variety of Reasons:
EQ Settings
Changed equalization (EQ) settings are a typical cause of unbalanced audio channels. When more current passes to a speaker, frequencies are affected and the consequence is an apparent imbalanced audio experience.
Specialized Sound Effect
Specialized sound effects are programmed into computers to change the impression of music coming from the sound card. These may be found in the Control Panel and are used to emphasize a mono or stereo sound effect.
Wrong Output
Unbalanced channels and sound might result from connecting your headphones to the wrong output. This is a less prevalent problem nowadays because most commercial audio equipment are adaptable and can recognize input sources.
Wiring and Auxiliary Plug
Unbalanced audio can be caused by problems with the wiring. Simply run your fingers through the wire to see whether it’s good. If you find a problem with the wire, you may either repair or replace it.
Check the auxiliary plug whether the wiring is in good shape. Any issue with an auxiliary plug may be resolved in the same way.
Audio Signals
You won’t get balanced sounds in both ears if your audio channels aren’t operating properly. The voice signals are sent from the audio source to the speakers through audio channels. They transfer these signals between the headphone’s right and left chambers.
To function, most headphones require mono or stereo audio channels. The term “mono” refers to the usage of only one channel to broadcast the signal. Stereo, on the other hand, uses two separate channels, with sounds being sent to the left and right channels, respectively.
If these signals are disrupted, you will not get an equal voice or will only be able to hear from one side. This problem is sometimes misdiagnosed as imbalanced headphones.
How to Fix Unbalanced Headphones on a PC
On a PC, go to the Control Panel’s ‘Sound’ area to see how your audio channels are utilised. A few easy adjustments here can have a significant impact on the sound quality of your headphones. Get to know how to fix unbalanced headphones here.
Check That Your Speakers Are Equally Balanced
The first thing you should examine if you have a problem with sound is the speakers and their connections. The loudness is determined by the amp’s power output and the efficiency of the speakers. Because speakers are extremely sensitive, you should examine them for any signs of damage.
If one side of the diaphragm is broken, you’ll get less power and greater distortion. In addition, a bug in the phone’s app or program might cause the sound to be muffled. Speakers may cease working entirely in some circumstances. If the audio source is overloaded, distortion might occur, therefore make sure you’re utilizing fused wires at all times.
An improper ‘Left’ / ‘Right’ balance may cause a variation in the sound of your headphones. That example, one of the headphones, the left or right, is louder than the other.
Do The Following to Check and Solve This:
- Go to the ‘Control Panel’ and click on it.
- Select ‘Sound’ from the search results.
- Click ‘Properties’ from the right-click menu on your headphones.
- Select the ‘Levels’ tab.
- Toggle to the right of your device and press the ‘Balance’ button.
- Adjust the balance until your speakers sound the same, or restore the balance to make it equal.
Most headphones’ left/right balance may be easily adjusted with this easy modification. However, because it’s a bit tough to discover, it often goes unnoticed.
Look For Any Sound Effects That Might Cause Playback
As mentioned earlier, Windows PCs come with unique sound-enhancing features. These features affect headphone playback, so these could be causing your altered sound perception.
When sounds repeat and overlap, it’s called playback, and it’s a terrible sensation to listen to. Playback lowers output capabilities while simultaneously changing amplification, resulting in harsh tones.
Some of the programs of Windows may affect playback and modify sound perception if your computer does not update them automatically. If poor-quality noises bother consumers, they will often switch off the sound altogether.
To fix This, Simply Turn off All Sound Effects and The Audio Will Return to Normal.
- Go to the ‘Control Panel’ and click on it.
- Click ‘Sound’ from the search results.
- Select ‘Properties’ from the right-click menu on your headphones.
- Click the ‘Enhancements’ tab from the drop-down menu.
- Disable all sound effects by checking the “Disable all sound effects” box.
When all sound effects are disabled, various playback noises are removed, allowing mono audio to maintain equal channels. This disables the ‘3D’ sound effect, but it rapidly restores the balance of your headphone audio by equitably allocating sound to both channels.
Make Sure Your Headphones Aren’t Connected to a ‘mono’ Jack.
Sound quality issues aren’t always indicative of a problem with your headphones. The sound quality of your headphones is greatly influenced by the headphone jack. When you use a mono jack to connect your headphones to the output, the distorted music typically echoes.
When you use the wrong jack, you might get unbalanced headphones. You may be using an audio device with mono output capability or a ‘mono’ connector if you only hear from the left headphone speaker.
Try The Following to Solve The Problem:
A headphone port will be labeled ‘headphones’, or there will be a headphone icon on the device. This means that your headphones will get stereo sound and will sound the same in both ears.
Make Sure Not to Plug Your Headphone into an ‘earphone’ Jack.
Headphones should be plugged in a headphone jack as plugging it in an earphone jack will only create sound in the left headphone.
If you’re more interested in learning about headphones in detail, check out How do Headphones work.
Switch the Sides Around
This is a very apparent step in the troubleshooting process, but you must also ensure that you are not the source of the problem. It’s as easy as flipping the coin. Play some music while inserting the injured side of your ear into a different ear. If the issue persists on the other side of the headset, the headphones are without a doubt faulty.
Restart Your Computer
Restarting is one of the most used method for troubleshooting. Many technical difficulties appear to vanish once the device is restarted. As a result, you should follow suit. After disconnecting your headphones, restart your device. Connect the headphones and verify the sound once the system has booted.
Clean Your Headphone
Manufacturers typically use a little mesh to protect headphones. Ear wax and dust, however, can make the mesh filthy. To verify whether it’s clean, examine the headphone. If you see dirt particles on them, don’t blow air on them. This pushes the earth further into the home.
- Dip cotton wipes in a basin half-filled with lukewarm water. Remove any excess water from the cotton and clean your earbuds. Any loose debris or other objects that are blocking them up should be removed this way.
- You may also use an alcohol-based liquid and a cotton swab to clean the headphones. Such beverages, on the other hand, may cause the paint on the headphones to peel off. As a result, be careful while cleaning.
- If your headphones are covered in ear wax, dry dust them first. Using a soft brush, such as a toothbrush or a paintbrush, wipe the ear wax from the headset.
This way, you will be able to clean the headphones. and if you have sensitive ears, check out these headphones.
How To Fix Unbalanced Headphones on Android Device
You may have to blame your accessibility settings when one earphone is louder than the other on your Android device. These are comparable to the sound options on Windows devices, in that they allocate audio to mono or stereo channels for better listening.
- Try the following to see if these settings have been enabled or not:
- Activate ‘Mono Audio’ or adjust the headphone balance.
- Go to the ‘Settings’ tab.
- Select ‘Accessibility’ from the drop-down menu.
- There should be a slider there to adjust speaker balance to the left or right.
If it doesn’t work, try using the ‘Mono Audio’ option. This will return sound in both channels at the same time, eliminating the stereo illusion while allowing for equal playback.
By changing the ‘Left’ / ‘Right’ volume balance or activating Mono Audio in your Android phone’s accessibility options, you can balance the audio of your headphones. Installing a specific music effects app is a better option. “Viper” is more handy since it allows you to switch on and off as needed.
How To Fix Unbalanced Headphones in iOS
Apple has left/right audio balancing settings that go undetected since they are in Accessibility rather than Sounds. Settings> General> Accessibility is where you’ll find it. You’ll need to swipe down to access the Hearing section, which has a variety of settings.
It allows you to adjust the left/right balance or convert the audio to mono. Blue-tooth linked hearing aids and phone noise canceling removal are two further audio settings choices.
Final Thoughts: How To Fix Unbalanced Headphones
Listen to your favorite music, movies, and audiobooks with perfect speech distribution in both ears without having to buy new headphones.
Headphones can get very unpleasant if the intensity of the earbuds varies. Before you throw your earbuds away in disgust, consider these simple fixes. You can bring your headphones back in sync and have the greatest experience without needing to locate a replacement if you understand how the built-in functions change the sound balance.
FAQs: How To Fix Unbalanced Headphones
This FAQ section is going to solve your problems. Let’s find out more!
Is it worth it to invest in a pair of balanced headphones?
The balanced version may or may not sound better than the single ended version. It all relies on the quality of the circuits, the designer, and the manufacturing process. However, as previously stated, if the circuit is truly balanced, it will always sound better than a single-ended circuit.
What can I do to lower the treble on my headphones?
Changing the filter between the speaker and your ear to a different material, or just utilizing EQ, is a simple, affordable, and reality-based approach to modify treble.
Freelance tech journalist & author of soundboxlab.com …Read More