Why Are My Earbuds So Quiet?

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Updated October 3, 2022

If you are new to the world of personal audio gadgets, you may wonder why your earbuds are so quiet. Some of the best headphones, after all, are earbuds, and these designs can experience issues that impact the overall volume. So what causes the best wireless earbuds to lower in volume, and what are some common troubleshooting tips? Keep reading to find out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Earbuds can become quieter over time, particularly when the battery is nearing the end of its life cycle or if the speakers or headphone jack are dirty.
  • To ensure adequate volume levels and decent sound quality, check any volume buttons on your earbuds and any physical buttons on connected devices. Also, check your audio settings.
  • Keep your driver software up to date, as this can also cause volume issues and connectivity issues with any pair of headphones.

Why Do My Earbuds Sound Quiet?

If you are wondering how to make earbuds louder, you are not alone. Volume issues are one of the major problems surrounding earbuds, along with learning how to keep earbuds from falling out. Many issues contribute to a decrease in earbud volume, so you may have to learn how to clean ear wax out of the earbuds, among other maintenance steps. No matter the cause, there are some troubleshooting tips to try so you can conduct that Bose Sport Earbuds vs Bose Soundsport Free comparison.

Insider Tip

Keep your earbuds away from water or any elevated moisture conditions to ensure they maintain an adequate volume.

How to Increase Your Earbud Volume

Each pair of earbuds is different, as is each connected device. In other words, there is no universal fix here. There are, however, a whole lot of troubleshooting steps worth considering.

Clean the Speakers

One of the major analog problems that impact earbuds is a build-up of dirt, grime, and earwax. These gadgets sit inside your ear canals, after all, so some muck is to be expected. However, this muck can cause a decrease in volume if it surrounds the integrated speakers. Clean your earbuds with a dry microfiber cloth and a dedicated cleaning solution that is rated for electronics. As a general rule of thumb, give your earbuds a good cleaning every month or so to maintain an adequate volume.

Check Volume Settings

You need to check all applicable volume settings, both within the ecosystem of your earbuds and whatever gadgets they are connected to. If your earbuds have physical volume buttons, make sure they are adequately adjusted, and the same goes for your smartphone, tablet, or any other connected device. Also, the software you are using within the device can have its own volume knob, so check that, too.

STAT: Due to some phone’s operating systems, you may find your volume is too low. For Android devices, this is most commonly resolved by disabling Bluetooth Absolute Volume. (source)

Update Drivers

Make sure your drivers are up to date, as ancient drivers can certainly impact the volume as you use your earbuds. You can typically update this software by opening up any affiliated apps and checking for updates.

Quiet Earbuds FAQs

What’s the cause of my earbuds being too quiet?

There are many reasons why the sound volume is low while using earbuds, including misadjusted device settings, damaged audio files, a low battery level, loose connections or poor connections, and more.

Why limit the volume of Bluetooth headphones?

Some Bluetooth headphones and wireless earbuds have automatic volume limits to protect hearing. You can sometimes get around these restrictions by accessing the sound settings or audio settings of any connected device.

Do headphones get quieter over time?

Any pair of headphones, earbuds included, could become quieter over time through normal wear and tear as they enter and exit the ear canal. Faulty headphone jacks can also add to this problem, though not with wireless headphones.
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