Why Is One Earbud Louder Than The Other?

Why Is One Earbud Louder Than The Other? It’s possible there are a few reasons for this. The first possibility is that your headphones or earbuds need to be replaced because they might not be working correctly. The second reason could be due to physical damage of the speaker in your device, such as water damage and corrosion. If none of these sound like an issue then it may just be that one earpiece needs to be adjusted so they are at equal volume levels.

Why Is One Earbud Louder Than The Other?

1. Audio mixing issues:

Audio mixing problems can sometimes be the reason why one earbud volume is louder than the other. Most of the time, this has to do with audio channels being faked in order to create a better surround sound effect. This is usually done by either under-emphasizing or enhancing certain sounds so they’re more noticeable without actually changing their volume level.

In simpler terms: If you’ve ever walked past an ice cream truck and heard the music at a much lower frequency than usual (don’t ask me how I know) that’s because the mixer wanted your attention drawn to it as well as increase how loud everything else is playing.

Many devices like smartphones and media players use this fake method of outputting audio through both earbuds in order to create a more “realistic” surround sound experience, leading to one earbud being louder than the other.

A simple fix is to just turn up your volume on whichever side is playing at a lower level, but as said earlier you should pretty much just get used to it unless you want a headache whenever you listen.

2. Audio signal problems and loss:

This is usually caused by broken cables or faulty devices themselves. Sometimes just having dirty connections can cause the same problem, so try cleaning any earbuds connected with cotton swabs for optimal results. If the connection’s bad enough it might be best to replace them altogether (don’t forget that both earbuds need new wires).

3. Connectivity problems:

This does not refer to the wires connecting the earbuds together, but rather a problem with your device playing audio through them. This mainly happens when it detects that one side is faulty or too quiet, so instead of simply increasing its accuracy like you would expect it to do, it turns up its volume level in order for both sides to be at the same “decent” quality. Oftentimes this causes one earbud to be louder than the other because it’s basically forcing itself upon you.

4. Device settings problems:

Usually this comes from an increase in bass or depth effect on a wide variety of different media players and smartphones (basically anything that allows equalizer options). Although we’ve all enjoyed that one song or movie that seems to have come out ten times more impressive than anything else, getting it at an expensive price; too much of a good thing can lead to some confusion with your earbuds and their volume levels.

The same applies for audio apps and programs on devices such as smartphones. Some programs like Snapchat or YouTube allow you to further emphasize the bass on certain sounds (like music) in order to give them a “fuller”, clearer sound. Again, this is usually achieved by turning up the volume level on certain aspects of your device’s speakers, again causing one side of the earbud to be louder than the other.

5. Dirty earbuds:

I know, I know, the last thing you want to do is clean your earbuds considering how much we have had to put them through in order to get this far.  I’ll admit, it’s not necessarily something you should be doing regularly, but every now and then a little cleaning can go a long way (literally).

A lot of us are guilty of thinking that anything connecting our devices will be able to withstand the dirt, grime and germs of our everyday lives; sadly this isn’t always true! Pockets are filled with lint and grime which sticks onto cables like glue, causing small build ups over time. Do yourself a favor and take out those cotton swabs for just five minutes before going back into your device’s settings to find out it has turned up the volume levels of both earbuds.

6. Dirty or faulty headphone jack:

This is usually caused by a build up of dirt, grime and other yucky stuff inside your devices’ headphone jacks, causing connection problems and loss in audio quality between both earbuds. Be sure to try taking an old toothbrush near the opening (just don’t push it in!) as well as spraying some compressed air into the mouthpiece if you’re having trouble removing anything from its sides. If either side still sounds off after this then it might be best to go ahead and replace either your cable or phone jack altogether.

7. Ear problems:

I know, I know… now we’re getting to the good stuff! Usually this is what causes the most confusion as some people are completely oblivious to any problems at all. Unfortunately it’s just another one of those “everybody has their own” kind of flaws; in certain cases we might have small wax build ups that block either one earbud entirely or cause them to be louder than the other. This doesn’t happen a lot but be sure to check for little debris before you go tossing your old headphones out and wasting money. Believe me, I don’t want you dropping cash if you don’t need to.

8. Imbalanced left and right audio:

This is essentially when one side is playing louder than the other, so instead of simply increasing its accuracy like you would expect it to do, it turns up its volume level in order for both sides to be at the same “decent” quality (the opposite can happen with right earbud louder than left).

Oftentimes this causes one earbud to be louder than the other because it’s basically forcing itself upon you.  This is usually caused by a small build up or dirty spot on your audio cable that allows more noise to come through on one side. I know this isn’t fun but take out those cotton swabs and begin cleaning the inside of your jack (with some supervision if needed) until you notice a significant change. If none appears within 10 minutes then go ahead and try changing the way you wear your earbuds (if possible).

9. Moisture on earbuds:

I’ll be honest, I don’t really see this happen all that often; however if your earbuds are constantly exposed to water it’s possible that moisture can build up around the connection points and cause problems along with loss in sound quality or inability to play music at all. If this is happening to you then simply allow them a chance to air out before going back into your device’s settings in order for things to improve as well as replacing any wet/damaged wires.

10. Not completely seated audio jack:

This one might not seem obvious at first, but if your earbuds have a loose connection in the audio jack then you’re basically asking for trouble.  I’m not sure what causes this to happen but it usually just takes time and, yep, use to cause problems with my old pair of earbuds; I’ve never seen any other cause myself (whether it be because of dirt/grime or impurities in certain wires).

If possible try taking out the wire from its mouthpiece and making sure that there isn’t an extra piece of plastic which could be holding it back from being fully inserted into your device’s port. Just don’t push too hard! If this doesn’t fix things then try changing up how you wear your earbuds (if possible) or check your audio jack for any signs of damage.

11. Problems with the audio file:

If you’ve taken all of the above steps without success then I might have to drop a little bomb on ya; if there’s something wrong with your music files and you’re getting only static noise, distorted tracks, or anything else like that then this is probably why it’s happening… and unfortunately it can be a bit difficult to fix unless you know how to go about doing so (not my area of expertise).  This issue usually happens when you convert certain lossy audio files (ex. 320kbps MP3s) into more compact formats in order to save space on your device; however one thing we can all agree on is that this type of conversion usually causes the quality to suffer in some way or another.

10. Not completely seated audio jack:

This one might not seem obvious at first, but if your earbuds have a loose connection in the audio jack then you’re basically asking for trouble.  I’m not sure what causes this to happen but it usually just takes time and, yep, use to cause problems with my old pair of earbuds; I’ve never seen any other cause myself (whether it be because of dirt/grime or impurities in certain wires).

If possible try taking out the wire from its mouthpiece and making sure that there isn’t an extra piece of plastic which could be holding it back from being fully inserted into your device’s port. Just don’t push too hard! If this doesn’t fix things then try changing up how you wear your earbuds (if possible) or check your audio jack for any signs of damage.

11. Problems with the audio file:

If you’ve taken all of the above steps without success then I might have to drop a little bomb on ya; if there’s something wrong with your music files and you’re getting only static noise, distorted tracks, or anything else like that then this is probably why it’s happening… and unfortunately it can be a bit difficult to fix unless you know how to go about doing so (not my area of expertise).  This issue usually happens when you convert certain lossy audio files (ex. 320kbps MP3s) into more compact formats in order to save space on your device; however one thing we can all agree on is that this type of conversion usually causes the quality to suffer in some way or another.

12. Switching device outputs:

If you’re using an android phone then I’m not sure what kind of sound settings it comes with by default but most phones will come with at least a basic equalizer which allows for control over volume levels as well as customizations for treble, bass, and mids.  For example if you have one earbud that’s louder than the other simply crank up the volume of the earbud that’s quieter (as opposed to turning up the volume on your device) and you should be good to go.

13. Wires, plugs, or socket problems:

This one isn’t so obvious but if there are any loose strands in either of your headphones’ cables then it could cause an imbalance between both channels and result in one channel being louder than the other; just try holding the cable steady on either side with your fingers and/or wrapping it around a couple times before plugging it into your audio jack.  I’ve also found that some 3rd party chargers seem to have poor quality sockets for charging devices which leads me to believe that they might not work as well when used with certain devices because of the lacking connection quality.

14. Earbud defects:

If you’ve tried everything else suggested on this list and your earbuds still seem to be unbalanced in volume then you might have an issue with your hardware; if it doesn’t sound like something physical is causing the problem then contact the manufacturer for more info about returning or exchanging your defective earbuds so that they can get them replaced (and fixed).

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See more: Best Earbuds for PS4 Gaming

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