There are times when our headphones produce muffled sounds. In such situations, whatever we hear becomes low despite increasing the sound volume on our device. When this happens, there is something wrong with our headphones.
Headphones sound muffled due to various reasons such as damaged wires or speakers. The connection to the audio device may be weak or loose. Another reason is that water may have gone in your headphones. In headphones that are not water-proof, moisture can damage the internal wiring.
Want to fix your headphones without further delay? First, you need to check the reason for the damage before fixing it. This post will help you detect the cause to find a method to fix it.
- Why Do My Headphones Sound Muffled?
- Option #1: Check for Issues in Wired or Wireless Connection to the Audio Device
- Option #2: Check for Dirt or Debris in the Headphones
- Option #3: Check for Any Damage Due to Moisture
- Option #4: Check for Blown Speakers
- Option #5: Check if Your Headphone Wires Are Damaged
- Option #6: Check if There Is an Issue With the Audio Device
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do My Headphones Sound Muffled?
Headphones sound muffled when the components in them get damaged. It can also occur due to obstruction in headphones due to dirt or moisture.
Below are the many reasons why a headphone could get damaged.
Option #1: Check for Issues in Wired or Wireless Connection to the Audio Device
Check if your wired headphones are connected to the audio jack properly. A loose connection causes your headphone audio to be muffled and inconsistent sound quality.
Mismatched codecs are a common reason for audio issues in Bluetooth headphones. Codecs compress and decompress the audio format transmitted through headphones.
If the audio device and Bluetooth headphones have different codecs configured, it can lower audio quality as they switch to lower-level codecs.
Low battery levels are another reason for low audio quality. The performance of headphones reduces without enough power.
Option #2: Check for Dirt or Debris in the Headphones
Over time, dust debris, earwax, and lint collect in your headphones. It is essential to clear the dirt on your headphones every week to prevent the build-up of such materials.
You can quickly clear the dirt build-up in the audio jack connection point or headphone speakers using compressed air or gently swabbing the surface with a dry cotton ball.
Check the IP rating of your headphones while buying them. Those with a high IP rating have a more air-tight and secure connection.
Option #3: Check for Any Damage Due to Moisture
Moisture causes irreversible damage to headphones coming in contact with the electric wires and other components inside. It could be due to a moist climate or contact with water.
Nowadays, you get water-resistant headphones. Also, you can check the IP rating. It tells you the limit of water headphones can resist before suffering permanent damage.
Option #4: Check for Blown Speakers
Every speaker houses a voice coil inside. Listening to your headphones at high volumes for long periods can slowly weaken this coil. In time, the speakers also blow out. The voice coil can handle minimal power and volumes. Anything extra stresses it.
If you think your earphones are blown, check them using a multimeter. Headphones in working condition will give you a reading of 1 for impedance. Over-blown speakers have a reading of infinity.
Option #5: Check if Your Headphone Wires Are Damaged
The wires cased inside the rubber covering of your headphones are the most crucial part. They are also one of the weakest parts. These wires carry the electric signal from the audio device to your headphone speakers.
Due to bad management, constant cable pulling and frayed rubber covering the wires can get damaged. Internal damage is most often impossible to detect unless the wires are frayed. It results in severely muffled headphones.
Option #6: Check if There Is an Issue With the Audio Device
If you have checked all the above options and still don’t see an issue on your end, the problem could be with your audio device. Try testing your headphones with other audio devices like your laptop or smartphone to see if it’s working correctly. If it’s working fine with other devices, the problem may be with your audio source.
Conclusion
Very often, after a long time, you may find your headphone volume lessened or muffled. Plenty of reasons like moisture damage or debris can be responsible for this.
Damage to the internal voice coil can cause blown speakers. This happens when headphones are used at loud volumes frequently. So, it is crucial to diagnose the cause properly and fix it soon as possible. We hope this article helped you understand the issue better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before fixing the issue, we must diagnose it. If debris and dust have piled in, they need to be cleaned up using a cotton swab. If the headphone speakers are overblown or damaged by moisture, then replacing them would be a good choice.
As damage seems unlikely in new headphones, check for a loose connection to the audio device. Another likely reason is the audio source isn’t proper and needs changing.
