How to Make Headphones Louder – In the age of technology, it’s easy to spend tons of time using headphones. Music, podcasts, other types of talk shows, there is a ton of auditory content that exists in the world now. By using our phones, computers, and other devices, we can easily plug in our headphones to listen to whatever we so chose. But a common point of discussion is the maximum volume on a lot of headphones in the marketplace. Even listeners with top of the line headphones seek ways to make their devices louder.
Many would assume that the device the headphones were connected to could not get any louder once at maximum volume. But that is not the case; there are a few ways that a listener can bump up their volume even when the setting is maxed out. Using these easy tips can bring on the sound and give you an even better listening experience. But listener beware, the eardrums are a fragile body part that can become damaged if they are overexposed to sounds that are too loud. Be careful.
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How to make your headphones louder
Here are seven ways you can turn up the volume on your headphones.
Check the File Compression
Over time, headphones can lose their oomph. Yet sometimes you just want to turn up the music. Here’s how to bring back the music.
The key to solving these issues is to understand the “chain” between you and your preferred listening material. First, you have the music itself, then the playback device, then your headphones. Each of these can add or subtract to the volume of what you’re listening to, using both hardware and software. So, all you need to do is start at one end, and find the weakest link, or add a stronger one.
“Compression” raises the volume on the soft parts of an audio file, while bringing the loud parts down. This doesn’t actually change how loud the file is, in terms of physics, but it does create the illusion that it’s louder, because there’s less contrast.
As a result, when you switch from a podcast or other talk-heavy type of audio, which may be heavily compressed to make voices clearer, to a high-quality music file, the latter may sound a bit muted. Similarly, if you’re used to an MP3 of a song, which is highly compressed, and get a high-quality version, it may seem quieter.
Clean your headphones
You can easily overlook some of the most straightforward solutions. If you use your headphones often, there’s a big chance they’ll accumulate dust and ear wax buildup. Cotton swabs, alcohol wipes, or a small cloth are a couple of things that can help prolong their lifespan and sound quality.
Gently remove and wipe down the outer earpads with an alcohol wipe. As they air dry, take a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and clean the crevices. Dab a small cloth or an alcohol wipe gently against the mesh to sanitize and remove any lingering dirt or wax. Be sure to let both sections dry before reassembling.
For wireless earbuds, use a small toothbrush or slightly damp cotton swab and lightly brush the earbuds’ mesh until it’s free of dirt. If there are silicon tips at the end of the buds, remove them and let them soak in soapy water for three to five minutes.
Boost the volume in your music app
Playback can sound different depending on what streaming platform or app you’re using, as each has its own set of default preferences. But you can manage your favorite streaming music app’s built-in volume settings. You just have to know how to access them to boost your sound volume.
On Spotify, you can tap into the app’s Equalizer settings and get bass boosts or a surround sound experience, both of which can increase the volume on your headphones. You can go into the Advanced settings menu and toggle on the Higher Quality Audio feature on the Pandora app, though you might experience some music skipping as a result.
Tidal users can turn on Enable Normalization and adjust the sound settings. To do this, access the Settings menu from the My Collection tab before selecting Loudness Normalization. After tapping Enable Normalization, drag the Pre-amp slider to the right to increase the volume at which the “loudness” will normalize.
Use a volume boosting app
Created solely to help boost your audio output, these apps work with your phone’s built-in audio tools to override its maximum setting. They can be found in the Apple Store and Google Play Store, and both are relatively simple to set up. Just remember that louder audio means the possibility of hearing damage, so be cautious when using these apps. Here’s some you can try for iPhone and Android users.
iPhone
Android
Adjust your computer’s volume and sound settings
Whether it’s a Mac or Windows, interfaces can change the output of headphones.
For Microsoft Windows users, the “Volume Mixer” allows you to set volume settings for individual speakers or headphones. Right-clicking the volume icon or searching “Adjust System Volume” in the Windows Control Panel will open the window to change your sound settings.
To find the sound settings on a Mac, click the apple icon in the top left corner of the desktop, and open System Preferences to locate the Sound menu. From there, a list of output options will show you the volume levels of the connected device you’re using.
If your headphones have a built-in amplifier or volume setting, adjust them first before changing your computer settings.
Adjust your EQ settings on your phone
Your EQ or equalization settings on your phone are usually “optimized” by the manufacturer for a standard listening experience. On iOS devices, there’s a list of different EQ settings that vary depending on the environment or genre. In loud environments, the Late-Night setting gives a significant boost to sound.
Androids also have EQ settings that you can adjust until you find the kind of sound boost to your headphones you’re looking for. The Advanced Sound settings under the Sounds and Vibration menu features the EQ controls for these smartphones. Android offers treble, bass, vocal, and instrumental sound settings to be more precise with your levels. But you can also tweak your decibel levels, and genre pre-sets to get a louder volume.
Disable volume limitations on your phone
Smartphones can have volume limit tools to help protect your hearing. When it comes to Androids, some have it while others do not. If you’re using a Galaxy or any other relevant device, you can go into your Sounds and Vibrations menu, select the Volume option, and then adjust the Media Volume limiter. From here, you can toggle the setting off if a limit was previously set.
Apple’s “Volume Limit” feature also has to be enabled and disabled. Here’s how you do it.
1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Use the search bar or scroll for “Music.”
3. Scroll down to the volume limit.
- Note: You’ll be able to see if “Volume Limit” is on or off.
4. Once disabled, slide the knob to the end to increase volume.
Apple also created the Sound Check feature that, when enabled, plays your music at a consistent level, regardless of how loud the sound file is. It’s only applied to downloaded songs or ones streamed through Apple Music and can be found within the Music menu of the iPhone’s settings app.
Buy a new pair of headphones
If all the other fixes fail, then it might be time for some new headphones. The process can be overwhelming, especially when you start getting into the different specifications and features between brands. But Beats by Dre and Sennheiser offer high-quality wired and wireless earbuds, while Bose and Sony are popular for their noise-canceling headphones. Some research has to be done to find the best fit for your lifestyle.
Conclusion
As a last reminder, I want to mention one more time to be careful when altering increased volume settings. Eardrums are fragile and won’t repair themselves once they’re damaged beyond a certain point. So, give those ears as much, or more TLC, than what you would to a brand new set of the nicest headphones money can buy.