Headphones are the preferred portable devices for enjoying your favorite music tracks, podcasts, and audiobooks. However, a deep sense of disappointment might result when you slap the headphones on, and the sound ends up muffled or distorted. This blog post identifies the possible reasons why your headphones sound is muffled and discusses potential solutions to restore your audio experience.
But let me first answer the question about what a muffled sound is.
What Is Muffled Sound?
Muffled sound refers to faint or unclear audio, as if something is obstructing it between the source and your ears. This effect occurs when barriers interfere with the direct path of sound waves, preventing them from reaching you clearly. For instance, if you’re in a meeting and your headphones produce muffled audio, making it difficult to understand what’s being said, it can be quite embarrassing. Similarly, when watching a movie with a muffled sound, you might struggle to hear the dialogue, leading to frustration. This might tempt you to crank up the volume to potentially harmful levels, risking damage to your hearing. Now that we both understand what muffled sound is let’s explore the common causes of this issue with headphones.
Related: How to Fix Bluetooth Earbuds that Work on One Side
What Causes Muffled or Distorted Sounds in Headphones?
Muffled sound can be caused by various factors, including faulty hardware, incorrect audio settings, poor connection, or sub-optimal equalizer configurations. Here are some other reasons why your headphones are sounding muffled.
1. Exposure to Moisture
Moisture exposure is a frequent reason sounds become muffled. This happens when there is even a slight drizzle, whether you sweat during your outdoor workout or the humidity is at an uncomfortably high level. The moisture can potentially damage the internal components or cushions of the headphones, which in turn will cause poor sound quality or even permanent malfunction.
2. Disrupted Wireless Connection
A weak wireless connection may cause the audio to be transmitted at a lower-than-expected rate or signal losses at regular intervals. A frequent cause of this is when drivers in the headset or the pairing with the device that caused the problem have defects. Reinstalling or updating the drivers that seem to be working properly often fixes the issue without going any further. Moreover, moving out of the supported range of Bluetooth headphones will also result in signal loss and can cause muffled sound.
3. Mud and Debris
Over time, headphones can accumulate dust, lint, and other debris from regular use. This build-up can become caked on the speaker grill, obstructing the sound and causing it to become muffled. When sound waves have to travel through layers of dirt, the clarity and quality are significantly reduced, leading to a muffled listening experience.
4. Broken Wires
Those wires in your headphones are the main carriers of electrical signals from your device to the speakers, making them very important. It should be kept in mind that the wires are not only quite soft but are also subject to potential damage if they are pulled, bent, or mishandled. A cable with a protruding wire is relatively easy to spot, whereas one that is damaged internally is not that clear. Both of them can be the causes of muffled or distorted sounds.
5. Overpowered and Damaged Speakers
Headphone speakers are equipped with a voice coil, which is crucial for powering the speaker. However, this voice coil can only handle a specific amount of power. Listening to audio at maximum volume for extended periods can strain the voice coil, causing it to overheat and potentially burn out. When this happens, the speaker can become weakened or even permanently damaged. To check if your speakers are damaged, you can use a multimeter to measure their impedance. A healthy speaker will show a consistent impedance, while a damaged one will often show an infinite impedance, indicating that the speaker is no longer functioning properly.
6. Using Multiple Audio Enhancement Software or Misconfigured Equalizer
Using multiple audio enhancement software can cause distortion or muffled sound. It is always recommended to use only one audio enhancement software at a time. Additionally, a faulty equalizer setting can cause muffled sounds in your headphones. Sometimes people use system-wide equalizers like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio, and SRS audio sandbox, and then they use equalizers that are present in audio or video players. This can also result in distorted audio or muffled sound.
7. Faulty Audio Drivers
Faulty audio drivers can cause distorted or muffled audio. In such cases, you must visit the OEM website and download the updated audio drivers. Keep in mind, that you may have to downgrade the audio drivers in some cases if the latest audio driver is faulty.
Related: A Step-By-Step Guide to Resetting Your TWS Earbuds
What to Do When Your Headphones Sound Muffled: Troubleshooting
If your headphones are still muffled after having resolved the general causes, then take the following troubleshooting steps:
Bluetooth Headphone Troubleshooting
- Rule Out Device Issues:
Check that the volume of your smartphone or tablet is set between 50-80%.
Turn off any audio processing features in the headphone companion app to determine if they are causing distortion or muffled sound.
Check if the audio/video file has proper audio. If audio/video files are poorly encoded, then too it can cause muffled or distorted sound.
Lastly, reduce the distance between your audio source and other wireless devices in your home to minimize interference. - Address Bluetooth Headphone Issues:
Examine the headphone battery level; a low battery can distort sound.
Turn the headphones off and back on again, which will reset the Bluetooth connection.
Use your device’s Bluetooth settings to forget the headphones, then re-pair them.
Check for firmware updates for your headphones and install them when available.
Perform a factory reset on the headphones if nothing else works.
Non-Bluetooth Headphone Troubleshooting
- Clean the Headphones:
Carefully clean the speakers and ear pads to avoid affecting sound quality. Use a slightly damp microfiber cloth to remove dirt and debris, and use Q-tips for hard-to-reach areas. Be sure not to leave any moisture behind while cleaning to avoid damaging the headphones. - Inspect for Physical Damage:
Inspect your headphones thoroughly for visible damage, such as cracks, frayed wires, or broken controls. Damaged components can significantly reduce the quality of sound from the device, so you should take immediate action if you find any problems like this on them. - Perform a Factory Reset:
If other troubleshooting methods haven’t resolved the sound issues, try performing a factory reset. This will clear any corrupted or improperly installed software that could be affecting the normal functioning of your headphones. - Test with Different Audio Sources:
Attempt the headphones with various devices so that you should be able to tell if the problem is with the headphones or if the original audio source is faulty. - Seek Professional Repair:
If you discover hardware damage and can’t fix it, you may have to go for professional repair or jump to the idea of headphones substitution.
FAQs
Headphone crackling often involves defective or loose wiring connections, external interference, blown speakers or low-quality devices. Your connections must be secure, and you should change your wireless channels to reduce any interference that may be causing the crackling noise.
If your microphone is too sensitive or positioned too close to your mouth, it may pick up the sound of your breathing. Try moving the mic further away from your mouth or reducing its sensitivity in your device’s sound settings to fix the issue.
Fuzziness is most likely due to some form of interference or poor connection strength. Check the audio connections, whether wired or Bluetooth links and ensure the headphones are paired with your audio device. Cleaning your earphone jack and plugs can also help to clear up the problem.
Insufficient power, loose connection, faulty cables, damaged audio jack or a speaker malfunction could cause headphones to suddenly get quiet. Stylistically, raise the volume on your device and headphones to the desired level. If it ever comes back, be sure to check your headphones for any physical damage. Proceeding with resetting them is advisable.
The headphones can fluctuate in volume over time, caused by use-induced wear of the internal components or the collection of dirt particles. A well-executed maintenance approach, such as regular cleanup and proper handling procedures, will lengthen their useful life and improve the quality of the sound at the same time.
Conclusion
Chances are muffled headphone sound might be due to moisture, connection issues, dirt build-up on the speaker grill, faulty wires, and blown speakers. Relying on logical thinking and following the action plan, you can usually mend your headphones to clear sound, as the case may be. In addition, regular maintenance and proper utilization can prevent these issues from the beginning, thus delivering the best audio possible.
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