One earphone plays quieter (louder) than the other - iPhone, what are you doing?

Greetings! The iPhone can be used in many different ways - a smartphone after all! If you want to play - play, call - call, listen to music - listen! True, in some cases, music lovers may be in for one unpleasant surprise - different volume levels of the left and right “ears” when listening to music through connected headphones. Somewhere quieter, somewhere louder. This is such “joy”.

It would seem that if the headphones do not work correctly, then they need to be changed and there are no other ways out of this situation. However, there is no need to rush; we will always have time to throw the item away. Let's better try to get by with other, less radical ways to solve the problem. Yes, it may not always work... but it's still worth a try!

Are you ready? Begin!

Equipment check

If while using headphones you notice that one is playing quieter than the other, first check the device itself, as there is a possibility that the problem is on the side of the reproduced sound. This happens when the material was mounted in stereo format, which allows for the formation of spatial sound. When playing videos or audio files of this format, it is rare, but there is a difference in the volume of sounds in one and the other headphone.

As an example of a checking tool, we will take the Sound Manager from Realtek, which is most often installed in the operating system along with the driver for the sound card. The application icon can be found on the taskbar if it is added to startup, or you can search the directory with files and find the executable file there.

Read more: Methods for opening Realtek HD Manager in Windows 10

Next, all that remains is to run the built-in sound test for each speaker.

1. In the program, on the “Speakers” tab, set the speaker configuration to “Stereo” and click the play button to start the test.
2. You should first hear a small sound in the left earphone, and then in the right. In the image below, you can see that the speaker currently playing audio is outlined in blue.
3. If the test results are not entirely clear, click on each speaker yourself and listen to them separately, comparing the sound volume.

In addition to the described tool, headphones can be checked using special online services. This is suitable for those users who do not have the Manager from Realtek or whose testing did not clarify the current problem.

Read more: Checking headphones online

If you have played completely different sounds, checked your headphones and are already sure that one always plays quieter than the other, use the following methods to help solve this problem.

Method 1: Balance Adjustment

Starting with solving headphone hardware problems is not a completely rational approach, since there is a possibility that the operating system itself has incorrect settings and fixing them will save a lot of time. First of all, you need to check the balance - it was the same for the left and right headphones. This can be done through the same Sound Manager, which was already discussed above.

If you don’t have it or this option is simply not suitable, use the standard Windows functionality. In the “ten” for this you will need to perform the following actions:

1. Open Start and go to the Settings app.
2. Click on the first tile - "System".
3. Go to the settings section called "Sound".
Read also:  Flagship tablet with yoga tablet projector from Lenovo
4. Find the “Device Properties” line under the description of the speaker you are using and click on it.
5. You will see two sliders responsible for balance. The entire scale is the overall sound volume on the computer, so you shouldn’t turn it up to 100% if something is currently playing. Make sure both sliders have the same values.

Not all users have yet updated to the latest version of the operating system and are running Windows 7. It does not have the described “Settings” application, which is why the algorithm of actions in this situation changes slightly.

1. Open Start and look for Control Panel in the right panel.
2. In it you are interested in the “Sound” icon.
3. In the Playback tab, you'll see the headphones you're using (usually labeled as "Speakers" and set to default). Double-click on the line to open the equipment properties.
4. Move to the "Levels" tab and click the "Balance" button.
5. Adjust the balance of the left and right ears equally using the sliders or by entering the value in the field yourself. Do not touch the other sliders, since in this case they are inactive and adjusting them will not do anything at all.

Useful tips to prevent earphones from breaking

Of course, if none of the possible troubleshooting options resulted in the earbuds working, then the broken pair will need to be replaced with a new one.

But to avoid repeating the situation with new headphones, try following these tips:

1Always keep the connectors of your smartphones or computers clean. To do this, check it once a month for cleanliness and, if necessary, carefully remove dirt. Also, purchase a special protective case.

2Do not store your headsets in a tangled state, as the likelihood that they will break sooner or later is almost 100%. To prevent this from happening, wrap them around your phone before putting them away in your bag or pocket.

3Do not use the device in the cold. With sudden changes in temperature, and especially in the cold, the plastic becomes very elastic, which means it breaks easily.

4Reinforce the areas where tears are most likely to form. At the point where there is a sharp transition from the plug to the headset itself, wrap the wire with electrical tape or a spring from a ballpoint pen.

5Do not use the headset in high humidity. No listening to music in the bathroom or in the rain. If moisture gets into the headset membrane, it will cause the device to malfunction.

VIDEO: How to fix headphones yourself

Method 2: Disable Virtual Surround Sound

Nowadays, almost all sound card drivers support virtual surround sound, which is especially useful when playing shooters where enemy positioning plays an important role. However, this function is also used when playing movies or music, adding new notes to the sound. Not all headphones cope with this function correctly, which is why there is a feeling that one “ear” is playing quieter than the other. In Audio Manager, this feature can be disabled in one click on the main tab and is called “Virtual Surround Sound.”

If we are talking about a function built into the operating system, you will have to follow the steps described earlier to open the “Device Properties” menu. There you will find the “Spatial Audio Format” option and from the drop-down list you can select the option to turn it off.

When virtual surround sound is already disabled, move on to the next method, since there is no point in activating it and hoping that the sound of each earphone will stabilize.

Method 3: Disable enhancements

The software that is added to the operating system after installing the sound card driver has a list of improvements related to the environment and other effects. Sometimes some of them work according to the principle of the previously described function and only make the sound worse, and the user thinks that one of the headphones has become quieter or other problems have arisen. We advise you to disable all improvements and then check the playback.

1. In Settings, open Device Properties again.
2. This time, in the “Related settings” block, click on the “Advanced device properties” line.
3. Go to the Enhancements tab and manually disable all enhancements, including the equalizer. You can also use the “Disable all sound effects” option so as not to uncheck all the boxes manually.

The same thing is done in Windows 7, but the transition to this device properties window occurs through the “Control Panel”, as we already talked about earlier. Find the same tab and disable improvements by unchecking the corresponding boxes. If you prefer to interact with Audio Control Manager from Realtek or another manufacturer, be sure to check out the effects settings in that software as well.

Human factor

The younger generation prefers to listen to music at full volume. Even using miniature headphones, this habit eventually affects the hearing organ. After a long time of listening in this mode, a person begins to feel that the sound is not so loud or that one earphone has become quieter than the other. Why is this happening? It's all about excessive stress on the eardrum. In this case, you should refrain from listening to loud music for several days. If hearing does not return to normal, consultation with an otolaryngologist is necessary.

Method 4: Change the balance

We've already talked about how to ensure equal sound between two headphones, you need to set them to the same balance. If it turns out that it is already configured this way, and other methods also did not bring the desired result, but you do not count on physically repairing this equipment, you can take a workaround - changing the balance towards the earphone that sounds quieter.

To do this, enter the already familiar menu discussed in Method 1 and adjust the sliders so that the sound becomes balanced and you are not able to hear the shortcomings of the device.

Method 5: Resoldering wires

The last method is suitable only for those users who are familiar with the principle of soldering and are not afraid to carry out the operation themselves. You will need a soldering iron and all auxiliary elements in the form of flux and tin. Usually, re-soldering is required when you are sure of a hardware malfunction of the headphones and can assume that this happened due to bending of the wires. Cut the current wire to the point where it is completely intact, distribute each contact and resolder in accordance with the contact diagram.

If the problem lies in the speaker itself, for example, after water gets in, only replacing it or buying new headphones will help. Unfortunately, such repairs are difficult to carry out at home - a person must have special knowledge and skills, as well as a fully working “donor” speaker.

We are glad that we were able to help you solve the problem. In addition to this article, there are 12,304 more instructions on the site. Add the Lumpics.ru website to your bookmarks (CTRL+D) and we will definitely be useful to you. Thank the author and share the article on social networks.

Describe what didn't work for you. Our specialists will try to answer as quickly as possible.

How to fix AirPods volume problem

Sometimes headphones may freeze at a certain volume level, which is due to a firmware bug. You can try to fix the problem yourself.

1. Put on your AirPods and play some music;
2. Reduce the volume to zero;
3. Go to “Settings” - “Bluetooth” and find AirPods there;
4. Click on "i" and select "Disable";

Reconnect AirPods to solve the problem

5. Continue playing music on your iPhone speakers;
6. Reconnect your AirPods;