If you’re anything like me, you want your music to have booming bass, clear vocals and most importantly you want it to be LOUD. Of course there are many other reasons that you might want to make your headphones louder. Perhaps you’re commuting on a busy train and want to drown out the early morning bustle, or maybe you’re just struggling to hear your phone’s output clearly.
Whatever your reason for wanting to make your headphones louder, we’re going to show you a few ways you can increase the volume of your headphones, without sacrificing on your quality of sound.
Why are my headphones too quiet?
Modern headphone models have a max volume limit built into their hardware. This is to fall in line with international regulations that mean headphones aren’t loud enough to risk damage to the ear canal and your hearing. It is important to remember when you make your headphones louder that there is a higher risk of ear damage, so just make sure that you aren’t listening to music at super high volume all the time.
Ways to make the sound volume of your headphones louder
Whether you’re using in-ear headphones or over the ear headphones, each of these steps will help you achieve higher volume limits and increase your audio output.
1) Buy a volume booster (headphone amp)
Also known as headphone amplifier, these small gadgets act as a link between your headphones and your device, basically giving you volume boosting headphones. Headphone amplifiers have a much higher volume limit than a phone or computer does by itself and boost headphone volume significantly. Buying headphone amps isn’t usually a big expense and some let you alter EQ settings as well as increase volume. Perfect if you want a fuller audio experience for your songs, with a bigger range of sounds and higher power output.
2) Change your iPhone volume limit
It is always worth heading into your iPhone volume settings to check that your volume isn’t being limited automatically. To do this, tap Settings on your home screen, scroll down to Music and select it. Open up the Playback section and check the Volume Limit is turned off. If this is not the case, use the control and drag it up to the max. Adjusting your volume control is probably the easiest way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your iPhone sound, and give you headphones with volume boost. You can do this on all Apple Devices.
Also, you’ll want to be sure that your volume is turned up all the way if it’s not loud enough. Slide up on the home screen to bring up the Control Center. From here drag the volume slider to the top and enjoy louder playback. The iPhone Control Center is really useful and great for these quick adjustments to control volume. Again, this works on other Apple products such as the iPad.
You can adjust the volume limit on an Android phone as well. Head into the Settings app, tap on Sounds and Vibration and then Volume. In the top right corner click on the three dots and then turn off the Media volume limiter.
3) Clean your headphones
If your earbuds or headphones are dirty then your sound quality and playback volume will definitely be affected. Brush any metalsections of the earphones with a soft, dry and clean toothbrush to take away any dust that might be causing issues. Remove rubber earbuds and clean them with a little warm water. Dry them thoroughly with a paper cloth before replacing them. Be careful cleaning around any mesh. You don’t want water dripping through the mesh onto the drivers! Keeping your pair of ear phones in good condition will not only make them last longer, but also improve audio quality.
4) Change your EQ settings
A good way to make your headphones sound louder without actually increasing the volume output is to tinker with your device’s EQ (Equalizer). In the EQ you can change which parts of the sound are loud and which are quiet. For example if you want louder vocals, just alter the EQ to boost the treble signals. This is an easy hack and solution to make your headphones sound like they are volume boost headphones, without having to buy any extra gear.
5) Get a volume booster app
There are tons of apps around that claim to boost your audio volumes and make your audio devices sound louder and better. They’re not going to have the same impact as a headphone amp, but they will offer a nice boost to your sound. A fantastic and inexpensive option. Many will even include equalizers Just be sure to check the reviews because some of them aren’t great!
6) Buy good headphones
If you’re in the market for some new headphones, and you want high volume levels as a priority, then it is definitely worth doing some research to find the best offerings in your price range. Look out for headphones that advertise themselves as sound isolation headphones. These products will usually sound better and cut out more excess noise in your surroundings.
Some headphones do have a higher max volume than others as well. If you live in Europe, the regulations are tighter than in America. A US imported device will definitely have a higher audio volume than the same product bought in the EU. Another option if you are prepared to pay the extra money for import taxes and shipping costs.
It is also worth considering that wired headphones usually have better sound than similar bluetooth versions. Having said that, bluetooth headphones have their own advantages and are great for commuting and walking through the city. Check the comments on online shops to see which environments people have been using those headphones.
7) Turn the levels up on your apps
Even if you’ve got your phone or computer volume turned to the max, you might not be getting the full experience. This is because many apps and websites, such as Netflix and YouTube have their own controls (these are usually found at the bottom right of a video window). Be sure that these are turned all the way up to ensure you’re reaching the maximum videos volume potential.
Spotify also has its own fader control and sliders on their desktop app and on the mobile version you can even delve into the EQ (Equalizer) to adjust your settings (see tip 4 to find out how this can help).
Reminder
Try not to turn your volume up too high all of the time. Not only might this be harmful to your ears and hearing, at a certain level the sound detail will plummet drastically and will start to distort. Listening to music in a quiet environment is always preferable because you won’t have to crank up your loudness in order to drown out your surroundings.
Hopefully this article has outlined a few options and methods for improving your sound experience.
