How to Make Headphones Louder? 4 Ways

It isn’t very good when you’re trying to enjoy your favorite song of the month at high volume settings to discover you’re already at max power and your headphones aren’t just loud enough. In this short article, let us show you how to make headphones louder on any device, including PC, Android, iOS, or Bluetooth.

Before starting, though, here’s a friendly reminder that you shouldn’t be listening to music too loud when using headphones unless you have a specific reason, as it could damage your hearing temporarily or permanently. Nobody wants that!

Headphones not having enough volume is a widespread problem (Both on AirPods and even Samsung Galaxy Buds). If you’re searching for this article, it means you’re already at max volume settings, yet you’re not getting enough punch in your headphones, which usually boils down to 2 simple problems:

1. Your headphones are the problem
2. Your device (PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) is the problem

Sometimes it could simply be a misconfiguration in your audio settings, and sometimes it could be hardware related. Let’s review all the solutions to help you make those headphones louder finally.

Keep your headphones clean and well plugged

Perhaps the easiest and dumbest solution, yet sometimes it happens. If you’re using small headphones or earbuds, sometimes the audio could lack power because the headphones are dirty or misplaced. Ensure you clean them properly occasionally, and don’t let the mesh gather too much dust or wax, causing the sound to fade.

Cleaning your phones every week or every day if you’re a heavy user could go a long way. Use a cleaning cloth and be gentle.

Besides that, you should always make sure your headphones are correctly connected. Sometimes, the headphone jack can be plugged halfway, and you don’t notice it until later. Sometimes you get noise in one channel but no sound in the other channel, or sometimes you get faint noise, and we jack up the volume rocker as we have no idea what’s happening. This problem doesn’t apply to Bluetooth headphones, though.

If this doesn’t solve your problem, let’s move to fix number 2.

Modify volume limits in your device.

If your headphones are clean and adequately plugged, many times, the problem is on the software side. Your operating system could have changed the audio settings when you plugged in a different audio device or because an app altered the settings.

Go to your audio settings and check if the limits have been decreased for any reason, and bump them up if that’s the case.

Sometimes you can remove the volume limit of your device, which is set to 120 decibels in the USA or 85 decibels in the EU. You can permanently disable those limits from your audio settings in your Android or iOS device and see if that helps. Just make sure you test your headphones and increase the volume gradually, as you don’t want to start with the max volume and be surprised by the noise and damage your ears.

To adjust the volume limit in your iPhone, go to the following path:

Settings -> Music -> Volume Limit -> Off.

You might want to check your Equalizer settings right there as well and choose the type of music you hear the most.

On Android, you’ll need to check your brand’s settings as every settings menu is a bit different, but the path should be pretty similar to iOS.

You can also increase the maximum volume limit on a computer if you follow some simple steps. Click the speaker icon in the desktop menu bar and adjust the slider to your desired level. Or right-click the same icon to check out the maximum level settings and equalizer.

Boost your audio settings with an app

Another way to increase your volume limits and get the BEST sound from your headphones simultaneously is by using a booster app. These apps give you better equalizer settings and increase the limits to a noticeable point. You can clearly hear the difference between the regular and boosted audio settings.

Some apps are free, and some are premium, but they’re worth it if you enjoy hearing music and want to improve your audio experience. Here are some of the recommended apps by device:

• PC: Equalizer Pro and DFX Sound Enhancer
• Android: Volume Booster Pro, Volume Booster Sound Equalizer or Super Volume Booster
• iOS/iPhone: Equalizer Pro Volume Booster, SonicMax Pro, or Volume Boost+

Use an amplifier if your headphones require it

Some headphones require an amplifier to get more power out of them. Usually, this only happens when you use headphones with higher-quality audio and higher resistance (ohms). If you’re using wireless headphones, you don’t require an amplifier.

Headphones that require amplifiers are usually big or bulky (around-ear or over-the-ear headphones) and not your typical light-over-the-ear headphones or earbuds.

There are many types of amplifiers. Some are small and portable, while others are complete accessories that can be placed on your desk. If you have some headphones requiring an amplifier, you won’t hear their full potential until you plug them into a proper device.

The difference here tends to be day and night. Your once-faded audio will suffer a noticeable improvement, and you’ll hear your music with better detail, dynamic ranges, bass, etc.

You can get a headphone amplifier for under $100, but first, make sure your headphones get extra power from it, or you’ll be throwing money out of the window. Check out your headphone’s impedance to see if you need an amp.

Change your headphones

If none of the solutions above work for you, or if your headphones used to work just fine but suddenly they started lacking power, you might need a new pair of headphones. Not that we want you to buy a new headphone set, but you might need to send them to warranty or get a new pair if they stop working after a few years.

How to make your headphones louder? Final words

Always remember to use your headphones at proper sound levels. You don’t want to have hearing problems because you’re abusing your headphones for extended periods every day. Now that you know how to make your headphones louder, which album will you enjoy next?