How To Make Headphones Louder On PC (Solved)
If your headphones aren’t loud enough on pc, there could be an issue with the audio file, headset, socket, or plug. It could also be due to your PC audio settings or connectivity problems if the headphones are wireless.
No matter the reason, it can be frustrating when you attend an online staff meeting or a job interview, and the headphones can't get any louder — especially if it only happens on PC! Should you throw your current headphones out and replace them with a new pair?
This article brings you simple steps to help you identify and fix these issues and get your headphones to work properly again.
Why Aren’t My Headphones Loud Enough?
There is a range of common reasons for low headphone volume, including:
Manufacturer-imposed settings
Listening to high sound levels for prolonged periods could lead to hearing loss. According to the World Health Organization's recommendations, the highest safe listening level for 8 hours is 85 decibels(dB).
Moreover, the safe listening time reduces when the sound level increases. For instance,
- The safe exposure time for 88 dB should not exceed 4 hours
- 91 dB exposure should be 2 hours or less
- 115 dB should not be more than 30 seconds
Unfortunately, the average audio devices have volumes as loud as 136 dB, with the maximum volume in different countries may vary depending on the individual countries’ laws and regulations.
To protect children and people with sensitive hearing from permanent hearing loss, manufacturers sometimes include volume limits in headphones. They do so by embedding resistors in the RCA connectors or the cables.
The resistors minimize the current flow from the audio device so that the headphones’ output remains low and within the safe listening levels-about 85 dB. Therefore, headphones with a limit of 85 dB can not turn higher than that level.
You can detect if your headphones have limited volume if the headphone volume stops increasing before the level reaches 100% while cranking up the sound on your PC. Unfortunately, there is no way to bypass this, and the best course of action is to buy a new pair of headphones.
Incorrect impedance matching
Impedance or electrical resistance is the measure of the resistance of headphones to an electric current; its unit of measurement is ohms and ranges between 8 and 600. The headphones’ impedance determines how compatible they are with an audio device.
The process of matching the impedance of the audio device with the impedance of the headphones to produce the greatest audio quality is called impedance matching.
Remember that headphones with low impedance (below 50 ohms) can effectively work with portable audio devices. That’s because they can produce adequate volume and sound quality output from low-voltage audio devices.
In contrast, higher impedance headphones can work with amplified audio equipment like the DJ mixer.
Headphones with high impedance require more power to produce loud sound than low impedance ones. If you connect headphones with more than 50 ohms impedance to your laptop or smartphone, it will reproduce poor sound with a low volume.
Hardware or software issues
Sometimes your headphones may sound poor due to an imbalance in the drivers, default software settings, mixer levels, equalizer, or your PC driver software could be outdated. Also, your browser settings could be an issue if you are streaming on a browser.
How To Make Headphones Louder on PC
There are several ways you can make your PC headphones louder, depending on the impedance of your headphones.
These include audio settings or installation of sound enhancement software for the standard low impedance headphones or the DAC or headphone amplifier for high impedance headphones.
The rest of this article unveils a few of the best ways to boost your headphone volume; read on.
Ensure that impedance matching is correct
The first step to making your headphones louder is to check if the headphones are compatible with your PC. If the impedance matching is incorrect, other fixes, such as equalizer settings and audio software updates, won’t work.
The standard headphones for home listening have an impedance of 25-50 Ohms, whereas studio-quality headphones may exceed 250 Ohms.
If you have high impedance headphones such as Beyerdynamic DT990 or Sennheiser HD 800, you need a headphone amplifier or a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to help boost the headphone volume.
These raise the incoming voltage to match the headphones’ speakers; they allow speakers to overcome internal resistance and reproduce maximum quality sound and volume.
Without a DAC and/or amp, the headphones cannot get enough power to power their speakers - meaning, sound quality will always be poor or non-existent.
To know if your headphones are pairable with your PC, you can use the Headphonesty headphone power calculator. The calculator helps you check which devices match your headphone's impedance.
Check there are no incorrect volume mixer or eq settings applied
Incorrect PC volume mixer or equalizer settings may affect the sound of your headphones. Checking and correcting the adjustments can make your headphones sound better.
Check the volume mixer settings
The volume mixer allows you to control the volume for different apps on your PC. Depending on your preference, you can set various sound levels for individual apps or the same sound level for all apps.
Why your headphones are not loud enough could be because the app you’re using has a lower set volume in the volume mixer. Here is how to check the volume mixer settings:
- Right-click on the speaker icon from the taskbar.
2. Select ‘Open Volume Mixer.’
3. Check if all apps are operating at the same volume.
Enable loudness equalization
If you wonder how to increase the volume on headphones when it’s max, equalization settings are a great way to achieve this.
Loudness equalization is a method of balancing loud and quiet sounds, making it easier for the listener to hear soft sounds without getting overwhelmed with loud sounds.
Doing this can boost headphone volume by up to 150% in some cases. Follow these steps to enable loudness equalization on your PC:
1. Head to ‘Control Panel.’
2. Open ‘Sound,’ and select the name of your speakers.
3. Go to ‘Properties’ and check the ‘Loud Equalization’ box.
Check for system or driver updates for hardware
Any pending driver or system updates could cause a mismatch between your hardware or software, sometimes leading to poor sound quality. If this is the case, installing the latest driver software can help to make headphones louder on a PC.
If your headphones are not loud enough on Windows 10, you can check for driver updates using the steps below:
- Open the ‘Device Manager’ on your PC.
1. Select ‘Audio Inputs and Outputs’ drop-down menu.
2. Right-click on any of the devices that you’re using.
3. Choose 'update driver' or ‘scan for hardware changes.’
If the above methods don't work, it could be an advanced BIOS issue. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the PC's core built-in processor software. It is the most crucial startup program for your PC.
Caution: Please note that altering the BIOS settings can cause severe damage to your PC; only proceed if you know what you are doing. To open the BIOS menu:
- Turn off the PC.
- Open the BIOS menu upon startup.
- Head to the ‘Advanced,’ ‘Audio Controller’, or any sound-related section.
- Then follow these steps at your own risk.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the steps outlined above will help you fix the audio settings, update pending software updates on your PC, boost headset sound and seamlessly enjoy your favorite albums or series at your desired volume levels.