Having a good pair of headphones offers such incredible benefits, especially when you aim to savor your good ol’ music playlist or plan to binge-watch with high-def sound quality. Having headphones could help you delve deeper into the material that you want to listen to. However, one of the most irritating things that could ever happen is to hear static while in the middle of a listening session.
What’s worse is even if you mess around with your headphones, nothing seems to work. You just can’t figure out how to fix the problem because you don’t know what’s causing it. Now, you are in dire need of a solution and you need to remove this annoying static to stop.
Do not worry, though, because this problem has a solution. The most common reason why this happens is due to hardware issues, but there can be some other reasons as well. If you are in desperate need to find ways on how to remove static from headphones, you are just in the perfect place. Below is the ultimate guide to fix this annoying problem.
Check for Loose Headphone Wires
This is the most common and most obvious thing to do initially. If your headphones seem to lose sound or eventually lead to static noise, checking the wires is a smart thing to do. You should take a closer look at whether the headphone wires formed a knot because this may also cause some form of static noise.
If you can immediately verify that the problem is not tightening the connection enough, then your problem can be easily solved. This would be a swift fix. However, if you already accomplished this and still hear static noise, you need to follow the next step.
Clean Audio Jacks
There are times that dust filling-up your audio jack may cause static noise on your headphones. Maintaining clean audio jacks is an essential thing to do if you want your equipment working 100% fine. This applies not just to your phones but to all devices that you connect the headphones to.
Utilize isopropyl alcohol when cleaning the audio jacks. Dip a cotton swab in the alcohol and clean the audio jacks properly. This type of alcohol is safe to use on devices. Make sure that you do not use any other cleaning agents that might potentially harm your device. After cleaning the audio jacks and you still hear irritating static noises, you should check out the next steps mentioned below.
You may also be interested in our article highlighting different headphone jack sizes.
Check Auxiliary Port for Issues
If you have cleaned your audio jacks and still hear static noises, the smartest step to follow is to check and clean the auxiliary ports of devices that you use. Static noise may result from oxidized or dirty auxiliary ports.
This could lead to a negative effect on your headphones’ audio quality. Fix this problem by cleaning the port until there is no more dirt. You can immediately verify if this is the one causing the static noise if, after cleaning, you instantly hear improved sound quality and no trace of static whatsoever.
Now that you have checked the wires, cleaned the jacks, and cleaned the ports but still hear static noise, what’s the next best thing to do?
Check Headphone Driver for Damages
It would be a smart thing also to check the overall physical condition of your headphones. You might be unaware of an accident that may have occurred to your headphones. Someone might have accidentally dropped it without you knowing it. This is just one example, but to be sure and cover all the bases, it would be nice to troubleshoot your headphones.
To verify if hardware damage causes the static issue in your headphones, try plugging it in a playback device that works properly and check if that static noise would still come out. If the annoying sound persists, most likely, this would be caused by a hardware issue. Replacing your headphones would seem necessary, especially if the headphones’ warranty has already expired.
Clear Potential Barriers for Wireless Headphones
If you are using wireless headphones, you should take note that these are more susceptible to static noise or buzzing sounds. This is due to potential interferences that other devices in the area may cause.
A quick solution for this is to make sure that you clear potential barriers that may affect your audio device and your Bluetooth headphones. There might be a metal desk affecting your connectivity or some other object that may cause interference.
Nevertheless, you should thoroughly investigate your surroundings to eliminate this cause or to find out if you should opt for a different method to remove static from headphones.
Check Any Amplifier Impedance Mismatches
If connecting the headphones to a desktop amplifier, do ensure there is no impedance mismatch. Headphones with high sensitivity will be prone to pick up more noise from a more powerful amplifier than one that is matched appropriately for a particular headphone. Ensuring the appropriate selection of amplifier will help to stop this issue.
Troubleshoot Audio Settings
If you have already verified that faulty hardware, loose wires, frequency interferences, and dirty ports and jacks are not the cause of static noise, it’s high time you check the audio settings. Now that you have checked the hardware and still the problem persists, the next step is to verify if there are issues with audio settings on your specific playback device.
Remove Headphone Static Noise On Your Mac
Have you been experiencing headphone static as soon as you have updated your MacOS? You can fix this by restarting your computer. However, if the static still persists after restarting, it would be smart to immediately follow the steps below.
1. Connect the headphones to your Mac.
2. Check System Preferences then choose Sound.
3. Your headphones must be the chosen output device.
4. Uncheck “Play Feedback When Volume is Changed,” then try to turn it on and off and determine if that static noise disappears or not.
If these steps still fail to work, try the following:
Go to Applications then choose the ‘Utilities’ folder. Select ‘Audio MIDI Setup’ then right-click on the option “Built-in Output.” Choose “Use this device for output”.
Remove Headphone Static Noise On Your PC
You have so many options when you want to fix static headphone noise when using a Windows 10 PC. Take note that each specific approach depends on the particular problem that causes static noises. You need to pinpoint which factors cause the issue before deciding on making changes to your PC.
Troubleshoot Corrupted Drivers
A potential cause for headphone static noise is outdated or corrupt drivers. Check the steps below to fix this issue:
1. Click the Windows key + R, then type “Regedit” so you could check the registry editor.
2. Choose “Yes” when a window prompt appears.
Note: Please be careful when implementing changes on the registry editor. If you make a mistake such as improper input of values can bring huge problems for your PC. Just to be safe, it would be smart to make a registry backup before continuing.
3. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{36fc9e60-c465-11cf-8056-444553540000}
4. On the right portion, there is an “UpperFilters” option. Right-click this and choose “Delete”.
5. Close the Registry editor.
6. Restart your PC.
If this still fails to fix the static issue, you can also opt for the following steps:
1. Press “Windows key + S” proceed by typing “Device Manager” then click “Open” to move to Device manager.
2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
3. Uninstall every item labeled as controllers.
4. Close the device manager.
5. Restart your PC.
If you have tried all of the options mentioned above and still experience that annoying headphone static noise, the next best step is to…
Upgrade Your Headphones
Are you using old headphones and your audio playback device is among the latest in the market? This could be the possible cause of the static noise. Backdated headphones might cause incompatibility issues with the most updated phones or devices today.
It would be smart to purchase new headphones that are updated and upgraded with the latest features. This might be the last option, but if this eventually helps you remove the irritating static noise, then your mission is accomplished.
Distinguishing the Source and Removing Static Noise Effectively
If you are determined to eliminate the root cause of static noise on your headphones, you should carefully consider all possible solutions mentioned above. This ultimate guide on removing static from headphones requires proper patience and determination. There may be a multitude of reasons that may cause static noise on your headphones.
This annoying problem may stem from hardware issues, dust or dirt issues, audio setting issues or inappropriate transducer and amplifier selections. Whatever the cause may be, the most intelligent move is to troubleshoot while eliminating every potential cause. Apply deductive reasoning to find a logical solution.
Always keep in mind that the very last option is to purchase or upgrade for a new one. Whatever seems to be causing your static noise problem, remember that there’s always a solution. That noise won’t just occur without proper reason; thus, if you successfully distinguish this reason, you have the best option to come up with the proper solution.
Simply apply all the tips mentioned from this guide, and you are well on your way towards enjoying your good ol’ music playlist again!
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