Ear headphones for personal listening devices are designed to suppress the noise of the outside world so music lovers can relax and enjoy their tunes. But sometimes the ear headphones themselves are the source of an irritating noise. Luckily, it's not difficult to reduce noise in your headphones and get back to enjoying the music.
Isolate the Problem
First, make sure the ear headphones are actually the source of noise, so try a different set of headphones to make sure the problem isn't your listening device. Next, dial down the volume on your portable audio player to see if the headphones are being overpowered. Distortion and clipping sounds, especially with less expensive earbuds and headphone sets, are almost always the result of the volume being set too high for the headset to handle. If you hear noise in one earbud or one side of the headphones, but not the other, you likely have a defective wire going to the speaker on that side. Before you trash the ear headphones, proceed to Section 2 for additional information on a remedy.
Clean the Connections
Clean the mini-plug pin on the headphone set by brushing lightly with a nail file or fine-grit sandpaper, then wipe the pin clean with a cloth. Just a bit of dirt or corrosion on the mini-plug can cause static and irritating popping sounds in the headphones. Once the plug is clean, make sure it is pressed firmly into into the audio jack. You'll hear static and crackling if the plug is not seated all the way in the audio jack.
Adjustments and Preventive Maintenance
Gently adjust the plug in the audio jack to make a secure connection, then twist each of the two audio wires between your thumb and index finger while listening through the earbuds to hear any static or crackling noises while you manipulate the wires with your fingers. Twisting the audio wires gently in your fingers can sometimes restore the sound, but this may be only a temporary fix.
Keep your ear headphones in a storage case when not in use. Earbuds often come with a round storage case that allows you to reel in the audio cables quickly with a clear dial on the case cover after the earbuds haven been inserted into their separate compartments. Full-size headphones can be stored in a cloth bag with a drawstring to keep out dust and dirt. Wrap the audio cord loosely around the headset before storing. This prevents stretching and breaking the audio wires, which will cause crackling noise.
Tags: audio jack, audio wires, make sure, hear static, hear static crackling