Possible Causes of Static Noise in Headphones and Easy Solutions

If you are a headphones user, you know the pain of putting them on, turning on your favorite song, and being greeted by nothing but static noise. In even more annoying cases, you might be able to hear your music mixed with the static noise, making your experience pretty awful.

Luckily for you, there are numerous easy ways to fix your headphones. Depending on what’s causing the static noise in the first place, you can go for different solutions. Read on to see what they are, and don’t give up until you’ve found one that works for you.

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What Can Be the Cause of Static Noise in Headphones?

As already mentioned, there are a couple of possible causes behind the static noise you keep hearing from your headphones. Determining the cause is essential, as it will help you choose an adequate solution to your problem.

Here are all the possibilities you ought to consider. After that, you can expect a separate section covering the solutions to each issue.

1. Disconnected or Loose Wires

Sometimes, the inner wires in your headphones can break due to frequent use. In most cases, the break happens at the connecting point with the audio jack. It is easy to see why, as many people tug at the headphone wires themselves when trying to unplug their device from an audio source.

You can easily check if your headphone wires are whole by inspecting them. Pay special attention to the ones near the audio jack. If they seem looser or moving them around disturbs the static noise you hear, you can safely assume that some of the wires are loose.

2. Auxiliary Port Problems

There are cases when your headphones themselves aren’t causing the static noise. Instead, it might be the auxiliary port of your playback device. In most instances, the port gets dirty as dust and debris accumulate in it.

When you put your headphones’ audio jack into the port, the debris prevents it from going in fully. The result is often static noise, intermittent sound fading, silence, or other similar sound issues. Cleaning both the port and your audio jack is the best way to solve this problem.

3. Faulty Headphone Speakers

To determine whether your headphone speakers function properly, you should find another audio device that you know works flawlessly. Plug it into the audio jack, and see whether the static noise still persists.

If it does, then you can be sure that your headphones are not damaged. But if the sound is perfect yet again, the headphone speakers are most likely faulty. In that case, you will need to either replace the headphones or try to fix them.

4. Problems with Your Audio Settings

Finally, the audio settings on your playback device might be causing the static noise. In such instances, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the headphones themselves, and just changing the settings will solve the annoying problem.

How to Fix Static Noise in Headphones

Now that you know all the potential reasons behind the static noise coming from your headphones, here are detailed solution guides that you can consult.

1. Handling Disconnected or Loose Wires

If you can see that your headphone cables are starting to peel or they feel looser when you handle them, there are a few easy fixes that you can use.

Tape or Heat-Shrink Tubing

First and foremost, electrical tape can be helpful. You can use it to insulate the wires and keep them in place. In addition, the tape will ensure that the headphones are never dangerous to use by preventing any possible electrical hazards.

When applying the wire, make sure that the cables are fully clean and dry. If you need to, you can cut the tape so that it fits the cables more easily. Whether this step will be necessary mostly depends on how large the cables are.

Then, simply wrap the tape around the cables, secure it tightly, and your headphones will be as good as new. You can do this on any part of the cable that seems loose or damaged.

Aside from tape, you can also use heat-shrink tubing. It is used for frayed wires, and its main function is to fix and reinforce them. You only have to get the right fit for your cables and then use heat to seal the protective material.

It is important to note that these solutions only work for wires that are just beginning to come loose or tear. You will need a different approach for severely damaged wires.

Soldering the Wires

If you see that your wires are completely torn or the cable is hanging by a thread, you will need to approach the issue differently. In such cases, it is best to try soldering the wires together.

To do this, you will need:

A soldering kit
A wire stripper or a knife
Some electrical tape
Some sandpaper

To begin with, you should cut away the protective plastic cable and expose the wires. Once you find one or several that are loose or damaged, cut away all the frayed bits. Doing so will make the wire easier to handle.

Then, you need to sand the wires lightly to reveal the copper in their cores. In case you don’t have sandpaper at hand, you can also burn the wires lightly until the copper is exposed.

Finally, you should twist the wires together and solder their connections. Leave them to cool for a bit, and then apply electrical tape to seal the wires off once more.

As you can see, this method is a bit more complex, and you have to be careful not to harm yourself. If you have never used a soldering kit before, it might be best to ask someone for help.

2. Solving Auxiliary Port Problems

As mentioned above, dirt, dust, and debris can easily accumulate in the auxiliary ports of your audio playback devices. Thus, you need to keep them clean.

Luckily, you can do so quite easily. The fastest and most effective way to get rid of dirt is by using compressed air. Simply buy a can of compressed air and use it according to the instructions on the packaging.

If you can’t get your hands on it soon enough, you can also use cotton swabs to get the job done. Remember not to apply any water or cleaning solution to the port, as that could damage it. Instead, use a few dry swabs and a flashlight to ensure you clean everything.

To cover all your bases, also clean your headphone jack before plugging it in. That way, you will ensure that there is no lingering debris that could be causing sound problems.

3. Dealing with Faulty Speakers

This issue is the most unfortunate one, as there is usually not much you can do to fix it on your own. In case your headphone speakers are somehow damaged, the only thing you can do is use your warranty to get a new pair.

Of course, you can only use the warranty if it is still available. Either way, talk to your headphone provider about your next move and try to find out what happened to the speakers.

4. Fixing Your Audio Settings

Finally, you can also fix your headphones by checking the audio settings on your computer, phone, or other playback devices.

In the majority of cases, sound problems can start after a major system update. Some settings might reset during updates, resulting in static noise or other audio issues. If you suspect that this is the cause of your problem, you should try restarting your device.

A lot of the time, this simple action will get your device and headphones back on the same page. Just to be safe, you should always restart your device after any update, no matter how insignificant it might appear.

If restarting doesn’t work, you should try troubleshooting. You can do this on both Mac and Windows if you are using a laptop or PC.

The troubleshooter should be able to pinpoint a problem if there is one. Once it does, it will give you clear instructions on how to solve the issue.

As for phones, you can try the same approaches. Thus, try restarting the phone first, as well as closing any background apps that might be causing trouble. If that doesn’t work, restoring your device (in the case of an iPhone) or doing a factory reset (for an android) is your next best bet.

Of course, always check to see if the problems stem from the headphones themselves before doing any of this. Although audio settings problems can happen, they shouldn’t cause persistent static noise problems.

To be safe, you should always ask a professional to help figure things out. That way, both your device and headphones will be in safe hands and won’t get damaged in the process.

Final Thoughts

Although headphone static noise is one of the most frustrating issues one can have, there are actually quite a few easy solutions to it. From checking the wires and cleaning the audio ports to tinkering with your audio settings — your options are numerous.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get your headphones back in all their glory. Be patient, and try every solution until you find one that works. Good luck, and happy listening!

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By Soundproof Living