Three Common Headphone Issues and How to Fix Them

Today’s most popular and best headphones are costlier than ever. As such, it’s vital to take good care of them. Regular maintenance is a great way to protect any pair of earbuds or headphones. At the same time, knowing how to identify common faults—and fix them—is similarly central to prolonging their life.

The same is true of models from Apple, Beats, Bose, Raycon, Samsung, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, Sony, and all other manufacturers alike. Accordingly, what follows is a closer look at a trio of common headphone issues affecting brands across the board and how to take care of them.

Something that can affect both wired and wireless headphones is a sudden lack of audio. While this can be a sign of a more serious problem, it’s often something that’s easily fixed.

The Problem: No sound from either wired or wireless headphones.

The Fix: Check headphones’ power and pairing (or their jack).

Among wireless headphones and earbuds, a complete lack of audio is usually the result of a secondary issue. Most often, this will be a dead battery or a problem with pairing. First, ensure that wireless headphones are fully charged. Then, disconnect them from their source before reconnecting.

For wired headphones, no sound is almost always a sign of a problem with the physical connection. To fix this issue, remove the headphone jack and carefully clean both this and the port. Then, reconnect the headphones to their source, and with any luck, the issue will be fixed.

Over time, the audio output from headphones may seemingly start to diminish. They may even appear to produce poor-quality sound straight out of the box. Thankfully, this tends not to be a strictly age-related issue nor something more serious in the case of new headphones and earbuds.

The Problem: Audio quality isn’t as good as it should be.

The Fix: Identify possible connection issues.

Quite often, poor-quality audio from either wired or wireless headphones is an indication that there’s a connection issue. Accordingly, the fix is generally the same for icing the audio. Follow the same steps for either wired or wireless headphones to hopefully eliminate one or more issues causing a reduction in sound quality.

Few things are more annoying than skipping or stuttering from a pair of headphones. The same is true whether listening to music or enjoying a popular podcast. The good news is that the issue often isn’t about the headphones themselves.

The Problem: Music or podcasts skip or stutter.

The Fix: Eliminate potential problems, then explore streaming or internet connection issues.

Skipping or stuttering sound might be because of a fault with pairing. Reconnect your headphones and double-check your Bluetooth connection.

In reality, the matter is quite often the result of something even more straightforward. That’s demonstrated perfectly by the fact that the same problem can also affect wired headphones. In many cases, skipping or stuttering audio is down to a streaming or internet connection issue – not the headphones themselves.

This problem can stem from the source, such as a service like Spotify. However, it’s more likely that an internet connection issue is to blame. Try running a speed test to ensure that everything is working as it should before disconnecting and reconnecting to the internet as necessary.

Where there’s skipping or stuttering when listening to audio that’s not being streamed, and where none of the above fixes help, further troubleshooting will be required.

An extended warranty is one of the best ways to prolong the life of any pair of headphones. With an extended headphone warranty from Upsie, customers have protection from serious faults that need expert attention.

Furthermore, Upsie offers full replacements when repairs don’t make sense on the first claim. As a result, customers have protection from defects, mechanical faults, and accidental mishaps, including drops, cracks, and liquid spills.

Upsie’s warranties cost up to 70 percent less than those sold by manufacturers and retailers, ensuring that customers get the best protection at the best price. To purchase an extended headphone warranty in just minutes, head to upsie.com/headphone-warranty or download the Upsie app to get started.