How to make quiet headphones louder

Boost your headphone volume with system settings, equalizers, and software enhancements.

If your headphones sound too quiet even at max volume, don't worry — there are several ways to boost the audio. This guide covers system settings, software enhancements, and hardware solutions.

Check all volume levels:

Click the speaker icon in taskbar — drag slider to 100%
Click the arrow next to the slider to open Volume Mixer
Make sure your app's volume isn't lower than system volume

Volume Mixer tip

Each app has its own volume slider. Browsers, media players, and games can all have different levels.

Click the Sound icon in menu bar, or press F12 to max volume
Go to System Settings → Sound → Output
Make sure Output volume slider is at maximum
Check that "Mute" is not enabled

Note: Some apps have their own volume controls — check within the app too.

Using PulseAudio/PipeWire:

Open pavucontrol (PulseAudio Volume Control)
Go to "Output Devices" tab and set volume to 100%
Check "Playback" tab for per-app volumes

# Boost volume above 100% (up to 150%)
pactl set-sink-volume @DEFAULT_SINK@ 150%

Enable Loudness Equalization:

Right-click speaker icon → Open Sound settings
Click "More sound settings" (or "Sound Control Panel")
Double-click your headphones in the Playback tab
Go to "Enhancements" tab
Check "Loudness Equalization"
Click Apply

No Enhancements tab?

Some audio drivers hide this tab. Try looking under "Advanced" or "Spatial sound" tabs, or update your audio drivers.

macOS doesn't have built-in loudness equalization, but you can use third-party apps:

Boom 3D — audio enhancer with volume boost
eqMac — free system-wide equalizer

Use PulseEffects (now called EasyEffects) for audio enhancement:

# Install EasyEffects (Fedora/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install easyeffects
# or
sudo dnf install easyeffects

Enable the "Loudness" or "Maximizer" effect to boost quiet audio.

An equalizer can make your headphones sound louder by boosting frequencies. Here's a simple approach:

Boost bass (60-250 Hz) for fuller, more powerful sound
Boost presence (2-4 kHz) for clearer vocals and instruments
Use preamp/gain slider to increase overall volume

Built-in equalizer:

Open Sound settings → More sound settings
Double-click your headphones → Enhancements tab
Check "Equalizer" and click Settings
Select "Bass" preset or create custom settings

Alternative: Use Equalizer APO (free) for more control.

Use Music app's equalizer:

Open Music (or iTunes)
Go to Window → Equalizer
Select a preset like "Loudness" or adjust manually

For system-wide EQ, use eqMac (free).

EasyEffects provides a powerful equalizer:

Install and open EasyEffects
Go to "Equalizer" section
Use presets or boost desired frequencies
Increase the "Input Gain" for overall boost

Spotify:

Go to Settings → Playback
Disable "Normalize volume"
Set "Volume level" to "Loud"

YouTube / Browser:

Check the video player's volume slider (bottom-left)
Some videos are mastered quieter than others
Try the "Volume Booster" browser extension for Chrome/Firefox if needed (use carefully — can distort audio)

iPhone/Android limits:

iPhone: Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Headphone Safety — disable "Reduce Loud Audio"
Android: Settings → Sounds → Volume — check for "Media volume limit"

Many headphones have their own volume controls that can limit max volume:

Inline controls — volume wheel or buttons on the cable
Earcup controls — touch surface or buttons on wireless headphones
Companion app — Sony, Bose, and others have apps with volume limits

Check your headphone app

Apps like Sony Headphones Connect, Bose Music, or Jabra Sound+ may have volume limits, hearing protection, or "safe volume" features enabled by default.

If your headphones have high impedance (80Ω+), your device might not provide enough power:

Portable DAC/amp — USB devices like FiiO, Dragonfly, or BTR5
Desktop amp — for home listening with audiophile headphones
USB-C dongles — budget option like Apple USB-C adapter

Learn more in our headphone amplifier guide.

Still too quiet?

If none of these solutions helped, the issue might be:

Damaged headphones — try them on another device
Dirty audio jack — clean with compressed air
Driver issues — update or reinstall audio drivers

See our headphones not working guide for more troubleshooting steps.

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