Why Do My Headphones Pick Up Interference? (5 Reasons)

Headphones are one of the most popular accessories for listening to music. They’re small, lightweight and can be taken anywhere. But there is a common problem that people don’t know about: interference.

There are many reasons your headphones pick up interference. For instance, incorrect audio settings, loose wires, dirty auxiliary ports, crashed speakers, and wireless devices striving for a limited space. However, there are also ways you can eliminate the issues and enjoy using your headphones.

Can Headphones Pick Up Radio Signals?

Headphones can pick up radio signals. However, there are preventive ways to help protect your headphones from them. You can choose to buy models with protected cables to avoid any kind of interference even as they wear out.

You can extend the headphones’ cables if you keep on hearing the weird sounds. Moreover, you can choose radio frequency chokes to help choke off the radio signals. This can take place without interfering with the audio signals.

And also be sure when you do that you won’t be able to listen to an Fm radio.

Why Do My Headphones Pick Up Interference?

There are several reasons your headphones pick up interference. Check out these 5 major reasons;

Striving for a Limited Space

The wireless devices do fight for a restricted space in an available range. Besides, Bluetooth headphones function on a portion of a certain range. This implies your headphones compete with a majority of wireless gadgets.

They comprise cordless phones, wifi routers, and other odd tools like microwave ovens. If you encounter too much Bluetooth interference, you can avoid highly populated spaces with tons of wifi use.

Having Some Loose Wires

While almost all headphones are normally well designed, the internal wiring may still crash. And if this is the case, you may experience interference. Furthermore, the inner wires are weaker at the connecting spot with the audio jack.

And some people always try to jerk on the point under the jack’s plastic casing. This can place undue pressure on the inner wires and thus result in them getting disconnected. Moreover, when you connect or even disconnect your headphones from a device, consider holding them on the given audio jack.

You also need to avoid tugging on the cable. This results in tension to your headphone plug and in other instances, it can cause serious destruction.

Dirty Auxiliary Port

Your playback device’s audio port could result in static noise. This normally arises when the internal part of the auxiliary port is oxidized and dirty. This then affects your headphone’s audio quality.

You can fix this issue by cleaning the port thoroughly. When you do this, you won’t hear the rough static sound. In case you have cleaned the port and you still hear noise, you can also clean your headphones audio Jack.

This will help you see if the problem will go away.

The Headphones Speaker May Have Crashed

Before you check the audio settings of your device, you should first assess the headphone’s hardware. You can plug the headphone into a reliable audio device to know whether the speakers are interfering. Ensure the playback device works well.

If the noise persists, then there may be a problem with your headphone’s hardware. For this reason, consider making good use of its warranty if you still have it. Still, you can decide to get a perfect replacement for your headphones.

Incorrect Audio Settings

At times, incorrect audio settings on the playback device can cause interference on the headphones. Here, it can be difficult to determine whether the problem is due to Bluetooth frequency or auxiliary port issues.

And faulty speaker or loose wire, then you need to change audio settings. Though you need to know that fixing the issue varies based on the type of audio device you use.

How Do You Stop Headphones From Interference?

There are ways you can stop headphones from interference. Here are some of them;

You Can Reset Your Devices More Often

This will entail the device rebooting on the connecting and receiving devices like your phone. You can come up with a schedule to reset all the Bluetooth appliances. This will eliminate the cache for the gadgets you are pairing with plus the other settings.

You will also avoid problems regarding connectivity. And thus, your appliances will not connect with incorrect devices.

Switch off All Other Wireless Devices Around

Sometimes, you can have lots of wireless appliances operating all at once in your house. This can interfer the Bluetooth connection. To avoid this issue, you can switch off your wifi routers, microwaves, or baby monitors when you are not using them.

This will enable you to have a smooth connection. And if you cannot turn them off, then you can shift to a different room that’s far away from the one you are in.

Use a Different Headphone On the Device

Consider using another headphone to confirm if the initial one interferes. However, if you can still hear a crackling sound, then the cause may be severe. Like there may be a broken or worn jack or still, the problem may be with your laptop’s sound.

And to sort out this problem, you can get a cotton swab to help you clean up the jack. Ensure you are gentle. Proceed to cut one end of the swabs to get a tiny piece of cotton.

Dip it in alcohol and then use it to wipe the jack and then allow it to dry. Also, examine your laptop’s sound card, ensure it seats well.

Install a different Audio Driver for Your Device

When you install the wrong driver, you may encounter issues such as crackling on your headphones. This implies that the audio device is outdated and you need to have a different one. Consider updating the driver to confirm if the problem will be gone.

You can decide to manually do the updates or use the software. Though going the manual way can, at times, be complicated. It needs you to manually install some DLL files in the system.

You can also update the audio driver using software that will do the updates automatically. For instance, you can use a software known as Driver Easy. It is designed to spot your system and the devices in the motherboard and then get the right drivers.

Use External Bluetooth Receiver

You can opt for an external receiver for your computer. This will also prevent interference due to Bluetooth connection. Furthermore, your PC will avoid using Bluetooth and wifi all at once.

And you can gain an external Bluetooth USB for less than fifty dollars.

You Can Reduce the Volume of Your Device

You can try fixing the issue by lowering the volume of your device. If it’s the high volume that’s interfering with crackling, then turning it down will be the best option. This means the headphones cannot put up with the loud volume.

Moreover, the issue can also arise from the device’s amplifier when it lacks sufficient capacity to drive your headphones. You can examine the headphones on a desktop using a distinct sound card. And with this, you’ll require an outer amplifier.

This allows the supply of a reasonable amount of power to drive your headphones.

Try Using an Applications

You can use an application like Bluetooth smart scanner to confirm all the wireless connections within your locality. The app will also alert you if there is any interference. With this, you will be able to know the device resulting in the disturbance and also what you will do in such a case.

Conclusion

When your headphones pick up interference, it can be so irritating, right? However, with the many ways of preventing the problem, you can easily fix your headphones. First, identify the issue before you find a solution.

Then try the mentioned techniques to find out what works best for you.