If one earbud sounds louder than the other, swap them between your ears before you change anything else. The result tells you whether the difference travels with the earbud (its audio channel, its tip, its seal or the mesh) or stays with one of your ears. A reply in a Reddit thread on this exact question put it in one line: “Make sure it’s not your ears by swapping.”
If both earbuds went quiet at the same time, that is a different problem, and our guide to earbuds that are quiet on both sides covers it.
Start with the swap test
Wear the left earbud in your right ear and the right one in your left, with the same song at the same volume. If your earbuds are shaped for one side, listen to each earbud on its own in the same ear instead.
| What you notice | Where to look next |
|---|---|
| The quiet side moves with the earbud | That earbud’s channel and parts: balance settings, app sound features, its ear tip, its seal and the mesh |
| The quiet side stays in the same ear | How the earbuds fit that ear, then the ear itself |
If the difference stays with the same ear whichever earbud you use, the swap test points away from the earbuds. A doctor or hearing professional can check the ear itself.
Check the balance setting
An iFixit answer to the same question says to check for settings labelled “Balance” for people who hear better in one ear, because if it is slid toward the left or right ear, it will make one side louder than the other.
Soundcore’s support page for its Liberty 5 earbuds lists where the balance control sits on each phone:
- On iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Audio Balance.
- On Android: Settings > Accessibility > Audio and On-Screen Text > Audio > Balance.
- On Samsung: Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Enhancements > Connected Audio.
Soundcore also notes that shifting the balance to the left makes the left earbud louder and the right one quieter. If your menus look different, search your phone’s settings for “balance”.
On a computer, check there too. In the Reddit thread, one user said macOS shifts the channel balance in the sound settings when they pair their headphones or change the volume, and that sliding it back to the middle fixes it for that listening session.
Check the fit and the ear tips
Whichever way the swap test points, check how each earbud sits in your ear. EARSOLE’s Core White In-Ear Wireless Earbuds listing says the soft silicone tips rest inside the ear canal and create a light seal.
In the same Reddit thread, one user wrote that different ear tips solved “major imbalance issues” they had with the stock tips on their earphones.
Reseat the quiet earbud with a slight twist, and try the next tip size up or down on that side before deciding it is faulty.
Clear wax from the quiet side
Soundcore’s first step for a quieter earbud is to remove the ear tips and clean the metal mesh with a soft cloth and a few drops of cleaning alcohol. That instruction is written for Soundcore’s own Liberty 5 earbuds.
EARSOLE’s Core White listing gives different care advice for its pair: remove the silicone tips periodically to clear away wax and dust, avoid alcohol-heavy cleaners on glossy plastic, and never rinse the buds under water. Follow the care instructions for your own model. Our guides to cleaning earbuds and cleaning ear tips go through the details.
Check app sound features, then reset
If your earbuds have a companion app, look at its sound features as well as the phone’s settings. On the iFixit page, an owner of Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds said turning off Sound leak compensation in the app mostly fixed the difference.
Soundcore’s support page also tells owners to fully charge and reset the earbuds. Use the reset instructions for your own pair.
When it really is the earbud
If one earbud stays quieter after the swap test, a centred balance slider, a fresh tip and a clean mesh, and it does the same on a second phone or computer, contact the seller about that earbud.
How do I fix uneven headphone volume?
Start by swapping the earbuds to see whether the quiet side follows the earbud or stays with your ear. Then check the balance setting: Soundcore’s support page lists it under Settings > Accessibility on both iPhone and Android, and notes that shifting the balance to the left makes the left earbud louder and the right one quieter.
Can ear tips make one earbud sound quieter?
One Reddit user wrote that switching to different ear tips solved major imbalance issues they had with the stock tips on their earphones.
