Sound is a very personal experience.
Some people prefer listening to music in its most natural form, while others like it to be a little more optimized, more like a synth.
Then, you’ll also find people who like a combination of both.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find headphones that generate a full range of sound frequencies.
Even higher-end models may only focus on one or two aspects and not on all three frequency ranges: bass, mid, and high.
Sorry to say this, but you can’t have the best of three worlds.
If you want to learn how to boost bass on headphones without having to purchase a new pair, you’re in the right place.
How To Boost Bass on Headphones Through Your Audio Source
If you find that your headphones don’t have a good balance of audio, you can look into using an equalizer to turn up the bass.
Boosting Audio Frequency on Windows
Devices that operate on Windows have built-in equalizers.
Follow these steps to tweak your sound frequency on your Windows computer:
Step 1: Right-click on the Volume icon found on the bottom right corner of your system tray and then select Sounds.
Step 2: In the Sound Settings, switch to the Playback tab and right-click on the name of your headphones. Then, select Properties.
Step 3: In the Properties window, switch to the Enhancements tab. Under it, you’ll find Equalizer.
Step 4: Click the triple-dot icon on the bottom part of the screen.
Step 5: There, you will find the equalizer graph where you can manually adjust the volume levels for specific frequencies.
For deeper sound, you have to lower the frequencies.
Step 6: Make sure your sound is turned on as you adjust the frequencies to hear the changes you just made.
Step 7: Apart from manually adjusting the frequencies through the sliders, you can also use the drop-down box to select the Bass Equalizer Preset.
Step 8: If you’re unhappy with your changes, simply click Reset to set everything back to default and then start again.
Note: In some Windows computers, you will have Boost Bass option under Advanced Settings. Simply click on it to enhance the bass of your audio.
Boosting Audio Frequency on Macs
For Mac users, enhancing audio frequency is done through the Music Equalizer app, which you can download from iTunes.
This app allows you to customize the sound for different genres or devices.
It also has over 20 presets for the most commonly used equalizer settings, including bass.
To boost your headphones’ bass on your Mac computer, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Music Equalizer app and then click on Equalizer.
Step 2: On the menu, choose a preset option.
Step 3: Drag the frequency slider (faders) up or down to increase or decrease the frequency.
Step 4: Select On to enable the equalizer.
Note: The equalizer’s settings apply to all music you play until you change them.
Additionally, you can create your own equalizer presets and choose presets for specific songs.
How To Boost Bass on Headphones Through Your Smartphone
This might come as a surprise to you, but yes, your Android or iPhone does have music equalizers, too.
The best part is that it’s effortless to control the sound output from your headphones with just a few taps.
If you’re using an Android phone, you need to install a music equalizer app from Google Play.
You’ll find plenty of sound editing apps that you can download for free.
If you’re an iPhone user, you can increase the bass of your device through the Equalizer feature.
This app, which comes pre-installed on your device, lets you turn on the Bass Booster mode to emphasize the bass of your music.
However, before you start tweaking your iPhone’s audio settings, turn on some music so that you can listen to it as you adjust the frequency.
Here are the steps to activate the Bass Booster on your iPhone:
Step 1: Open your Settings app.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap Music.
Step 3: Tap EQ under Playback.
Step 4: Tap Bass Booster.
You might want to explore the other settings of your Mac EQ to improve the sound quality of your headphones further.
Boost Your Headphone Bass Using an Amplifier
Another way to boost bass on headphones, which we consider very effective, is to use an amplifier.
We recommend this if, after enhancing the sound quality of your personal computer or smartphone, you are still not satisfied with the bass.
Headphone amplifiers are low-powered devices that increase the amplitude of electrical signals to enhance the sound output.
You should note, however, that not all amplifiers have a bass boost feature.
Therefore, finding the best product can be a bit of a daunting task.
We suggest you conduct thorough research to see which amp model is best suited for your needs.
More importantly, make sure that the amp you’re buying is compatible with your headphones.
Boost Your Headphone Bass by Creating a Tighter Seal On Your Ears
Now, this is more like a hack to deepen the bass of your music, and it won’t have a dramatic effect.
Nonetheless, it does help.
Here’s why.
Regardless of whether you’re using an over-the-ear or an on-ear model, enhancing the seal around the earcups helps maximize the bass resonance from your headphones’ acoustic drivers.
We recommend using velour padding for the earpads to create a tighter yet comfier seal.
Things To Consider Before You Start
Now, here are a few things to do before you start boosting the bass of your headphones so that your efforts won’t turn into waste:
See if your headphones are designed for sound clarity.
Before you start with any of the tips we listed, especially tweaking the EQ settings of your audio source or using an amplifier, check if your headphones are designed to produce or emphasize bass reproduction.
The reason is that some headphones are simply designed for musical clarity and will retain a neutral EQ setting regardless.
That said, they won’t produce a richer bass even if you tweak your EQ settings.
Ideally, it would help if you have headphones made for analytical clarity and designed for monitoring and studio recording.
These are also called “studio headphones.”
Closed-back headphones are best.
As mentioned, you want to create a tighter seal on your ears.
This means that open-backs are less likely to give you the deeper bass range you want.
On the other hand, closed-back headphones are designed for sound isolation, which means they produce very minimal sound leakage.
They are also focused on mid to lower frequency ranges, resulting in a sound that is warmer and with more bass impact.
As you’ve seen, there are several ways to enhance bass on your headphones.
The first is to tweak your audio settings using the equalizer on your computer or smartphone.
If you are still not satisfied with the bass after tweaking the sound settings, you can try to use an amplifier.
Doing this requires some research and, of course, additional expense.
Nevertheless, amps are good investments because they won’t just boost the bass but also the overall sound quality of your headphones.
Lastly, you can deepen the bass of your music by tightening the seal around your earcups.
That is, of course, if you are using closed-back headphones.
Conclusion
In the end, remember that if your headphones aren’t designed for sound clarity, they’re less likely to respond to the bass-boosting techniques we just shared.
In that case, you might consider replacing your headphones if you really want to achieve a superb bass range.
Thankfully, you’ll find quality headphones under $500.
If you choose to buy a new set, make sure that you’re getting a pair that emphasizes the bass and features noise isolation.
These are usually on the expensive side, but we guarantee they are worth your investment.
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