Yes! Too much bass can damage headphones if you put the volume very high. But if you listen at an acceptable volume, the bass will not damage your headphones.
It also depends on many other factors, which we will discuss in detail.
How Can Too Much Bass Damage Headphones?
Before explaining how too much bass can damage headphones, let us look at how headphones are built.
Headphones consist of components known as headphone drivers. These drivers receive the electrical audio signals from your music source and convert them into a sound that you can listen. Headphone drivers are like tiny speakers.
The size of the headphone driver determines its ability to playback low frequencies. A larger headphone driver has better bass reproduction capabilities compared to a small one.
Generally speaking, headphones built these days have a good low-frequency response and, therefore, can handle bass very well.
But even those headphones can eventually break and damage when the music is too loud or at maximum volume, especially when playing a heavy bass.
So, what happens when the bass becomes too loud?
When playing songs with loud volumes, especially heavy bass content, the bass plays out much louder than the rest of the song’s components. As such, the bass vibrates inside the ear cups causing them to shake.
When this occurs over time, the plastic material used in making the ear cup could start breaking down. Eventually, the entire headphone might need replacement.
Moreover, the vibration also travels through the headband and connects to the neck strap.
If the bass continues to get louder, the vibration caused by the bass could cause the plastic parts of the headphones to crack. Eventually, if the bass keeps getting louder, the whole thing might just fall apart.
In addition, excessive bass can cause permanent damage to the inner parts of the ear canal. Over time, the eardrums start getting damaged because of the constant pressure caused by the vibration of the bass.
First, it will cause a temporary hearing loss, and if left untreated, the eardrums eventually rupture, leading to severe pain and possible loss of hearing.
How Can I Prevent My Headphone From Damage?
There are several ways that you can prevent your headphones from being damaged due to excess bass:
Use Equalizer
Equalizers allow you to adjust the frequency range of each channel individually so that they all match up perfectly. This way, no matter what kind of music you are listening to, the equalized channels should reproduce every part of the spectrum equally.
And also, if you want to boost the bass, you can just lower the higher frequency range, like the mid and high. This way, you will have a good amount of lower frequency sound without unnecessarily increasing the volume.
Reduce Volume Level
Reducing the volume level of your music player allows you to control the amount of bass played during playback. You can use the lowest setting for quiet environments while using higher settings for more intense situations.
Avoid Loud Music
Loud music causes high levels of stress and anxiety among people who listen to it. Therefore, avoid listening to loud music whenever possible. Instead, choose softer tracks that suit your mood.
Listen At Appropriate Levels
Listen to music at appropriate levels instead of blasting it at full blast. We recommend doing this because most headphones don’t come equipped with an automatic volume limiter feature.
So, nothing is stopping us from turning our phones into giant loudspeakers. To avoid this kind of headphone damage, always listen at a safe volume.
Get A Good Bass-Heavy Headphone
Cheaper headphones tend to get damaged more quickly from a bass sound because they usually have a smaller headphone driver.
A good pair of headphones will have enough power to produce deep bass sounds without damaging themselves. There are many headphones with a bass boost feature in them.
In fact, some models include features like active noise cancellation, which helps reduce background noises and cancel unwanted frequencies.
Avoid Placing Your Headphones In Hot Places
Placing your headphones in hot places like your car, near an AC unit, or in the vicinity of an electrical outlet will damage them over time. This is because heat causes materials to expand and contract. This constant expansion and contraction cause damage to electronic devices over time.
Avoid Placing Your Headphones In Wet Environments
Putting your headphones in a wet environment (like the rain) will cause them to rust. And this will eventually lead to a short circuit and a very loud pop.
Therefore, avoid placing your headphones in a wet environment whenever possible. Instead, please keep them in a dry place where there is no moisture. One good place to keep your headphones is in their packaging.
Keep Your Ear Cushions Clean
Keeping your ear cushions clean prevents dust particles from accumulating on their surface. Dust accumulates quickly since these materials tend to attract dirt. So, make sure to keep your ear cushions clean regularly.
Don’t Wear Them Too Long
It may seem obvious but wearing headphones for long periods of times damages the ears. It might not happen immediately, but prolonged exposure to excessive amounts of low-frequency vibrations leads to permanent damage over time.
What Causes Excessive Bass To Be Played Loudly By My Headphones?
There are several reasons why your headphones would begin producing excessively high levels of bass. Some common ones include:
Your Music Source Is Playing Songs With High Levels Of Low Frequencies.
If you listen to songs with lots of basses, then the chances are that your music source is also pumping up the bass level.
This means that there is no control over how loud the bass should be played. It just goes off without any consideration for the listener.
Bad Audio Mixing
Some people mix audio files incorrectly when they create new tracks. They don’t know what frequencies sound best together and put too much gain in the lower frequencies (20Hz – 160Hz), which automatically raises the bass volume.
Even with the help of a good headphone, the music will still play the bass with excessive loudness
Faulty Headphones
Sometimes faulty headphones can cause problems such as distortion or boosting bass inappropriately. These faulty headphones can cause excessive bass volume, which would then could damage the headphones itself.
Poor Quality Headphone
The quality of the headphones themselves may not be able to handle higher volumes of low-frequency sounds. If this happens, it might result in distorted sound or even damaging the headphones.
Conclusion – Can Too Much Bass Damage Headphones
This is a conclusion addressing concerns around headphones. I have outlined that too much bass in your headphone can damage them.
So, try to listen at a moderate level and get a headphone that can handle a sound bass output at the first place.
I hope the conclusions addressed any of your initial concerns. So if you have found the post helpful, please share the link with your friends.
