December 14, 2025, 7:50 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Every human ear hears differently. That’s why finding the right sound for yourself isn’t so simple. The sound depends on many components, such as the headphone model, whether it sits in the ear or surrounds it. Additionally, MP3 songs sound less lively than music in a lossless format like Free Lossless Audio Codec, or FLAC for short. This TECHBOOK article explains how to improve sound through headphones.
Every smartphone has an equalizer. This tool allows you to emphasize or reduce certain musical frequency ranges. Even well-known headphone manufacturers now offer sophisticated equalizer apps to enhance the listening experience.
Overview
Practical Tips for Equalizers
When it comes to sound improvements, two types of filters are often mentioned: A shelving filter or “cowtail” filter acts like a master control, primarily adjusting high and low tones.
A bell filter or “bell” filter, on the other hand, has finer controls. It only changes specific tone areas, also known as mids. These can be raised or lowered, creating a bell-shaped frequency image.
To enhance your own sound experience through headphones, the best approach is to try different settings in the equalizer. Songs or sounds from your favorites folder serve as a listening reference.
Typical Listening Scenarios
- Too bass-heavy: If low tones dominate, it often helps to lower the range around 50 to 80 Hertz (Hz) slightly. Minor adjustments in the mids between 250 and 400 Hz can reduce noticeable droning in the ears.
- Muffled sound: This effect can be adjusted through the highs. Gentle level adjustments above 8000 Hz and a slight increase in the mids can help make the sound more open.
- Increase “loudness”: Sound experts refer to a “bathtub” curve in the frequency range here. Basses and highs are emphasized while mids are slightly reduced, making the music sound fuller and more vibrant.
A simple trick used by sound engineers: First, turn the various equalizer controls all the way up and then lower them again. This way, changes can be heard best.
What an Equalizer Can’t Do
With the right settings, the equalizer becomes a powerful tool. However, it’s not a magic wand.
The sound in your ears depends heavily on the headphone’s own sound qualities. The ability or rather inability to emphasize bass cannot be fully corrected by an equalizer. If a headphone inherently has low bass capacity, boosting the bass with an equalizer only results in a heavy thumping in the ears. It doesn’t necessarily sound better in the end. If in doubt, instead of fiddling with settings for hours, it might be worth investing more money in the headphones.
If your music library mostly consists of songs with little bass or songs that are completely bass-free, no equalizer can bring out the bass.
Excessive adjustments with an equalizer are often the cause of audible distortions. When it comes to sound, a delicate touch is needed. Fine changes have the greatest sonic impact. Less is often more when it comes to achieving the right sound.
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Third-Party Apps: Are They Worth It?
In addition to the smartphone itself, most music streaming services now offer their own equalizers. Well-known headphone manufacturers like Apple, Bose, JBL, Sennheiser, Sony, or Teufel usually provide an app specifically tailored to the respective headphones. Combining these three worlds should already yield noticeable results for your ears.
Whether you need a third-party app is ultimately a matter of taste. At the very least, it’s worth trying out these apps.
In many social media comments, the app SoundID by SonarWorks receives positive reviews. This tool focuses specifically on your listening experience and ability. The app creates an individual sound profile based on a hearing test, considering your music taste and personal hearing ability. This allows for a more personalized sound.
Users also report positive experiences with the Android app Wavelet. This equalizer app already has over 5000 presets for various headphone models. The app automatically applies many settings, increasing its usefulness for beginners.
Also interesting: Easily improve TV sound
Medical Hearing Test Helps Choose the Right Headphones
Before attempting to technically enhance the sound, it might be helpful to visit an ear doctor first. A hearing test can professionally determine whether someone perceives high or low tones better. Knowing this helps optimize the preferred frequency range much better later on. Additionally, a medical test can reveal if there is already a measurable hearing impairment. This is insightful and influences the purchase of headphones or other tools that improve the listening experience.