Why do your earbuds sound bad? Make sure you check the fit first

So you've just picked up a brand new pair of earbuds. After searching through pages and pages of Google results, reading endless reviews of the best earbuds, and working out how much you can spend, you've landed a pair that should sound excellent.

But woe be — there's something wrong. Britney doesn't sound her best; the vocals are thin, and the bass is lacking. The noise canceling isn't working as it should, letting more noise in than you were hoping. Enraged, you stick them back in the box and get ready to return them.

Why is fit so important?

Sony WF-1000XM5 worn by Tom's Guide Audio Editor Lee Dunkley — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

As much as the sound itself comes from the driver inside the earbuds, they rely on the acoustic structure of your ear to make the sound profile. Earbuds need a good seal inside your ear in order to sound good and for the ANC to be working its very best.

If there's no seal or the earbuds are situated wrong, then you'll end up with less than stellar sound. That means lacking bass, and thin sounding highs.

In these situations you end up with too much sound escaping from the buds. Since they're designed to sound their best when the sound can bounce around inside your ear canal, letting it escape ruins the effect.

ANC isn't going to work as well, either, because, again, it's designed with a good seal in mind. Sound from the outside world will leak in, causing havoc with the algorithm that's trying to negate it as much as possible with white noise and some very clever sonic wizardry.

That's why fit is so important — so let's make sure your buds are performing optimally by adjusting the fit.

Try out all the tips

the soundpeats air5 pro earbuds in black and bronze with a black charging case and ear tips — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Open the box your earbuds came in and you'll find a selection of silicone or even foam eartips. They generally come in at least three different sizes to fit different ears — and they're not just to make sure the buds are comfortable.

They're also to ensure that you're getting the best sound possible from your buds, creating the seal that I talked about earlier. Interestingly, lots of people end up using ear tips that are actually too small, thinking that it makes the buds more comfortable.

If your ANC or sound isn't as good as reviews say they should be, make sure you size up those earbud bits.

Try the size up to begin with. You want to make sure that they're nice and snug inside your ears. That way they're not going to fall out, and means they fit snugly into your ears. There should be a certain amount of passive noise blocking — noise reduction without ANC enabled — given that they act as earplugs.

If the size is correct, you should find that there's more bass response and better ANC now that the earbuds fit more snugly into your ears.

Adjust their placement

You might think you can just jam your earbuds into your ears and hope for the best. No! Each earbuds fits differently, and they need to be put into your ears correctly for them to sound right and for the ANC to work correctly.

The best way to find out how to get them fitted is to check the instructions. Generally, you'll find a quick diagram or some instructions that show you how to get your earbuds properly situated. Sometimes there's a fit checker in the app to make sure they're in properly that will give you guided instructions as well.

At other times it's a case of trial and error, and then remembering the fit from last time. I've found a good way to be sure that earbuds go in properly is to twist them in from the top — that way the silicon eartips can find more purchase in your ear.

With the eartips properly fitted and the earbuds in your ear correctly, they should sound their best.

Still having issues?

Jabra-Elite-75-Passive-Noise-Cancellation — (Image credit: Future)

If the sound still isn't right even after you've checked the fit and changed out the bud bits, there are still ways to make sure they fit properly. You might need to get some third-party eartips or try out some made out of a different material.

Either way, before you return your earbuds, make sure you do your best to get them to fit properly. You might be missing out on some of the best wireless earbuds around if you don't!

More from Tom's Guide

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.

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