Any electronic device can fail. What should you do if there is no sound in your headphones?
Tip: The fault should be searched according to the method - from simple to complex.
Content:
Determining the cause of sound absence (procedure)
1. Check if the computer is muted, and the position of the volume slider.
After that click on the volume slider, you should hear the system sound.
2. Then check sound level in the source application (media player, Youtube video, a computer game).
It is possible that the application is simply muted.
3. If after these actions the sound does not appear - you should understand where the problem is: hardware or software.
Do not forget to check the volume control on the headphones themselves (if available).
Connect the headphones to a known good sound source (smartphone, MP3 player). If there is sound, we can deal with the computer. We can check the source in the same way: by connecting a speaker system to the computer.
To be fair, the lack of sound is often due to improper connection of connectors. As a rule, headphones are plugged into the front panel of the case.
When assembling a system unit, "craftsmen" sometimes forget to connect the connecting cables to the motherboard. To fix it, a basic knowledge of PC components is required.
Checking is simple enough - switch the plug into the main connector on the back of the system unit. It should be green. Even if you have a 5.1 sound card (that is, 6 connectors in a group), it is not difficult to find the power point. Color and symbol markings are always there.
Of course, the option of hardware failure is not excluded: the computer's sound card. Repair is carried out in specialized workshops.
Restoring sound in headphones
Variant 1: headphones are fine and sound is on - the problem is software based
Right click on the speaker icon (bottom right corner) and open the "Playback Devices" section. Check if there is a recognized device. If it has the sign "off" against it, go to "properties" and turn on the headphones.
No sound appears - in the same section "properties" check the sound level and whether the speaker icon is disabled.
If there are no other problems, sound should be restored.
If you don't see any playback devices in the mentioned windows, check if the sound card drivers are available and correctly installed.
Information: A driver is a system program that controls any hardware component on your computer.
To do this, use the "Settings" panel (right-click the "Windows" icon in the lower left corner of the screen) to launch the Device Manager. The opened window shows all the hardware components installed in the computer, as well as their status.
Find the tab with the words "audio" or "sound devices" and check for the sound card. The name is different for each computer, but the word "audio" should be present in the line. If such devices are absent, or marked with a red (yellow) cross, you need to install (update) the drivers.
Right click on the line with the problem device, in the window that will open select "properties". Go to the "drivers" tab, and perform the necessary action: "update" or "install".
The operating system usually finds the control programs on its own (on the "C" drive or on the Internet). If no drivers are found, you will need the installation disk, which should come with your computer.
If it is missing, you need to go to the website of the sound card manufacturer and download the driver.
At this point the possibilities of software recovery are over. It is possible to assume the presence of a virus in the operating system. In any case it is worth checking by Windows security center or 3rd party antivirus.
Option 2: the software is fine (checked with speakers or other headphones) - the problem is in the headphones
For all the "assortment" of breakdowns, 90% of them involve connectors or wires. Getting up from behind the computer desk, we often forget to take off the headphones, and pull the wire. The second cause of damage - the sound cable repeatedly fell under the leg of the chair.
So, we repair the headphones. If there is no obvious damage on the wire or connector, look for a breakage with a multimeter.
Tip: It is not recommended to check the continuity of the wire by bending or pulling the wire (while it is on). You can arrange a short circuit and damage the sound board of the computer.
To understand how the headphones work, let's study the design a bit. The connection is made with a standard 3.5 mm jack plug.
As a rule, it is indestructible, and therefore unrepairable. There are three pins: a common (or "minus"), and one wire per channel (if the headphones are stereo). The wire is led into the headphone body directly, or with the help of a splitter box.
There may be a volume control inside, another potential source of malfunction. Next, the wires are connected directly to the speakers mounted in the ear cushions.
Breakage most often occurs inside the wire, although there are times when poor quality soldering has come off. In any case, it is necessary to open the headphone casing and test the cable.
Of course, this is not the option in question:
These headphones are not repairable.
To do this, you need to know the pinout of the jack.
Disassembling the ear cushions, we check the continuity of the wire on all pins.
The thin and flexible headphone cable is difficult to repair, although with some patience it is possible to solder it. A more reasonable solution is to buy a new piece of wire and replace it along with the connector. Both shielded audio cables and collapsible jacks are available.
If your headphones work wirelessly (or rather do not work) - repair is also possible, but that's the subject of another article.
Bottom line: Repairing the software part will not cause problems even for a novice user. But the repair of headphones with soldering iron, will be able to overpower only a user barely familiar with radio.
Topical materials:
How to tune the headphones for high-quality sound
, How to connect headphones to the TV
, How to properly adjust the headphone microphone on a Windows computer
, How to disassemble the headphones: a guide with step-by-step photos of repair of all headset elements
, How to repair headphones, if one stopped working
, How to make the sound in the headphones louder: on the computer and on the phone
, How to improve the sound quality in headphones
, Causes of hissing and wheezing in headphones
, Simple and effective ways to increase bass in headphones
Working with a personal computer is impossible without sound. If you do not want to disturb those around you, or the sound row relates to private information - headphones are used.
Fig. 1
Any electronic device can fail. What should you do if there is no sound in your headphones?
Tip: The fault should be searched according to the method - from simple to complex.
Determining the cause of the lack of sound (algorithm of actions)
1. Check if the computer is muted and the position of the volume slider.
Fig. 2
After that click on the volume slider, you should hear the system sound.
2. Then check the sound level in the source application (media player, Youtube video, computer game).
Fig. 3
Maybe the program is simply muted.
If after these actions the sound doesn't appear, you need to understand where the problem is: hardware or software.
Don't forget to check the volume control on the headphones (if there is one).
Connect the headphones to a known good sound source (smartphone, MP3 player). If there is sound, we can deal with the computer. We can check the source in the same way: by connecting a speaker system to the computer.
To be fair, the lack of sound is often due to improper connection of connectors. As a rule, the headphones are plugged into the front panel of the case.
Fig. 4
When assembling a system unit, "craftsmen" sometimes forget to connect the connection cables to the motherboard. To fix it, a basic knowledge of PC components is required. Checking is simple enough - switch the plug to the main connector on the back of the system unit. It should be green. Even if you have a 5.1 sound card (that is, 6 connectors in a group), it is not difficult to find the power point. Color and symbol markings are always there.
Figure 5
Of course, the option of hardware failure is not excluded: the sound card of the computer. Repair is carried out in specialized workshops.
Restoring the sound in the headphones
Option 1 Headphones are fine and sound is on - the problem is software
Right click on the speaker icon (bottom right corner) and open the "Playback Devices" section. Check if there is a recognized device. If there is a sign "off" against it - go to "properties" and turn on the headphones.
Fig. 6
If there is no sound - in the same section "properties" check the sound level and if the speaker icon is turned off.
Fig. 7
If there are no other problems, the sound should recover.
If you don't see any playback devices in the mentioned windows, check if the sound card drivers are available and correctly installed.
Information: A driver is a system program that controls any hardware component on your computer.
To do this, run Device Manager through the Settings panel (right-click on the "Windows" icon in the lower left corner of the screen). The window that opens displays all the hardware components installed in the computer, as well as their status.
Fig. 8
Find the tab with the words "audio" or "sound devices" and check the sound card. The name is different for each computer, but the word "audio" must be present in the line. If such devices are missing, or marked with a red (yellow) cross, you need to install (update) drivers.
Right click on the line with the problem device, in the window that will open select "properties". Go to the "drivers" tab and take the necessary action: "update" or "install".
Fig. 9
The operating system usually finds the control programs on its own (on the "C" drive or on the Internet). If the drivers are not found, you will need an installation disk, which should come with the computer.
If it is absent, you should visit the site of the sound card manufacturer and download the driver.
At this point the possibilities of software recovery are over. It is possible to assume the presence of a virus in the operating system. In any case it is worth checking by the Windows security center or a third-party antivirus of your choice.
Option 2 The software is fine (checked with speakers or other headphones) - the problem is in the headphones
With all the "assortment" of breakdowns, 90% of them involve connectors or wires. Getting up from behind the computer desk, we often forget to take off the headphones, and pull the wire. The second cause of damage - the sound cable repeatedly fell under the leg of the chair.
So, we repair the headphones. If there is no obvious damage on the wire or connector, look for a breakage with a multimeter.
Tip: It is not recommended to check the integrity of the wire by bending or pulling the wire (when on). You can arrange a short circuit and damage the computer's sound board.
To understand how the headphones work, let's study the design a bit. Connection using a standard 3.5 mm jack plug.
Fig. 10
As a rule, it is indestructible, and therefore unrepairable. Three pins: common (or "minus"), and one wire per channel (if the headphones are stereo). The wire is led into the headphone housing directly, or with the help of a splitter box.
Figure 11
There may be a volume control inside, another potential source of trouble. Further, the wires are connected directly to the speakers mounted in the ear cushions.
Breakage most often occurs inside the wire, although there are times when poor quality soldering has come off. In any case, to check it, you need to open the case of the headphones and test the cable.
Of course, this is not the case:
Figure 12
These headphones are not repairable.
You need to know the pinout of the jack.
Fig. 13
Disassembling the ear cushions, we check the continuity of the wire on all pins.
Fig. 14
The thin and flexible headphone cable is difficult to repair, although with some patience it is possible to solder it as well. A more sensible solution is to buy a new piece of wire, and replace it along with the connector. Both shielded audio cables and collapsible connectors are commercially available.
Figure 15
If your headphones work wirelessly (or rather do not work) - repair is also possible, but that is the subject of another article.
Bottom line:
Restoring the functionality of the software part will not cause problems even for the novice user. But the repair of headphones with a soldering iron, will be able to overpower only a user barely familiar with radiodelom.