Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Preventing physical damage
• Part 2 of 2: Preventing damage from audio equipment
• Tips
• Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to keep your headphones and earbuds looking beautiful and sounding beautiful for years to come by properly storing them and choosing a lower noise level.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Preventing physical damage

1. Pull the plug and not the cable. When you remove the earbuds or headphones from your stereo or music player, pull them out by the connector. If you pull on the cable, you put extra stress on the connector, which will eventually damage it.
2. Pull the plug steadily and not suddenly. Once your headphones plug is tight, pull it out with steady force. If you tug on it, you can damage the connection.
3. Do not leave your earplugs on the floor. This may seem obvious, but if you leave your earbuds on the floor you will definitely accidentally damage them. Always put them on your desk or table, or store them away when not in use.
4. Do not leave the earbuds in your stereo or music device. When you're not using your earbuds, you can get the best out of your music player. If you accidentally get caught on the cable, you can damage your earbuds when trying to get up or move around.
5. Roll up your cables when you're not using your earbuds. This is especially important with portable headphones without a braided cable sheath. If the cables become entangled, they can kink and the connection can be damaged. Do not put your earplugs in your pocket.
   • You can use a paper clip or make some notches in an old card as an inexpensive tool to wrap the cables securely.
   • Do not make knots in the cables or put stress on them.
6. Don't let your earplugs hang down. When gravity pulls on the earplugs, the connection between the cable and the earplugs is unnecessarily stressed. So don't let your earplugs hang from your desk or from your bag.
7. Don't get your earplugs wet. As with all electrical appliances, your earplugs should not get wet. If they do get wet, dry them immediately, apply rubbing alcohol and let them air dry for several hours. That way you should be able to save your earplugs from most water accidents.
8. Don't sleep with your earplugs. Not only is this bad for your hearing, but the cables can also bend or snap when turned over.
9. Buy a box or protective pouch for your earplugs. If you often take your earplugs with you, consider buying a box or soft pouch for it. You may be able to buy a box for your brand and type of earplugs, or a box that is suitable for many different types of earplugs.
10. Spend more money on high-quality headphones or earbuds. Inexpensive earplugs and headphones have been cut back on everything. They are therefore often less well put together. If you regularly put a lot of strain on your earplugs and you can't do anything about it, it may be better to buy more expensive ones that can withstand more.
    • A braided cable sleeve prevents the cables from tangling and tangling. They will last longer this way.

Part 2 of 2: Preventing damage from audio equipment

1. Turn down the volume before plugging in your earbuds. Your earbuds can be damaged if you plug them in while playing loud music. Before plugging in the earbuds, turn down the volume of the device and put them in your ears only after plugging them in.
   • When you have connected your earplugs you can turn up the volume to a level where you can listen to it comfortably.
2. Keep the sound low. Loud music can not only cause hearing damage, but can also destroy your earplugs. As a result, the sound can be permanently distorted and you can hear a buzzing sound. If the sound starts to crack, your music is too loud.
   • Do not set the volume control to the highest setting, as this increases the chance that you will destroy the speakers of your earbuds or headphones. If you want to turn up the volume, but the volume control of your music device is already set to maximum, look for an amplifier for your headphones.
3. Turn the bass control down. Most earbuds don't have strong woofers, and strong bass tones can quickly damage your earbuds. Bass tones are low tones and can put a lot of strain on your earbuds if they are not made to reproduce those sounds properly. Use your music player's mixer to lower the bass and make sure all bass boost options are turned off.
4. Use earplugs that can handle the output. This is not really a problem if you connect earbuds to your phone or computer, but it is when it comes to high-quality stereo equipment. In that case, make sure the earbuds can handle the output. If you use weak earplugs with a powerful sound source, they can quickly break.
   • Read the owner's manual for your earbuds or headphones to find out what the impedance or resistance is (expressed in ohms). Also check how much your stereo or music player can handle.

Tips

• If you wrap your earbuds around your music player when you're not using them, make sure they're unplugged. Otherwise, the cables could break internally.
• When buying earplugs, look for ones with some sort of plastic combs on the end of connectors, or strain relief. This way you don't accidentally pull the cables out of the earbuds.
• If your stereo or MP3 player has a function that allows you to limit the sound, use that function. It prevents your hearing damage and makes your earplugs last longer.
• Remove your earplugs from your pockets before washing your clothes.

Warnings

• You will suffer permanent hearing damage if you listen to loud music for long periods of time.
• If someone else can hear the music from your headphones, that means you have open headphones. Normally nobody can hear your music with closed headphones. However, if you have closed headphones and someone can hear your music, then your music is too loud.