Headphones "Hissing" Sound When No Music is Playing

4.5

A faint white noise or "hiss" is audible whenever the headphones are turned on.

Symptoms
  • White noise
  • Hissing
  • Static
Possible Causes
  • High noise floor in amp
  • Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) artifacts
  • Bad cable shielding

Step-by-Step Fix

1

Turn Off ANC

See if the hiss disappears when noise cancelling is disabled.

2

Lower Device Volume, Raise Headphone Volume

If using a wired connection, this can sometimes improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

3

Use a Different Source

Test with a phone vs a laptop to see if the source is noisy.

When to See a Technician

Sensitive "In-Ear Monitors" (IEMs) often pick up the electrical noise floor of cheap amplifiers.

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