Are some songs louder in one ear?

Submitted by AntOk463 t3_yekdqm in headphones

Sometimes when I'm listening to music I feel like one side is louder than the other, my first thought is one of my ears needs to be popped or is filled with wax, but then I turn them around and the other ear is louder. So then I make sure all wires are plugged in correctly and completely, but there is still more volume in one side than the other. I would start to worry if the headphone sate damaged, but then I keep listening and another song plays in which I think the other side is slighter louder. So this means that some songs are slightly louder in one side for some odd reason. They are rare and for most songs I think they are balanced. And I think I've experienced this with an Eminem song and a Daft Punk song, both have big name producers that know what they are doing. Do some songs actually do this or is is just something in my head?

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saltyboi6704 t1_ityl1tr wrote

Some tracks have very wide separation and will have one instrument off to one ear and another off to the other.

September has that bongo guy off to the front right

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AntOk463 OP t1_itylnjm wrote

I can understand that, but for these tracks that have the same audio in both sides, that's why it's so confusing why it doesn't sound even?

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saltyboi6704 t1_itym815 wrote

Maybe one ear is more blocked than the other?

When I have a cold sometimes that happens to me and I have to mess with audio balance until it passes

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AntOk463 OP t1_itymfn6 wrote

I said this isn't the case, if the right side is feeling quiet I would flip them around and the left side would be quiet. And it's not an issue with the headphones either because in some songs one side in quiet and in other songs it's the other side.

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saltyboi6704 t1_itymxa6 wrote

What about the connection to the headphones? If one channel has a bad electrical connection it may attenuate the signal

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blargh4 t1_ityrjn1 wrote

Sure, it's a little unusual with modern recordings but there's no law that says a recording's stereo mix has to be balanced. Albums are usually mixed on loudspeakers, where such imbalances are less audible since you don't have full seperation of the channels.

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milotrain t1_itzqg96 wrote

Yes. Cross feed is your friend.

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MrGeekman t1_ityi4ax wrote

Are you using IEMs?

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AntOk463 OP t1_ityi668 wrote

No, over ear headphones.

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MrGeekman t1_ityibpn wrote

Alright, then you definitely don’t have to worry about clogged filters.

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AntOk463 OP t1_ityipas wrote

I went through 2 pairs or Samsung Galaxy buds plus, and both of them became unusable due to some very weird issue when they get clogged up and became too quiet. After that I told myself I will not get any more bluetooth audio devices again. The only IEM I use are the Samsung earbuds for calls or use in school for years, and I cleaned the grill once and they work fine. I still think the $30 Type C Samsung earbuds are the best headphones or IEM for that price, they also have a really good mic.

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MJ12_0451 t1_ityj8xc wrote

I mean, today's headphones are all stereo. Of course they can sometimes sound louder in one or another ear. So I wouldn't worry about it

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AntOk463 OP t1_ityjfs2 wrote

But its that fine intentionally in the track? Or could it be an issue with the uploaded version of the track in listening to?

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MJ12_0451 t1_ityjiqn wrote

Could be both, but most likely it's intentional

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HuckDFaters t1_iu11402 wrote

Your headphones could be slightly damaged and have a minor imbalance only on certain frequencies. When you listen to songs that do not use those frequencies often, everything seems fine. You'll only notice the imbalance when listening to songs with voices/instruments hitting those imbalanced frequencies.

Test this by listening to a sine sweep on youtube. If the sound is perfectly centered the entire time then your headphones and your ears are fine. If the sound sways between left and right at certain frequencies then you found your problem.

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AntOk463 OP t1_iu6f5o5 wrote

That is the most acurate way to test for this issue, I can't believe I didn't think of it.

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