Does Headphone Volume Affect The Battery? (Explained)

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Volume and sound play a major role in enjoying what you watch on a device. It is easy to become immersed in the sounds and get carried away. But what happens if you worry about the volume draining the battery away?

Generally, a loud volume wears out your device’s battery faster than a lower volume. This happens because the headphone needs electricity to work. Thus, there is a need for more input or power for a larger output (in this case, volume).

Different headphone devices consume energy at varying rates. This means that their ability to drain the battery differs. High-quality headphones need more energy to support the base setting. They need more energy to power wireless headphones and earbuds.

Keep reading to uncover more details on why some headphones drain more battery life from their devices.

How Wired Headphones Drain Device Battery?

Headphones are electric devices which means they need electric power to function. Like other electronic devices, wired headphones get this power from the connected device. These can be any device, including laptops, play stations, smartphones, and others.

Once you plug in the headphone to the device’s audio jack, you create a circuit. Then electricity passes through the circuit (wires) to the earpieces. So, listeners can then hear the sound produced by the device.

Because the device powers wired headsets, they do not need an external power source. Instead, they use up the energy of the device’s Battery. Thus, the big question remains: How much energy do the headphones consume?

How Much Battery Do Wired Headphones Use?

The amount of energy used by wired headphones is negligible and goes unnoticed. Several factors influence the energy amount used by wired headphones.

There is an impedance rating that comes with every headphone. This rating determines the amount of energy it consumes. The higher this rating is, the more the headphones will likely consume energy and drain the battery faster. Omit, devices with lower ratings drain batteries a bit slower.

Most manufacturers will attach lower-quality headphones with the devices they sell. Such headphones are less likely to use a lot of energy. They will thus not drain your batteries fast enough to cause an alarm.

But, those interested in higher quality sound may have to invest in higher quality headphones. Examples of these include audiophiles or designer headphones. These are professional headphones that produce better quality sounds. Unfortunately, they also tend to drain the battery a lot faster.

Wireless Headphones: Do they Drain Battery?

Wireless headphones or earplugs will not drain a device’s battery when not in use. They only do so when used to play music or listen to videos. This happens because they have a different working mechanism than their wired counterparts.

The wireless system either uses an in-built networking system or Bluetooth. So they are unlikely to drain power or energy from the device. They are not linked to a circuit that completes the electric flow. So, they are not likely to drain the power of your device’s battery.

These wireless headphones also need power to run. The Bluetooth system requires power from internal batteries that occasionally requires charging. Earbuds come with a charger on the case.

As you charge your wired devices, also charge the Bluetooth device. While they work differently, Bluetooth devices also need the power to sustain the consistency of the network. The power comes from the device playing the music.

With the different sources of power, the device battery drains out eventually. Activities such as streaming music and maintaining network consistency need energy.

Because your device uses Bluetooth technology to stream music, it needs a significant amount of battery energy to support it.

Unless the device uses a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), the classic Bluetooth system will drain out battery energy much faster. BLE reduces the amount of Bluetooth energy. This is how wireless headphones and Bluetooth devices contribute to battery draining.

Which Headphones Use More Battery: Wired Ones Or Wireless Ones?

Understand the difference in power consumption between the different audio types. The last thing you need is your headphones to get into the red zone during use. This can be crippling, especially if you are in the middle of important tasks.

You may need to change gear to complete the task at hand effectively.

A typical earbud or wireless headphones consume more energy than traditional wired headphones. The wireless options will drain your device’s battery and lead to a shorter lifespan.

Even so, the energy wireless and Bluetooth headphones draw is most times insignificant. The difference comes in during the use, especially when streaming music. While the wired system is pretty straightforward, the wireless system is not. It depends on an external network or Bluetooth system to function.

It is best to operate several modules simultaneously whenever you stream music from wireless headphones or earbuds. This means that the device’s battery drains out faster. This is a different energy than you need to activate the earbuds (the activation energy is often negligible).

The volume also plays a role in power consumption, albeit small. The energy used when playing high-volume music through headphones is more than when it is lower. You are also less likely to use up a lot of energy when using earbuds since the volume will not be very high, lest you damage your ears.

The main difference when playing loud music on wireless devices is that you need more power to stream music on a wireless network.

It is only reasonable to always check your device’s battery level. Only use wireless headphones if you have enough power.

Go for the wired headphones if you suspect you are running low on energy.

Why Do Headphones Drain Battery Energy Fast?

In most cases, the headphone has little to do with why your device’s Battery is draining a lot of energy.

Usually, it is the apps you use to stream music or those you use to make video calls. Because of headphones, you are less likely to run out of power at crucial moments.

Also, watch out for other apps when playing music. If you have other running apps, your battery energy will be drained much faster.

Besides, wireless headphones drain more energy because they rely on Bluetooth networks to run.

Sometimes the energy draining can be significant and noticeable. Pay attention to other activities that could be causing energy drainage since power consumption largely depends on your activities.

In case you suspect that your phone’s Battery or device Battery is running out a lot faster than it should, then check for other activities. The headphone on their own is less likely to be the culprit of such instances.

You should also not worry about leaving your headphones connected since little to no energy will be drained unless you are streaming music.

Ultimately, choosing the right headphones and knowing when to use them matters. With these devices and accessories important in most people’s lives, it is only reasonable to learn what works for you. So, always understand which headphones best suit your needs and use them appropriately.