Overview
Typically, when someone wants to buy a pair of headphones, the very first thing they test is its sound, and the first aspect they pay attention to is the amount of bass. This clearly shows that the level and power of bass in headphones has a direct impact on the customer’s purchasing decision.
So, the simplest and most immediate answer to the question “Why do cheap headphones have so much bass?” is that the main reason is to boost sales.
In this article, we will deeply explore the reasons why even low-cost headphones often have a lot of bass. Also, if you’re looking to buy bass-heavy headphones, we recommend reading our article Best Headphones for Bass.
Attracting Customer Attention
As mentioned earlier, the first—and perhaps most important—reason manufacturers of cheap headphones boost the bass is to attract the user’s attention and drive sales. And they are often successful in doing so. If you take a look at marketplaces like Amazon, you’ll see that inexpensive headphones sell in large volumes every month.
For example, if you look closely at the image above, which shows the product page for the JBL Tune 510BT headphones, you’ll see that although this product is priced under $40 and falls into the budget category, it has sold over 10,000 units on Amazon alone—mainly due to its strong bass, which is a remarkably high number.
Covering other Sound Profile Weaknesses
Another reason why manufacturers of some very cheap headphones boost the bass is to mask the audio shortcomings of the headphones. Typically, budget headphones do not use high-quality audio drivers, which results in poor overall sound quality. To cover up this lack of quality, they increase the bass so that when users listen to the sound, they are less likely to notice the flaws and low fidelity of the audio.
Target Market
Another reason for the heavy bass in cheap headphones is the preferences of the target market. Many buyers of low-cost headphones are teenagers and young adults, and for them, the most important feature is strong bass. Features like active noise cancelling, isolation, comfortable design, and so on are not a priority, and they’re also not looking to spend much money on a pair of headphones. So, for this target market, headphones are designed without high-quality materials or advanced features like ANC, app support, etc. Instead, they’re made to be affordable and deliver powerful bass to create excitement while listening to music.
How Is the Bass in Cheap Headphones?
The bass-heavy sound in cheap headphones is more of a marketing trick and the result of technical limitations—not a sign of high sound quality. The type of bass you hear in low-cost headphones typically has the following characteristics:
1. Boomy
In these headphones, the bass is not precise and punchy; instead, it sounds more dispersed and boomy. Rather than remaining confined to the low frequencies, it leaks into other frequency ranges, muddying the overall sound and causing what is known as frequency interference. However, in high-end and premium headphones, this issue does not occur at all, and the balance between the bass and other elements of the music is extremely well-maintained.
2. Muddy
Sounds are not well separated. For example, the bass guitar might blend with the kick drum, making it hard for the listener to distinguish between them. This becomes especially problematic in tracks with multiple layers of sound. If you own a cheap pair of headphones, try listening to music with rich, layered compositions—you’ll likely notice this issue.
3. Lacking Sub-Bass Depth
While the bass might seem loud, it doesn’t have the deep, accurate rumble you’d experience with professional or high-end headphones. These cheaper headphones increase the volume of the bass but not its quality.
Also Read: What Is Bass Frequency?
