How to tune the sound in Xiaomi headphones: from equalizer to spatial sound

Xiaomi headphones are some of the most popular smartphone accessories because of their combination of price, quality and functionality. However, even the most advanced models like the Redmi Buds 4 Pro, Xiaomi Buds 4 or wired Mi Hybrid Pro often sound “not” as you would like: too quiet, with too much bass or, conversely, with an “empty” sound. The problem is usually not the headphones themselves, but the wrong settings on the smartphone or in the firmware MIUI.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to adjust the sound from basic volume parameters to fine-tuning the equalizer and turning on spatial sound (including models with support for LDAC and AAC). Separately, we will consider how to improve the quality of the microphone in Xiaomi headphones for calls and streams, and what to do if the sound is interrupted or distorted. All the instructions are relevant for smartphones on MIUI 14/15 and Android 13/14, but most tips will be suitable for other versions.

1. Basic sound settings in MIUI

Before you dig into the equalizer, check the basic parameters. Often the problem is the trivial things: the sound amplifier turned off, the wrong profile or the power saving restrictions.

Open Settings → Sound and vibration. Here you should be interested:

• 🔊 Media volume – controlled by a slider or volume buttons. On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) There is a separate dynamic range mode that automatically adjusts the volume to the surrounding noise.
• 🎧 Sound quality – choose High (for music) or HD-Voice (for calls) on Snapdragon smartphones 8 Gen 2 (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra mode available 24-bit/192kHz.
• 🔋 Energy saving sound – disable this option if the sound is cut or distorted when the battery is low.

Notice the effects of sound. You can include:

• 🎵 Bass amplifier – adds low frequencies, but can “dirty” the sound on cheap headphones.
• 🔄 Virtualization 3D-Sound – imitates surround sound, but only works with supported headphones (for example, Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro).
• 🎤 Suppressing microphone noise – useful for calls in noisy places.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO X5 Pro) The audio quality option is hidden in the additional settings. If it is not in the main menu, go to Settings → Additionally. → Sound lab.

2. Equalizer setting for Xiaomi headphones

The built-in equalizer in MIUI allows you to fine-tune the sound, but its location depends on the firmware version. In recent updates, it is hidden deeper than before.

To open the equaliser:

1. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound effects.
2. Select the Equator (on some devices this item is called Sound Customization).
3. Activate the sliders and adjust the frequencies to your preferences.

Recommended presets for different genres:

If the built-in equalizer seems too primitive, install a third-party app like Wavelet or Poweramp Equalizer. They support ViPER4Android and allow you to customize even hardware corrections for a specific headphone model.

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To reset the equalizer settings to factory settings, hold your finger on any slider for 3 seconds, which will work even if the MIUI interface does not show the Reset button.

3. Spatial sound and LDAC codec

Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro, Redmi Buds 5 Pro and a few others support spatial sound (marketing Xiaomi calls it 3D Audio or Head Tracking), a feature that creates a three-dimensional sound effect, like in the theater, but only works with compatible smartphones and content.

How to turn on:

1. Connect the headphones to your smartphone.
2. Open Settings → Connected devices → Headphones [model] → Spatial sound.
3. Select a mode: 🎬 Movies – Optimized for video (works with Netflix, YouTube Premium). 🎮 Games are a reinforced environment for shooters and RPG. 🎵 Music is a wide sound scene for tracks.

For maximum sound quality, activate the LDAC codec (available on smartphones with Snapdragon 8xx and headphones with support, for example, Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro):

Settings → Connected devices → [Hearphones] → Sound quality → LDAC (990 kbit / s or 909 kbit / s)

⚠️ Attention: Codec LDAC It's a big headphone battery drain. If you're more interested in autonomy, choose. AAC (for iPhone or aptX Adaptive (for Android).

Make sure your smartphone is on Snapdragon 8xx or newer

Update the headphone firmware through Mi Home

Enable LDAC in Bluetooth settings

Reboot your headphones (hold the 10 sec button)

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4.Mic setting in Xiaomi headphones

Poor hearing during calls or streams is a common problem with Xiaomi wireless headphones, either because of noise cancellation or improperly selected microphone mode.

How to improve the quality of the microphone:

• 🎤 In the headphone settings (Settings) → Connected devices → [Model] select: Clear Voice mode for calls in noisy places; Natural Sound mode for streams or voice recordings.
• 🔇 Turn off Noise Reduction if your voice sounds robotic (relevant for Redmi Buds 3 Pro and older).
• 📱 In the phone settings (Settings) → Sound. → Call quality) select HD-voice (VoLTE).

If the problem persists, try resetting your headphone settings:

1. Put the headphones in the case.


2 Hold the button on the case for 15 seconds (red indicator will light up).




3. Reconnect via Bluetooth.

Headphones Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro and newer support AI Noise Cancellation technology, but it only works with MIUI 14+ firmware and smartphones on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/2. If you have another model, noise reduction will be software (less efficient).

5. Resolving sound problems

If the sound is interrupted, distorted, or not working at all, check these points:

Common problems and solutions:

If the sound problem occurred after the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version or wait for a patch. For example, MIUI 15.0.4 had a high-frequency cropping bug on Redmi Buds 5 headphones that was fixed at 15.0.6.

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90% of the audio problems in Xiaomi headphones are solved by resetting Bluetooth settings or switching the codec from SBC to AAC/aptX.

6.Extra chips for music lovers

If you use Xiaomi headphones to listen to music, these features will help improve the sound:

• 🎶 Adaptive sound (available on Xiaomi) 13/14 Series: analyzes ambient noise and automatically adjusts the equalizer. → Sound. → Adaptive sound.
• 🔊 Dynamic normalization: levels volume between tracks, useful for playlists with different mastering. Activated in Settings → Music. → Normalization of sound.
• 🎧 Personalized profile: in the Mi Music application you can pass a hearing test, after which the system will select the optimal settings of the equalizer for your perception.

For real audiophiles, there is a hidden Hi-Res Audio feature that unlocks support for FLAC 24-bit/192kHz formats.

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 taps according to the MIUI version in the phone settings).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option to Enable Hi-Res output and activate it.
4. In Bluetooth settings, select the LDAC codec (990 kbit/s).

Note: Hi-Res Audio only works with headphones that support LDAC, and greatly reduces battery life.

7. Sound tuning in games

For gamers, Xiaomi offers separate audio settings that can be found in Settings → Sound → Game Mode.

• 🎮 3D-sound for games - imitates spatial sound (useful in the game) PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty).
• 🔇 Suppression of microphone noise – cuts off the keyboard and other foreign sounds while streaming.
• 🔊 Steps enhancement – increases the volume of movement sounds in shooters.

If the game doesn’t support these settings, use third-party apps like Game Turbo (pre-installed on many Xiaomi smartphones) or Razer Cortex.

To minimize the delay of sound:

1. In Bluetooth settings, select the aptX Low Latency codec.


2. In the game settings, turn off the post-processing of sound (if there is such an option).




3. Close all background applications, especially instant messengers with voice messages.

FAQ: Frequent questions about sound tuning