How to improve the sound quality in headphones on Xiaomi phone: from basic settings to hidden chips MIUI

Bad headphones on Xiaomi are a common problem that spoils the experience of music, podcasts or games. Many users mistakenly think that cheap headphones are to blame, but in fact 80% of the problems are solved by the correct settings of the phone itself. Even low-end models of Redmi or POCO are able to produce high-quality sound, if you know where to dig.

In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can improve your sound, from basic equalizer settings to hidden MIUI features that aren't written about in the official instructions, how to remove wheezing, turn up the volume without distortion, adjust the spatial sound, and even optimize the sound for specific genres of music, and why sometimes the sound deteriorates due to energy saving and how to fix it.

Whether you’re using wired Mi Earphones or wireless Xiaomi Buds, these methods work on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12, POCO F5 and others), the main thing is to follow the instructions in order and test changes on the go.

1. Set up the built-in MIUI equalizer

The first thing to start with is the built-in equalizer in MIUI, which many users don't even know exists, although it can change the sound dramatically to find it:

1. Open the Settings → Sound and vibration application.

2. Slap on the item Sound Quality (on some firmware it may be called Sound Effects or Sound Settings).

3. Select the Equalizer (or Equalizer in English firmware).

Here you will see some presets (Rock, Pop, Jazz, etc.), but you should adjust the sound manually.

• 🎛️ Basses (60-250 Hz): Raise carefully! Over-enhancement will lead to wheezing. Optimal: +2–+4dB for deep bass, +1–+2 dB for medium.
• 🎶 Medium frequencies (500Hz – 2 kHz): Responsible for vocals and instruments. A decrease of 1-2 dB will make the sound airier.
• 🔊 High frequencies (4–16 kHz): An increase of +2–+3 dB will add "glow," but don't overdo it - hissing may appear.

Important: On models with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro), the equalizer works more precisely due to hardware acceleration. On budget smartphones (such as the Redmi 10A), the changes may be less noticeable.

⚠️ Warning: If the equalizer changes, reset the settings to the factory and try another preset. Some headphones (especially cheap ones) can't handle the amplified frequencies.

2. Enable sound amplification (Mi Sound Enhancer)

Xiaomi hides one of the most useful features, the Mi Sound Enhancer, which increases volume without loss of quality, but it's turned off by default.

1. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound quality.

2. Find the option to Improve Sound (or Mi Sound Enhancer).

3. Turn on the slider and select the gain level: Weak, Medium or Strong.

This feature is especially useful for wireless headphones, where volume is often limited by Bluetooth standards. On wired headphones, the effect is less noticeable, but still improves detail.

If the option is not on the menu, check out the MIUI version:

• 📱 On MIUI 13/14 the function is available by default.
• 🔄 On MIUI 12 and older, a firmware update may be required.
• 🛠️ Custom firmware (e.g., Pixel Experience) may not have it.

3. Optimization of Bluetooth codecs for wireless headphones

If you use Bluetooth headphones (such as Xiaomi Buds 4 or Redmi Buds 5), the sound quality depends on the communication codec. By default, Xiaomi uses SBC, the most versatile, but not the highest quality codec, to switch to the best:

1. Connect the headphones to the phone.

2. Open Settings → Connected devices (or Bluetooth).

3. Slap the ⚙️ icon next to the name of your headphones.

4. Select Sound Quality or Audio Codec.

Available options and their features:

For most headphones, Xiaomi is optimal for aptX (if supported) or AAC. If the sound started to break after changing the codec, go back to SBC - it may not be able to handle the data stream.

⚠️ Warning: On some models (e.g., POCO X3 Pro), the aptX codec may not be available due to chipset limitations, in which case AAC is the best choice.

4.Switching off energy saving for audio

Few people know, but the power-saving mode in MIUI is degrading the sound quality, because the system limits the performance of the DAC to save battery power, so that the sound is cleaner:

1. Open Settings → Battery and Performance.

2. Select Performance Mode (or Energy Saving).

3. Set High Performance or Balanced (but not Energy Saving!)

Also check the settings for specific applications:

• 🎵 For music apps (Spotify, YouTube Music, Mi Music) turn off battery optimization:
• 🎮 For games (if you use headphones for gaming), turn on Game Mode in the notification curtain.

💡

If the sound is better after the power saving switch off, but the battery goes down faster, try turning on the mode only while listening to music, and then return it back.

5.Using third-party apps for fine-tuning

The built-in tools of MIUI don't always work, and third-party applications will help, and here are the top -3 of the tested options:

1. Equalizer FX (free, with advertising)

• 🎧 10-band equalizer with pre-presets.
• 🔊 Support for ViPER4Android (for advanced users).
• 📱 Works on all versions of MIUI without root.

2. Wavelet (from the developers of Vance)

• 🎶 Automatically adjust to your headphones (there is a database of models).
• 🔋 Optimized for battery economy.
• 🛠️ Requires Audio Modification settings in ADB (in-app instruction).

3. Poweramp Equalizer (paid but with trial period)

• 🎛️ The most accurate equalizer for audiophiles.
• 🔊 Support for Hi-Res Audio.
• 📊 Real-time visualization of the sound spectrum.

Before installing, check compatibility:

6. Hardware checks: connector, headphones, developer settings

If the software methods didn't work, the problem could be the hardware.

🔌 Wired headphones (3.5 mm or Type-C):

• 🧹 Clean the dust connector with a toothpick (not a metal object!).
• 🔄 Try other headphones — if the sound has improved, the problem is with the headphones themselves.
• 🛠️ On Type-C models (e.g., Xiaomi 12T), check if the port is contaminated, which is a common cause of wheezing.

📶 Wireless headphones:

• 🔄 Reconnect the headphones (forget the device in Bluetooth settings and plug it back in).
• 📱 Update your headphone firmware (if you have an official app, like Mi Earphones).
• 🔋 Check the headphones' charge - at low battery level, sound quality may fall.

🔧 Developer settings (for power users):

If you’re ready to dig into the hidden settings, activate Developer Mode (7 times tap the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone), then:

1. Open the settings → Additional → for developers.
2. Find the option to turn off the absolute volume of Bluetooth and activate it.
3. Reboot the phone.

This will allow you to separately adjust the volume on the phone and headphones, which often solves the problem of too quiet sound.

⚠️ Warning: On models with MediaTek (e.g., Redmi Note 11), turning off absolute volume can cause Bluetooth to be unstable.

💡

Before any hardware manipulations (cleaning the connector, disassembling), make sure that the problem is not software. For example, wheezing at maximum volume is often caused not by dust, but by the wrong equalizer.

7.Performance check with Hi-Res Audio

If you’re listening to high-resolution music (like FLAC or WAV), make sure your smartphone supports Hi-Res Audio. Starting with the Xiaomi 11 and Redmi K40, most flagships are certified, but budget models (like the Redmi 9A) aren’t.

How to check:

1. Download the 24-bit/96kHz test file (can be found on 2L Test Bench).
2. Enable it through the standard Mi Music or Poweramp app.
3. If the sound is non-distorting, there is support. If the files are not playing or sound worse than MP3, your phone does not support Hi-Res.

For a full Hi-Res, you also need:

• 🎧 Headphones with a resistance of at least 32 ohms.
• 🔌 High-quality DAC (in budget smartphones it is weak).
• 🎵 A high bitrate application (e.g. Tidal or Qobuz).

If your smartphone doesn’t support Hi-Res, but you want to improve sound, try converting files to 320 kbps MP3 – the difference will be minimal, and the load on the processor will decrease.

FAQ: Frequent Sound Questions on Xiaomi