If you use headphones or earphones, you probably noticed that both earcups have ‘L’ & ‘R’ marked on them.
Is it just a design? Or there is a reason behind it.
One time I saw my niece putting the left-marked earphone on the right side and the left one on the right.
I told her that she is wearing it wrong.
At that moment, she asked why she had to put it as per the label.
I was shocked by her answer.
You know, little kids need proper instruction as they slightly overthink than grown-ups.
So, why are earphones and headphones labelled Left and Right? I gathered all the information about it to give her a proper explanation.
While researching about it, I came to know many unknown facts.
Do you want to know all the reasons behind this labeling?
Then, you are at the right place because I will write up all the details one by one here.
Why Are Headphones Marked L and R?
You bought a pair of earphones or headphones.
Tell me, how do you know which earbud goes in which ear?
Yes, the first reason for this labeling is to guide you to put them accurately.
It’s as simple as that. Right?
No! This mark-up has more purpose than giving you instruction.
Suppose you went to a boy band music concert. There are more than one member in boy bands.
When you hear two members singing, you can differentiate which member is on which side of the stage.
It’s a live listening experience.
To give you the same feeling, musicians record their songs to replicate the live music experience.
You can hear all the transitions and dynamic sounds through your headphones.
The manufacturers label it with L & R to get a closer experience of listening to ‘Live.’
It’s okay if you can’t go to your favorite Pop idol concert. You can experience the life-like sound with your headphones. Just make sure you put the ear tips into your correct ear.
Now, you may be wondering, does it matter which earbud goes in which ear?
Yes, it matters.
Check out the next part to know why it’s essential to put them as labeled.
The Importance of Left & Right Mark on Headphone
Most of the earbuds are designed according to your left and right ear shape. The nozzles are angled to fit them into your ear canal.
When you put the earphone in your wrong ear, they won’t fit and will keep slipping out.
Even if you try to insert them, you won’t feel comfortable at all. And that’s why you should put them as per the label to feel comfortable and to get the perfect seal.
The left and right mark-up on headphones also matters if you are listening to a stereo sound.
Stereo music is recorded with multiple microphones to give you a multi-directional and 3D (Three Dimension) musical experience.
You can hear sounds from various directions in this type of music, like your natural hearing.
So, it’s essential to put on your earphones to the correct ears so that you can experience the music as the musician recorded it.
Some people say that they don’t find any difference in sound even if they wear the headphones on the wrong side.
Is it true?
Let’s find the answer.
Difference Between Left and Right Earbuds Sound When You Put Them Wrong!
I will give you some examples so that you can understand the difference according to various situations.
1. For Movie
Do you love to watch movies, especially action and horror?
Now imagine you are watching a movie where a full-speed car moves from right side to left side. But you are hearing the sound of the vehicle coming from left to right in your ear.
Can you spot the difference?
The movie sound managers tried their best to give you a live sound experience but failed because you put the wrong earbuds into the ear.
Spider-man: Homecoming (2017) has some busy action-like sounds coming from the right, left, down, and up. You can experience the dynamic detail and real-life sound coming from different directions through your headphones.
What will happen in horror movies is even funnier. When the ghost approaches from your left side, you will hear it coming from the right side.
And, of course, you will jump in the direction from where the ghost is coming from.
Don’t you think you need to maintain social distance from it instead of getting closer!
I think you should.
Anyway, the proper direction of sound is more important while playing games.
I will explain it in the following segment.
2. For Gaming
If you play online games, especially first-person shooter games, the proper sound direction is essential for tracing the enemy.
Suppose an enemy is approaching you from your left side, but the footstep sound comes from the right side, then you will get the wrong hint and end up dead.
So, when you wear your earphones on the correct ear, you will get the right sound direction from where it is coming from.
Check the below part to know what difference you will experience in music while putting the earbud in the wrong ear canal.
3. For Music Listeners
Are you familiar with 3D music?
It is a brand new way of mixing music that lets you experience different sound dimensions than a standard stereo mix.
The music keeps moving from one ear to another ear.
When you wear the headphone on the opposite ear, you won’t listen to the actual direction of the music that the audio engineer intended you to hear.
You will also experience an unbalanced sound too.
But, if you listen to mono music, you will not find any difference even if you put the earbuds wrong.
4. TV Show
Suppose you are watching a Tv show where a lady is talking from one side and a man from another.
Do you know what you will listen to?
The voice won’t match the exact direction where they are sitting.
Don’t you think putting the headphone in the wrong ear will ruin your listening experience?
Yes, you already found all the weird situations that you will face because of your mistake.
So, don’t switch the left and right earbuds, and make sure you put them into your correct ear to avoid all the previously described situations.
Now you know the importance of the mark-up as L & R in your earphone.
But how will you recognize the left and right sound if the label gets rubbed off from your headphone?
Relax, I have a solution for you. You don’t need to worry about it.
Go through the later part to know.
Identify Left & Right Side of The Earphones Using A Trick!
You will get confused about which earbud is right and left if the label gets blurred off.
For earphones, the right earbud is the side where the mic is attached.
And, for headphones, the mic is attached to the left side.
You can also test your headphones’ sound with the help of an online testing video.
If you have weak eyesight and can’t see the tiny letters R and L on the headphone, try to use two different color ear tips.
There is another trick you can follow is the ear tip shape test.
First, put your earbuds into your ear as you want.
As most earphones come in angled design, they will not fit into your ear if you try to put them wrong.
And you will feel uncomfortable too.
However, you will face this problem if the label is written on it with ink.
But, most of the latest earphones have bumpy designs for this mark, so there is no way they will rub off.
Yet you can try the hacks that I provided you above.
Conclusion
Why are earphones and headphones labeled ‘Left’ And ‘Right’?
Finally, I can give my niece a proper answer and tell her why she should not put them wrong.
I hope you also know how important it is to wear them correctly.
And yeah, don’t mess up the direction, or you will get closer to the ghost!
