Samsung's new and redesigned Galaxy Buds 3 Pro wireless earbuds are fantastic for the most part and superior to the previous models in many ways, from design to audio quality. However, some users haven't had a flawless experience and say they have come across an unusual and borderline painful audio issue.
The problem numerous Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users describe on Reddit manifests through a high-pitched sound similar to a loud whistle or squeak. One Reddit user, who shared a short video of the problem, said one of the earbuds produced this high-pitched sound at such a high volume that their hearing almost went out for a few minutes.
Likewise, numerous other Reddit users who have admittedly experienced this issue blamed it on the right earbud rather than both. Incidentally, one of our SamMobile team members also experienced a similar audio problem with one of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro earbuds just as we were writing this story.
ANC or Ambient Sound might cause this problem
Interestingly, according to a few accounts from some Reddit users, this isn't a problem unique to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Some people have experienced similar high-pitched noise issues with other headphones made by other manufacturers. And, by the sound of it — no pun intended — the problem might be caused by audio feedback loops generated by ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) or Ambient Sound.
Noise-canceling devices, such as the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and many other headphones and earbuds, are equipped with microphones that “listen” to the ambient sound and allow the headphones to generate opposite sound waves. At its core, that's how ANC technology works on any audio device, i.e., one sound cancels out another.
Supposedly, an endless feedback loop could occur between the embedded microphone(s) and the drivers that produce sound on Galaxy Buds and other headphones. It's a similar phenomenon to the kind of audio feedback and loud sound you'd get from moving a microphone too close to a speaker.
It seems like most or all Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users who have experienced this issue say that it happens when they put one of the earbuds in quickly. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, they say they were in a rush.
The story continues after the video
Other users suspect that ANC isn't at fault but that if you use the earbuds with Ambient Sound ON, you can cause feedback loops on the Galaxy Buds by touching the microphones.
Ambient Sound does the opposite of ANC. It listens to the microphones and channels that audio into the headphones at a higher volume to help people hear their surroundings even when they wear the headphones. So, it makes sense that, in theory, at least, such a system could create a strong feedback loop if the audio generated by the drivers is loud enough to be picked up by the microphones and amplified before being sent back to the drivers.
Whichever the cause might be, if you are experiencing this issue, you can try avoiding touching the microphones on your Buds, putting the earbuds in your ears more carefully, or turning off features like ANC and Ambient Sound. Otherwise, it's hard to tell if Samsung could compensate for this occasional problem through a future firmware update. We'll keep you posted if we find out more.
