Cut Down on Cable Noise by Wrapping Your Earbuds Behind Your Ear

Ever notice that when your earbud cable moves, you can hear it rustle in your ears? This cable noise is called microphonics, and there are a few tricks you can use to avoid it.

This tip has been around forever, but we’ve never featured it—and I didn’t know about it until reader Bat21 posted it in the comments of our Comply earbud tips review. A lot of this noise depends on the quality of your cable, but to cut down on the noise, wrap the cable around the back of your ear, as shown above. You should get less of that rustling and thumping. CNET also notes that you can use a shirt clip to cut down on that noise, if you have one.