Solving Low Volume Problems on Avaya Headsets

When You Can Barely Hear the Person on the Other End

Low volume on an Avaya headset is one of those problems that feels minor until you're straining to hear a customer through every call of the day. It's also one of the most misdiagnosed issues on Avaya systems. People replace headsets, buy amplifiers, or submit IT tickets, when the fix is often a single setting or a firmware update away.

This guide covers every common cause of low headset volume on Avaya phones and softphones, starting with the simplest checks and working through to the less obvious ones.

Start Here: The Phone's Own Volume Settings

Before investigating anything else, confirm the phone's volume level is actually set correctly. It sounds obvious, but Avaya phones have separate volume controls for the handset, speakerphone, and headset, and they don't all move together.

Volume settings for the handset and headset should be checked and adjusted. Low headset volume on an Avaya phone is frequently just the headset volume level sitting below where it was last set by the user.

On most Avaya J-series and 9600-series phones:

• Press the headset button to activate the headset

• While on an active call, use the volume up/down buttons to raise the headset level

• The phone saves this level for future calls

If the volume resets after every call, that points to a firmware issue covered below.

The Adapter Cable Is the Wrong Type

Low volume on a corded headset is frequently caused by the wrong adapter cable, not a defective headset. Avaya phones require a specific HIS (Headset Interface Solution) cable to connect corded headsets, and using a generic cable or the wrong HIS variant results in noticeably lower audio levels than intended.

Improper microphone input levels and headset connection issues are among the most documented causes of low or inconsistent call volume. Verifying that the correct cable type is used for the specific phone model resolves the majority of these cases before any system-level changes are needed.

Check the cable type against your phone model:

• J100 series: requires a Plantronics HIS or Jabra GN1216 adapter cable

• 9600 series: uses a Plantronics HIS adapter or the older APC-4 cable, depending on headset brand

• 1600 series: compatible with the Plantronics HIS cable

If you're using a cable that came with the headset rather than one specified for your Avaya model, that's the first thing to replace.

A Firmware Update Caused the Problem

A documented low-volume issue affecting Avaya 9608, 9621, 9641, and 9611 phones with Plantronics corded headsets was traced directly to the Avaya H.323 6.1 SP1 firmware. Users reported barely being able to hear callers, regardless of how high the volume was set. The confirmed fix from Avaya was to update to H.323 6.2, which resolved the problem entirely.

This is an important pattern to recognize: if low headset volume appeared after a firmware update and wasn't present before, the firmware is the likely cause. Check your current phone firmware version and compare it against Avaya's release notes for any documented audio regressions in that version.

Volume Resets After Every Call

A specific issue where headset volume resets to a low default after every call, requiring users to manually turn it back up at the start of each conversation, has been reported on IP Office systems running older 4.x firmware versions.

If this is happening on your system, the fix is a firmware upgrade to a current supported release. The phone is correctly adjusting volume during the call, but not retaining the setting because the firmware version has a bug in how it handles volume persistence.

Low Volume on the Avaya Workplace Softphone

For users on the Avaya Workplace desktop or mobile app, low volume is almost always a device settings issue rather than a phone system problem.

On desktop:

• Open the audio and video settings in Avaya Workplace and confirm that the correct microphone and speaker are selected. Some Bluetooth headsets require you to select the correct device; explicitly selecting the wrong Bluetooth profile for the headset results in significantly reduced audio quality and volume.

• Check the Windows or Mac system volume for the app. Some operating systems apply per-application volume limits that override the app's own settings

• If volume is still low after adjusting in-app settings, disabling Automatic Gain Control can help. AGC sometimes suppresses volume levels in a misguided attempt to normalize audio, particularly in quieter call environments.

On mobile:

• Confirm the device's call volume (not media volume) is turned up. Avaya Workplace uses call volume, which is a separate slider on both iOS and Android

• If using a headset with the mobile app and the volume is low, unplug the headset and test with the device's built-in audio. If the volume improves, the headset either isn't compatible with the app or the audio output setting inside the app didn't update when the headset was connected.

Low Volume Only on External Calls

If volume is fine on internal calls between extensions but consistently low on calls to outside numbers, the issue is in the trunk configuration, not the headset.

Low volume reported only on external calls, while internal calls are unaffected, points to a gain or signal level issue on the trunk side of the connection, particularly on digital sets connected through older media gateways, where gain settings on the gateway itself can reduce audio levels on external calls without affecting internal ones.

This is a configuration adjustment made inside IP Office Manager or on the media gateway; it's not something users can fix from the phone itself.

Quick Reference: Low Volume by Scenario

• Low volume on all calls: Check headset volume level on the phone; verify correct adapter cable

• Low volume after firmware update: Check for documented audio regression in that firmware version

• Volume resets after every call: Firmware bug; upgrade to a current supported release

• Low volume in Workplace app: Check device audio settings and correct device selection in-app

• Low volume only on external calls: Trunk-side gain setting issue; requires system configuration change

• Callers say you sound quiet: Check the microphone connection, disable Automatic Gain Control, and verify microphone permissions on the mobile

Still Struggling With Low Volume?

If the steps above don't resolve the issue or if low volume is affecting multiple users across the office, the problem is likely in the system configuration rather than individual phones or headsets. A qualified Avaya support provider can identify the root cause quickly and get your team hearing clearly again without the trial and error.