Headphones.

[mattylad]

If you increase the resistance of the speakers then while the audio may become clearer the volume is likely to go down so you will find yourself having to increase the volume from the TV.
Are you not able to get into a TV menu where you can adjust the sound?

 

[Mottie]

Ah, do you think my old phones are noise cancelling? They are just a set my son gave me.

Noise cancelling ones have their own power supply built in - rechargeable batteries. When flat, they can be used as normal ones. Great on aeroplanes!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The wired headphones are not like this so I thought I might swap the speakers. They are the same size and look the same, but the old ones are 16Ω and the new are 32Ω.

An electrolytic capacitor in series with each headphone speaker will reduce the lower frequencies.

 

[EFLImpudence]

If you increase the resistance of the speakers then while the audio may become clearer the volume is likely to go down so you will find yourself having to increase the volume from the TV.

...but the new ones are louder than the old.

Are you not able to get into a TV menu where you can adjust the sound?

Yes, I have but it does not affect the RCA sockets.

Also, having adjusted the TV for jack lead use, the old ones are fine but new ones are not.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Noise cancelling ones have their own power supply built in - rechargeable batteries. When flat, they can be used as normal ones. Great on aeroplanes!

Yes, the old ones are not NC, they are gaming headphones. My son says they are not very good quality.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I must admit I am getting a bit lost.

Look at it this way -
When listening to speech only programmes, like the news, if the new headphones do not sound like people talking in real life, or the television itself, but are all bassy an boomy, how can that be a problem with my ears?
Am I to deduce that the phones are just not very good?