An electronic device such as a pair of headphones may be provided with left and right speakers for playing audio to a user. Control circuitry in the electronic device may play audio through the speakers in an unreversed configuration in which left channel audio is played through a first of the speakers that is adjacent to a left ear of the user and right channel audio is played through a second of the speakers that is adjacent to a right ear of the user or a reversed configuration in which these channel assignments are reversed. A grip sensor may be used to distinguish between the user's left hand and the user's right hand. A motion sensor may detect movement as the headphones are placed on the user's head or on someone else's head. Control circuitry may use grip information and motion information to determine left and right channel assignments.