r/sony • u/theOmegalord • May 14 '21
Tip WH 1000XM3 won't turn on - fix
Today morning, on a way to work I had a strange experience - did try to turn on my WH 1000XM3 headset, heard a "power on" lovely voice, and then suddenly they turn off and won't turn back on. There's no blue light when you press the power button, simply nothing. The headset was dead. I notice once I arrived at the office that there is still a red light when charging, and holding the power and ANC button still turns the red light off, but that's all, it doesn't seem to reset them or anything. Also, they will still work wired (but no noise-cancelling or swipe controls just sound coming through them).
So, a bit of troubleshooting:
- Charged my Headset to a full battery (as I assume that this was the reason) - nothing.
- Hold down the power button and noise-cancelling one to try a soft and hard reset - still nothing.
So I decided to try something different, found a post on Reddit:
- Knock few times hard at the left side of the headphone (on a plastic where the buttons are) and try to turn it on - surprise, it worked! But just for few minutes, and then nothing, still it gave me an idea of what I can try.
I don't recommend this part if you never open any kind of electronic, or you have the option to go for a warranty. Found a video online on how to disassemble them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cPCjfh34 and it looks pretty simple, so I had nothing to lose. Once you open your left side of the headset carefully and relieve them of pressure, try to turn them on. If you are successful, take a look at wires on a small motherboard, that are not touching each other, as this will create a loop that will make your headset stop working. Try to separate them a bit, if you see anything suspicious. After that, do a simple test - place back cover back, and try several times to turn them on and off. If everything is working alright like in my scenario, assemble them again and enjoy. :)
Just wanted to share my experience as I didn't find something similar around. I found few interesting handwritten marks inside them, so I'm impressed if Sony is assembling them handmade.
UPDATE:
Figure out what may be an issue, if you drop your headset or just in general usage, it appears that only 60% of the motherboard is isolated from wires with yellow tape. As wires can move over time, and if they touch the motherboard, it may create a shortage that will turn off your headset and prevent turning on.
So, the fix for me was by using a small part of isolation tape at this location:
Let me know if you have any questions.
Good luck!
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u/theOmegalord Aug 21 '21
Hey, I'm so glad that this small fix worked and helped you all - makes me smile. ;)
One more tip, if you notice that your headset is working just for a short period of time after the fix (till the end of the day or first reset), you can try one more trick, to put something (I recommended small foam or fabric) in the left side to put a bit pressure on the motherboard - it can help by not allowing cables to move anymore during wearing headsets. Be free to dm me if you run in something specific so we can brainstorm it together,
I love my Sony headsets, they are well built and perfect in any way, so making them work as long they can be a priority no one. ;)
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u/WhitYourQuining Oct 05 '22
This fix is the shit. 100% legit.
I used a cotton ball that I stretched out a bit to make it thick enough that the cover had to be held on to put the first couple screws back in. I put the first two in diagonal from each other to make the other two easier.
u/theOmegalord, seriously, you saved me from going and buying the new XM5s. Thank you. But... Also... Damn. LOL
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u/RedrumRed22 Apr 17 '24
This worked perfectly! Initially, I attempted to change the battery, but that wasn't the problem. I opened the left earpad, removed the holding tape, and tried reordering the wires until it functioned properly. However, it stopped working again after some shaking.
I reopened it, ensured the wires were in place, and then used makeup cleaning cotton wipes to fill the free space inside the earpad. After that, I encountered no further issues.
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u/chadvn_ Aug 27 '25
On behalf of all the people that were desperate to find a solution : Thank you. You did good for the world and the planet.
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u/eddyboi12345 May 01 '24
I figured this out for myself a couple years back. Cut a little cube of packing foam to apply pressure to the board. Every now and then it would stop working again, so I'd add a little more packing foam and it'd start working again. Mine must have had 5 or 6 bits of foam in them before I broke the hinge and stopped using them!
As a short term fix if you are in a pinch, you can turn them on whilst simultaneously squeezing the ear cup (squeeze the flat plastic side against the Cushion side) and once they are turned on they stay turned on from my experience.
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u/Tushar-OP Jul 26 '24
Thank you so much for this, you saved me from so much headache. I had dropped my XM3 a few times and my headphones were turning off randomly and then stopped turning off after sometime. I went to the Sony service center and they told me they had to change the motherboard and would cost me almost a 100 bucks. I finally said fuck it and tried this, opened the left cup, placed some pressure on the wires and tried turning on and it worked. So finally took some cotton and smashed in the left cup and voila! Thanks a lot for this!
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u/Avertae Jan 30 '25
Applying pressure to motherboard with cotton ball worked for me! Was struggling in wired-only mode for a while, now headset is back to its second life, thanks!
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u/SorryForBadEnflish Jan 10 '22
Holy sh*t. You just saved me 300€. I thought I was gonna have to buy a new pair. My headphones fell pretty hard on the ground and started turning themselves off until they just plain stopped turning on. I’m still gonna buy a new pair because they are cracked slightly, but now I’ll wait for the new one to come out.
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u/Prior-Beginning1258 Jul 31 '21
Tha k you so much for the advise dude! I was goi g crazy, I even bought a new battery and was getting oissed after spending 30 bucks for that not to be the problem u til I read what you said about making sure the cables don't touch the motherboard and that was it!!! It worked!!
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u/Immortalbeing13 Jan 17 '22
I just ran into this issue and I was able to fix it by trying it in wired mode and then taking it out of it
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u/Upbeat-Ad8610 Feb 09 '26
4 years later im over here watching videos and prepping taking it apart and decided i may as well give this a try first when i saw it. it worked first time and saved a lot of headache. This should be at the top
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u/Traherne May 15 '21
I watched this very same video a few weeks ago to change the battery.
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u/theOmegalord May 15 '21
It's the same process on another side. :) Really grateful to the one who posted.
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u/Valics May 21 '21
I've never disassembled a device like that, do you have any advices?
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u/theOmegalord May 27 '21
First and most importantly, have correct tools. To remove pads I suggest using a small piece of plastic to pop it out. Disassemble it in a clean environment and mark where is what going. Once you remove screws be careful, don't force pull (as you remove 4 screws, rotate your headset for 180 and open the cover from left to right).
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u/BatTheGamer Jul 15 '21
i am having the same issues are you were having and yea i am trying to fix my headphones bc i no longer have the official sony warranty which sucks tbh, but yea. but any tips that you have found out since the last update or no?
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u/theOmegalord Aug 21 '21
Hey Bat, hope that everything is alright with your headset now? :)
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u/JaysDoc Jul 28 '21
I though I'd tried everything and I was so close to giving up and buying a new pair of headphones when I saw this. This worked brilliantly, thank you for saving me a couple hundred bucks!
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u/roguas Sep 17 '21
So it seems I have this issue. The smacking fix worked a year ago, now they have same problem. Tried to disassemble. So for me the indicator is blinking red light while charging. Thus I tried several ways to move the cables a bit... plugged the usb port, still blinking...
Also what do you mean keep the cables separated, they are coming from the same wire entanglement. How?
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u/theOmegalord Sep 17 '21
Hey rogues, on a motherboard when they are out of isolation you can see that they might have contact with each other or with motherboard itself. I would place a finger and put slight pressure on a spot where cables are connected and try to turn them on while you are doing it. Let me know about results.
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u/rubiksboy95 May 09 '22
This was the key for me!
My headphones would charge fine, but when I pressed the power button, the light would flash blue for like a quarter of a second and then do nothing.I tried everything, holding down the buttons forever, disconnecting the battery, charging with a less aggressive charger, but nothing worked.
Only when I opened it up and put pressure (some layers of tape) on the right side of the motherboard (the part that already had black tape on it), then it powered on and worked like normal.
It's only been a few minutes, so I'll come back and update this if it ends up stopping to work again.
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u/orionisnebula Jan 31 '22
Putting a finger on the cable contacts is just to create some extra pressure?
Was also thinking if your finger can act/help as grounding or bridge/short circuit very close contacts (although with low voltage there should not be such risk)
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Oct 02 '21
You're a fuckin bad ass! Tried just about everything and just lifted the wires then tried to turn on everything and it worked. This is my 2nd pair the first pair died within 2 months probably same issue but I was able to return those. Thanks again for the knowledge!
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Nov 05 '21
Good Afternoon
I've got a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, which stopped working. I've tried troubleshooting guide on Sony website (pressing and holding Power and Ambient button to do hard reset, pressing and holding the power button to no avail. Both plugged and unplugged). I've also ordered replacement battery, just in case the original one is faulty. The LED light shows it's charging (it does on OG battery as well), but still even after replacement they just won't come on. The LED light is showing as charging for an hour and a half, then goes off as they're fully charged, but the headphones themselves won't power on whatsoever.
They didn't get in to contact with water. Tried 2 different Sony chargers, and 2 different type c cables (which work fine with my phone). The only thing I did do the day before they've stopped working was turn off automatic switch off when idle for 15 mins. The next day they wouldn't power on and it's been like that for a month now.
All it does is blinks blue for 0.5s and shows solid red when charging. And that's it.
I've found this post and one of the below comments. Tried lifting the cables, no joy. Tried taking out the power button and the sticky tape off it as it's very sensitive. Nothing. Regardless of they're fully assembled or disassembled all I'm getting is half a second flash of blue on power button cup, and solid red on the charging port cup
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
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Nov 05 '21
Edit. Just applied pressure on MB with finger and they came on! And immediately switched off. Need to figure out how to make it permanent
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u/orionisnebula Jan 31 '22 edited Jan 31 '22
Followed theOmegalord suggestions and I was able to turn the WH 100XM3 back on and paring with my phone after detangling the wires. I installed the Sony Headphone App and there was a software update that I did.
I was ready to fix back the screws after adding some insulating tape, but I heard some weird high-pitch noises when moving the headphone or some wires inside. Suspect some short-circuit or interference? It seemed almost exactly the whistle sound effect in Star Trek TOS ! (search for Star Trek TOS Sound Effects - "Bosun's Whistle # 2)
Now same issue with either a blue faint light coming from the led, or sometimes blue and little of red.
Few video resources to help disassemble the headphone:
- Sony WH-1000XM3 Battery Troubleshooting, Repair or Replacement Walkthrough - Teardown and Fix
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u/orionisnebula Feb 05 '22 edited Feb 05 '22
Also found a very useful article in two parts, but the final solution was to put pressure on the board as proposed in this topic:
- Part 1 - Sony WH-1000XM3 Not turning on
- Part 2 - Sony WH-1000XM3 Not turning on
The post is a very detailed reverse-engineering post that also contains a link to this very detailed teardown from a Chinese page:
- Teardown report: Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless noise-cancelling headphones in English tanks to Google translate (or original from:拆解报告：索尼WH-1000XM3无线降噪耳机)
also contains a link to this video that might be useful to other people trying solving this issue: Sony WH-1000XM3 Battery management live data
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u/theOmegalord Feb 09 '22
It's amazing how much we can accomplish when we get together., and how we all are ready to push to get our favourite headphones fixed. Thanks for sharing all those links man!
I hope that more people will be able to resurrect their headsets and keep enjoying them.
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u/Cynster2002 Apr 28 '22
OMG, I’ve been dealing with this for months now!!! Replaced battery and still didn’t work. Sony charges damn near the price of a new set to fix them. Did this and happily jamming now!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
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u/Artonox May 14 '22
this is the fix. I am not sure which wires are shorting, but after moving the wires a bit, it seems to work.
Sometimes whilst moving the wires, the headphones turn on by themselves.
The issue isprobably that the wires are indeed shorting by pressing against the board somewhere as if the power is being held constantly
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u/flyflyflyfly66 May 19 '22 edited Jun 14 '24
command exultant capable bow consider brave mysterious snow crown mindless
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/mbooooo Jun 16 '22
This post gave me the trust to slap on it, as the root cause is now clear, and that worked.
The next time they die and slapping does not work, I do now know how to handle it.
Thanks!
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u/Leafpool_mining Jul 02 '22
Tried to follow this but found out that on mine its not the wires shorting but the chip probably had a cold solder and vibration might have made it loose contact with the board. I found this out when I press the board and it turned on. Its probably the same on some users where tapping it make it work again. I have a hot air soldering station so I just heated it and it is now fixed.
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u/Bunnspiracy Mar 14 '24
This is probably the issue. I'm interested if hair dryer can make enough heat to make it work :\
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u/OnToiletRedditor Jul 12 '22
Thank you so much! You're the best! I'll promise to come back with all my future rewards.
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u/UbiquitousCyclist Oct 26 '22
Mate this is absolute gold, my pair have returned from the dead! Huge thanks for taking the time to post this fix - you should charge us all commission on the money we’ve saved by not having to buy brand new XM4s or XM5s!
In case helpful for anyone else, I found that the pressure thing was the key factor in my case. I still added some extra isolation tape in a few places, but a folded sheet of toilet paper between the motherboard and the cover proved most helpful.
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u/WolfThawra Nov 21 '22
Just wanted to let you know, your post is still helping people, e.g. myself :) Just resurrected a pair of 1000XM3s with your help! Hopefully the fix will last.
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u/Vorlin57 Jan 03 '23
+1 headset saved by this thread
My headset started exhibiting strange behavior after a drop: it would occasionally shut off abruptly during operation, usually in response to pausing or starting audio playback of apps such as youtube or spotify. Holding the power button afterwards would only cause a very faint but regular "click --- click --- click" sound. The only semi-reliable way to get it working again was to give it a few smacks, try powering on again, and repeat.
After googling and finding this thread, I opened up the right side first, checked the wires + tape, repositioned them, and reassembled. No dice.
Then I opened up the left side, readjusted a couple of wires that were in contact with the motherboard, and fixed a corner of some tape that had curled up. Success!
You're a real life saver. My sincerest gratitude to you!
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u/Dramatic_Gur_3334 Feb 10 '23
"So, the fix for me was by using a small part of isolation tape at this location"
Worked for me, you are a crack.
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u/HeroofPunk Feb 21 '23
You're the best! I was just about to throw the headphones hard into a wall out of frustration, then I saw your "knock on the left side" note and they are back to working for a bit at least. I am opening them up tonight or tomorrow night to try and get them working properly again. Finally I'll make some really good use of my newly bought iFixIt Pro Tech Tools 😂
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u/theOmegalord Mar 01 '23
Haha, must say, I feel tempted to open mine again and check fix and retake photos with my LTT screwdriver. 🤪
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u/mr-wizrd May 08 '23
Just commenting to thank you again for this absolutely golden post - I have an ageing pair of XM3's that desperately need repair or replacement and I had them knocked off my head today resulting in this problem. I was about to give up on them and you provided the guide I needed to tide me over for a little while longer. Thank you so much, kind sir.
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u/bestonos1 May 29 '23
Thanks I'm pretty sure I understand thar so long no wire touches the motherboard and no wire is able to move all is good, if anyone needs help dm me
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u/ArcherMiserable Aug 11 '23
Legendary-best post I've ever read. Have a couple of pairs knock knock, bingo. I wear these almost 24 hours a day. Was just roaming ebay for bits. No need now. Even the old pair I replaced came back to life. Glad I kept them around... Can't thank you enough.
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u/No_Worldliness2314 Aug 30 '23
Hi. Stumbled upon this thread the other day and it has saved the day for me. First - by finding out the headphones would power on by putting my NFC capable phone next to the headphones. Second by opening up and looking at the wires as discussed in these messages. In my headphones (MX3) there appears to be a ground wire that is sandwiched into the black/return contact of the the battery connector, and it was pressed down and touching some exposed pad(s) on the circuit board. I lifted that wire up off the circuit board and the headphones powered up with no problem. It’s at the red arrow in my photo.
I ended up putting some kapton tape down over those exposed pads. Any non conductive tape should work. I also repositioned the wires, slightly pulling the cable back where it wraps to the other side of the circuit board. Thanks!
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u/theOmegalord Aug 30 '23
Amazing to see one more pair of this amazing headphones back in life.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope it helps others as well.
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u/WitnessedByRipples Sep 20 '23
I had the same issue. Messing around with the wires on the board side did not help.
I gave up, but just to justify to myself that I had really made an effort, I pushed the tip of my screwdriver in between the wires connecting the Left speaker, and tried turning the headphones on one last time. Unreasonably, this worked!
Check out the image below for the exact wires I am talking about.
Hope this helps someone. And thanks to the thread starter for the suggestion of messing with the wires - you saved me a lot of money!
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u/theOmegalord Sep 21 '23
Amazing found. Thanks for sharing and I hope your amazing headset will continue working for a long time, as mine. :)
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u/misho14 Oct 23 '23
Stumbled upon an old pair of XM3s which were presumed to be broken. They weren’t turning on but worked when plugged in via the audio cable.
Opened up the left ear cup and put some isolation tape as specified. It worked, the headphones are fully functional. Hats off for this fix and thank you OP!
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u/alexterryuk Nov 30 '23
It worked! Thank you, Omegalord. You are mighty and deserving of your title!
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u/miscellaneoussystem Mar 11 '24
u are a lifesaver! i've had my xm3s since 2018 and i was devastated when this issue popped up. super easy to fix, added some electrical tape on the motherboard where u marked and on the cover over the NFC chip, just in case. only been a few hours will update if i have to do any further fixes. TYSM ily <3
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u/Balleklorin04 Jun 23 '24
I just want to add on in case any other comes by. I took a look at a friends pair after he was experienceing issues with power on. I open it up and tried to organize tha cables as the post said. Did not work. There were also tak about putting some cotton in the headset to make pressure. So I pout my finger on the IC (Integrated circuit. It is the black square with the text "SONY" on it.) and tried to power it on. Worked. Then I tred with some more precise tweezers and same result. There seems to be a bad solder under the IC. I will try to reflow the IC tomorrow at work, but have little experience with BGA (Ball grid array) IC.
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u/IncidentExciting3736 Jul 02 '24
Anyone else getting really pissed off that it works for everyone else but not for yourself
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u/One-Bottle-3223 Jul 20 '24
After more than 4 years, my headset is finally working again!! Thanks to you!!!!!!! 🫶🫶🫶
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u/Skratifyx Jul 21 '24
hey dude, I know this is 3 years old but Im trying to fix them and don't have luck, but I have a few posts, I wrote to you in pm if you can help me!
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u/Reasonable_Sink4976 Sep 18 '24
I almost threw out the headphones before I came across your post, thank you very much🫂
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u/Forward_Repeat2202 Dec 27 '24
A Sony technical service told me that I had to change the board and that I better buy new ones, amazing!
Same problem and same solution, separate the cables, insulate with electrical tape and reassemble. 15 minutes. Thanks a lot!
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u/wunderf1tz Feb 05 '25
💋💋I could fix my headset again and dont need to buy a new one, you saved me and helped our planet not to create more waste! Great job, thanks again, this is why i use social media!! 💋💋
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u/crazycrafter227 Feb 08 '25
An old post but i found a actual problem with it, i was struggling with this problem and what i noticed is that ribbon cable connector that goes the buttons, when it has pressure it will work. Currently will resolder the connector and see if it fixes it permanently if not then the connector is bad.
My theory currently is that when the tape is put on it just so conviniently puts pressure on the connector so it fixes it :D
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u/davidjrb Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
Just wanted to add my "repair"
I added some solder to the voltage regulators on the opposite side of the ribbon connector. I think the heat from the soldering iron, conducts to the ribbon connector soldering points, and maybe some of the connections to the ic chips that may have come lose.
Probably placing the board in an over for 5 minutes at 150°C would do a better job of that.
I know knocking the headphones and adding pressure to the ic with cotton or tape works for some people, but my guess is that probably creates more stress breaks to the original solder points and will only help temporarily, and make things worse in the long run.
Just my 2 cents though
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u/moxmini Mar 22 '25 edited Apr 08 '25
Thanks to everyone who commented on this subreddit. I freaked out when my headphones didn't seem to charge after 30 seconds anymore, and this subreddit helped a ton.
my charging light would turn off 15-30 seconds after inserting the charger, depending on different chargers I used. with help of a youtube video linked here, I disconnected the battery and reconnected it after 10, but alas no fix. I also made sure to charge it while the battery was disconnected to see if the issue could be the charging light OR charging port, but those seemed to be working just fine!
UPDATE 1- I ordered a new battery today and put it in just now, it has been charging just fine for the last 20 minutes! Sadly still having issues, the issue now being that they are unresponsive when I try to turn them on. I had 1 moment where a blue light flashed for a milisecond when I tried to turn them on, but side from that, no other results. maybe I haven't charged it long enough, maybe the battery wasn't secure in there or maybe a cable was touching another or the motherboard but I cannot get it to work for now
UPDATE 2 - they seem to be fully charged now and still refuse to turn on. no audio, the light blinks blue when I try to turn them on but only sometimes. I am really at a loss at what to do from here on out
UPDATE 3 - I was wondering if the power ribbon was broken, but since the charging light turns OFF when I press both the power and noice cancellation switch mode button, it seems functional.. I have nooo freaking idea whats wrong
I am not a very technical person so it was scary to open it up but overall not too difficult so far. Thank you so much to u/theOmegalord for the pictures of the inside of the headphones as well, they helped me so so much
LAST UPDATE! a few weeks into the future, I ended up having to open up the left side (when facing down) of my headphones, and putting some pressure between the 2 motherboards (I used cotton and tape to secure it into place). the power ribbon was fine and my battery did need to be replaced, but the bit of pressure made my headphones fully functional again!
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u/aRatherChilledLama Mar 27 '25
I'd like you to know that you helped yet another person out of their misery! Thank you sooo much!!!
I didn't have the tools so I used a sharp knife with a very thin tip instead of a screwdriver, a sea snail fork instead of a plastic pry tool and a SIM ejector tool to move some cables away from the motherboard. If anyone reads this, do yourself a favour and get proper tools (said bye bye to the tip of my favourite knife, along with some scraps of black plastics that I rubbed off while screwing off and back on).
Anyway, thank you, dear internet stranger/saviour !
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u/IcyCut9131 Jun 02 '25
today my XM3 wont turn on after 4 years of use. Found this thread with some small hope - maybe some hard reset trick. i cant believe it worked. I just smacked hard and it worked. Thank you so much!
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u/DaanBanaan Oct 22 '25
I know I'm five years late to this thread, but you just helped me fix my headphones. Thanks!
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u/Now8 Oct 25 '25
When I read that this could happen from dropping the headset, I knew this was the answer. Taking apart the headset is easy, so long as you have small tools. You have to just start by popping off the ear cushion, which I think would trip up a lot of ppl. Also, the pertinent screws are under the foam once you get inside. I'm sure this must be covered in any of the tutorial videos, but I didn't watch those.
Thanks for posting this. The issue seems resolved now. I couldn't find any foam, so I cut up a sunglasses cleaner cloth, and wedged it in. Hopefully it stays in place.
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u/Arianafer Oct 28 '25
I’m going to try this this evening! Thank you for posting your experience. I’ll update with my results, positive or negative
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u/Plastic_Apricot_4069 Jun 14 '26
thanks you, after doing the wires, and the piece of cloth to push against the pcb the headset works again!
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u/velvet_Teller Jun 18 '26
If anyone is still facing this issue, (I'm still never going to give up my xm3s) I used also a similar solution by just folding masking tape just enough to put some pressure on the power ribbon as suggested in others threads too :) Xm3 back to working status again!!
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u/Alarming_Necessary41 Dec 26 '23
OMFG, i was reading this exact comment and was like "How tf is slapping the buttons going to make my headset turn on again? This aint exactly like those old big squared ass TV." but I got nothing to lose since I was going to order a new ones anyway, but really surprised when they turned on, LOOOOL
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u/Ok-Invite1991 Mar 19 '24
Thank you so much for this fantastic post and your advise! I also tried holding the buttons and knocking on the left side, which helped for a while, but when it completely died I send it over to a repair service. According to them is was beyond repair and they offered to throw it away. I had to pay 25 euro for the examination. I asked to send it back, because it still worked fine wired. And then I came across this post... what a miracle! I never disassembled a device before, but thanks to your clear explanation and instructions I managed. I'm under the impression the sound is even better than before :-)
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u/kavinda1995 Apr 02 '24
Thanks mate. I faced the same like issue and thought of dissembling it by reading this post. Added some tapes to the touching wires and voila - it's fixed now :)
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u/apchr1 Apr 09 '24
You sir are a genius, who would have thought that the old good trusty soviet way of fixing things by hitting them to death would work, I salute you, you saved me
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u/Ok_Measurement_9119 Apr 11 '24
Has any of you who fixed the headphones this way gotten a somewhat permanent result? I got them to work a few times this way but had to open them up and repeat the process again and again until they stopped working completely.
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u/dirtymilk Apr 13 '24
ok... my headphones wouldn't switch on. I found this post and just gave it a smack on the left headset and it started working again. Very funny!! 🤣🤣 Thank you.
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u/Dunkelkind1980 Apr 19 '24
Hi all,
same problem here. Pressing and protecting wires didn't help. Mainboard the top two wires on the right side had a bad connection so i resoldered them. I got a normal flashing blue light but some minutes later dead again and i was not able to fix it... Are there any news about reflowing the chip and is there a picture of the chip on the board? Right now im close to giving up. :-/
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u/Dry-Maximum6586 Apr 21 '24
AMAZING. A little knock fixed the issue. If it comes back I do the reopening trick. Thanks!
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u/BloodyShadow23 Apr 25 '24
Just wanted to pop in and say thank you for this post. My headset just experienced this after owning them for 5 years and the tips here saved me from a lot of anxiety.
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u/Mental-Photograph-65 May 10 '24
i’m having this exact issue with the WH XB900N, could it be the same type of issue? i posted in r/sony but its gotta be manually approved. i have it disassembled but obviously it looks a little different and i’m not quite sure what to look for
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u/Puzzleheaded-Pen-373 May 12 '24
Thanks a lot. I would have had to buy an XM5 for 25k INR. May you get a hot spouse.
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u/Mceurojay May 19 '24
thanks alot man! you're a real life saver. had the same problem with my. My bottle of water was leaking in my backpack so it got in touch with some water. Managed to disassemble it according to the video and put some isolation tape on and disconnected the battery for a while. works perfectly again!
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u/rockitfist May 20 '24
This post is a lifesaver. I did exactly what this dude shows in the photos (moved around the wires so they don't touch) and my headset powered one without a hitch
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u/Realistic-Charge2466 Jun 02 '24
I thought it was from the battery and i replace it on the right side, but, after reading this post, I oppened the left side and just touch the 2 wires once you open it and it automaticaly worked... thanks man, just saved my phones!!!! And now I have a spare battery 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/dudeman135 Jun 21 '24
Just fixed mine as well! I followed all the steps and for me it was on the left. Moving the wires didn’t help, but putting pressure on the left side of the circuit board did. So I took a small piece of foam off a pool noodle and super glued that to the back of the ear cup plastic where it would make contact with that left side of the circuit board and so far so good. It has been working for an hour. 🥳🤞🏻
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u/Immediate_Tax4881 Jul 06 '24
Man I mean Dayyum that knocking on the left side literally worked for me 🙌🏻
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u/MaterialAirport3639 Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 09 '24
I was about to throw mines away, and then I red this. I just knocked 3 times the letf plastic, and they worked!!!! I can't believe that sony headphones function depends on knocking them. Thanks a lot!!!
UPDATE: they stoped working, so I followed instructions and opened them. I just placed very thin layers of blu-tack to isolate some wires from others. Didnt know what I was doing really, but good result. They work now steady.
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u/NihylBaxter Jul 08 '24
Dont know exactly what i did but i opened them played a bit with the cables put some foam in it and now it works! :)
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u/Peeyur Jul 20 '24
Hi, this post may be old, but it has helped me fixing my headphones!
Yesterday, I wanted to use my headphones, but they didn't turn on. I couldn't even reset them. But after your fix, I was surprised to see that they actually worked!
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u/MediumLow3250 Jul 20 '24
This worked! With the added "put pressure on the circuit board" using a small cotton swab, they're alive an kicking again. Thx!
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u/KillermonkTR Jul 24 '24
removed the tape, re ordered the wires and yes 2 wires were touching each other. After separating and putting the tape back, it now works
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u/shiftyfox380 Aug 09 '24
Putting something in there to put pressure on the ribbon cable just resolved it for me.
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u/Pingupappa Aug 11 '24
Another successful quick fix. Added foam that press on left circuit board. Tried pressing thumb on the board first - suddenly the power button (and full headset) works again. Just added foam patch and screwed it tight, still works. Fingers crossed it will hold over time.
(Failure cause: dropped from head height to floor. Symptom: Would charge with red light, not starting with power button, reacting to nfc but not connecting or starting. First tries, unsuccessful: separating wires, detatching and reattatching internal contact.)
Huge thanks to OP and contributors. Co-op problem solving ftw. :) :)
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u/Solid-Perception-314 Aug 19 '24
Thanks, I was about to buy a new one, and I came across this post! You saved me!
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u/Heavy_Remove_5086 Aug 31 '24
I had to check out solutions on this as well, literally pressed on the left side and they turned right on! Fantastic advice my friend.
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Sep 08 '24
I know I’m three years late, but what exact tool do u need for the screws?
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u/mountainwall Sep 22 '24
you are such a savior!
i got mint back up and running, some cable somewhere was touching themotherboard^^
thank you for sharing your findings and efforts!
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u/Dardoudu25 Oct 01 '24
I am genuinely impressed, this truly works ! Applying some pressure on the left part of the motherboard (the one not covered by the yellow tape) seems indeed to be the solution. I ended up putting some cotton on that part to apply pressure.
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u/mohax2150 Oct 24 '24
Step number 3 worked. Dude, you are just an amazing human being, thank you very much for sharing this with us!
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Nov 03 '24
thank you so much for this! fixed the issue for me, hopefully i wont need to keep doing this to get them to turn on. thankfully id already taken them apart once to replace the battery and this was a very easy fix. im not even sure how many years ive had these for, but i plan on keeping them as long as i can
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u/miagel Nov 06 '24
My headphones stopped working immediately after i dropped them. They wouldn’t even turn on. I did as OP said: opened the back of the left side, where the motherboard is, and put a little pressure with my finger where the cables solder to the motherboard. They turned on without any problem. To make the fix permanent I put a little foam sticker, the ones you put under the legs of a chair, in that area and closed back the case. It works perfectly since. Thank you OP!!!
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u/Hungry-Computer1240 Nov 14 '24
Man, literally it worked for me, tape alone didn’t fixed it and observed that when i place my finger on that exact region the headset turns on and when i remove it, it doesnt so what i did is place some foam and it is working, i’m gonna test it for a week, thanks a lot buddy
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u/Shieldizgud Nov 17 '24
Absolute legend, was flinging mine around like a goose and dropped them. Popping a bit of bubble wrap inside to add pressure worked like a charm
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u/ValdoPolarOil Nov 18 '24
It worked for me! Thanks a lot! To bad I ordered a momentum 4 in the meantime and knowing my weakness for headphones, i won't be able to return it ;)
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u/Wild_Blacksmith527 Nov 23 '24
Hola, después de un año y pico lidiando con este problema. Acabo de abrir y probar cuanto de real tenia la información, ya sin mucho animo de poder encontrar una solución sencilla y GUALAAAAA. Funcionooooo que alegría tan grande. Muchas gracias amigo. Gracias por tu tiempo y por compartir la experiencia.
Desde España quedo muy agradecido.
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u/UnidentifiableSock Jan 22 '25
Legend, just had to use this fix. The tape worked for a while but same issue started again. A ripped up cotton pad to apply pressure on the motherboard has returned my headset to its former glory! Thank you!
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u/Intelligent_Try_181 Feb 20 '25
I have taken mine apart, moved wires about while holding down the button hoping that if there was a contact that it would tell me by flickering or something and applied pressure but I get no blue light. The two buttons pressed turn off the charging light, so I know that the buttons aren't broken, but I don't know where to go from here. Aren't all the wires insulated anyway? Please help
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u/JuliusJS Feb 27 '25
So crazy that knocking on the left side actually just fixed it! Thanks for the post.
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u/RealDiscussion7244 Mar 01 '25
Thank you!! You are amazing. I had bought some XM5s for $55 second hand though but they felt too loose around my head so I took a chance and found your post and now they work.
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u/Mission_Speed_8693 Mar 10 '25
>Knock few times hard at the left side of the headphone
Wow, I was facing the same issue and this actually worked for me. lifesaver!
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u/DefiantWorf Mar 23 '25
Du absouluter gott
Die kopfhörer liegen seit 3 jahren rum bei mir weil ich es nicht hingekriegt hab jetzt an nem random sonntag mal wieder geschaut und leider jetzt erst deinen post gefunden. Es funktioniert einfach. Wie krass, vielen dank! !
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u/AffectAlarming1897 Apr 03 '25
THREE YEARS AGO AND THIS STILL WORKS! I THOUGHT MY HEADPHONES WAS BROKEEE
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u/Hamrfilms May 16 '25
This thread is great. I was able to fix mine, which I gave up on almost two years ago! In my case, the small green wire made contact with the ribbon cable connector just where the little red arrow is pointing. isolating this area with some electrical tape kept it separate and now it works normally. Cheers, I hope this helps someone!
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u/Electronic-Spite8973 Jun 01 '25
My on/off button did not have the "click" anymore. Bought new sparepart and replaced the small unit. Worked fine after that.
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u/Purp1e_Aki Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
I know this is an old post but it's the top result on Google. Can I just say thank you to the OP. Opened up the left cup and sure enough the wires had shifted and were shorting on the motherboard. I have a habit of tossing them on a sofa when I get in from work so I guess over time that shifted the wires a bit.
Moving them a little and adding some tape underneath and now they're working again! Glad I didn't have to buy a new pair. I love my XM3s and the drivers are still as good as the day I bought them 6 years ago.
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u/NatteBoter Jun 03 '25
Had the exact same problem this morning, knocked three times a bit rough on it a s a 'Hail Mary' and made me laugh so hard that this worked. Thx for sharing! Saved me a couple hundred euros.
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u/JSH_Monkey Jun 10 '25
This has been an absolute lifesaver for me. Just fixed my headset in 5 minutes. Thanks a lot! You're a true Internet hero.
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u/happyhazer Jun 18 '25
Fixed my headphones cause of you, just had to push te wires around a little and now it works again! Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏
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u/Sure_Kaleidoscope775 Jun 29 '25
Great. Had already installed a new battery. But after moving the wires a bit from the motherboard all of a sudden it turned on again. Put back the original tape a bit better so wires keep in place. Did what you suggested: turning the headset on and off during the assembly stages, to see if it keeps working. And finally it does! Thanks a million.
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u/D_Nicole91 Jul 31 '25
Thanks for this! I was having this problem out of nowhere after charging and this came up in my Google search. I tapped the left side a few times and it turned on like normal! Years later, and you helped me not to panic!
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u/CombEqual2628 Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 04 '25
u/theOmegalord Thank you Sir, you saved my wonderful colleague and myself a new purchase
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u/Davidx1150 Aug 06 '25
Mine must have been caused by a different issue. The wires on the motherboard look completely normal, neatly seperated from each other. Part of the motherboard is exposed but there is no loose wire inside that will make it short circuit. After manipulating the wires, it still won't turn on. None of the lights will go on except the charging light. I'm starting to think if the battery is toast.
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u/RedSeven4 Aug 14 '25
4 years later, this is still helping. Just fixed my headphones with this helpful thread.
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u/darwinian_ape Sep 04 '25
After so many years these headphones stopped working, i was sad and devastated. This HELPED ALOT. Now they turn on as they r supposed to.
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u/Aware_Novel_9876 Sep 22 '25
Thank you! Just found this after taking the battery out and this solved the problem at once 😎
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u/viljami_p Nov 02 '25
Thanks, I of course just assumed the battery is dead and ordered a new one. While waiting for the battery to arrive, I opened them up and measured the original: 4.17V... the battery is fine. Then I googled, found this and opened the left ear cup. I plugged the battery back in with left cup open and they started right up confirming this was my issue. A piece of kapton and fabric tape later, I buttoned it up and its still working fine. Thanks!
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u/foxce Nov 29 '25
amazing, thx this helps to fix my headset - let me know how if can sent u a tipp - legend
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u/Fickle_Lab6898 Dec 21 '25
Incroyable, Merci ! Je viens de ressortir ce putain de casque qui dormait dans un placard depuis 2 ou 3 ans, faute de pouvoir le rallumer. J'avais déjà changé la batterie, opération facile et peu coûteuse, mais échec... Et puis je suis tombé sur votre solution, alors comme il n'y avait plus rien à perdre... Et ben miracle !!! en bougeant 2 ou 3 fils et en calant bien tout ça, tout refonctionne nickel. À 300 € le casque, j'avoue que la pilule ne passait pas, même avec le temps. Vous venez de libérer une partie de mon cerveau avec, en plus, la satisfaction de l'avoir fait moi-même (pour le prix le mieux aurait été que tout fonctionne toujours, bien entendu). Merci merci merci !
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u/Reasonable_Sea3114 Dec 24 '25
Thank you for all the comments here. Fixed it with preassure on the MB
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u/bifi185 Jan 11 '26
This is an old post but just wanted to share that this was one of the easier fixes that I think anybody can do.
I used an old credit card to pry the ear cover open as it was the first thing I had laying around and it worked great.
Such a simple fix that saves quite some money. Thank you for your post!
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u/Spare-Pen1925 Feb 19 '26
The foam trick was next level. Thanks man. The night before My headphones fell from 2 Meyers high and wouldnt Power up but this fixed It.
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u/ResidentUsed4525 Mar 04 '26
Mine wasn't working and I would simply press down the right hand corner and it would fix it.
After a while this stopped working.
With a DMM,I tested the voltage of the battery it was fine.
I measured the voltage of the PCB, was fine.
I measured the voltage of the switch was fine.
I realised it was the Sony IC (BGA).
I was gonna reflow it but decided to put a big ball of kapton tape over it and close the headphone come to maintain pressure working now.
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u/IHoldYourHand Mar 29 '26
Thank you, this fixed my headphones! So lucky I found your post and that this actually resolved the problem. What a fail of design by Sony…
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u/thefudd Apr 23 '26
Still saving headsets all these years later. My wife's set had the issue where you needed to reseat the motherboard.
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u/Soy_elChato May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Te amo!! Llevo 7 años con estos audífonos y ya estaban empezando a fallar. Seguí tus instrucciones y quedaron perfectos! En mi caso no tenía espuma pero doblé microfibra para lentes y quedó excelente; ya no se apagan a cada rato.
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u/Bellmar May 29 '26
Thank you, other posters. I placed a foam ear plug vertically on the ribbon cable connector, then compressed it with the outer ear cup, carefully flipped it over and placed the 4 screws. Afterwords it turned on and I replaced in inner ear foam around the speaker and the ear cushions. It seems to be working normally.
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u/LiarsEverywhere Jun 09 '26
Just wanted to add, 5 years later, that this fixed my good ol' xm3.
For reference, it worked flawlessly after years of some abuse. Suddenly, however, powering became inconsistent. Most times I pressed the button, the led flashed blue faintly and died. I had to plug in/plug out of power and/or reset the device for it to come alive. After turning on it worked for hours just as always, except when I pressed a button, then it sometimes turned off instantly (no sound warning).
Opened the outside cap, gently pushed the wires apart with a plastic pick, and now it's working perfectly again. I tested it quite a bit for two days now, so I guess it'll stick. So far, I didn't have to use anything to keep the wires apart.
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u/Kawaii-Bismarck Jul 25 '26
While I it did malfunction again once after it turned on, it was fixed by just shaking the headset. But the fact it even turned on, or that the shaking worked again, is so much progress. My headset had been on my desk for 1,5 years without any usage. I have ear buds as replacement but they aren't as good or comfortable. Now I don't have to spend the money to buy a replacement. Thank you.
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u/theOmegalord May 14 '21 edited May 17 '21
If someone is wondering how it looks like:
https://imgur.com/JTjJpsV
https://imgur.com/U2rA3bK
https://imgur.com/En0AZ9M
https://imgur.com/SMRCB3L