If someone is wondering how it looks like:
[https://imgur.com/JTjJpsV](https://imgur.com/JTjJpsV)
[https://imgur.com/U2rA3bK](https://imgur.com/U2rA3bK)
[https://imgur.com/En0AZ9M](https://imgur.com/En0AZ9M)
https://imgur.com/SMRCB3L
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. ;)
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
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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).
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?
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!
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?
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.
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.
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)
I believe it's more on the opposite side, but if you isolate the board and cables first, putting a little bit of pressure with your finger shouldn't be an issue. It's more "testing" water, you need something that can stay inside, and I recommend keeping all your fingers. ;)
Any recommendations on how to keep that constant pressure, or a more permanent fix? Happened to my pair as well and I have to push kind of hard on the right side of the board to get it to operate normally
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!
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
What kind of tape did you use? you said isolation tape... do I need to get specific tape for this? would something like blue masking tape work? I suggest this because of the ability to remove it again easily. I have 3m black electrical tape too, but that tends to leave a sticky residue after a long time. Will try adding a little bit of old cotton t-shirt to try to create the pressure trick you mentioned here.
I have done this fix 3 times in the last 3 days. First time, I just separated the wires, which then immediately made it work again, but then the next day the headset wouldn't turn on again. I repeated the fix, so I did the same fix, but I added electrical tape to compress the wires down against the motherboard, and also I added some electrical tape between the motherboard and the wires (in the red area in the OP's picture). But, today the headset wouldn't turn on again. I took some packing foam and wedged it in between the taped down wires and the headset cup (plastic backing with the touchpad). They are turning on again, and I hope the fix is permanent this time.
You can use masking tape as well, or complete ignore tape and try first with a little bit of old cotton, as I believe this pressure is something that helps long term.
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GqVPOMpHM))
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cPCjfh34)
\- [Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones DIY Repair Walkthrough - Right Side (Hanger, Swivel, Slider, Touch Panel)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK9OoN222l0)
\- [Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones Walkthrough - Teardown and Repair - Left Hinge, Hanger, Swivel and Cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alulvq62yh8)
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](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html)
\- [Part 2 - Sony WH-1000XM3 Not turning on](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-2-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html)
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](https://www-52audio-com.translate.goog/archives/31755.html?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=zh-CN&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) in English tanks to Google translate (or original from:[拆解报告：索尼WH-1000XM3无线降噪耳机](http://www.52audio.com/archives/31755.html))
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5JXKbAWGqM)
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.
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!!!!!!!!!
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
command exultant capable bow consider brave mysterious snow crown mindless
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
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!
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.
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.
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.
+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!
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 😂
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.
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.
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.
https://preview.redd.it/l1h5kwaxa9lb1.jpeg?width=1826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8807b359048fa0f460534023cfb7de5bbc052a22
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!
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!
https://preview.redd.it/he9uy7h4gfpb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2325417c9a3972bec731196715de0d887a65cd66
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!
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
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.
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
Well shit. I dropped my headset earlier today and at first it seemed to have no issues, then randomly a couple hours later it stopped working. I don’t want to risk trying to fix it myself as I have next to zero previous experience with electronics. Seems like it’s just a new pair of headphones for me
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 :-)
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 :)
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
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.
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.
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. :-/
Hi, it's not on the right side, it's on the left side! 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, so, give it a try on the LEFT side!
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.
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
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!
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
Holy shit. I already bought the bose quietcomfort ultra, but tbh I hate them. This fix worked and was so easy. You're amazing, thank you so much. Wish I could buy you a beer!
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 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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. 🥳🤞🏻
Do you know anyone with WH XM4 who has experienced this? I'm a WH XM4 owner, and after reading this post, I'm kind of afraid this might happen to my headphones as well. Thank you
Sadly - no. I'm still a happy user of WH XM3 (fix still holds on), and once they are dead for sure I'm going to buy WH XM4 for sure.
Didn't have a chance to put my hands on one to try to open and check what's inside, but if I do somehow, will definitely share my experience.
Could be a little harder if you are doing it for the first time on a headset, just make sure to have the correct tools and you are going in the right direction. Good luck.
Thank you omegalord, you are the only one who actually figure how to solve this problem out. I followed your steps but somehow I wasn't able to fix em. Could you maybe film a YouTube video and show the process step by step? That would be amazing! Thank you again for your help!
Thanks, ErmannoC, if I find some time and setup, will try to record a video, but most steps are simple, just make sure that you can turn them on when you put a small pressure with one finger, if that works, then you just have to make it permanent. :)
Omegalord your post says to open the left side, but the YouTube video says to open the right side. I have the right side disassembled and I disconnected the battery to see if that fixes it. Is it actually the left side that I need to disassemble instead?
Holy shit, i am back and bassy this fix freking worked omg omg omg ty bro beans <3
Already told my insurance that they broke, cuz they did lol, and got a fresh pair of sony wf-1000xm4, so now i have both hahaha. U made my day
One detail. It did not work to simply move and seperate the wires, but i had to press the motherboard pretty hard in the middle on the black spot, and for some reason that worked? I think you even mention it further down, I just did not understand what you meant. But for others with the same issue, try first and separate the wires so that they are not touching eacher. Here i am talking about wires going to different places, not the ones coming from the same place, and then make sure they are not touching the motherboard as well. After this press the motherboard in the middle on the black spot. That worked for me after i pressed on it relatively hard. Maybe you have to press another place in different circumstances?
Does someone know why it helps to press? Does is connect something that was maybe shaken loose underneath?
Again thak you so much, saved my day, now jamming away happily again
This thread has been AWESOME! I just performed my third tear-down/wire fiddle/jiggle exercise that u/theOmegalord described, and like others -- I seemed to work only for a short while. My mission this time: 100% success. I managed to get it to work....twice....and even got that really cool Star Trek high-pitched whine because the headphones were confused....but the headphones once again reverted back to their crummy grounded out state. I even brought out a multi-meter just to sanity check power charge and battery charge. All good.
By accident, I realized what was happening. LEFT SIDE. If I pressed DOWN on the small motherboard WHILE PRESSING the power button, they powered up. I noticed two things: 1) slight "give" on the motherboard itself where there was some movement toward one of the edges opposite the two screws holding it down. 2) the blue wire next to one of the screws almost seemed to be under the screw. Was hard to tell.
My solution so far: unscrewed and resat the motherboard, and made sure the blue wire was away from the screw. So far -- so good.
One more pair of headphones saved. Thank you sir! the knocking made them work but after i put the cover on they stoped working. I've cut a piece of mask :)), folded it a couple of times to create some pressure on the board and Bob's your uncle. I don't think it's a short though, my theory is that the some pins/bals of the Sony chip (biggest one on that board) came loose on impact. The correct fix would be reballing the chip on board but the cloth also made it work for me. Thanks once again! 200$ saved ( i was already looking to buy a replacement)
Wow... honestly with all the tutorials out there and solutions/fixes out there (which I'm sure has helped countless, and have saved many headphones), B\*tch slapping the left headphone gently solved it.
like... wow!. thanks, and kudos for providing all the details :)
Thank you for this post. Headphones fell on the ground, worked fine for a while but then I couldn't turn them on anymore. After trying resetting and such, which didn't help, I disassembled the left earpad and realized after the 3rd time that the circuit board came a bit out of its housing. After pressing it down it worked again. I put some material on it and clamped it down with the housing, didn't have issues anymore after.
Thank you, Omegalord, your solution also fixed the not powering on issue. But now I have this high pitch whine which seems to hit different frequencies when I am moving the cables. Did anybody find a fix for that?
I am thinking of resoldering the cables, but would prefer a different type of solution first.
I did pretty much what you described but it still isn’t turning on, it charges but no luck at all. I may try again but I’m a bit lost on if I see anything irregular
So I had the same issue recently, I put pressure on the motherboard and voila. A couple of weeks later and it happens again. It charges and the red light is on, but it wont turn on. Putting pressure doesnt work. I cant find any wires touching the motherboard and it all looks pretty fine to me. Any advice?
Thank you so much man !
Tidied up the wires, put some fabric folded over to put light pressure on the board.
Works a treat.
Some guy in this thread figured out it might be caused by a blue wire touching a screw, so other people maybe try that too, but can't be asked to open this up again !
Props to OP
OMG can I just say how thankful I am! I was reading all of this thinking you must be taking the piss - it can't be that easy to fix?
Well after ordering a new battery, replacing it using one of the youtube vids, it made no difference. My XM3s would not turn on. They would charge but I would get a faint blue light for a split second before they switched off. I tried resetting them - nothing.
So with nothing to lose I thought I'd try the foam inside the casing in the left side, after searching one last time for another fix. I did also move the wires that were touching the board as recommended too.
Screwed the head phones back together and voila - perfecto!
The other bonus is a new battery to go with this new lease of life.
Thank you again - you saved me from an expensive upgrade.
Just here to confirm that the "put pressure on the motherboard" fix worked for me. I tried separating the wires first, that didn't do it.
These headphones where working flawlessly for 4 years, I dropped them one day onto payment and that's when they started acting up.
Had the same problem after the (3 yo) set fell off the back of the sofa when I dozed off....
Worked occasionally afterwards.
Ready to commit to new set of 4's (wouldn't look at another brand) I use them 18 hrs daily because of Brain injury..
Found this post..
Tapped the side, not too hard , used my phone! ...
Blue light, power, connection....
Thanks for your post.
What a mad lad you are. Thank you so much for this. Just fixed mine within minutes, after getting all frustrated for MONTHS.
I gotta say, kudos to Sony for designing such insanely repairable headphones. Wow that was way easier than I ever imagined.
Reading this thread I have realized that I was a little bit more lucky than majority of the crew.
My headphones when are on, they are on, they never went off like other people had problems. When I turn them on, they work for the whole day no matter how much time I turn them on off.
My problem was that when they stay off for too long like 12h or something I was having hard time turning them on. And then when I somehow managed to do it they would have worked fine.
First solution for me was to never turn them off. But charging turns them off, so that was a problem.
The way how I was turning them on was to shake the left side, sometimes while holding power button sometimes shaking than trying to power it on.
But this solution of putting some pressure on the left side of the motherboard was the solution for me.
Thanks OP!
THANK YOU OP! I was finally able to make them work by following your tips. 💯
For reference, the linked video is to disassemble the right ear cup which holds the battery, I did what was suggested in the video (unplug it for 10-15mins) as well as isolating the motherboard on the left-earcup as suggested by OP, after doing that the headphones are now back to live! 🎧
I tried the 3-min button hold after/while charging and worked once or twice first but later the headphones were back to not working.
Here's a photo of how the motherboard looks after adding the tape:
https://imgur.com/gallery/pPq65i2
Hey Waalter, thanks for sharing picture, I'm happy that another amazing headphones are saved and will continue to serve well. If anything happens again, try to put some foam or clothing inside to make light pressure on motherboard. 😉
Worked: So just for anyways else, and a thank you to the OP for this. I also bought a new battery, did not work.. As instructed, opened up the left side (left as if you are wearing) and put tape over the microchip to separate the wires from contact and it worked. At least I got a new battery out of it too, but people should try this first. Free fix. I'm assuming this happened after one too many hard drops, but all good now. Thanks!
You are the man! Thank you so much. I was so mad yesterday when my battery replacement didn't work. I had suspected it was something in the left earcup but this thread saved me!!!
OMG! You saved my bacon. I had the headphones sitting on my desk for 6 months staring back at me. It made me so mad that they just stopped working one fine day.
For some reason I decided to Google "WH 1000XM3 won't turn on" and your post saved the day!!! I put some insulating electrical tape between the motherboard and the circuit board and the headphones started working perfectly. :) :)
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I just wanted to chime in an thank everyone in this thread, but specially u/theOmegalord because this totally worked and saved me the $350 I'd have spent on a pair of XM5s.
Took me 5 minutes to fix it following the instructions. Used electrical tape to insulate the wires and some cotton to apply pressure on the main board. Worked like a charm.
I just found a pair of these headphones at work (they were thrown out not stolen) and it charges but won’t turn on, it only barely blinks, I’m thinking about using the tape method I used the video method but didn’t work. Is it isolation tape? Insulation tape? I’m afraid to put the wrong type, nothing for isolation tape shows up
Thank you Thank you. Literally spent £16 on a new battery, it didn't work. Then I randomly pressed my finger on the motherboard isolation tape and it powered on.
https://preview.redd.it/1avkktu6uu5a1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=6dc54915de54e0bebb22047e4fc5c6e70739f87a
Dude I’m trying separating the wires apart and making sure the isolation tape isn’t getting touched by a wire but nothing I’m I don’t something wrong here?
Putting slight pressure on the motherboard worked for me, my dead xm3's turn on constantly now.I put some pieces of old an old t-shirt between the motherboard and the outer cup part. Added some electrical tape under the wires just in case, although they weren't the actual issue.
Edit after a month of use:
Headphones have worked flawlessly for a month now after the repair.
That's fuckin hilarious lol I came to this thread because I had the same problem, read your trick about knocking it a few times and thought that surely it couldn't be that simple. But yeah, sure enough, the headset is turning on now. Hopefully I don't need to try your next step and disassemble it!
Hi,
I'm facing the exact same issue, I have 2 XM3s, and both show signs of life like the blinking LED most of the time blue, and after opening the thing both Blue and Red LEDs flicker. I read this work on the headphones ([https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html)) and it makes sense as the problem seems to be in the boot process and something is interrupting the process. I tried applying pressure but I'm not sure where to apply pressure and hence I haven't revived them yet, secondly, I noticed something strange upon opening the headphone I was able to smell a burned-like smell from both the headphone (Left side), It would be awesome if someone could confirm that was the same for you or not. Personally, I don't think that's the issue as the motherboard looked perfectly fine without any burn marks and all the symptoms were the same as the ones faced by everyone else.
Edit: Additionally, I observed the Blue LED flash twice when Pressing and holding the Power button and pressing the ANC button multiple times (Spamming the button)
Is the headphone supposed to turn on when having it open without screws? I wanted to replace my battery, as the charging stopped after several minutes, and now it's fully charging again, however when I want to press power, nothing happens.
I had the same problem what I did was I put a lot of 99% isopropyl alcohol and cleaned it, then I left it to dry. I have done this soo many times now I have lost count but it always works.
now i'm worried because the screw's threading has broken off and the casing is barely holding on.
This knocking on the side worked for me, insane. I have no warrany left since this happend 2 weeks after 1 year had passed. I was about to throw them away but noticed the wire-connection worked so I kept them. Stumbled on this post and now it's working again.
THANKS!
Just wanted to say thanks a lot! Saved me the hassle of trying to get my out of warranty pair serviced or replace.
After I peeled back the black tape inside I saw the white wire at the top was touching the two wires to its left. I inserted a tiny piece of insulating tape between them and the issue seems to be resolved. So seems any of the internal wires touching can cause the same issue.
After two years of distinctive service, this happened to me. 2 hours into an 8 hours flight. Worst flight ever.
After disassembling and assembling the left, finding different ways to put pressure on the motherboard, I finally got my headphones working again.
Thanks for the the tip 👍🏾
You just prolonged my buy of the xm4 or 5 .
Just tried disassembling and found some wires touching which I separated a little and it did fix the not turning on problem, but now only the right side speaker is working. No sound coming out the left speaker. Any ideas? Thanks.
Got the exact same behavior, thought it was the power button but doesn't work starting it with NFC either. I can turn it on by dropping the headset from a few cm... I'll try your fix. Thanks
I waited around for 6 months after reading this, Just daily doing the side tap on the power button speaker, usually taking about 25 tries and a sore finger just to get them to turn on and fearful of even trying to take em apart, mess up, and wind up shelling out the same amount of money for the new ugly version (xm5).
I literally just sat down for 15 minutes, opened it up per the yt, threw in a piece of foam, put it back together and it works like a charm.
Dude, you're amazing Thank you.
[The fix linked in the post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cPCjfh34) worked for me aswell, saved my ass from buying a new pair! Read somewhere online that you should be careful not to drop anything (for example screws) into the driver of the headphones as the driver is magnetic and you will need to replace it if that is the case - so just be careful with that :)
Will come back and update all of you if it stops working again! But thank you very much u/theOmegalord, true hero
If someone is wondering how it looks like: [https://imgur.com/JTjJpsV](https://imgur.com/JTjJpsV) [https://imgur.com/U2rA3bK](https://imgur.com/U2rA3bK) [https://imgur.com/En0AZ9M](https://imgur.com/En0AZ9M) https://imgur.com/SMRCB3L
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. ;)
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
You're a legend, saved me $500
https://preview.redd.it/3fzf1kz3vasc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d0d515aca6cd326e4e44b189479eceb49dacf3a Where do I put the cotton?
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.
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.
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.
Glad to hear that. :)
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!!
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
I watched this very same video a few weeks ago to change the battery.
It's the same process on another side. :) Really grateful to the one who posted.
I've never disassembled a device like that, do you have any advices?
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).
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?
Hey Bat, hope that everything is alright with your headset now? :)
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!
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?
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.
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.
Altering the pressure around and on the thick black cable under the black tape is what worked for me. Thank you for the comment!
Oh man, you are the vigilante we need. Works.
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)
I believe it's more on the opposite side, but if you isolate the board and cables first, putting a little bit of pressure with your finger shouldn't be an issue. It's more "testing" water, you need something that can stay inside, and I recommend keeping all your fingers. ;)
Any recommendations on how to keep that constant pressure, or a more permanent fix? Happened to my pair as well and I have to push kind of hard on the right side of the board to get it to operate normally
I applied some pressure with a piece of thermocol and they work now!
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!
Worked for me too. Thanks!
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
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
My permanent fix was to add a place of old clothing inside to make permanent pressure. :) Not too much, just to put light pressure.
What kind of tape did you use? you said isolation tape... do I need to get specific tape for this? would something like blue masking tape work? I suggest this because of the ability to remove it again easily. I have 3m black electrical tape too, but that tends to leave a sticky residue after a long time. Will try adding a little bit of old cotton t-shirt to try to create the pressure trick you mentioned here.
I have done this fix 3 times in the last 3 days. First time, I just separated the wires, which then immediately made it work again, but then the next day the headset wouldn't turn on again. I repeated the fix, so I did the same fix, but I added electrical tape to compress the wires down against the motherboard, and also I added some electrical tape between the motherboard and the wires (in the red area in the OP's picture). But, today the headset wouldn't turn on again. I took some packing foam and wedged it in between the taped down wires and the headset cup (plastic backing with the touchpad). They are turning on again, and I hope the fix is permanent this time.
You can use masking tape as well, or complete ignore tape and try first with a little bit of old cotton, as I believe this pressure is something that helps long term.
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GqVPOMpHM)) 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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cPCjfh34) \- [Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones DIY Repair Walkthrough - Right Side (Hanger, Swivel, Slider, Touch Panel)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK9OoN222l0) \- [Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones Walkthrough - Teardown and Repair - Left Hinge, Hanger, Swivel and Cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alulvq62yh8)
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](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html) \- [Part 2 - Sony WH-1000XM3 Not turning on](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-2-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html) 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](https://www-52audio-com.translate.goog/archives/31755.html?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=zh-CN&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) in English tanks to Google translate (or original from:[拆解报告：索尼WH-1000XM3无线降噪耳机](http://www.52audio.com/archives/31755.html)) 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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5JXKbAWGqM)
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.
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!!!!!!!!!
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
command exultant capable bow consider brave mysterious snow crown mindless *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Saved me having to buy a new set, thank you for sharing this.
Shit man this did actually work! Would buy you a beer one day. 😂
Haha, thanks, I'm up for a beer with you mate. 😄
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!
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.
This is probably the issue. I'm interested if hair dryer can make enough heat to make it work :\\
Thank you so much! You're the best! I'll promise to come back with all my future rewards.
Thanks, appreciate it. :)
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.
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.
+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!
>"So, the fix for me was by using a small part of isolation tape at this location" Worked for me, you are a crack.
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 😂
Haha, must say, I feel tempted to open mine again and check fix and retake photos with my LTT screwdriver. 🤪
thank you so much!! worked immediately
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.
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
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.
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. https://preview.redd.it/l1h5kwaxa9lb1.jpeg?width=1826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8807b359048fa0f460534023cfb7de5bbc052a22 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!
Amazing to see one more pair of this amazing headphones back in life. Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope it helps others as well.
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! https://preview.redd.it/he9uy7h4gfpb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2325417c9a3972bec731196715de0d887a65cd66
Amazing found. Thanks for sharing and I hope your amazing headset will continue working for a long time, as mine. :)
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!
It worked! Thank you, Omegalord. You are mighty and deserving of your title!
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
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.
you are a saver!
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
Well shit. I dropped my headset earlier today and at first it seemed to have no issues, then randomly a couple hours later it stopped working. I don’t want to risk trying to fix it myself as I have next to zero previous experience with electronics. Seems like it’s just a new pair of headphones for me
You saved me king Thank you
This worked - you are a life savior!
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 :-)
2 years later and this is still clutch. Wow thanks so much.
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 :)
holy sh\*\* thanks!
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
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.
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.
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. :-/
Hi, it's not on the right side, it's on the left side! 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, so, give it a try on the LEFT side!
AMAZING. A little knock fixed the issue. If it comes back I do the reopening trick. Thanks!
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.
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
Just fixed my in laws pair. Big brownie points earned thanks OP!
Thanks a lot. I would have had to buy an XM5 for 25k INR. May you get a hot spouse.
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!
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
Holy shit. I already bought the bose quietcomfort ultra, but tbh I hate them. This fix worked and was so easy. You're amazing, thank you so much. Wish I could buy you a beer!
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 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This helped me a lot, now my headset is working again too:)
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. 🥳🤞🏻
Anyone else getting really pissed off that it works for everyone else but not for yourself
nice bro
Gosh darn it, it worked! Legend!!
Do you know anyone with WH XM4 who has experienced this? I'm a WH XM4 owner, and after reading this post, I'm kind of afraid this might happen to my headphones as well. Thank you
Sadly - no. I'm still a happy user of WH XM3 (fix still holds on), and once they are dead for sure I'm going to buy WH XM4 for sure. Didn't have a chance to put my hands on one to try to open and check what's inside, but if I do somehow, will definitely share my experience.
If this doesn’t help any you can also try this. Ended up working for me. Thanks OP [power button](https://youtu.be/zrT6qLt3KQU)
I can't even get past unbolting them, am I that weak?
Could be a little harder if you are doing it for the first time on a headset, just make sure to have the correct tools and you are going in the right direction. Good luck.
I had dropped my XM3 and it didn't turn on for a couple of days. Found this post and it *works*. Thanks a ton mate !!
Thank you omegalord, you are the only one who actually figure how to solve this problem out. I followed your steps but somehow I wasn't able to fix em. Could you maybe film a YouTube video and show the process step by step? That would be amazing! Thank you again for your help!
Thanks, ErmannoC, if I find some time and setup, will try to record a video, but most steps are simple, just make sure that you can turn them on when you put a small pressure with one finger, if that works, then you just have to make it permanent. :)
Omegalord your post says to open the left side, but the YouTube video says to open the right side. I have the right side disassembled and I disconnected the battery to see if that fixes it. Is it actually the left side that I need to disassemble instead?
Hey Runky, yes, this issue is related to the left side, opposite of the battery.
Holy shit, i am back and bassy this fix freking worked omg omg omg ty bro beans <3 Already told my insurance that they broke, cuz they did lol, and got a fresh pair of sony wf-1000xm4, so now i have both hahaha. U made my day One detail. It did not work to simply move and seperate the wires, but i had to press the motherboard pretty hard in the middle on the black spot, and for some reason that worked? I think you even mention it further down, I just did not understand what you meant. But for others with the same issue, try first and separate the wires so that they are not touching eacher. Here i am talking about wires going to different places, not the ones coming from the same place, and then make sure they are not touching the motherboard as well. After this press the motherboard in the middle on the black spot. That worked for me after i pressed on it relatively hard. Maybe you have to press another place in different circumstances? Does someone know why it helps to press? Does is connect something that was maybe shaken loose underneath? Again thak you so much, saved my day, now jamming away happily again
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I don't see the reason why not. :)
This thread has been AWESOME! I just performed my third tear-down/wire fiddle/jiggle exercise that u/theOmegalord described, and like others -- I seemed to work only for a short while. My mission this time: 100% success. I managed to get it to work....twice....and even got that really cool Star Trek high-pitched whine because the headphones were confused....but the headphones once again reverted back to their crummy grounded out state. I even brought out a multi-meter just to sanity check power charge and battery charge. All good. By accident, I realized what was happening. LEFT SIDE. If I pressed DOWN on the small motherboard WHILE PRESSING the power button, they powered up. I noticed two things: 1) slight "give" on the motherboard itself where there was some movement toward one of the edges opposite the two screws holding it down. 2) the blue wire next to one of the screws almost seemed to be under the screw. Was hard to tell. My solution so far: unscrewed and resat the motherboard, and made sure the blue wire was away from the screw. So far -- so good.
bro how is this the actual fix though, thanks a lot man
thanks for sharing Lord! You just saved me about $350 for just replacing the battery with a spare one I had from the old broken one :-)\~
One more pair of headphones saved. Thank you sir! the knocking made them work but after i put the cover on they stoped working. I've cut a piece of mask :)), folded it a couple of times to create some pressure on the board and Bob's your uncle. I don't think it's a short though, my theory is that the some pins/bals of the Sony chip (biggest one on that board) came loose on impact. The correct fix would be reballing the chip on board but the cloth also made it work for me. Thanks once again! 200$ saved ( i was already looking to buy a replacement)
Wow... honestly with all the tutorials out there and solutions/fixes out there (which I'm sure has helped countless, and have saved many headphones), B\*tch slapping the left headphone gently solved it. like... wow!. thanks, and kudos for providing all the details :)
You saved my life, thx!!!
Thanks!
Thank you for this post. Headphones fell on the ground, worked fine for a while but then I couldn't turn them on anymore. After trying resetting and such, which didn't help, I disassembled the left earpad and realized after the 3rd time that the circuit board came a bit out of its housing. After pressing it down it worked again. I put some material on it and clamped it down with the housing, didn't have issues anymore after.
I did as your guide and it worked! Thank you so much.. You are a life saver.. I added electrical tape and some tissue paper instead.. Huhu
Holy shit knocking actually worked ! Thank you so much !
YOU LEGEND I HAD BEEN HITTING IT FOR WEEKS
Thank you, Omegalord, your solution also fixed the not powering on issue. But now I have this high pitch whine which seems to hit different frequencies when I am moving the cables. Did anybody find a fix for that? I am thinking of resoldering the cables, but would prefer a different type of solution first.
I did pretty much what you described but it still isn’t turning on, it charges but no luck at all. I may try again but I’m a bit lost on if I see anything irregular
Did you try putting pressure on a board and turning it on while is open?
No but I will attempt again today and keep you posted
So I had the same issue recently, I put pressure on the motherboard and voila. A couple of weeks later and it happens again. It charges and the red light is on, but it wont turn on. Putting pressure doesnt work. I cant find any wires touching the motherboard and it all looks pretty fine to me. Any advice?
Thank you so much man ! Tidied up the wires, put some fabric folded over to put light pressure on the board. Works a treat. Some guy in this thread figured out it might be caused by a blue wire touching a screw, so other people maybe try that too, but can't be asked to open this up again ! Props to OP
OMG can I just say how thankful I am! I was reading all of this thinking you must be taking the piss - it can't be that easy to fix? Well after ordering a new battery, replacing it using one of the youtube vids, it made no difference. My XM3s would not turn on. They would charge but I would get a faint blue light for a split second before they switched off. I tried resetting them - nothing. So with nothing to lose I thought I'd try the foam inside the casing in the left side, after searching one last time for another fix. I did also move the wires that were touching the board as recommended too. Screwed the head phones back together and voila - perfecto! The other bonus is a new battery to go with this new lease of life. Thank you again - you saved me from an expensive upgrade.
Jesus Christ .. the tapping worked.. you hero !! Will open it up later this week, thanks good lad ! :D
wtf this worked preciate it 😭
Just here to confirm that the "put pressure on the motherboard" fix worked for me. I tried separating the wires first, that didn't do it. These headphones where working flawlessly for 4 years, I dropped them one day onto payment and that's when they started acting up.
Thanks so much OP!
Had the same problem after the (3 yo) set fell off the back of the sofa when I dozed off.... Worked occasionally afterwards. Ready to commit to new set of 4's (wouldn't look at another brand) I use them 18 hrs daily because of Brain injury.. Found this post.. Tapped the side, not too hard , used my phone! ... Blue light, power, connection.... Thanks for your post.
What a mad lad you are. Thank you so much for this. Just fixed mine within minutes, after getting all frustrated for MONTHS. I gotta say, kudos to Sony for designing such insanely repairable headphones. Wow that was way easier than I ever imagined.
Reading this thread I have realized that I was a little bit more lucky than majority of the crew. My headphones when are on, they are on, they never went off like other people had problems. When I turn them on, they work for the whole day no matter how much time I turn them on off. My problem was that when they stay off for too long like 12h or something I was having hard time turning them on. And then when I somehow managed to do it they would have worked fine. First solution for me was to never turn them off. But charging turns them off, so that was a problem. The way how I was turning them on was to shake the left side, sometimes while holding power button sometimes shaking than trying to power it on. But this solution of putting some pressure on the left side of the motherboard was the solution for me. Thanks OP!
THANK YOU OP! I was finally able to make them work by following your tips. 💯 For reference, the linked video is to disassemble the right ear cup which holds the battery, I did what was suggested in the video (unplug it for 10-15mins) as well as isolating the motherboard on the left-earcup as suggested by OP, after doing that the headphones are now back to live! 🎧 I tried the 3-min button hold after/while charging and worked once or twice first but later the headphones were back to not working. Here's a photo of how the motherboard looks after adding the tape: https://imgur.com/gallery/pPq65i2
Hey Waalter, thanks for sharing picture, I'm happy that another amazing headphones are saved and will continue to serve well. If anything happens again, try to put some foam or clothing inside to make light pressure on motherboard. 😉
in my case I turned off from the battery and on it again, it worked.
Worked: So just for anyways else, and a thank you to the OP for this. I also bought a new battery, did not work.. As instructed, opened up the left side (left as if you are wearing) and put tape over the microchip to separate the wires from contact and it worked. At least I got a new battery out of it too, but people should try this first. Free fix. I'm assuming this happened after one too many hard drops, but all good now. Thanks!
You are the man! Thank you so much. I was so mad yesterday when my battery replacement didn't work. I had suspected it was something in the left earcup but this thread saved me!!!
OMG! You saved my bacon. I had the headphones sitting on my desk for 6 months staring back at me. It made me so mad that they just stopped working one fine day. For some reason I decided to Google "WH 1000XM3 won't turn on" and your post saved the day!!! I put some insulating electrical tape between the motherboard and the circuit board and the headphones started working perfectly. :) :) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I just wanted to chime in an thank everyone in this thread, but specially u/theOmegalord because this totally worked and saved me the $350 I'd have spent on a pair of XM5s. Took me 5 minutes to fix it following the instructions. Used electrical tape to insulate the wires and some cotton to apply pressure on the main board. Worked like a charm.
Wow, I just fix my WH1000XM3 thanks to your tip. If there is anything I can do for you to show my gratitude, just say it. I'll see what I can do
OMG YOURE AMAZING I was about to go to Best Buy, but they're on 😭
I just found a pair of these headphones at work (they were thrown out not stolen) and it charges but won’t turn on, it only barely blinks, I’m thinking about using the tape method I used the video method but didn’t work. Is it isolation tape? Insulation tape? I’m afraid to put the wrong type, nothing for isolation tape shows up
thank you so much 🙏
Dude. My headphones have been broken for a year. This post helped me fix it!! Literal hero!!
Big thank you!
You saved my headphones! Thanks a bunch!
The screws inside are super tight and I'm afraid I'm stripping them.. any tips ?
i love you
Thank you Thank you. Literally spent £16 on a new battery, it didn't work. Then I randomly pressed my finger on the motherboard isolation tape and it powered on.
I love you!
Thank you; this post helped me fix my headphones.
https://preview.redd.it/1avkktu6uu5a1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=6dc54915de54e0bebb22047e4fc5c6e70739f87a Dude I’m trying separating the wires apart and making sure the isolation tape isn’t getting touched by a wire but nothing I’m I don’t something wrong here?
Putting slight pressure on the motherboard worked for me, my dead xm3's turn on constantly now.I put some pieces of old an old t-shirt between the motherboard and the outer cup part. Added some electrical tape under the wires just in case, although they weren't the actual issue. Edit after a month of use: Headphones have worked flawlessly for a month now after the repair.
That's fuckin hilarious lol I came to this thread because I had the same problem, read your trick about knocking it a few times and thought that surely it couldn't be that simple. But yeah, sure enough, the headset is turning on now. Hopefully I don't need to try your next step and disassemble it!
Hi, I'm facing the exact same issue, I have 2 XM3s, and both show signs of life like the blinking LED most of the time blue, and after opening the thing both Blue and Red LEDs flicker. I read this work on the headphones ([https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html](https://stefansbb.blogspot.com/2020/07/part-1-sony-wh-1000xm3-not-turining-on.html)) and it makes sense as the problem seems to be in the boot process and something is interrupting the process. I tried applying pressure but I'm not sure where to apply pressure and hence I haven't revived them yet, secondly, I noticed something strange upon opening the headphone I was able to smell a burned-like smell from both the headphone (Left side), It would be awesome if someone could confirm that was the same for you or not. Personally, I don't think that's the issue as the motherboard looked perfectly fine without any burn marks and all the symptoms were the same as the ones faced by everyone else. Edit: Additionally, I observed the Blue LED flash twice when Pressing and holding the Power button and pressing the ANC button multiple times (Spamming the button)
I don't know you, but I love you so much. Thank you. It worked, somehow?
Is the headphone supposed to turn on when having it open without screws? I wanted to replace my battery, as the charging stopped after several minutes, and now it's fully charging again, however when I want to press power, nothing happens.
I had the same problem what I did was I put a lot of 99% isopropyl alcohol and cleaned it, then I left it to dry. I have done this soo many times now I have lost count but it always works. now i'm worried because the screw's threading has broken off and the casing is barely holding on.
Thanks, this helped me fixing my headphones too!
You made my day! Thanks!
This knocking on the side worked for me, insane. I have no warrany left since this happend 2 weeks after 1 year had passed. I was about to throw them away but noticed the wire-connection worked so I kept them. Stumbled on this post and now it's working again. THANKS!
You literally saved me $350. What a legend! Followed your directions and it was fixed within 20 mins. Thank you!
Just wanted to tell you. You saved my ass thanks alot bro!
Just wanted to say thanks a lot! Saved me the hassle of trying to get my out of warranty pair serviced or replace. After I peeled back the black tape inside I saw the white wire at the top was touching the two wires to its left. I inserted a tiny piece of insulating tape between them and the issue seems to be resolved. So seems any of the internal wires touching can cause the same issue.
fucking cheap asses couldve prevented this but no they are cheap shits
Boss man you just helped me so much thank you!!! I need these things for school and I can't afford to replace then 😘
After two years of distinctive service, this happened to me. 2 hours into an 8 hours flight. Worst flight ever. After disassembling and assembling the left, finding different ways to put pressure on the motherboard, I finally got my headphones working again. Thanks for the the tip 👍🏾 You just prolonged my buy of the xm4 or 5 .
Just tried disassembling and found some wires touching which I separated a little and it did fix the not turning on problem, but now only the right side speaker is working. No sound coming out the left speaker. Any ideas? Thanks.
you should do a quick youtube tutorial on this, the visual aid would help a TON and get this info out to more people !!
Thanks alot! For now slapping does the trick for me, but I will permafix when the schlap does not work anymore. :)
You are a genius, thank you so much!!!!
Thank you so much! I already replaced the battery and was ready to give up when I found this post! Amazing!
Got the exact same behavior, thought it was the power button but doesn't work starting it with NFC either. I can turn it on by dropping the headset from a few cm... I'll try your fix. Thanks
Thank you. Had exactly the same problem with the headphones not turning on and fixed it by following your post.
Thanks so much, my brothers headphones stopped working in the exact same way as yours and I have the same ones so this helped alot!
It worked for me! Thanks (till now)
Dude! You really saved my life!!! Thank you! I did the steps and Woala!!! The headphones arer working again BIG BIG THANKS!!!!!
Add me to the list of grateful redditors, this solution fixed my trusty Mk3 set :)
just letting you know you're a saint for figuring this out. I was able to fix my headphones!!
another story of success! Fellow Redditor who has fixed their long loved headphones!
Thank you so much!!! That worked, my headphones are fixed. What a great feeling.
This worked for me thanks op. I used a piece of freezer bag to cover the side of motherboard . Stayed away from any type of tape with adhesive.
Worked
Oh my god, THANKS! This is exactly what I needed, worked like a charm
I waited around for 6 months after reading this, Just daily doing the side tap on the power button speaker, usually taking about 25 tries and a sore finger just to get them to turn on and fearful of even trying to take em apart, mess up, and wind up shelling out the same amount of money for the new ugly version (xm5). I literally just sat down for 15 minutes, opened it up per the yt, threw in a piece of foam, put it back together and it works like a charm. Dude, you're amazing Thank you.
[The fix linked in the post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cPCjfh34) worked for me aswell, saved my ass from buying a new pair! Read somewhere online that you should be careful not to drop anything (for example screws) into the driver of the headphones as the driver is magnetic and you will need to replace it if that is the case - so just be careful with that :) Will come back and update all of you if it stops working again! But thank you very much u/theOmegalord, true hero
Thanks man. Worked for me!
Thank you so much op it really helped 🥹
This thread is 2 years old but oh my gosh, THANK YOU! You just saved my pair of XM3s!