His 11th warranty replacement also broke after only two weeks.
A Reddit user’s journey with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones turned into an extraordinary saga of endurance and mystery, as he went through 11 warranty replacements in just one year. Little did he know that the culprit behind this constant malfunction was a problem as unexpected as it was simple.
How the Issue Unfolded
BaneChipmunk, a Redditor from the r/SonyHeadphones subreddit, posted explaining that he bought a new pair of WH-1000XM5 headphones a year ago. After only three weeks of regular use, the headphones suddenly stopped charging, even though everything else seemed fine.
Trying different cables and outlets didn’t help, so he returned them to Sony for a replacement. But the replacement headphones had the same charging issue after just two weeks.
This happened with every new pair, the charging problem kept coming back. The issue persisted despite careful use and using only the provided charging cable.
The 11th replacement, received in mid-December, also had the same dead battery problem. This ultimately made the OP give up on the headphones entirely.
To figure out the ongoing problem, he checked the power using a USB tester.
He found that when the headphones were plugged into a charger, they only got about 20% of the power they were supposed to. But even with this info, he still didn’t know what was causing the problem nor how to fix it.
Reddit Community Weighs In: Thoughts, Theories, and Tips
Of course, the Reddit community was taken aback by the sheer volume of replacements the original poster (OP) had to go through. However, they offered helpful advice and proposed potential solutions to address the persistent issue.
HoezBMad shared a fix, saying he had a similar problem, but the issue was solved by letting the headphones stay completely dead for a while, and then they charged without any problem.
Another user, walkmanblog, wondered about the USB port’s condition and the OP home environment, suggesting that if there’s an issue with charging, like water or dust, the headset might short, triggering the internal fuse.
However, the OP clarified that there were no problems with the USB port, home environment, or anything else.
Despite all this, some users blamed him, saying it’s probably a 100% human error. Another person suggested that he may be getting the same pair repeatedly.
On a lighter note, someone joked, saying, “Twelfth time is the charm! EVERYONE knows that!”
Finally, a Breakthrough
In a later post, the OP finally figured out the unexpected reason behind the charging troubles. It wasn’t some complicated tech issue but rather sweat. Wearing the over-ear headphones for a long time caused sweat to build up inside, messing with the charging and sensor functions.
The user found that his above-average ear sweat glands made the issue worse.
To fix it, he recommended wiping the ear cups regularly to prevent moisture buildup. This discovery explained the problem with Sony WH-1000XM5s and warned other headphone users to be mindful of sweat affecting their devices.
In addition, coff33andb0nes added some useful tips on keeping your headphones dry, which involves keeping them in the phone’s stand to dry out.
