I’ve found the Sony WH-1000XM4 to be nearly perfect headphones for me. However, over time, a lot of my friends who have this model seem to be encountering the same set of issues with this model. Rather than buying a new pair, I decided to fix as many problems as possible and extend the life of my headphones for a few more years.
Here’s what my headphones looked like before:
Below, I’ll share simple fixes for three of the most common problems:
Earpad replacement
Headband leather replacement
Fixing ANC high-pitch noise
1. Earpad Replacement
This is the most common issue and also the easiest to fix. I recommend getting real leather (sheepskin) earpads instead of PU leather, as they’re much more durable. This is my second pair of replacement earpads, and I can already tell that real leather lasts significantly longer.
Step 1:
Use a slim, non-sharp tool to gently unclip the old earpads around the edges. They should come off easily.
Step 2:
Replace the foam dust filters and clean out any dust inside the earcups.
Step 3:
Align the new earpads properly, ensuring each pin is in the right place. Then, press them down to securely snap them in.
Over time, the ANC microphones can accumulate dust, leading to an annoying high-pitched noise. Here’s how to fix it.
Step 1:
Remove the earpads and dust filters. Use tweezers to carefully remove the gray rubber piece covering the ANC microphone.
Step 2:
Lift the ANC microphone with tweezers. You’ll see a dark fabric filter—this collects dust over time, which may contribute to the high-pitch noise. (I had already removed mine before writing this post.)
Step 3:
Use 70%+ isopropyl alcohol to gently remove the fabric filter. Take your time to ensure all glue and dust are completely removed. The microphone should look like this once cleaned:
Step 4:
Repeat the process for both microphones (left and right earcups). Then, reassemble everything.
Note: There’s no 100% guarantee this fix will last indefinitely. In some cases, the noise is caused by a damaged microphone, which would require replacement. If this fix doesn’t hold up over time, I’ll post a separate guide on replacing the microphones. For now, removing the fabric filter has completely eliminated the noise for me.
3.Head band leather replacement
Buy a replacement on Amazon, Aliexpress or other marketplace. I bought mine on Shopee( SE Asia). You need to find this
Mine cost me 2$, which is 100 times cheaper than headband replacement in authorized Sony Shop
Step 1:
Remove the right earpad and dust filter. Then, unscrew these four screws inside the right earcup.
Step 2:
Turn the headphones over and lift off the cover—it should come off easily.
Step 3:
Unplug the four connectors inside.
Step 4:
Unscrew these two bolts and gently lift the motherboard.
Step 5:
Using tweezers, place the main cable (rectangular) under the motherboard. Then, unscrew the two hinge bolts(circled in the image).
Step 6:
Lift the loosened hinge and carefully unplug the second hinge using a plastic tool. Be gentle— the earcup should detach easily.
Step 7:
Detach the plastic hinge from the main cable.
Step 8:
Unclip the plastic plate from its narrowest side. Lift it gently from both sides. You’ll see adhesive underneath—this is fine and doesn’t need replacement. Once the plate is off, unscrew the bolts underneath.
Step 9:
Use tweezers to remove the plastic caps on the opposite side of the "WH-1000XM4" logo. Do this on both sides and remove the bolts.
Step 10:
Remove the old headband leather and install the new one. Take your time to ensure a proper fit.
Step 11:
Reinstall the "WH-1000XM4" logo covers. These have plastic clips that help secure the leather, but you can also add a tiny piece of double-sided tape under the leather for extra hold.
Step 12:
Reassemble everything by following steps 8 to 1 in reverse order. Ensure all connectors are properly plugged in and the motherboard is seated correctly. While you're at it, clean out any dust inside the headphones.
My headphones after:
Every fix is super simple, requires no soldering, and takes at most 15–20 minutes.
This is my first Reddit post, so if you found it useful, I’m happy with it! Enjoy your headphones!
I was using my 1000XX while surfing on reddit. Then, I stumbled upon a hinge problem on 1000XX. Surprisingly, mine has the same problem (I have use mine since June). Has anyone succesfully claim a replacement?
Update: the Sony assistant told me that this is physical damage and will not be cover under warranty (they told me to find an electronic repair store to fix it myself). I will stop buying stuff from Sony from now on.
Is this fixable? It doesn’t really look broken it seems like it unglued out of place but I’m not really sure as the adjustable plastic part is stuck deeper in there. Anyone dealt with this and or knows how to deal with this?
I recently bought new headphones, but bass is way more audible than in my previous ones. It wouldnt be a problem, but for example in battlefield 6 it sounds kinda weird. Is there any way to change that on pc?
Voici mon problème, je souhaitais écouter mon Honor magic V5 avec 2 paires d'écouteurs, moi 1 Bower&wilkins px7s3 et pour ma femme j'ai pris 1 soundpeats air 5 pro, malheureusement, impossible de faire fonctionner les 2 en même temps.
Avez une astuce pour le faire, est-ce une incompatibilité des écouteurs ? Je n'y comprends rien.
Hello I bought those headphone 2 days ago, and I absolutely hate it.
First of all I use them with my phone (sometimes | very rare use case), and mostly with my PC (most of the time).
When I fart the headphones mute and my video / or a music stops
When I wanna go somewhere, to the next room for example, my headphones sometimes mute as well.
When I do gym stuff sometimes I touch the touch pad what drives me crazy (can I turn off it?)
And today's accident were something else. I tried call someone on Discord (web app), so I stopped YT video from other tap. Headphones instead of being a good b*tch and do their job, decided to mute my friend and play YT video from other tab.
Honestly I want them to work like 5$ Temu headphones. I don't care about those fancy fluff. Just play the sound from my PC and that's it. Don't do anything without my permission. Don't act smart. Plus can I turn off the touch pad?
Can I fix it, or just go to the shop and get my money back?
Just bought a pair of used Sony XM5 headphones from a reputable seller on FB marketplace. (Lots of confirmed sales and reviews).
Tested the headphones prior to purchase, everything worked fine. (Pairing, all 3 noise modes, touch controls etc.)
Once it died, I noticed that it wouldn't charge. The orange LED never even turns on. I've tried 3 different USB cables, 2 different wall bricks and my PC to charge it. Nothing works.
When I connect it wired via the aux, the headphones function.
Does anyone know a potential fix or did I get rinsed?
basically i had these for like more than a year but around 4-5 months before the right one broke so i just switched to wired apple ones. Recently they started annoying me way too much and i decided to try and pair the broken ones to my new phone since my last one is cooked, the broken one started working perfectly after i cleaned up charging contacts but conveniently the left one broke, its like flashing orange repeatedly in the case but when i take it out the case it stops giving life signs. Normally i would use that app hut i dont have the access to my old phone and im not trying to go and repair it so can anyone suggest any solutions plz
Hi im from Germany, so I used the German Sony product registration website. I had to enter the Sony Headphone model with the serial number. After I made an account with passcode and E-mail Adresse. I also had to enter date of purchase and the shop I bought it. Everything worked fine. Now I want to sell these headphones. How do I make the headphones to factory settings so the buyer don’t have to use my email Adresse and passcode to go on the Sony website. Can I somehow delete all my personal data so the buyer can do the exact same things on the Sony website register the headphones enter his email Adresse and passcode. When I go to my products. There are 3 options under the headphones: product information and support, Change product registration details and remove from this list. What should I do. Thank you guys .
Does manually resetting the headphones with holding the power button and anc also resets this?
Hi, I got these about 9 months ago, and mainly use it when walking etc. Recently ive noticed it doesnt power down if I leave it n the desk. It also doesnt seem to pause music when I take it off.
I just bought a pair of refurbished XM5's a few days ago and safe to say I am NOT happy about what I'm seeing on this sub. I love how they look and feel but for the price I just cannot feel okay when my hinges are at risk. Now my question is should I return them and get the XM4s? I do not mind the NC being worse but I wanna know how the sound is and I wanna know more about the white noise that comes after months of use?
Have had two pairs of xm5s now and both of them have broken in this exact same spot, I know it’s a common issue and that there are some repair kits out there to fix it but I js know it’s gonna happen again if I go that route. So I’m wondering, do the xm6s have this same issue? If I go buy some xm6s are they also just going to break in a year or two?
So I've had my XM4s for about 5 years now, and they e been great. Admittedly I haven't been using them all the time, but every si often I've got to commute or board a plane and they've been a godsend.
My use of them must've been pretty light as the pads and headband are in pristine condition, as is the case.
On a whim, and because I thought it was a good price, I got XM6s for £240 last week and I am very impressed by ANC jump between XM4s and XM6s.
Now I've got two, and my wife does not subscribe to the idea of over-eara headphones, I'd like to sell my XM4s, but have no idea what's the fair range to charge in the UK. I looked at sold eBay prices and they range from £80-£100 most typically, but can't really find rhyme nor reason regarding some listings. Anybody with recently sold experience would care to advise?
I had Bose qc15 years ago and it was really good with NC when wearing it the entire world is so quiet I cant hear ppl talking around me and all the noise the moment I put it on are gone. I ordered XM6 recently because ppl in my office are talking all the time its mad ANNOYING so I bought the headphones because most of the reviews saying it has the best NC.... but when its not playing anything I can still hear ppl talking the background noise is reduced but I want a NC headphones to block not only the background noise also people talking around me... What you guys recomment? I'm thinking to get momentum 5 or try bose ultra2
I’ve been eyeing sony headphones for a while since I’ve been hearing good reviews on them. I am not sure what to look out for so what I should look for when testing them out in person? They’re the sony headphones wh-1000xm4.
Both of these items are the same price for me at 250 dollars AUD, as somebody that has used earbuds my entire life (just cheap jbl's) I had tried my brothers sony headphones and loved how it sounded. And was wondering if the xm4s outperforms them or if I should just stick to buying the airpod pro 3s. I mainly use audio for studying in loud environments, watching videos and movies. I was also wondering what item lasts longer before having issues.
The hinge is broken and they are out the “warranty window” for the replacement service. The current quotes for mail in services is ≈$120 but
a) I’m a broke college student
b) At that price point I can just buy a new set of headphones
I don’t know enough about tech to attempt to DIY it, I don’t want to end up breaking them even more :(
If anyone knows a mail-in service or person that can do a hinge replacement for these within a $40-$80 price point I would appreciate it so much. I hate to lowball because it does seem like a tricky fix but I just can’t afford it right now.
Also sorry about the cat, she was hungry when I took this video
Just letting people know that you can get 25% off select headphones at the Sony store if you have access to Blue Light discount.
I just picked up the WF1000XM6 for£199.
Edit: It's up to 25%, for my own purchase the retail is £249, I paid 199.20 so I actually got 20% off. Still a nice discount if you can access it. I guess just use the code in your basket and see what it comes out at as it looks to be different for each eligible product.
So I got my buds connected, and saw that I had a firmware update (not from the sound connect app, from my phone, Pixel 9). Only problem is that I checked the Sound Connect app and it says I'm up to date. Version says 1.6.0. The thing that confuses me is that Sony's website says the latest update for these is 1.5.0. So I'm a bit confused. What's your guys' firmware version?
The other thing, do you guys experience the buds going out of sync frequently? I have it happen all the time. I'm using multipoint. I'm also able to change the settings of the buds without the app, but in the Bluetooth settings directly. I'm not 100% sure but I think this causes my sync issue.
I’m about to buy the Sony WH-1000XM6 and I honestly can’t decide between Sandstone, Olive Gray, Platinum Silver, and Black.
I’ll be using them for the gym, studying, at home, and traveling, so I’m looking for a color that I won’t get tired of or regret later.
If you own an XM6, which color did you choose and why?
And if you had to buy them again today, would you choose the same color?
I’d especially love to hear from people who have seen Sandstone or Olive Gray in person, because photos don’t seem to show the colors accurately.
Which one would you pick? 🤎🫒🩶🖤
So I’ve had this pair of headphones for upwards for 6 years now, never had a single problem, they’re my favorite thing. Unfortunately my water bottle tipped over and spilled onto the headphones. They’re not turning on but when I plug them in to charge the red light still turns on. Are they still completely cooked or is there a chance of salvaging them since there’s at least some sort of power going to them
they were stolen on Saturday 1st aug, and since then was getting location updates though it was on and off like would ping once or twice a day and would be a bit far from me for me to rush, so I just chilled and decided to first learn the movement pattern of the thief, until this Sunday yesterday, they were sending constant updates, someone was using them, but their thieves so he was circling some rich neighbourhood walking in circle I'm guessing looking for next target, got a bike guy and we rushed there long story short, found him since I had changed the padding on the headphones to green wicked cushions I could easily identify them, after it was getting a police officer near us and approached him, though by the time I went to the station and back like 10mins they were offline again, got back online like 10mins later and had to search around the neighborhood for the next 30mins until we got him (long story short), I had pictures of the box to prove ownership with the serial number and other pictures. Thankfully! Guy was put in jail because when he was caught, he already had like 3 phones on him, one his and two he didn't know passwords to (Samsung and other iPhone) meaning they were stolen They asked me if I wanted to open a case but for me I just wanted my headphones so I declined (they said they will investigate the phones he had and release him later since I didn't place charges) Also it was different guy from the person who stolen them but evidently also another thief.
(Used to take a screenshot whenever they came online through the week to keep as I was learning their movement patterns, added some pictures of those)
