WH-1000XM3 rustling sound on noise cancelling mode

[edmondtam]

Hi,

I have a 6-month-old WH-1000XM3 which has been recently making a soft but audible rustling sound when noise cancelling is on. The firmware is the latest 4.2.2 version, and this problem happens while it is connected via Bluetooth to my Android Samsung Galaxy S8 and my Windows 10 laptop.

At times, I am able to get rid of this noise by switching the device on and off, although most of the time it just comes back within a few minutes. Similarly, cycling through noise cancelling - ambient noise on - ambient noise off - noise cancelling can get rid of this noise, but soon the noise will come back.

I have a few questions:

• Are others facing the same issue, and if so have you been able to resolve the problem?
• I would like to repair the headphones, but I'm actually afraid this problem cannot be effectively reproduced - any suggestions?
• Can I repair the headphones while not in the UK (where my product is registered)?

Many thanks for all the help!

Best,

Edmond

[Anonymous]

Hi Edmond,

Have you tried a factory reset?

Best wishes,

M

[edmondtam]

Hi Michael,

Yes I have, and have updated firmware to the latest version too. Do you have any other suggestions to try?

Thanks,

Edmond

[The_Black_Rose]

Hi Edmondtam,

I think this may be a normal performance of the headphones . I mean because the noise canceling feature can be influenced by a variety of external factors; both environmental, like air pressure and contextual like ambient noises.

The noise cancellation also works works independently for the Left and the Right channel. The Sound compensation predicts the noise, providing inverse signals to the speakers who will then eliminate the noise.

Also, the repair doesn't require online registration as far as I am aware.

I wonder if you've tried resetting or initializing the headphones though

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

[Win32_BIOS]

Getting the same, on my 10 day old WH-1000XM3.

Firmware 4.2.2

Factory reset did nothing.

Soft reset mitigates the issue for maybe a few hours.

On and off can sometimes mitigate the issue.

Full Noise Cancelling gives off a rustling noise on my right side - almost as if something is crawling inside.

Same for Wind Noise Reduction.

Ambient Sound 1 through 20 doesn't create the noise.

The only solution I have is to drown out the rustling by playing music just loud enough.

Just NC and this rustling makes my skin crawl within a few minutes.

Others on the internet have reported this rustling noise on the left side, but I haven't found anything useful to fix this.

[edmondtam]

Thanks for helping to confirm Win32_BIOS. My issue is exactly the same, tried the same resets and settings as you. It's only affecting the left cup but just wouldn't go away without being reset for a while.

Any technical suggestions from Sony would be appreciated.

[The_Black_Rose]

Hi edmondtam,

I'll try passing this one to my contact at Sony. Hopefully someone will get in touch with you soon.

Cheers,
The_Black_Rose

[edmondtam]

Hi The_Black_Rose,

Could I check if there are any updates on this?

Many thanks,

Edmond

[Win_88]

Hi there,

As far as I know, the clicking noise you hear is just a limitation that exists due to the way Noise Cancelling works and how it handles the surrounding air pressure and its changes.

Win_88

[BigBide]

Hi Win_88,

No, a rustly/static sound that can be heard only in one of the cups even at mid volume is not normal.

Try checking if there is hair or thin particules stuck near the microphone by removing the faux-leather (it can be clipped out) and the foam.