Beats Solo 3 Won't Turn On If Audio Cable is Plugged in

BrianP2

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Brand new Beats Solo 3. When I plug in two different 3.5mm audio cables, the Beats will not turn on. If it's already on, it turns off when you plug in a cable. (Regardless of whether the other end is plugged into the PC.) One of the cables has several comments on Amazon saying that it works with the Beats 3. I don't see any special instructions for using the unit with an audio cable. The manual just says to attach a 3.5mm cable, and doesn't say anything specific about such a cable. I hoping somebody here knows what's going on. Maybe I just got a defective unit.
 
From the online help guide.
“To conserve battery or use your headphones when the battery is depleted, plug in the RemoteTalk cable to use your headphones in wired mode”

This suggests you need a proprietary cable.
 
They work passively when wired, don't they? So you don't actually need to turn them on at the power button, that's only for using them wirelessly.
 
I'm hoping someone has one of these, and knows if the unit is supposed to turn off when a standard 3.5mm plug is plugged in (regardless of whether the other end is plugged in). Reviews on Amazon say a lot of cables are supposed to work with this.
 
This is the cable for use in wired mode.
It use a 3.5mm TRRS plug due to needing an extra connection for a mic.
A standard stereo cable uses a TRS plug so will short out the connections in the earcup socket.
 
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I'm hoping someone here has these and knows whether they are supposed to turn off when a regular 3.5mm plug is plugged in (regardless of whether the other end is plugged into something).
 
I'm hoping someone has one of these, and knows if the unit is supposed to turn off when a standard 3.5mm plug is plugged in (regardless of whether the other end is plugged in). Reviews on Amazon say a lot of cables are supposed to work with this.

As already said they work passively when wired so the headphones will be off. If they are switched on when the cable is plugged in that should automatically switch them off.

It doesn't need to be the official cable, most 3.5mm to 3.5mm will work, but the space is quite small so some cables don't fit well. I've got a couple of generic cables purchased from eBay that work just as well as the official one, but the build quality isn't the same so they don't last as long. I'd recommend the official cable, but it's not essential if you can find good quality alternatives.
 
As already said they work passively when wired so the headphones will be off. If they are switched on when the cable is plugged in that should automatically switch them off.

It doesn't need to be the official cable, most 3.5mm to 3.5mm will work, but the space is quite small so some cables don't fit well. I've got a couple of generic cables purchased from eBay that work just as well as the official one, but the build quality isn't the same so they don't last as long. I'd recommend the official cable, but it's not essential if you can find good quality alternatives.

Are you saying you can hear music through your Beats Solo 3 headphones with the cable plugged in (in "passive mode" with the power light off)? It sounds like you aren't. People on Amazon are saying they are using these headphones for gaming, with them plugged in.
 
This is the cable for use in wired mode.
It use a 3.5mm TRRS plug due to needing an extra connection for a mic.
A standard stereo cable uses a TRS plug so will short out the connections in the earcup socket.

I have tried both a TRRS plug and a TRS plug (2 different TRS plugs).
 
Are you saying you can hear music through your Beats Solo 3 headphones with the cable plugged in (in "passive mode" with the power light off)? It sounds like you aren't. People on Amazon are saying they are using these headphones for gaming, with them plugged in.

Yes, I can. That's exactly how they are supposed to work.
When plugged in they're the same as any standard wired headphones; they do not need a power source and do not need to be switched on. When the cable is plugged in the lights should be off.

Its not clear from your posts, but what is the actually problem you're experiencing?
 
The headphones don't work with the cable plugged in. There is no sound, and no power light.

So you are saying they should have sound, but no light, with the cable plugged in? That would be a weird thing to experience. Anyway, no, there is no sound. I plug the same cable into my cheap earbuds and I have music.
 
What device are you plugging them into at the other end? If you plug them into a mobile phone do you get the headphone symbol appear in the notifications bar?

Is the cable fully seated in the headphones end? These headphones have a tight fit and many aftermarket cables don't fit in the hole properly as the plastic is too wide.
 
I'm plugging it into the computer. I have one cable that's too big to fit, so I know what you mean. As you mentioned it, I checked the audio devices, and the computer doesn't see any attached headphones, but it does with the Bluetooth connection.
 
Have you tried on other devices like a phone or MP3 player?
 

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