Beats headphones are renowned for their stylish design, sound quality, and practicality. First released in 2006, they quickly became one of the most popular headphones on the market.
Why do Beats headphones have static noise?
One possible cause for static noise on Beats headphones is a poor wireless Bluetooth connection between the Beats headphones and your phone, tablet, or another device. Alternatively, it could be a result of the active noise cancellation feature malfunctioning, which can result in interference.
A persistent static noise can be very annoying when you’re trying to listen to music or make calls while using your Beats headphones.
It’s difficult to concentrate on the audio when unwanted noise interferes with the signal. Thankfully, this issue can usually be solved fairly quickly by following some simple troubleshooting steps.
In this guide, you’ll learn why your Beats headphones have static noise, and how you can rectify this problem.
Static Noise from Beats Headphones
Static noise causes Beats headphones to sound crackly.
It may be present constantly or come and go at random intervals. The loudness of static noise can also vary, making it difficult to ignore and very distracting when you’re trying to listen to audio through your Beats headphones.
This annoying static noise is not exclusive to Beats headphones, and it is no fault of the manufacturer. It can occur with any wireless earbuds or headphones.
Most commonly, static noise is caused by an issue with the connection between the headphones and the source device.
To solve the issue of static noise coming from your Beats headphones, the first thing we need to do is to figure out why it is occurring. Once you know what is causing the static noise, you can take some simple measures to remove it.
It’s important to distinguish static noise from other noises that can come from Beats headphones.
- Static noise is often subtle and can sound like a constant hiss or crackling noise. Alternatively, it may disappear and come back randomly.
If the noise coming from your Beats headphones sound more like a buzzing, distorted sound, this is a sign that the components have been damaged. A damaged speaker wouldn’t cause static noise, but it would likely cause the audio to sound saturated and unclear.
Beats headphones are fairly robust, so the chance of the speakers or other inner components being damaged is quite unlikely. However, if water gets into the speaker, this could cause physical damage.
Likewise, dropping the headphones onto a hard surface, or stepping on by accident may cause noise issues.
Once you’ve determined whether the noise coming from your Beats headphones is static noise, or buzzing, distorted noise, you can attempt to solve the issue.
In the following sections, we’ll cover the various methods you can take to get rid of the static noise coming from your Beats headphones.
Beats Active Noise Cancellation & Static Noise
Many of the most recently released Beats headphones are equipped with Active Noise Control.
This innovative feature is designed to block out external sounds so that the listener can focus on the audio coming through their headphones without being distracted.
The Beats Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro both have Active Noise Cancellation.
Noise cancellation works by triggering the outward-facing microphones to detect external noise, causing the headphones to block them out in real-time.
The inner microphone also detects any undesirable sounds that make their way into the ear, and the headphones block them out.
The downside to this feature is that it can sometimes cause static noise to come from the Beats headphones. This occurs because the Active Noise Cancellation interferes with other nearby Bluetooth devices.
To figure out whether this is the cause of the static noise coming from your Beats headphones, you should monitor the impact that moving around has. If the noise intensifies when you move around, or it disappears momentarily, these are signs that it could be caused by the ANC feature.
The static noise may switch to one headphone when you move around, or it may stop altogether when you are in a certain location. If this is the case, try turning off the Active Noise Cancellation feature on your iOS device using the instructions below.
- Open the “Control Centre” menu
- Hold down on the volume slider until additional controls appear
- Tap the “Noise Control” icon in the bottom left – it looks like a person’s upper body within a circle
- Turn off “Noise Cancellation”
If this doesn’t solve the problem, or if your Beats headphones don’t have Active Noise Cancellation, move on to the next section.
Powerbeats Pro Producing Static Noise
Beats Powerbeats Pro is designed for people who like to listen to music while exercising or use their headphones on the move. They don’t have Active Noise Cancellation installed, because this could potentially be unsafe if users are exercising outdoors.
If you’re experiencing static noise from your Powerbeats Pro, it is likely to be caused by an issue with the connection between the headphones and your phone, tablet, or another audio-playing device.
To determine whether the Bluetooth connection is causing the issue, you should attempt to connect the Powerbeats Pro to another device and see if it persists. If the noise is still there when the headphones are paired with an alternative device, you may need to reset the Beats headphones.
Powerbeats Pro is equipped with Apple’s newly designed H1 Wireless Chip, which has won many accolades for its performance. However, this chip doesn’t prevent static noise issues from occurring.
In the section below you can find instructions on how to reset your Beats headphones, which will hopefully remove the static noise that you’re experiencing when using them.
How to Reset Your Beats Over-Ear Headphones
If you own over-ear Beats Headphones, such as the Beats Studio 3, resetting them may fix any issues that you are experiencing with the Bluetooth connection. This is likely to also get rid of the static noise.
While these instructions vary slightly depending on the exact model of Beats headphones that you own, the process is very similar for all of them.
Most over-ear headphones have a Power button and a volume button on the outside of the earcup.
On some Beats headphones, like the Beats Solo Pro, the Power button is replaced by a Mode button, but it essentially performs the same function.
Firstly, locate the Power (or Mode) and Volume buttons on the outside of the headphones. Hold down the Power or Mode button, whilst holding down the volume button at the same time.
Keep these two buttons held down together for approximately 10 seconds. On the Studio 3 headphones, there is a “fuel gauge” indicator. When it flashes, release the buttons. This means that the headphones have been successfully reset.
On the Beats Solo Pro headphones, there is an LED indicator that will flash red when they have been reset. Despite the slightly different designs, all of the indicators on over-ear Beats headphones will flash when they have been reset.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to pair the headphones with your phone or another device again. Connect them via Bluetooth, then test them to see if the static noise has disappeared.
Check out this YouTube video that shows how to reset Beats headphones.
How To Reset Your Beats In-Ear Headphones
Resetting Beats in-ear headphones, or earbuds as they are also sometimes called, is a little different from the process I’ve just described for over-ear Beats headphones.
If you own Powerbeats Pro, Beats fit Pro, or Beats Studio Buds, follow these instructions to reset your headphones.
Locate the Power button and Volume button on your headphones. On Powerbeats Pro, these buttons are fitted on the inside of the earphones. On BeatsX, they are found on the wire that is used to connect the headphones to a device.
Once you’ve found these two buttons, you need to press them down simultaneously for around 10 seconds. This will cause an LED indicator to flash, signaling that the earphones have been reset successfully.
Older Beats earphones may not have an LED indicator, so you’ll need to ensure that you’ve pressed the two buttons down for at least ten seconds otherwise they may not successfully reset.
You can then re-connect the Beats earphones to your device, and this should hopefully have removed any static that you were previously hearing when using them.
Related Questions
Why do my Beats headphones sound distorted?
If your Beats headphones are wired, the distortion may be coming from a poor connection to the source audio device. Check that the connector is pushed in fully. If it is, this may signal that the cable is broken.
Do Beats headphones have in-ear detection?
In-ear detection is a useful feature that causes audio to pause when headphones are not inside the ear. Unfortunately, Beats earbuds and headphones do not have this feature installed – it is exclusive to Apple’s AirPods.
What is the battery life of Powebeats Pro?
Beats Powerbeats Pro boasts a maximum battery life of 9 hours on a full charge. With a fully charged case, you can get up to 24 hours of constant playback before you need to recharge.
Can Beats Headphones Get Wet?
I have written a sepearate article on this subject. You can read it here.