What does the LED indicator lights mean on the headphones and transmitter?

IMPORTANT: This article applies only to specific products and/or operating systems. Check Applicable Products and Categories for details.

Select your model for information about the LED indicators on your headphones and transmitters. Check your manual for model-specific information. Manuals are posted on your model support page. .

This article explains how the LED indicators on the headphones and transmitters work. Choose your model for more information.

• MDR-RF995RK

  • Headphones LED indicator

    • The Green POWER LED of your headphones lights up when you slide its power switch from OFF to ON, and if it has enough charge to function.

      

      Note: If your headphones need charging, the LED flashes, dims, or remains off.

  • Transmitter LED indicator

    • The LED lights up Red when you place your headphones on the transmitter. It will turn off when the charging is complete.
      • If the POWER indicator doesn't light up after connecting your headphones to the charger, the BPHP800-11 rechargeable battery may need replacement.  Go to Parts and Accessories.  .
      • You can use non-rechargeable LR03 (AAA) dry cell batteries.
    • The LED lights up steady Green when your headphones aren't on the transmitter and you connect an audio source with sufficient volume to the transmitter. If the transmitter no longer receives an audio signal or the signal is too weak, the LED flashes Green for four minutes and then turns off.

      

    • Note: The POWER/CHARGE LED on the transmitter can be thought of as a signal or CHARGE indicator.

• MDR-RF985RK

  • Headphone LED Indicator

    • The POWER LED located on the left headphone lights up Green when you slide the power switch from OFF to ON, and it has enough charge to function.

      

      Note: The LED flashes Green, dims, or remains off if the headphones need to be charged.

    • The CHG LED on the top of the left side of your headphone lights up Red whenever your headphones are charging.

      

      Note: The CHG LED turns off when your headphones are fully charged.

  • Transmitter LED indicator

    • If the transmitter is initially plugged into the wall outlet without your headphones on it and the audio signal is too weak, or no audio source is connected, the POWER LED lights up Green. The LED will remain lit for four minutes, and then it will flash intermittently for another minute, and then turn off.

      

      Note:

      • The LED light is lit for less than a second if you connect an audio source to the transmitter or if you increase the audio signal.
      • The POWER/CHARGE LED of the transmitter can be thought of as a SIGNAL/CHARGE indicator.

    • If you plug in the transmitter to a wall outlet without your headphones on it and it's connected to an audio source that isn't playing, the LED lights up Green for four minutes. It flashes intermittently for one minute and turns off.
    • If you plug in the transmitter to a wall outlet without your headphones on it and it's connected to an active audio source, the LED lights up Green for as long as the source plays.
    • If you plug in the transmitter to a wall outlet with the headphones on, the LED flashes Green one time for less than a second and will turn off.

• MDR-RF912RK

  • Headphone LED indicator

    • The POWER LED of your headphones lights up whenever you slide its power switch from OFF to ON, and if it has enough charge to function.

      

      Note: If the POWER indicator dims, flashes, or the sound becomes distorted or noisy the headphones require charging.

  • Transmitter LED indicator

    • The POWER indicator lights up Red when you connect your headphones to the CHARGE plug of the transmitter after use. Then, charging starts.
      • The POWER indicator turns off when charging is complete.
      • If the POWER indicator doesn't light up after connecting your headphones to the charger, the BPHP800-11 rechargeable battery may need replacement.  Go to Parts and Accessories.  .
      • You can use non-rechargeable LR03 (AAA) dry cell batteries.

        

    • The POWER indicator lights up Green when you turn on the audio source connected to the transmitter.
      Note: The transmitter sends RF signals automatically when it detects an audio signal from the connected audio source.

      

    • If the transmitter doesn't detect an audio signal for about four minutes, it will stop sending RF signals automatically and the POWER indicator will blink for one minute, then turn off. The transmitter restarts after it receives an audio signal again.
      • If signal noise is output from the connected audio source, the transmitter may not turn off, even when no audio signal is input.
      • The transmitter may also turn off if the input signal is low for a duration of about four minutes. If this occurs, increase the volume to below the range where sound distortion appears and lower the volume of your headphones.

• MDR-WHRF400

  • Headphones LED indicator

    • The Green POWER LED of your headphones lights up when you slide its power switch from OFF to ON, and if it has enough charge to function.

      

      Note: If your headphones need to be charged, the LED flashes, dims, or remains off.

  • Transmitter LED indicator

    • The LED lights up Red when you place your headphones on the transmitter to charge.
      • If the POWER indicator doesn't light up after you connect your headphones to the charger, the BPHP800-11 rechargeable battery may need replacement.  Go to Parts and Accessories.  .
      • You can use non-rechargeable LR03 (AAA) dry cell batteries.
    • The LED lights up steady Green when your headphones aren't on the transmitter and you connect an audio source with sufficient volume to the transmitter.
      • If the transmitter no longer receives an audio signal or the signal is too weak, the LED flashes Green for four minutes and then turns off.