My headphones are connected to my controller but won’t output sound

Yourlocalcanuck · Mar 6, 2025

Hey y’all,

So my wired headphones are connected to my controller (xbox series s) and the console recognizes them as being connected/plugged but they won’t output sound. I can hear the static in them and they work with other devices so I know my headphones aren’t the problem. I have tried to reset my xbox twice (as suggested by the responses on other threads I saw) but it didn’t work. Also, when I go in the audio and music tab in the side menu, I can’t access the headset chat mixer setting (it’s greyed out); just mentioning it because I saw the question being asked by people trying to help on other threads.

Can anyone help me?

Thank you so much.

:)

SmartLace1968

Hi there! This is Virginia O.

I understand that you are experiencing issues with the headset that has no sounds.

I apologize for the inconvenienced this has caused you. I will do my best to help you.

Please update controller firmware. To do this, go to Settings > Devices & connections > Accessories. Select your controller and check for firmware updates. Updating the firmware can resolve compatibility issues.

And then adjust audio settings. Go to Settings > General > Volume & audio output. Kindly make sure that the Headset audio option is set to Stereo uncompressed. You can also try other audio options to see if they work.

It is also important to ensure there are no other wireless devices causing interference with the controller's signal. Move other wireless devices away from your console and controller.

If the issue persist after performing the steps and if you have another controller available, you may use a different controller with your headset to see if the problem persists. This can help determine whether the issue is with the controller or the headset.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Talhynor

It should be in the sound settings like some people said, but i had a problem also with my headphones, which was because of the battery I was using in my controller... If you are using a cheap battery in your controller, there won’t be enough juice to
power the headphones.

ArminatorX

I got them connected to tv, but when i connect microphone the speakers turn off, and i dont want to use headset

Your TV speakers turn off when you connect a microphone?

It might be, that you have set your audio settings to use headphone sound, whenever a headset is connected.

Go to the settings under Display and Sound, and turn off the option to have the sound output to the headphones.

Then you should be able to have a microphone connected to the controller, without the sound from the TV going out.

Arminator

Can you try some troubleshooting steps yourself, to try to circle in the problem of no sound?

How is your console connected to your speakers? Are you connecting the console to a TV directly, or are you using an audio receiver? If you have an audio receiver, can you try connecting the console via optical audio to the receiver instead of HDMI?

Can you try plugging headphones into your controller, and in the settings of the console choose "Microsoft Sonic for headphones" as audio output? Do you hear sound through the headphones?

Finchy A

Game sound through the tv either with the headphone jack or the RCA jacks into the tv if it has outputs

then I spliced my chat headset controller jack into the mic/chat cable of the x11 now have stereo game sound ( footsteps galore ) and full chat functionality on my x11

woohoo

My headphones are connected to my controller but won’t output sound