Usually, Turtle Beach headsets are reliable and user-friendly. They connect with the console in seconds, and you can start playing immediately.
However, like any other electronics, they may experience occasional hiccups. For example, your Turtle Beach headset may refuse to turn off or on for no apparent reason. This is actually a common issue. And it doesn’t only happen to older headsets. It happens to brand-new ones, as well. Luckily, I have good news for you! In most cases, this issue is fixable.
In this post, I’m going to list all the things you can try to solve the issue without contacting the manufacturer. Hopefully, one of the tips will help you fix your Turtle Beach headset that won’t turn off or on.
Key Takeaways
- Depending on whether you are having issues when trying to turn on or turn off your Turtle Beach headset, the list of potential culprits and fixes will be different.
- Some fixes will only help in one of these two scenarios, and others can help in both scenarios. For example, resetting the headset using a button combo specified in the user manual is not possible if you can’t turn on the headset – the headset has to be turned on to reset it.
- It’s advisable to start with simple things and then move on to more radical solutions. You don’t have to open the headset the moment you face the problem.
- If the POWER button is stuck or broken, turning the headset on or off will be tricky, if not impossible. Try pressing the button multiple times. If you notice that the button doesn’t sound or behave the same way as it used to, it’s probably damaged. Replacing the button is possible, but it requires skills and patience.
- If the headset is turned on and you can’t turn it off, but the button doesn’t seem broken, a firmware glitch could be causing the problem. You could leave your headset on until the battery discharges completely. The headset will turn off in the end. Then, charge the headset and see what’s happening. Other fixes you can try are resetting or updating the headset.
- If the headset won’t turn on and the power button doesn’t seem broken or damaged, your battery might be empty or dead. If it’s empty, charge the headset using the included USB cable. If it’s dead, you could try replacing it.
- Your Turtle Beach headset might refuse to turn on because of a firmware issue. Updating your headset is a viable fix in this situation. You could also try resetting the headset.
- You won’t be able to turn on your Turtle Beach headset If the PCB inside your headset gets damaged or fried. Like the battery, the PCB can be replaced, but you can’t buy a new one on Amazon or from the manufacturer. Your best option is to look for parts on eBay.
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Why Is Your Turtle Beach Headset Not Turning OFF/ON?
Depending on whether you can’t turn the headset on or off, the list of potential culprits will be different. Some can cause both issues, while others can only cause one. For example, if you can’t turn off the headset, your battery is probably fine. But if you can’t turn it on, the battery is one of the primary suspects.
The most common issues that could prevent your Turtle Beach headset from turning on include:
- Empty battery (charge the headset)
- Stuck or damaged power button (press it multiple times or replace the button)
- Firmware bugs (reset or update the headset)
- Dead battery (replace the battery)
- Dead or fried PCB (replace the PCB)
The most common issues that could prevent your Turtle Beach headset from turning off include:
- Stuck or damaged power button (press it multiple times or replace the button)
- Firmware bugs
Ways to Fix a Turtle Beach Headset that Won’t Turn OFF/ON
The route you are going to take depends on the exact issue you are facing. Let’s start with fixes that could help in both situations.
Press the Power Button Multiple Times
If the button is stuck, pressing it once won’t do the trick – your headset might refuse to turn on or off.
Try pressing the power button multiple times. There’s no guarantee it will work, but it could.
Pressing the POWER button multiple times might force your headset to turn on or off.
Damaged Power Button – Try to Fix It or Replace It
If you notice that the power button doesn’t behave the same way as before, the button is probably damaged or broken. For example, if you don’t hear/feel the same kind of click as before, the button has to be damaged. There’s no other explanation.
When I say the button is damaged, I’m not talking only about the plastic button itself. More often, the contact inside the earcup that connects the power button to the PCB gets damaged.
This tiny contact sends the impulse to the PCB when you press the power button. If it gets damaged, you won’t be able to turn the headset on or off.
Fixing this issue is not too complicated, but requires some skills, appropriate tools, and patience. Since you can’t buy spare parts from the manufacturer, you could try finding them on eBay. I’ve seen people selling functional headsets with broken headbands – that would be an ideal purchase if you are looking for parts.
If your power button behaves exactly the same as before, and you don’t see or hear any change in the way it clicks, don’t rush to open the headset. You could try a few other fixes before opening it.
Turtle Beach Stealth 400/450 – Fixing the Power Button
Leave the Headset On Until the Battery Drains Out
If you can’t turn it off and everything is working fine, you might be dealing with some kind of firmware bug or glitch. The good news is the battery is fine and the PCB is not fried.
You could try a few things to fix the issue. The easiest thing would be to leave the headset playing until the battery drains out. Then, charge it until the battery is full and try to turn it on. If it works, your issue is fixed.
Wait for the battery to drain out. Then, recharge the headset and try to turn it on.
Charge the Headset Overnight
If you can’t power the headset on and the headset hasn’t been used for some time, the battery might be over-discharged. Even if the charging indicator doesn’t turn on when you connect the charger, leave the headphones charging for a prolonged period. At some point, the charger might trigger the battery.
If the headset hasn’t been used for quite some time and now it won’t turn on, leave it charging for a prolonged period, even if the charging indicator doesn’t turn on immediately.
Reset the Headset
Different Turtle Beach headsets follow different reset procedures, so it’s advisable to consult your user manual or the official website for the instructions. In this article, I’ll give you reset instructions for popular Stealth 600 and 700 Gen 2 headsets. The instructions will also work for Gen 1 and Max series.
To reset Stealth 600 Gen 2, press the MODE and CONNECT buttons simultaneously for approx. 30 seconds or until the LED goes off.
Stealth 600 Gen 2 – Press the buttons simultaneously until the LED goes off.
To reset Stealth 700 Gen 2, press the Bluetooth and MODE buttons for approx. 30 seconds or until the LED goes off.
Stealth 700 Gen 2 – Press simultaneously until the LED goes off.
Resetting Stealth 700 Gen 2 (Xbox and PS Versions)
If pressing the buttons doesn’t reset your headset, you could try resetting it using the Turtle Beach Audio Hub. This software is primarily used to update the headset, but it can also be used to restore the headset to factory defaults.
When you install it, it will ask you to connect your headset and transmitter to your PC’s USB ports. Then, the app will recognize your headset and its current firmware version. From here, you can click on Update or Restore. To reset your headset, you have to click on Restore.
Assuming that the Audio Hub recognizes your headset, you can reset it using this piece of software. This reset procedure should work for every headset model.
If the headset is not recognized by the Audio Hub app, you could try using the headset recovery tool.
Use the Headset Recovery Tool
If you’re using a Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset, whether Xbox or PS version, and you can’t turn it on, you could try using the Turtle Beach Recovery Tool (Xbox/PS) to bring it back to life. Once you download it and connect your headset and transmitter to the PC (Windows only), you just have to run the program, and the tool will do its magic. Hopefully, your headset will be fixed in a few minutes.
Fixing Stealth 700 Gen 2 that Won’t Turn On Using the Headset Recovery Tool
Try Pressing and Holding All the Buttons at Once
If you can’t reset your headset or if reset doesn’t help, you could try pressing and holding all the buttons at once for approx. 30 seconds. This is not an official fix, but it worked for some users.
Update the Headset
Updating the headset, just like resetting it, could fix some firmware bugs and bring your headset back to life.
The update process is the same for every Turtle Beach headset. You need to install the Audio Hub app onto your PC (Windows 10 or higher or Mac), run it, and connect the headset and transmitter (if the headset comes with one) to your PC’s USB ports.
The software will recognize your headset and transmitter, as well as their firmware versions. You will get a notification if there are updates available.
STEP 1 – Visit the Turtle Beach official webpage and download the Audio Hub software. Before downloading, select your headset model and your OS. Only Windows 10 and 11 are supported, so if you have a Windows 7/8 machine, this software will not work.
STEP 2 – Connect your headset and transmitter (if your headset comes with one) to your PC. Both have to be connected at the same time.
STEP 3 – When you open the app, it will recognize your headset model and its current firmware version. It will also automatically start downloading and installing the updates.
STEP 4 – You will be notified when the update is finished.
Updating Stealth 700 Gen 2 – Step-by-Step Guide
The Battery Might Be Dead – Replace the Battery
If you can’t turn on the headset and don’t see the LED when the headset is connected to the charger, your battery might be dead. Luckily, most Turtle Beach headsets are fairly easy to open.
Replacing the battery does require advanced skills, appropriate tools, and patience, but it can be done. If you don’t feel confident enough, take your headset to a technician and ask him to replace the battery for you.
You only have to take apart one earcup, the one with all the controls. That’s where the battery is located.
First, you need to remove the earpads. Depending on the model, the procedure is different. On some headsets, you just need to rotate the earpad holder slightly to the right. On other models, you have to remove the padding only – they don’t have a plastic earpad holder.
Removing the Earpads – Turtle Beach 400/420X/450/500/600/700
When you remove the earpads, you will see a plastic cover with 4 screws. Unscrew them and remove this plastic cover. Don’t pull it! The speaker driver is glued to the cover and connected to the PCB with wires. If you pull the cover, you will damage the wires.
Remove 4 screws to open the earcup and get access to internal parts.
Do not pull the cover! The speaker driver is glued to this cover and connected to the PCB with two wires. If you pull the cover, you may damage the wires or the PCB.
The PCB is connected to the earcup cover with 3 screws. The battery is located under the PCB. So, to get to the battery, you need to unscrew those screws and lift the PCB.
Remove 3 screws to get to the battery.
Again, don’t pull too hard. You will damage the wires connecting the battery to the PCB.
When you get to the battery, you need to disconnect it from the PCB and then pull it. The battery is glued to the plastic, so you have to pull a bit harder.
After removing the battery, you have to replace it with a new one. You can’t buy the battery from Turtle Beach, but you can find compatible replacements with the same ratings on Amazon.
The replacement battery should have the same power ratings as the original battery. The capacity doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but the voltage must be the same.
Once you get a compatible battery for your model, glue it to the plastic, connect it to the PCB, and put everything back together.
Stealth 600 – Battery Replacement Instructions
Turtle Beach Elite 800X – Battery Replacement Guide
Damaged or Faulty Headset
If replacing the battery doesn’t help, you are probably dealing with a more serious issue. Your PCB might be fried or damaged. Or some other internal component or wire might be damaged.
You could try finding the entire headset with a broken headband on eBay and using it for parts. Take out the entire PCB with all the wires from that headset and install it onto your headset. In the process, you may have to cut the wires connecting the speakers to the PCB and then solder them after installing the PCB onto your headset.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: Why won’t my wireless Turtle Beach headset turn off?
- Answer: If you can’t turn it off, it’s probably some firmware glitch that can be fixed by resetting or updating the headset. Or you can leave it on until the battery drains out. Charge it and try to turn it on.
- Another reason why your Turtle Beach headset won’t turn off is a stuck or damaged power button or the power button contact inside the earcup. If your headset is still under warranty, do not try to open it and fix the button. You need to contact Turtle Beach first and ask for their help.
- Question: What do you do if your Turtle Beach headset won’t turn on?
- Answer: Ideally, you will first diagnose the problem. Your Turtle Beach headset may refuse to turn on for various reasons. It could be a simple firmware bug that can be fixed by resetting or updating the headset. Or you could try performing the so-called headset recovery as explained in this article.
- Furthermore, you could try charging the headset overnight to force the battery to charge. This is a viable fix in case your battery is over-discharged.
- Hardware failures, like broken or stuck power button, dead battery, or fried PCB, will also prevent your Turtle Beach headset from turning on. The only solution in these scenarios is to replace the damaged component.
- If your headset is still under warranty, contact Turtle Beach before trying to open the headset.
- Question: How do you turn off the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2?
- Answer: Press the power button for 1 second, and your headset should turn off.
- Question: Why does my Turtle Beach headset turn off?
- Answer: Turtle Beach headsets have the auto-off feature that turns it off to preserve battery when not in use. If it’s turning off by itself even when you’re using it, it could be because of the firmware glitch triggering the auto-off feature. Resetting or updating the headset might help.
- Question: Does the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 have a mute button?
- Answer: There’s no dedicated MUTE button, but when you flip the mic up, it mutes the microphone automatically. In addition, you have the chat volume and master volume dials on the earcup.
- Question: How do I reset my Turtle Beach headset?
- Answer: Most models can be reset by pressing and holding some button combo, but the combo is different for different models. Consult your user manual for the instructions for your model.
- Most Turtle Beach headsets can also be reset through the Audio Hub software. The procedure is the same for every model.
- Question: How do I update my Turtle Beach headset?
- Answer: Updating your Turtle Beach headset is straightforward. Download and install the Audio Hub software. When you run the software, it will ask you to connect the headset and transmitter that comes with it.
- The rest of the process is pretty much automatic. The software will recognize your headset’s firmware version and automatically download and install the updates. If it doesn’t, click on Update and follow the instructions.
Conclusion
Not being able to turn your headset off, or even worse, to turn it on, can be quite frustrating. The good news is that you might be able to fix the issue, even if it’s caused by a hardware failure.
I hope this guide helped you figure out why you can’t turn your Turtle Beach headset off or on and find the fix that brought your headset back to life.
