15.4 Problems with the Headphones or Remote

If you're having sound-quality issues with your headphones, check to make sure that they're firmly plugged in. Some headphone cords are notoriously fragile, and the wires encased in the plastic sheathing can break if the headphone cord is bent, twisted, yanked out roughly , slammed in a car door, or chomped on by a pet rabbit (Figure 15-4).

Figure 15-4. Pets and iPods don't mix! If your headphones don't sound very good, check for teeth marks along the cord.

If you are getting patchy, scratchy sound from your iPod headphones, try using them with another portable player or stereo to confirm that it's the headphones having the problem and not the iPod's headphones port.

15.4.1 The iPod Remote Won't Work

The remote control cable for the 2003 model year iPod is a two-pronged affair, with a smaller connector attached to the regular 3.5 mm stereo miniplug. The twin prongs fit into adjoining remote and headphone ports on top of the iPod. If you've ordered a remote control from the Apple store, make sure you have the right one for your iPod; the remotes for the 2002 and 2003 iPods use different plugs.

If you've connected the small remote control for the 10 and 20 GB 2002 models to your headphone jack, but can't get it to respond when you push its buttons (even though the controls on the front of the iPod work OK), take a closer look. Specifically, look at the top of the iPod where the remote's connector plug meets the headphone jack. Is it pushed all the way in, or is a thin bit of the connector's silver ring visible between the white plastic casing and the top of the iPod (Figure 15-5)?

Figure 15-5. The thin ring of silver between port and plug indicates that the remote cable is not fully connected to the iPod. You need to push the plug all the way in for the remote to work.

If there is, the remote isn't fully connected. Apply firm pressure and give the connector a slight twist to push it into the headphone jack until it's flush with the top of the iPod.