The glowing CHARGE lamp on the Sony SRS XB13 speaker.

Sony SRS XB13 Orange Light Stays On

Many Sony speakers, including the SRS XB13, feature a charging status light that lights up orange while recharging them. Sometimes however, this light stays on.  E.g. It does not switch off after way more than the expected charge time once you connect the charger.  So in this post, we offer reasons that this might occur, and recommend possible fixes for this typical problem.

Sony SRS XB13 Orange Light Stays On: Why This Occurs

It’s normal that this lamp glows orange while the charger cable is supplying power to the XB13 for up to a few hours, until the battery completes charging.  Then, under typical circumstances, this light should go dark, whether the speaker is running or not.

The glowing CHARGE lamp on the Sony SRS XB13 speaker.
Sony SRS XB13 CHARGE lamp glowing.

But if the orange lamp does not go OFF, a couple things might cause this, and we detail those below.

Dark Charge lamp on the Sony SRS XB13 speaker.
Sony SRS XB13 Charge lamp is OFF (dark).

1. Your AC or Car Receptacle May Be Dead

The Problem

The auto or home adapter you’re using may not deliver any power because it is not receiving any juice in the first place. This can happen due to a broken circuit, tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse, faulty wiring, power failure, and the like.

The Fix

Check that your outlet has power by testing it by plugging in a lamp or other device to it, to see if it works.  Reset circuit breakers if tripped, and if the outlet has a light switch that controls it, then be sure that that switch is in the ON position.

2. Your Power Adapter is Too Weak or is Defective

The Sony SRS XB13 orange light stays on, perhaps, because the charger adapter you have provides SOME, but not ENOUGH, recharging energy. Or, its output power output has weakened over time.  The speaker requires a USB-C charger that delivers at least 0.5 amps of charging current at 5 volts (2.5 watts) to fully recharge in the specified time of 4.5 hours.

The fix in this case is to replace the adapter.  Note that just about all USB adapters can deliver this amount of current. So you needn’t be overly picky about which adapter to buy… at least not in terms of its power delivery specs.  Nonetheless though, get a brand with a good reputation for continued reliability.





3. The USB Charging Wire is Too Long, Too Thin, or is Defective

The USB-C cable can reduce the charging current even if your power supply is working properly.  This might happen with very long or very thin cords.

To address this, use as short a wire as is practical. Or, switch to a thicker, higher current handling lead. We suggest keeping cord lengths to under six feet, and to choose a wire certified to carry at least 1 amp.

4. The XB13’s Battery Might Be Faulty

As lithium ion batteries get older, they can gradually go bad.  That is, they lose their ability to fully recharge over time, and the characteristics of the charging current they draw changes as well.  Normally, as a battery recharges, it draws less and less charge current.  The Sony SRS XB13 seems to monitor this.  Then when the charge current falls to a value that it interprets as the battery being fully charged, then it shuts off the orange CHARGE light.  But defective battery cells may not behave this way, and instead, continue drawing higher than usual current.  Therefore, the amperage never falls to the fully charged value, and so the orange lamp never turns off.

To fix this, replace the battery, although you can’t easily get to it in the XB 13. Note that replacing the battery means disassembly of the speaker.  Furthermore, taking the speaker apart will likely break the waterproof seal, so that the speaker no longer resists damage if you get it wet. Plus, breaking this seal may also change the sound of the speaker. Therefore, battery replacement should be done only by someone who can get the right battery, and can restore the seal as they reassemble the speaker.

5. The Speaker Might be Defective when the Sony SRS XB13 Orange Light Stays On

Even if you have a sufficiently big enough power supply and cable. along with a working battery, the charging current that actually reaches the battery may be too high or too low.  The can happen when the battery management electronics inside the 13 fail.  These circuits monitor the battery and shut off the charging current when they deem the battery as fully charged.  But when they malfunction, the battery might receive no charging current at all.  So it never recharges no matter how long you leave the speaker connected.  Again, in this case, the orange light might never turn off. And you would also notice that the speaker doesn’t play as long before going dead. Or it might not play at all except when you have the adapter connected.

The best solution here, given the lower cost of the XB13, is just get a new speaker.  Why?  Because the circuits in this model are quite small.  So unless you can replace the system board(s) yourself, just buy another speaker to save yourself the aggravation of having to work with very small and delicate components.

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB13 

    1. How to Pair Sony Speaker SRS-XB13
    2. Sony SRS XB13 Charge Time for Full Recharging
    3. Sony SRS XB13 Replacement Charger Type
    4. How to Fix Sony SRS XB13 Speaker Not Charging
    5. How to Read the Battery Indicator on the Sony SRS XB13 Speaker

Related Posts to Sony SRS XB13 Orange Light Stays On 

    1. Sony SRS XB12 Orange Light Stays On Problem
    2. Sony SRS XB10 Orange Light Stays On Issue
    3. SRS XB01 Sony Speaker Orange Light Stays On Problem
    4. Sony SRS X11 Orange Light Stays On Problem, How to Solve
    5. Solving the SRS X3 Sony Speaker Orange Light Stays On Problem

References for Sony SRS XB13 Orange Light Stays On

    1. Sony SRS XB13 Official Product Page at Sony.com
    2. Where to Buy the Sony SRS XB13 Bluetooth Speaker

Revision History

    • 2022-12-23: First posted.