Cannot connect Sony WH-CH500 headphones to iMac.

I'm currently running an iMac Mid 2011 with macOS High Sierra v10.13.4 installed. The bluetooth's module which is active at the moment has v6.0.5f3 (v208 c518).


I tried reseting (including alt+shift -> Debug) the Bluetooth with no luck at all; the headphones simply won't appear in the dropdown list. The Bluetooth Preference's window merely shows my Keyboard and Mouse that are connected. It might be worth mentioning that the Headphones do work with my smartphone, running iOS.


The official website Sony UK does not include any drivers, which probably means that these headphones where made/meant to connect solely with bluetooth devices like smartphones, but not with computers? This does not make sense at all.


Are there any drivers, perhaps open-source (Linux included), which I can install to either update/debug the current module?


Are there drivers for implementing a smartphone bluetooth module, like the one running on my iOS, to make my present module on the iMac act like "sorts of a smartphone". Hence, this may trick the headphones into connecting to a smartphone device but actually pairing them with my computer.


Any quick feedback is well appreciated, else I will just opt for the more sensible option by returning these headphones and buying a compatible pair instead.

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Jan 4, 2019 10:05 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 5, 2019 1:58 PM

I tested the Sony Headphones on a colleague's Linux device. He recently bought a pair of JVC headphones and couldn't pair them, so he sooner or later installed respective drivers on his computer which effected a successful bluetooth connection.


The Sony actually paired too! Simply by turning the headphones on (Blue Light) and pressing the main (ON/OFF) button eventually waiting for them to turn off and on again (flickering Red/Blue) , the headphones will finally appear under available bluetooth devices. They seem to go into "discover me mode".


Following these same steps on my iMac made them appear on the dropdown list. After pairing them, they get automatically saved into my bluetooth's devices as WH-CH500.


Give it a try!

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 5, 2019 1:58 PM in response to hallo_welt

I tested the Sony Headphones on a colleague's Linux device. He recently bought a pair of JVC headphones and couldn't pair them, so he sooner or later installed respective drivers on his computer which effected a successful bluetooth connection.


The Sony actually paired too! Simply by turning the headphones on (Blue Light) and pressing the main (ON/OFF) button eventually waiting for them to turn off and on again (flickering Red/Blue) , the headphones will finally appear under available bluetooth devices. They seem to go into "discover me mode".


Following these same steps on my iMac made them appear on the dropdown list. After pairing them, they get automatically saved into my bluetooth's devices as WH-CH500.


Give it a try!

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Cannot connect Sony WH-CH500 headphones to iMac.

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