Every battery dies eventually. It's a law of nature, and there's nothing you can do about it. In a phone, an electric toothbrush, headphones — a lithium-ion cell lasts a certain number of charge cycles, and then it starts to get tired like Henri on a Monday morning.
The difference is what happens after that.
Other brands: good luck
Most headphone manufacturers have designed their products so that the battery isn't meant to be replaced. The shells are glued shut, the battery is soldered to the circuit board, and the whole structure screams "buy new ones." This is, of course, entirely intentional. Throwaway culture at its finest.
If you have headphones from a big brand and the battery is gone, your options are basically:
- Buy new ones (the manufacturer hopes so)
- Find a brave repairer who dares to pry open the glued shells
- Use them with a cable for the rest of your life
Valco headphones: the battery gets replaced
We made a different choice. The batteries in the VMK20 and VMK25 (and VMK25.2) can be replaced. Not because we're somehow nobler people, but because it makes sense. A pair of headphones that plays for tens of hours on one charge doesn't deserve to end up in a landfill just because the cell got tired after three years.
In practice, here's how it works:
- Contact us – send a message to info@valco.fi
- Send the headphones to Kajaani – our service team will take care of the rest
- The battery is replaced – and you get the headphones back in working order
During the warranty period (24 months), battery replacement is of course free if it's a manufacturing defect. After the warranty, the battery can be replaced via a repair package. It costs a fraction of new headphones.
How do you know the battery is worn out?
A couple of clear signs:
- Battery life has dropped significantly. If the VMK25 used to last tens of hours and now dies in a couple, the battery is nearing the end of its life.
- Charging doesn't work properly. The device shows full but shuts off as soon as you unplug the cable.
- The headphones won't power on at all. First try charging with USB-C for at least half an hour. If a completely empty battery has been unused for a long time, it may need a moment to wake up. If that doesn't help, the battery is probably done.
Before you send anything, also try resetting the device. On the VMK20 and VMK25, plug in a 3.5 mm AUX cable and unplug it — this resets the Bluetooth chip. On the VMK25.2, press the volume buttons at the same time for three seconds. Sometimes the problem isn't the battery at all.
Repairing is a climate act (but we can't be bothered to preach about it)
We don't put a green leaf on the box or write an essay about carbon neutrality on our website. But the fact is, a headphone that lasts ten years thanks to repairs is a better thing than a headphone that ends up in the trash every two years. Plain common sense.
Every repaired headphone also funds a tiny slice of our Death Star. It's only 0.000001% finished, but the direction is right.
Drop us a message: info@valco.fi. Tell us which model it is, what's acting up, and include the order number if you have it. We'll take care of the rest.
