This is one of our most popular support requests, and the answer is both relieving and slightly awkward at the same time. Your NL21 earbuds don't have active noise cancellation. They never did. So it didn't break – it's just not there.
Take a deep breath. This is actually good news, because there's nothing wrong with your device.
Where does the confusion come from?
The NL21 is our affordable basic model. Compact, water-resistant, great-sounding – but without active noise cancellation. ANC is available in our VMK20 over-ear headphones and some other models, but the NL21 doesn't have it.
The confusion usually comes from one of two things:
- You've been reading the specs of a different Valco product and assumed the same applies to all our models. Understandable, but nope.
- Earbuds passively isolate some ambient noise when they sit snugly in your ear canal. This isn't ANC – it's physics. If you switch to a different ear tip size or they don't seal as tightly anymore, the passive isolation drops – and it feels like "ANC stopped working".
How to get the best noise isolation from your NL21
Even though there's no ANC, you can significantly improve passive isolation:
- Try all the ear tip sizes that came in the box. The right size makes a huge difference. The tip needs to properly seal your ear canal – otherwise the bass disappears and the outside world leaks in.
- Check the wings. The NL21 comes with different sized wing tips that keep the buds in place. Wrong size wing means a loose fit and worse isolation.
- Clean your ear tips. Over time they collect earwax and dust. A dirty tip won't seal properly. Give them a wipe with warm water.
- Replace the tips with new ones if the old ones have hardened or lost their shape. Silicone lasts a long time, but not forever.
When the tip fits right, the NL21 isolates surprisingly well. It won't silence a jet engine, but it'll handle office background noise just fine.
What if you actually want ANC?
If noise cancellation is a must-have for you, the NL21 simply isn't the right product for that. It's a bit like complaining that your bicycle's engine isn't working. It's not broken – it's just a bicycle.
Check out our lineup for a model that includes ANC. Or drop us a message at info@valco.fi and we'll tell you which model suits your needs. We're happy to help you spend your money on the right product – after all, someone's gotta cover those alimony payments and Death Star installments.
If the problem is something else
If there's actually something wrong with the sound quality – the audio is muffled, one bud is silent, or the sound is crackling – it might be a genuine fault. In that case:
- Reset the buds: Put both buds in the case, plug in the charging cable, and hold the touch panel down for 5 seconds. The blue light will flash once.
- Remove the headphones from your phone's Bluetooth list and pair them again.
- Check that there's no protective sticker on the charging contacts. Yes, this is genuinely a common issue.
If nothing helps, get in touch at info@valco.fi and include your order number. Jasse and the crew in Kajaani will sort it out. We fix things here – we don't throw them in the bin.
