Bluetooth is choppy, audio keeps cutting out, and your patience is wearing thin. We know. This is one of the most common things people contact us about with the NL21, so you're not alone. Most of the time the cause is either surprisingly mundane or it's the laws of physics to blame – and unfortunately our Death Star isn't quite operational enough to override those yet.
Why does Bluetooth cut out?
Bluetooth 5.0 operates on the 2.4 GHz frequency. Half the world is crammed onto that same frequency: WiFi routers, microwave ovens, other Bluetooth devices, and basically the phone in every single person's pocket. When you walk into a shopping centre or a gig, the signal space is like a motorway at rush hour. There's just too much traffic.
The antenna in earbuds is small. That's physics – a small bud fits a small antenna. Big over-ear headphones handle crowded environments better because there's more room for the antenna. This applies to all earbuds, not just ours.
But. Often the cause is actually much simpler.
How to fix it
1. Check the stickers
This is the classic one. The NL21 buds come with factory-applied protective stickers on the contact surfaces. If those are still in place, the buds won't charge properly in the case and the connection will act up. Remove the stickers. Seriously – go check one more time.
2. Keep your phone close
Bluetooth range is about 10 metres in open space. In practice that means: keep your phone on the same side of your body as the earbuds. If your phone is in your back pocket and you turn around, your body is blocking the signal. Try keeping your phone in a chest pocket or the front pocket of your jacket.
3. Eliminate interference
If putting your hand near the earbud cuts the audio, the signal is just barely getting through. Possible reasons:
- The earbuds' battery is low – charge the buds fully
- Your phone is too far away or on the wrong side
- There are lots of other Bluetooth devices around you
4. Reset the buds
Sometimes electronics just need a kick up the arse:
- Put the buds in the case
- Plug the charging cable into the case
- Press and hold the touch panel on both buds for 5 seconds
- A blue light flashes once – reset done
- Remove the earbuds from your phone's Bluetooth settings and pair them again
5. Check your phone's Bluetooth list
If your phone is paired with ten different devices, it might be trying to maintain connections to several at once. Remove unnecessary pairings from your phone's Bluetooth settings.
6. Crowded places – the unfortunate truth
If the problem only happens in busy places and the earbuds work flawlessly otherwise, it's most likely frequency congestion. There's no magic trick for this. You can try keeping your phone as close to the earbuds as possible – that helps a bit. But if there are 500 people around you all with Bluetooth on, physics is physics.
If nothing helps
If the Bluetooth keeps cutting out consistently even in a quiet environment, with your phone in hand and the stickers removed, you might have a faulty bud. Especially if only one side drops out systematically.
Shoot us an email at info@valco.fi. Include your order number and briefly tell us:
- Which bud is cutting out (left, right, both)?
- Does it cut out all the time or only in certain situations?
- Have you tried the steps above?
Our service team in Kajaani will sort it out. We repair devices, we don't chuck them in the bin – that's another thing that sets us apart from those big corporations whose customer support suggests you buy a new one.
