A classic case. You hit play, and one ear gets the full experience while the other hears faint whispering from a distance. Like sitting behind a pillar at a concert – except the pillar is inside your own head.
Good news: this is almost always a software glitch or a pairing error, not a hardware fault. Bad news: you'll have to press a couple of buttons. A steep price to pay, but you'll survive.
Why does one earbud sound quiet?
The NL25 buds use two independent Bluetooth connections. One bud (the right one) acts as the "master" and shares audio to the left one. Sometimes the pairing between the buds gets confused – especially if:
- The buds connected to your phone at different times
- One bud died mid-use and restarted
- Your phone has a bunch of saved Bluetooth devices causing interference
- A firmware update got stuck halfway on one bud
So it's usually just the buds being out of sync with each other. No need to panic yet.
How to fix it
1. Check the basics first
- Is there still a protective film over the contacts on either bud? New earphones have a small plastic film over the charging pins. You need to remove it, otherwise the bud won't charge properly and won't perform at full power.
- Are both buds charged? Pop them in the case and make sure both start charging (LED flashes). Let them charge for at least half an hour.
2. Factory reset – this fixes the vast majority of issues
- Put both buds in the case
- Open the case lid (there's an opening groove on one side – don't yank it from the hinge side)
- Press and hold the case button for 5 seconds
- The LEDs on the buds will flash – reset done
- Remove "NL25" from your phone's Bluetooth settings completely
- Take the buds out of the case and let them pair with your phone again
3. Try Vincent van Gogh mode
Try using just the quiet bud – on its own, without the other one. If the sound is normal then, the problem is with the sync between the buds and the reset will sort it out. If it still sounds quiet even on its own, the fault might be in the bud itself.
4. Check the tip size
This sounds dumb, but a wrong-sized ear tip leaks sound from your ear canal. If the tip doesn't seal properly, the bass disappears and overall volume drops dramatically. Try different tip sizes – the box comes with both memory foam and silicone tips.
If nothing helps
If the reset didn't fix things and the bud still sounds quiet even when used on its own, it could be a driver fault. That's not something you can fix at home.
Drop us a message at info@valco.fi. Include:
- Your order number
- Which bud is quiet (left/right)
- Whether you've done a factory reset
- A photo of the earphones (just so we can confirm the model)
Our service team in Kajaani will sort it out. We repair headphones here – we don't bin them. That's another thing that sets us apart from the big corporations whose customer service immediately suggests buying a new pair.
And hey – even though it's annoying, the reset usually solves it. Five seconds holding a button, and both ears get equal treatment again.
