VMK20: Right ear cushion missing?
So the cushion came off. Either it tore at the seam, crumbled from use, or vanished into some black hole at the bottom of your gym bag. No worries – this is one of the most common service issues, and luckily the VMK20 cushions are designed to be removable and replaceable. Nobody throws away headphones over a pair of ear cushions.
Why did the cushion give up?
Cushions have a limited lifespan. That's just how it is. Fabric-covered cushions generally last longer than faux leather, but active use – especially workouts, sweat, heat, yanking them out of your bag – wears materials down. After over a year of active use, cushion deterioration is normal wear and tear, not a manufacturing defect.
However, if the cushion clearly fell apart in under a year or the seam ripped for no particular reason, it might be a material defect. In that case, warranty's got you covered.
Most common causes:
- Normal wear and tear – sweat, heat, and mechanical stress do their thing over time
- Seam defect – the inner seam fails even though the cushion is otherwise fine
- Wrong removal technique – the cushion was forced off from the wrong spot
How to swap the cushions
VMK20 cushions come off with a twist. No tools needed, no engineering degree required.
- Gently grip the cushion by the edges
- Twist counter-clockwise – the cushion releases from the bayonet mount
- Place the new cushion in position and twist clockwise until it clicks
- Check the fit – the cushion shouldn't sit crooked, otherwise the ANC seal suffers and the noise cancellation starts buzzing
The whole thing takes about 30 seconds. If it takes longer, you're twisting the wrong way.
Where do I get new cushions?
Two options:
- Online store: Head to valco.fi and search for VMK20 replacement cushions. Order, pay, get them in the post. Easy.
- Warranty service: If your headphones are less than 24 months old and the cushion broke through no fault of your own (seam defect, material defect), drop us a message at info@valco.fi. Include a photo of the cushion and your order number, and we'll sort it out.
A quick note: if the cushion deteriorated after a good year of active use, that's the normal lifecycle of a wear part. In that case, you'll need to buy new cushions yourself. It's not us being mean – by the same logic, you wouldn't take your car in for warranty when the brake pads wear out.
If nothing helps
If you can't find the cushion in the online store, the colour is wrong, or something else is off, shoot an email to info@valco.fi. Tell us which model, which colour, and what's going on. We'll figure something out.
If there's something else wrong with the headphones beyond the cushions, our service team in Kajaani will take care of it. We repair, we don't throw away – that's how we fund the next 0.000001% of the Death Star.
