The battery used to last forever, and now the headphones shut off in the middle of the best song like a teenager in the middle of cleaning. A familiar problem, and usually easy to fix.
Why does the battery drain?
The most common culprits are:
- Bluetooth stays on. This is by far the most common reason. If you turn the headphones off but the Bluetooth connection stays active in the background, the headphones search for the paired device like an abandoned puppy for its owner. That eats up battery surprisingly much – over a couple of days the battery can drain to empty even if you haven't listened for a second.
- Outdated firmware. Firmware updates often fix battery-related bugs. If you haven't updated, the headphones may behave unpredictably.
- ANC is on all the time. Noise cancelling consumes a lot of battery. If you don't need it, turn it off.
- Extreme temperatures. In freezing cold and heat, the battery behaves like someone hungover on a Monday morning – performance drops and behavior is erratic.
That sudden shutdown is usually because the battery's voltage reading is off. The headphones think there's charge left, but in reality it's already at the bottom. A software update calibrates this measurement to be more accurate.
How to fix it
- Update the firmware. Download the Valco app to your phone, connect the headphones, and check if updates are available. This fixes a large portion of battery issues.
- Turn the headphones off properly. Hold the power button until the headphones power off. Don't just put them in the case or on the table and hope for the best.
- Turn off Bluetooth on the phone. If you're not using the headphones, remove them from the phone's Bluetooth list or turn off the phone's Bluetooth. This way the headphones won't try to connect unnecessarily.
- Do a full charge cycle. Let the battery drain completely and then charge it to full. This helps with battery calibration. Use the original charging cable.
- Try a reset. Plug in the AUX cable and unplug it. This resets the headphones' settings and can help if the software has gotten tangled.
- Check the ANC setting. If noise cancelling is on constantly, turn it off in situations where you don't need it. Your battery will thank you.
If that doesn't help
If the battery still drains within an hour or two from a full charge, it may be a physical battery fault. In electronics, battery lifespan is limited – after about a year of intensive use, capacity starts to gradually decrease. That's just physics.
But no worries. We repair, we don't throw away. Send us a message at info@valco.fi and tell us:
- Order number or purchase receipt
- How long the battery lasts on a full charge
- Whether the software has been updated
Hannes and the maintenance team in Kajaani will replace the battery if needed, and the headphones will come back as good as new. During the warranty period (24 months) this won't cost you anything. Even after the warranty, we'll sort it out with a repair package – cheaper than new headphones and much cheaper than the therapy you'll need if you end up buying some big brand's disposable plastic heap.
The Death Star doesn't build itself, but your headphones will be repaired.
