The earbuds play music like nothing's wrong, but the ANC button does absolutely nothing. You press it, wait for something – and get silence back. Not the good kind of silence, the frustrating kind.
This is one of the most common issues reported to us, and luckily it's usually fixable without sending anything in for repair. Let's go through what's happening and how to sort it out.
What went wrong?
On the VMK25 (and the NL25 buds), noise cancellation is controlled by the button on the left earbud. One press cycles through modes: ANC on, transparency, off. Simple – as long as the software plays along.
There are basically three reasons the button might not respond:
- The software is stuck. The firmware's glitching and the button command doesn't register. This is the most common cause and a reset sorts it out.
- The Bluetooth connection is acting up. Sometimes the earbud and your phone are talking past each other. The earbud thinks it's in one mode, the phone thinks another. End result: nothing happens.
- A physical fault in the button. Rarer, but possible. If the button is genuinely broken, it needs to be repaired.
How to fix it
Go through these in order. Don't skip straight to step three – the first two solve the problem nine times out of ten.
1. Factory reset
- Place both buds in the case
- Open the lid (the opening groove is on one side – don't yank it from the hinge)
- Hold down the case button for 5 seconds
- The case LED flashes – reset done
- Take the buds out and pair them with your phone again
This resets the earbuds' software and fixes the majority of button-related issues.
2. Check the Bluetooth connection
- Remove VMK25 / NL25 from your phone's Bluetooth device list completely
- Toggle your phone's Bluetooth off and back on
- Pair the earbuds again from scratch
Sometimes an old pairing gets corrupted. A fresh connection forces the devices to negotiate from a clean slate.
3. Test the button systematically
After the reset, try the left bud button calmly:
- One short press – should cycle the ANC mode
- Listen for the mode-change chime
- Try it without music playing so you can hear the difference between modes
The ANC difference isn't always dramatic in a quiet room. Try it somewhere with background noise – next to traffic or by the dishwasher. That's where you'll clearly hear the difference.
If nothing helps
If the button still doesn't respond at all after a reset and re-pairing, it's most likely a physical fault. No worries – that's exactly what our in-house repair team is for.
Drop us a message at info@valco.fi and include:
- Your order number or proof of purchase
- A short description of the issue ("left button not responding, reset done")
- A photo of the earbuds (doesn't need to be a masterpiece, just enough to identify the model)
Jasse and the crew in Kajaani will sort it out. During the warranty period (24 months), the repair is free. Outside warranty, you can grab a repair package from our online store – and the price is a fraction of what new earbuds would cost.
We repair, we don't throw things in the bin. That's the whole point. And every repaired pair of earbuds is one step closer to that Death Star.
