The Finnish train is a peculiar place. You've got the silent carriage social pressure on one hand, and on the other, the bloke in the next seat having a phone conversation where Seppo tells the entire carriage about his divorce situation. Add the conductor's announcements, the rumble of the rails, and that one person eating spicy crisps from a plastic bag.
If you commute by train daily, headphones aren't a luxury. They're life insurance.
What does a commuter actually need?
Forget frequency response charts for a moment. For daily train use, three things matter:
1. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
The steady hum of a train is exactly the kind of low-frequency noise that ANC handles best. Rail rumble, air conditioning hiss, diesel engine drone – they vanish effectively. ANC won't completely eliminate Seppo's phone conversation, because speech is high-frequency. But with music on, you won't hear a word about Seppo's divorce.
2. Transparency mode
This is the feature whose value you only appreciate after you've sailed past your stop. One button press and you hear the announcements without taking your headphones off. On both our models – VMK25 and NL25 – the ANC button cycles through modes: noise cancelling, transparency, off.
3. Battery life
If your headphones die between Tampere and Helsinki, you've bought the wrong headphones. Or forgotten to charge them. That one's on you, though.
VMK25 or NL25 – which one for the train?
We've got two options, and both work. But differently.
VMK25 (over-ear headphones)
- ANC is more effective because the large ear cups already passively block a lot of noise
- 50 hours of battery with ANC on – charge once a week, maybe less
- Larger 45mm drivers and Jasse's tuning mean better sound quality, especially in the low end
- Multipoint: connect your phone and laptop at the same time, so Teams meetings work on the train without pairing faff
- Downside: bigger, take up space in your bag, and your ears will sweat in the summer heat
NL25 (in-ear headphones)
- Fit in your pocket, weigh practically nothing
- ANC works surprisingly well for their size
- 4.5 hours with ANC on, case charges them up for more – plenty for a normal commute
- Wireless charging for the case: toss it on a charging pad at the office and no need to remember a cable
- Downside: isolate less than over-ears, and you need to pick the right tip size or sound and ANC both suffer
Recommendation? If your train journey is over half an hour each way and you want maximum peace, VMK25. If you value compactness and grab-and-go convenience, NL25. There's nothing wrong with either.
Why Valco and not someone else?
Fair question. The Sony WH-1000XM5 is a good headphone, and its ANC is a touch better than ours. We'll admit that straight up.
But.
Sony's headphones cost twice as much. When they break – and all headphones break eventually – Sony won't repair them. You chuck them in the bin and buy new ones. With us, Jasse and the rest of the service team repair your device in Kajaani. Replaceable pads, replaceable parts, in-house service. Headphones that last years, not 18 months.
The sound has been tuned by Jasse, whose ears are insured. We don't know for how much, because he won't tell us. The frequency response is flat and honest – no bass hammering that drowns out everything else, just music that sounds the way it's supposed to sound.
And every purchase funds our Death Star. Henri is already budgeting a Ferrari for it, even though his own Alfa won't even start every morning.
Who should pick something else?
If ANC is your one and only top priority and money is no object, Sony or Bose are a shade ahead in active noise cancellation. That's a fact.
If you need headphones for sports on top of your train commute, our over-ears aren't the best running headphones. The NL25 works, but dedicated sport earbuds fit more securely.
If you want seamless Apple ecosystem integration, AirPods Max does that better. You'll pay so much for it, though, that Henri's Ferrari budget pales in comparison.
Summary
| | VMK25 | NL25 |
|---|---|---|
| ANC | Excellent | Good |
| Battery | 50h (ANC on) | 4.5h + case |
| Size | Large, goes in your bag | Fits in your pocket |
| Best if | Long commute, maximum peace | Short commute, convenience |
| Price | Half the price of the Sony equivalent | Half the price of the AirPods equivalent |
Both get repaired, not thrown in the bin. Both have transparency mode so you don't blow past Tikkurila. Both have Jasse's fingerprints all over them.
Pick the one that suits your commute. And if you can't decide – buy both. The Death Star isn't going to fund itself.
