Battery died, you dutifully charged the headphones to full, you press the power button – and nothing happens. No lights, no beep, no nothing. Like trying to wake a teenager on a Saturday morning. Familiar situation, and luckily usually an easy fix.
Why do the headphones freeze after the battery dies?
The VMK20's Bluetooth chip (Qualcomm QCC30XX) sometimes gets its knickers in a twist when the battery drains to absolute zero. The chip gets stuck in a sort of limbo state where it's neither on nor off. A bit like you on a Monday morning before coffee.
Charging does charge the battery normally, but the Bluetooth chip might not "wake up" on its own. It needs a little nudge.
How to fix it
- Charge the headphones properly first. Let them charge via USB-C for at least an hour, preferably two. Don't try to mess around with a dead battery.
- Do a reset with the AUX cable. Plug a 3.5mm AUX cable into the jack on the bottom of the headphones. This disconnects the Bluetooth chip. Leave it for a few seconds and pull the cable out.
- Turn the headphones on. Press and hold the MFB button on the right side (the middle one – yes, we call it the mudafukin button) for a long press. The headphones should come back to life.
- Reconnect Bluetooth. The headphones will most likely enter pairing mode automatically. If they don't, hold the MFB button down for about 5 seconds until the LED flashes.
If the headphones were previously connected to multiple devices (VMK20 supports multipoint), check that your phone or computer isn't trying to connect to some other device at the same time. Bluetooth is a bit like a dog – it always runs to the first familiar face it sees.
A few extra tips
- The ANC button is separate. If you're pressing the ANC button on the left side and nothing's happening, that's a different thing entirely. The power button is on the right side.
- The LED light during charging tells you power is going into the battery. If no light appears after plugging in USB-C, try a different cable. Cheap cables look cheap for a reason.
- Don't let the battery drain to zero repeatedly. Lithium batteries don't appreciate that. 45 hours of battery life means you've got plenty of time to charge in between. Even just once a week.
If that doesn't help
If the AUX cable reset doesn't do the trick and the headphones don't respond to anything after charging, drop us a message at info@valco.fi. Include your order number and a photo of the headphones (just so we can confirm the model). Our service team in Kajaani will sort these out – we don't throw devices in the bin.
And next time the battery shows 10%, plug in the charger. Headphones aren't like a petrol tank – you don't need to run them dry to prove anything.
