In an audio market saturated by giants like Sony, Bose or Apple, it is difficult to exist without a colossal marketing force. Valco, a small Finnish firm born in 2018, has chosen a completely different path: dark humor and brutal honesty. Here, no grandiose promises about revolutionizing your daily life. Raimo Valconen, the company’s fictional CEO (often seen with a beer in hand), makes it clear: their mission is to “make people feel good about giving us their hard-earned money.”
The stated objective? Raise enough funds to build a Death Star and enslave humanity (except their clients, obviously). But behind this rootsy and disruptive communication, where we openly mock greenwashing while actually planting a tree for each helmet sold, lies a real technical ambition.
This Valco VMK25.2, sold at a Price of 199 euros, promises modernized technology and richer sound than the first version, all without price inflation. Is this the credible alternative to the market leaders that we were expecting?
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Design and finish: Nordic sobriety and magnetic keys
Right out of the box, the Valco VMK25.2 plays the discreet card. Visually, it takes up the codes of its predecessor with a simple and elegant industrial design, typical of the brand. The headset sports a scratch-resistant matte black finish, which has the advantage of limiting fingerprints and giving the whole thing a premium appearance.
The construction inspires confidence. There is a headband reinforced by a sliding metal rod, allowing a precise adjustment according to the size of your head. The whole thing seems sturdy and does not squeak, a good point for durability. In terms of comfort, the VMK25.2 is a circum-aural model (which encompasses the ear) weighing 300 grams on the scale. It’s an interesting balance: it’s stable enough not to move, without being too heavy for long listening sessions.
The big novelty of this “mark 2” version lies in the customization. Valco has integrated magnetic covers on the headphones, called “skins”. They are removable and replaceable, allowing you to change the look of the helmet or simply to replace a worn part. It’s smart, durable, and Valco offers colored variants (red, light blue, camouflage) for around thirty euros.
Small downside however regarding the vegan leather pads. Although they provide good insulation and prevent excessive perspiration, their padding is a little firm. If you are used to ultra-soft memory foam from the competition, the contact may seem a little hard at first, although this is a matter of taste.
Ergonomics and controls: back to basics
At a time when capricious touchscreen is invading our devices, Valco is resisting with physical buttons. And that’s so much the better. Using the VMK25.2 is intuitive and relies on controls distributed across the two earpieces.
On the right earcup, we find the volume buttons as well as a multifunction button (play/pause, power). The left earpiece houses a button dedicated to active noise reduction. The system is reliable: each press is confirmed by a clear click which avoids handling errors. It’s simple, effective and you don’t spend your time tapping your ears like an idiot.
For transport, Valco provides a quality, shock-resistant hard case, into which the helmet can be folded to save space, even if it is relatively thick.
Connectivity: a state-of-the-art technical sheet (but without an app)
It’s under the hood that the VMK25.2 has undergone its biggest makeover. It now has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 chip and upgrades to Bluetooth 5.4. Concretely, this translates into exemplary connection stability (range of up to 12 meters, even through walls) and multipoint support, allowing you to connect the headset to your PC and your smartphone simultaneously.
Audiophiles will appreciate the considerable effort made on the codecs. In addition to the classic SBC and AAC, the headset supports LC3, aptX Adaptive and especially aptX Lossless. This is a strong argument in this price range, promising high-quality audio transmission as long as your source is compatible (usually Android smartphones with Qualcomm SoC).
We also note the presence of a 3.5 mm jack for wired listening without latency (ideal for gaming or hi-fi systems) and a USB-C port which manages charging, but not wired audio.
However, there is one big thing missing: the companion application. Valco does not yet offer smartphone software to adjust an equalizer or change settings. It’s an assumed choice of simplicity: you plug it in, it works. Operation indications are indicated by a discreet LED located in the left earcup to avoid the “Christmas tree” effect of certain competitive models. If the brand indicates that an application is under development, for now, you will have to settle for the sound as it was calibrated at the factory.
Noise reduction and hands-free kit: effective, without being royal
Active noise reduction has become an essential standard, even at less than 200 euros. The Valco VMK25.2 comes out with honors, without however logically going to titillate the market leaders like the Sony WH-1000X or the Bose QuietComfort.
The ANC is effective in erasing muffled and deep noises (motors, bearings), and correctly attenuates medium frequencies such as voices or fans. We particularly appreciate the total absence of hiss (background noise) when the ANC is activated, which does not alter the musical quality.
Transparent mode, supposed to amplify the environment to hold a conversation, is much more mixed. If it fulfills its role by making voices intelligible, the rendering is very artificial and colorful, moving away from a natural restitution.
On the appeals side, the results are not the best either. If the hands-free kit performs well in peace, it quickly shows its limits outdoors. As soon as the environment becomes noisy, the promise of insulation crumbles: ambient noise is not really masked and tends to mix with your voice, making the conversation sometimes confusing for the person you are talking to. We are far from the bubble of silence offered by the big names in the sector.
Audio quality: a rock concert atmosphere
Let’s get to the heart of the matter: sound. The VMK25.2 is equipped with large 45mm dynamic drivers. The sound signature chosen by Valco is quite distinctive, moving away from clinical neutrality to offer something more lively.
From the first bars, we feel a warm listen, with a V-shaped signature (bass and treble highlighted) well controlled. The bass is powerful, but remains controlled, offering a nice rhythmic foundation. The highs, for their part, are precise without ever becoming shrill or tiring, even at high volume.
The brand has also corrected the main defect of the previous model (the VMK25), which suffered from a coloration of the high-mids sometimes giving a nasal effect to the voices. Here, the voices are fuller and rounder.
However, not everything is perfect. The mids lack a bit of richness and shine compared to the rest of the spectrum. This results in a soundstage that could be described as a “rock concert in a small bar”: it is powerful, dynamic, but lacks airiness and width. If you’re looking for a large, orchestral soundstage, the competition sometimes does better. However, using aptX codecs allows you to open up the sound a little more and recover detail.
Autonomy: a Finnish marathon runner
If there’s one area where the Valco VMK25.2 has everyone in agreement, it’s endurance. Thanks to the new energy-efficient Qualcomm chip and its 1,050 mAh battery, autonomy takes a significant leap forward compared to the previous generation.
With noise reduction enabled, the headphones deliver on the impressive promise of 55 hours of listening time. If you turn off the ANC, you can go up to 70 hours. This is simply colossal and puts the VMK25.2 ahead of many of its direct competitors.
In the event of a power outage, fast charging via USB-C is there: 10 minutes of charging is enough to recover 5 hours of listening time. The complete charging cycle takes approximately two hours.
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