Known problems › Premium earbuds
4 sourced reports, with what to check before you buy. Each one links to the page it was reported on.
A verified owner reports the left earbud failed within a month of purchase, with very low volume and static/buzzing/popping.
What to check. A buyer should test both earbuds immediately on arrival and keep proof of purchase, because one owner's unit failed within the first month with static/buzzing/popping and very low volume. This is a unit-level failure, so check the warranty/return window early.
Reported on: sony.com.ar
Sony's own documentation confirms that a continuous static/white noise is heard whenever the Noise Canceling function is on, and the only remedy it gives is to turn ANC off.
What to check. Expect a faint hiss/static whenever ANC is enabled; Sony documents this as inherent to the ANC implementation rather than a per-unit defect. If that hiss bothers you, the only remedy Sony offers is to disable ANC, which defeats the main selling point.
Reported on: sony.com.au
The same long-term owner reports an intermittent charging problem that a service-centre claim did not resolve.
What to check. One owner reports intermittent charging problems where the service-centre claim came back unresolved and dirty. Verify the charging case actually tops up the earbuds before relying on it, since a failed case leaves the buds unusable.
Reported on: m.alza.cz
A long-term owner reports the right earbud stopped working completely after about 2.5 years of use.
What to check. A long-term owner reports one earbud dying completely after ~2.5 years, which is past the typical warranty period, so the replacement cost falls on the buyer. Treat the earbuds as a consumable with a limited lifespan rather than a permanent purchase.
Reported on: m.alza.cz
Kriko reads a listing and tells you which of these apply to that exact product. It runs on your computer, needs no account and is free.
These reports come from the pages linked under each item: owner forums, repair guides and workshops. They are not a diagnosis of any one unit, and a careful check of the one you are buying still applies.
Text from the Kriko Premium earbuds catalog, version 0.1.1, under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.
