…and their service when something went wrong…
…more a tale of my experiences than real “technical” review…
I’ve been using the Teufel Real Blue NC headphones for a little over a year now. And, they’re not bad… But, I know they had one on sale that should be even better, the Real Blue Pro. So when I could, I gifted myself the headphones for Xmas. And… I’ve not had the best of luck. While I start writing this, I am still dealing with some issues. But, as it’s part of the “Teufel experience”, I will share the ins and outs, including the hickups.
I have not been paid to write this. I have not been offered the headphones, free or at a discounted rate, in order to write this piece. I write this as a simple user of the product, wanting to share my experiences. And, I am no pro, I am just sharing my views, my pros and cons, from the way I have used these two products. I also mention the way my contact with Teufel went, how their service held up, and how easy (or hard) it was to get things sorted with them (yup, something went wrong somewhere… 😉 ).
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Link to the official Teufel website, with all the info on the Real Blue NC headphones: Teufel Audio Real Blue NC headphones.
I won’t babble about all the stats of the headphones, because I don’t have enough knowledge to get into the fine details anyway. When I was looking to buy reasonably priced NC (noise canceling) headphones, the site I was looking on showed me the Teufel ones. They were said to be good value for the price they were asking. The Real Blue NC ones weren’t the “top of the line”, so I didn’t expect them to be superb. But, within the funds I had available, they came well recommended. So I decided to take a plunge and go with Teufel, a brand I had not heard of until looking for new NC headphones.
When I ordered the headphones, I made a mistake. I clicked on the non NC version… And I didn’t notice until I got the comfirmation email, saying I had successfully ordered the Blue headphones… I immediately tried to correct it, but the customer service wasn’t open at that time. As soon as I could contact them, I did. They were very helpful. I had to order the NC headphones and when both would be delivered, I could send the unopened normal ones back to them. Seemed easy, although I had to “cough up” the double funds temporarily… Sending the wrong ones back was a hassle though, as it was a “pick up at home” by UPS and… UPS only gave out a day, no time, not even a time slot… Just “during the working hours of said day”. Yeah, that was a bummer… But when the headphones had been returned, my money was quickly refunded.
So, I now had the Real Blue NC headphones. They were comfortable enough, just over ear for me, and the noise canceling option worked OK enough. It wasn’t the best, as I could still hear outside noises at times, but they were less loud than when I wasn’t wearing the headphones. The music quality was decent enough, it was good to make calls with, and I could also enjoy series and movies while wearing the headphones.
I had to get used to the controls, and it was a bit hard to “see” how full the battery was. There is a little “nob” (joystick) on the right earpad. You can use that for the volume, to skip songs, and to answer and hang up on calls. You use the power botton to light up a led light that shows the battery life, but it’s very broad. The Teufel app is easier if you want to know how full (or empty) the headphones are.
The Teufel app was easy to install and configure. It allows you to check the status of the headphones and you can check the NC settings.
But then, I got glasses. And while the NC headphones were still decent enough (or well, good, for their price range), they were a little tight while wearing glasses. I read that the Pro headphones had different materials for the earpads (memory foam), and that these were more comfortable when wearing glasses. And, the Pro had extra sound options, that would make enjoying the music and such even better. So I saved up and ordered myself the Pro headphones for Xmas.
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Link to the official Teufel website, with all the info on the Real Blue Pro headphones: Teufel Real Blue Pro headphones.
I was very excited when I finally ordered the Pro’s. When I was ordering, because it was just before Xmas, the website stated that I would not receive them in time for Xmas, but delivery was expected between Dec 27-30. So I was very surprised when I got a confirmation saying they were out for delivery on the 24th! This was awesome! So I eagerly expected the arrival and when I had them, I quickly got them on the charger so I could take them with me to the gym that night.
And WOW! With the memory foam earpads, I could barely feel my glasses pressing against my head and ears. It was such an improvement already. And then I used the Teufel Go app to check my hearing with the “Mimi” functionality. There was a hearing test and based on that outcome, a profile will be made that should increase the listening pleasure, tailored to your needs. And indeed, it does sound better to me now. It’s not a huge difference, at least not to me, but there is a difference that I noticed.
I was happily using the Pro wherever I went and then, when I was putting them in de carry case, I heard something fall. It was a little cover that came from the headphones. I found where it came from, and I tried to click it back in it’s place. But then it came out again, and another part came out as well. It was a little U-clip, that secured the earpad to the headband of the headphones. It made sure that the earpad was flexible and stayed in place. I tried to get it back in place, but it kept getting loose again. So, with some duct tape, I was able to fix the issue. But, it was an expensive headphones, even in the sale that I used, and it should not happen. So I contacted the customer service, and with some emails and all, I got the things I needed to send back the headphones (free of charge). When they received the faulty pair, they sent me a new one. It took about 1½ weeks, but then I had the new one!
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I opened the box, excited to have the Pro again, as I had been using the NC again and yeah, it was just “not as good”, I know, I had been spoiled by the Pro. So I was so glad to have it again. First thing I checked was the clips on the earpads. And… Within the first checking I was doing (just rotating the earpads as they should, when taken from the carry case, to put on your head), the clip on the right side came loose!!! Exactly the same way as with the first one… 😢
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So I quickly got out the duct tape again… I knew what to do now. And I was so disappointed. But I also knew that this was not just a case of bad luck, this seemed to be a production error. So I could not be the only one who was dealing with this faulty bit. I checked all the ways I could contact them. Of course it was the start of the weekend, and their customer service was closed during the weekend. So I found the technical support bit, and they offered a “call back” option. You enter a day and you select a time slot, and they will call you to chat about the issue at hand.
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So well, at 11 my phone went. Samsung warned me that it could be a spam call, so I wonder if the number they use is tagged as such? 🤔 But I reconed that it would be Teufel, so I answered. And anxiety was real, so I was a bit of a mess. I tried to explain, and it was clear that this was not someone from tech support. 😔 Apparently, not too many from the customer service know Dutch (it is a German company, but they do offer a Dutch website and they sell through Bol). So I needed to chat with her and she would relay it. Ugh… I tried to explain and she kept asking for pictures. I had already emailed them one, and a new one would look exactly the same. So I wasn’t in the mood to open the duct tape, with the risk of the u-clip coming loose and jumping out. She told me she’d talk with tech and they would email me ASAP.
The next day, the duct tape I had used came loose a bit, so I needed to replace it with a bit bigger tape (that’s how much pressure the u-clip has against the lid). So then I carefully got the tape off and opened the lid further, while protecting the u-clip so it would stay in place. Took a high tea vid to take snaps from. And those I emailed them, with another explanation. Fingers were crossed 🤞🏻 that this would help.
After a miscommunication with the one at Teufel that knows some Dutch, we agreed that I would exchange the Pro once more. So hopefully this replacement will not have the error, which they didn’t see as a production error, as they didn’t get enough complaints about it. Which amazed me at my luck then to get this twice in a row… So they sent me a third pair of headphones. Even before I had the chance to return the second pair (which I did email them about, wanna be honest about this, I’m not a scammer), the third pair had been delivered. Somewhere I had a cheap and simple action cam, so I tried to get that revived again, as it has a headstrap holder, and I wanted to shoot the unboxing of the third pair, just in case… I was hoping that this time, it would be all good and the video would be a boring unboxing.
makertube.net/w/2iMPKMrCvmYwzg…
So, here I was, ready with my little action camera. Unfortunately, I messed up the “close-up” after the unboxing, so I made extra snaps and a vid, and I edited it all into one video. As it was a Sunday, I would use the Teufel website on Monday to request a new call with their support. I was so sad… And I started to check other affordable (to me) alternatives to the Teufel Pro. But, I kept coming back to the confusion that the Pro was just the one I wanted. I was just so bummed about the little error in their production (which they didn’t see as an error, but how come I got the same error with three headphones, all the same tidbit, all on the same side… 🤔 ).
I contacted them again, and according to them, I’m the only one experiencing this error of the bit at the earpad and all. There have been no other reports of it. So was it just my really bad luck??? Was I really this “lucky”, in a way, to receive three new headphones that all had the exact same issue? Was I the only one complaining about it? Or where they not gonna admit that it was an error on their part, as they wanted to regain their reputation? 🤔 I have no idea… But three times, three different headphones that all showed up with exactly the same issue? 🤔
They offered me a discount as I just wanted to keep the last one… I’ll keep the clip taped, and I’ll keep an eye out. It’s a great headphones!
About the headphones:
The sound is good, especially with the Mimi personalisation. The headphones are very comfortable, even with my glasses when wearing it for longer time. Ears do get a bit sweaty when using them during fitness, but that’s with all the headphones I’ve used. This one doesn’t react on it like the Sony ones did, which is a plus for me.
I’ve turned off the earpad functions. You can use your fingertips on the earpads to use a select number of functions. You can use the Teufel Go app to set these functions. I am not good with these “touch” controls, so I just use the little joystick on the bottom of the right earpad. It took some getting used to, but it’s OK for me now.
I tried the Dynamore settings, but I did not like hearing the sound like that. Maybe I could get used to it, maybe it would be better then, it I prefer the normal settings with Mimi on for now.
There are three levels of noise canceling options. You can set them in the Teufel Go app, and can also set which ones you wanna access with the little joystick on the right earpad. The downside to the NC settings is, that every level has the same beep sound when you activate it. Instead of hearing what level it’s on, you need to check the app to be sure. It could have been better of it could have had a voice notification, telling you what level it is on. Or maybe different beeps.
There is also a transparency option, where you can enjoy the music but also hear the surrounding sounds. I’ve not really tried that, as I use the headphones to get into my little (autistic) bubble.
It really is a good set of headphones 🎧. It looks good, I like the silver more than the black, but that’s personal. They have good sounds, are very comfortable, have an easy to use app, quick charing and long battery life with ANC on. All these pros made me keep the third set, even though I am still bummed about the little U-clip and the little lid not closing properly…
ALL IN ALL… I do enjoy the headphones. And it’s worth the money, especially when they have a good sale going on. The customer service is decent enough, but it can be hard cause they don’t have many Dutch speaking/writing folks, and none at tech support, so you can’t directly discuss things with them if you’re not fluent in German. But they did their best, were supportive and they tied to solve the issue really well. I was just very unlucky with the little bits…
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