Audio-Technica warns of overheating issue with its new cheap wireless earbuds that ‘can produce smoke’

Audio-Technica’s SQ1TW2 earphones have a battery overheating issue
The problem is with the charging case which can produce smoke
The manufacturer assures us that no one has been harmed by the issue

Audio-Technica has issued a warning for its new SQ1TW2 wireless earphones, with some versions suffering from a fault with the battery which can overheat with alarming consequences.

In an email, Audio-Technica advised TechRadar that one batch of stock of these earphones are affected by a problem which means a “few of the charging cases are faulty due to an overheating battery that can produce smoke.”

If you want to check, the potentially affected models have serial numbers between 2322 and 2426 – you can see the number on the inside of the charging case, as shown in the image below. Also, if your case has no serial number, then it could be hit by the issue, too.

If you have one of the affected models of SQ1TW2 earphones, you should contact Audio-Technica, and the company will arrange a replacement, and for the safe disposal of the faulty product.

As you might guess, you should also not use the charging case with the earphones while you’re waiting for your faulty model to be swapped out.

Audio-Technica SQ1TW2 earphones charging case

(Image credit: Audio-Technica)

A precautionary recall

Clearly, this is an unfortunate affair, so be sure to check the serial number if you have bought the SQ1TW2 earphones.

They’re likely to have been a popular budget model, given that they’re the sequel to the original SQ1TW, earphones that we heaped tons of praise on in our five-star review (sporting a sound with a far higher quality than others in its price bracket). The SQ1TW2 was launched in August 2024, at an even cheaper price point than the original earphones, with a more compact nature.

So, this is a rather unsightly blot on an otherwise exciting budget pair of earphones, but of course, the impact is limited to a (hopefully) small number of models, going by the communication from the company. Audio-Technica makes it clear that no one has been harmed by this issue to date, and the recall is a precautionary measure.

Still, it isn’t the first issue it’s had of this nature – a couple of years ago, it issued a product safety notice for its ATH-CK3TW earbuds, due to a similar overheating problem with its charging case. We’ve asked Audio-Technica if it’s going to publish a similar notice for its SQ1TW2 earphones and will update this story if we hear back.

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