AirPods Gen 2 left earbud crackling sound - Again...

Hi,

This is the second time my AirPods have developed a crackling sound—again, only in the left earbud.

I’m based in Austria, and when I first took them to an Apple service store, I was told they were out of warranty and couldn’t be repaired. My first pair were Gen 1 AirPods.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of buying a pair of - this time - a Gen 2 AirPods, and now the same issue has occurred. Is there any chance I can get them serviced or replaced somewhere in Europe?

At this point, I’m seriously considering switching to Anker earbuds, even though it’s not ideal since I rely on a full Apple ecosystem for work. Has anyone had experience with Anker’s products?

Thanks for any advice,

e.