Thanks for taking the time to reply. It’s appreciated.
Love how the people on this community are willing to help each other out (even if the person they’re helping is the cause of the problem in the first place!)
I too thought it was either dirt or charge but all 3 lights were on the case and it all looked clean.
Completely forgot I’d wiped some gunk off with a wet hand the day before until after I’d posted the question.
Amazing how just a tiny amount of water on the tip was enough to almost completely block all sound!