Earlier quoted context omitted.
They have a 1/10 from iFixit on the repairability score.
Are there wireless eaebuds with a better score? I imagine the form factor is quite limiting.
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Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
231–239 of 239 posts
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#232The "sustainable" and "environment friendly" choice for headphones are wired headphones that are built like a brick. A good pair will last basically forever. Of course that isn't the market these headphones are in, but that's also the problem. New bluetooth standard? New advances in noise-cancellation? You won't get them. Even if these headphones are great (which I doubt) they're still destined for the garbage heap.…
> Wireless headphones last a couple of years
That makes no sense; why would they only last a couple years? I've had a pair of Bose QC35 for 5 years now, and they're still working great and are compatible with any devices I used them with, from 10 year old laptops to recent Android and Apple phones.
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#233Earlier quoted context omitted.
They have a 1/10 from iFixit on the repairability score.
Not their only goal btw. Besides repairability, they also source from sustainable mines/suppliers (so far as reasonably possible, given that virtually nobody else creates demand for such a thing) with normal wages and such. And recycling is a thing but I'm less read up on what they do there. I still agree that they made a product nobody asked for just so they could get rid of the 3.5mm jack in their latest smartphone…
From what I've heard from the small android phone project... No OEM even has new base designs that include a 3.5mm jack.
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#234The "sustainable" and "environment friendly" choice for headphones are wired headphones that are built like a brick. A good pair will last basically forever. Of course that isn't the market these headphones are in, but that's also the problem. New bluetooth standard? New advances in noise-cancellation? You won't get them. Even if these headphones are great (which I doubt) they're still destined for the garbage heap.…
Planned obsolescence can be a good thing. Cans from the fifties and sixties still work. Nobody wants to use them; they are heavy, uncomfortable, have poor performance, need an amp to drive, and use huge old school connectors. They are from a time when music was enjoyed seated in one place. Products that fail prematurely or wear out while the owner still wants them are poorly designed. The pinnacle of design is a prod…
I think planned obsolescence can be a not-bad thing if the obsolescence phase is actually planned.
Is the product going to be trashed? Is it made of recyclable materials? Does it have materials in it that are hazardous to the environment? Can it be easily disassembled so those materials can be processed differently?
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#235One of the problems with headphones is that the cups tend to deteriorate over time - maybe sweat or the oil from the skin or something reacts with it and it starts to peel. After a few years, the cups are no longer available for that model and so you end up having to buy a new one.
FWIW Bose is still selling replacement cups for QC2, which were first sold 20 years ago, and have been discontinued for 14 years.
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#236Earlier quoted context omitted.
>>In a few years we might have better codecs This sounds like something could be done with a firmware update.
Nope, for latency and battery reasons this would be done by a specific chip, e.g. https://www.icstation.com/audio-module-bluetooth-compatible-... / https://www.tinyosshop.com/ts8670 The same's true on the smartphone transmitter side.
That 2nd link you shared, has 3 links under "Documentation" to firmware downloads.
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#237The "sustainable" and "environment friendly" choice for headphones are wired headphones that are built like a brick. A good pair will last basically forever. Of course that isn't the market these headphones are in, but that's also the problem. New bluetooth standard? New advances in noise-cancellation? You won't get them. Even if these headphones are great (which I doubt) they're still destined for the garbage heap.…
Im so sad my Sennheiser headphones from ~2001 are slowly deteriorating, and the parts are no longer available! There is an updated version that they still sell the parts for, but the specific ones I need are different. Still I believe Sennheiser is really good compared to an industry average in providing spare parts.
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why dont we call leather what it is - chemically treated skin Because we're allowed to put words to new uses Language is open-source
>Why dont we call leather what it is - chemically treated skin Because that's literally the definition of leather: "a material made from the skin of an animal by tanning or a similar process." You may as well argue we should call headphones "a pair of earphones joined by a band placed over the head, for listening to audio signals such as music or speech."
That was exactly my point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_leather
Re: Fairbuds XL review: noise-cancelling headphones you can fix
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are on a site called Hacker News
A lot of people on HN care about repairability. That's probably why a Fairphone product review is more likely to be posted here. If you know of a more technical review of this, please post it.
That was obviously my point