Repairable headphones are the future, but they’re not perfect yet

Repairable headphones aren’t new. Audio stalwarts like Sennheiser have supplied replaceable elements for ages. DIYers have been tinkering simply as lengthy. However, Fairphone is doing one thing distinctive with the Fairbuds XL headphones. (Yes, headphones, not earbuds). These wi-fi cans wed the right-to-repair motion with sustainability. They don’t look too shabby, both.

I’ve used the Fairbuds XL energetic noise canceling (ANC) headphones for per week. In that point, I’ve grown enthusiastic about the way forward for modular headsets. At current, although, there are some trade-offs to repairable, sustainable headphones.

Fairphone is doing one thing extraordinary in in the present day’s market. It’s empowering shoppers to repair their electronics and luxuriate in them for longer. Yes, different firms have modular or repairable wi-fi headphones (e.g., AIAIAI and Repeat Audio). Yet, solely Fairphone has accomplished all this and gone by way of the rigorous course of of making a sustainable product. The Fairbuds XL use 100% recycled aluminum, tin, polyester, and 80% recycled plastics, and Fairphone even supplies a cell app. Granted, there’s a dearth of options.

The Fairbuds are easy to make use of, disassemble, and reassemble — although the course of is time-consuming. Removing the ear cup cowl and unscrewing the plate to disclose the circuitry is the closest I’ll ever be to performing mind surgical procedure! Novelty apart, the battery is the most important factor that Fairphone lets listeners entry. This is the coronary heart that retains pumping, and like all batteries (and hearts), this one doesn’t final without end. Replacing the battery means you gained’t have to purchase a brand new headset when it utterly dies, as you do with different flagships. Instead, you may go onto the web site and have a substitute shipped to you. It’s that straightforward and far much less wasteful.

Currently, Fairphone presents equivalent substitute modules, but it may present ear cup modules with totally different internals in the future. This may improve the headphones’ Bluetooth capabilities and drivers over the years. We requested Fairphone about future upgradability, and it addressed that the modular design may allow that, but it has no plans to launch upgraded modules at present. Instead, Fairphone’s laser-focused on longevity. However, it’s a tantalizing prospect to have the ability to replace to a brand new driver or Bluetooth chip. Dedicated builders may doubtlessly fiddle with the present circuit board for DIY enhancements.

With all this tearing down, you may assume that the Fairbuds XL aren’t sturdy, but fairly the opposite. These headphones advantage an IP54 dust- and water resistant score, which is uncommon amongst headphones typically. This ought to mark the way forward for headphones, repairable or not.

Although most flagship noise canceling headphones retail for $300-400, the €240 (~$260) retail value of the Fairbuds XL is nothing to sneeze at. Buying these headphones would exceed my month-to-month grocery funds. That mentioned, over 5 or extra years, you’ll get monetary savings by changing the Fairbuds XL battery (€19.95), ear pads (€14.95), and three headband items (€19.95 every).

With most headphones, you should exchange the headset each few years due to battery degradation. Even if you happen to purchase $100-150 headphones, changing them a few occasions in a decade exceeds the price of the Fairbuds XL and its spare elements. With the Fairbuds XL, and presumably future sustainable wi-fi headphones, you’ve gotten a steep upfront price but a decrease upkeep price. This saves cash in the long term, but it’s an instance of the “you need money to save money” phenomenon.

One of the finest elements about the Fairbuds XL continues to be one among the worst elements for the setting. I don’t need to sound harsh, but sourcing treasured metals for batteries nonetheless damages the setting, even when they are replaceable. Still, that’s higher than throwing the complete product away and shopping for extra headphones each few years.

While Fairphone is doing proper by its clients and higher by the setting, repairable wi-fi headphones won’t ever actually be eco-friendly, in my e book. Instead, they’re much less environmentally damaging at finest, but wired headphones will at all times be the actual environmental pal.

The Fairbuds XL’s efficiency doesn’t command the €240 asking value both. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WH-1000XM4 canceled out considerably extra low-frequency noise than the Fairbuds XL after I was on the subway. The ANC on the Fairbuds XL felt extra on par with cheaper headphones like the Anker Soundcore Space Q45 ($149 at Amazon). Further, if you happen to’re accustomed to shopper headsets like the AirPods or Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, you might discover the Fairbuds XL sound very totally different. Across genres, vocal harmonics sounded quiet, making voices sound unnatural. Cymbal hits got here by way of louder than I anticipated, relative to vocals and bass. The excellent news is that firmware updates can enhance ANC and sound high quality to various levels. But shopping for one thing with the expectation of an replace is not good observe.

To actually stand out from the crowd and entice extra than simply the avid environmentalist, repairable and sustainable headphone producers should put the fundamentals like consolation and sound high quality first. Unfortunately, I simply haven’t discovered the Fairbuds XL comfy. When I wore glasses, the headphones pained my temples after half-hour. When I wore contacts, I may bear an hour and a half earlier than the ache at the crown of my head drilled down. For reference, I can put on my Sony WH-1000XM4 and Shure Aonic 50 headphones for upwards of 4 hours at a time. Neither headphones hassle me with glasses, both. Other nitpicks embrace laggy controls and the quiet hissing noise that comes by way of the headset when ANC is on but no music performs.

Buying headphones like the Fairbuds XL is an efficient strategy to vote together with your pockets and help the transfer to sustainable electronics. There are many advantages to repairable headphones at giant. They will price much less over the long term, open the door for modular upgrades — not simply replacements — and are in the end higher for the setting. All of this can be a web constructive. I simply need to see the efficiency, app options, and luxury rival different established manufacturers, which can take time.

For the naysayers, sure, it’s true that non-repairable headphones offer you a greater worth on your greenback instantly. It’s true that the default sound high quality and lack of an EQ will go away many listeners wanting extra. And it’s true that the headphones might be extra comfy. Nevertheless, the first try at something isn’t the finest in hindsight. Even with the trade-offs, I laud Fairphone for the Fairbuds XL. We’d all profit from others following in its footsteps.

To make the most eco-friendly shopping for determination in the present day, purchase wired headphones or earbuds with replaceable elements. Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic’s headphones are a few of the business’s finest, and plenty of are famend for his or her reparability. The Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X ($249 at Sweetwater) and DT 900 Pro X ($259 at Amazon) are prime examples of well-built, repairable headphones with stellar sound high quality. The Sennheiser HD 650 ($325 at Amazon) are additionally straightforward to restore and require little or no upkeep. Many of Sennheiser’s earbuds include replaceable cables too. I exploit the FiiO FH5 ($497 at Amazon) and intend to maintain changing the cable for many years if I can.

If you at present personal headphones or earbuds that work, persevering with to make use of them is your finest determination. Remember, the phrase goes, “reduce, reuse, recycle” for a purpose.