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Fairbuds are Fairphone’s proof that we really could make better tiny gadgets (arstechnica.com)

submitted 7 months ago by Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

206 comments fedilink hide all child comments

But of course we all know that the big manufacturers don't do this not because they can't but because they don't want to. Planned obsolescence is still very much the name of the game, despite all the bullshit they spout about sustainability.

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[–] twig@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I get what you're saying, kind of...

But also, most modern earbuds usually sound quite good. Quality in general has become such a bizarre moving target, but here's my take: We've become so used to constant improvement at the expense of satisfaction. I can barely notice the difference between 1080p and 4k. In my mind they're both "good quality" and therefore I'm satisfied. Same goes for audio quality. I've used a few pairs of earbuds and they have sounded "good."

As a culture, we need to stop with throwing away of perfectly good devices, because it's extremely harmful to the planet's occupants.

[–] TJDetweiler@lemmy.ca 24 points 7 months ago (1 children)

1080p and 4k isn't really a fair comparison for great earbuds and shit earbuds in my opinion. The comparison there is like 4k and 480p. There is a massive difference between the 2. I have had $30 earbuds that you couldn't listen to a podcast on, and I currently have $250+ Bose earbuds that are fucking amazing for just about everything.

Unless of course you're saying that these earbuds are in fact "1080p" quality. In which case, fair point. I have yet to see someone who's actually used these and commented on the sound quality though. What I've seen from fairphone products is they are consumer friendly at the expense of quality.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My wife had some Logitech headphones that for some godforsaken reason were operating in some voice only ultra low bitrate by default. I mean, they weren't fantastic even after I fixed that, but the quality was unbelievably low, like somebody making a phone call from the moon, and how she'd put up with it for nearly a year I'd no idea. I only found out after I noticed her swapping between a wired set for general use and wireless for Discord.

[–] AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Some Bluetooth controllers can't handle the bandwidth required for sound input and output at the same time unless it's at very low quality, and if Windows suspects such a device is in use, it defaults to the low quality mode as users are more likely to be able to tolerate it than tolerate their headphones not working at all. It's overly cautious, though, and uses the low quality mode far more than it has to.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's one nice thing I found about Linux, it's pretty easy to change the codec. Just fiddle a bit until it sounds good without static or delays. This is especially important when using multiple Bluetooth devices simultaneously since the Bluetooth chip can only handle so much data.

Maybe Windows has the option, IDK, poke around a bit and see what's available. I couldn't find the option on my work Mac, so I ended up just using wired headphones on my work computer.

[–] AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's super quick to swap it on Windows once you know the problem exists and know where to look. You just click the audio icon in the system tray and change the output device in the dropdown from the headset version of the device to the headphones one, and it enables all the higher-bandwidth modes. I'm not sure there's user-accessible control over which specific codec gets used, though.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago

That's basically what you get on Linux, but there's a third option for a low energy codec.

On macOS, I wanted to use the "headset" mode to hopefully cut down just enough on bandwidth to get rid of choppy playback, but I didn't see an option for it. I have had quality change quite a bit based on the app I'm using (I guess it sometimes gets interpreted as a headset?), so I know it can do it, I just don't know how to control it.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I've got the Soundcore Liberty Pro 2 and the Soundpeats H1. Neither of them come close to my HD598. What are the modem earbuds that sound good?

[–] Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Truthear Nova IG

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yo that has a cable.

[–] Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

They were very smart to include it.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Yes but that makes it irrelevant to this comment thread. I'll just wear my Sennheiser if I'm not worried about a cable.