I will probably always recommend the Fairbuds for environmental friendly reasons. https://shop.fairphone.com/fairbuds

Thank you for this article, really insightful. That’s good news.

I also agree with you. I think it is one of the factors at play here. But your argument is a big one, too. We outsourced a lot of production and thus knowhow which they have adopted and improved upon. The possibility of a tech wise dependence on one nation gives a lot of power to those, which is also why certain technology sectors should be brought back.

So you say that is the reason for this decision?

Thank you for answering my question.

That’s not what is critizised here, is it?

I might misunderstand but I thought the cheap production of necessary components for green energy coming from China, only possible by shortcuts of reducing worker rights or otherwise exploitation of ressources, should be countered.

That’s fair to be annoyed about. I can understand their approach and their tradeoff for a bit of better water-/rain protection and having less components inside. With an USB-C adapter I am using my analog ear buds, even though I switch more and more to bluetooth as I find them more comfortable.

Mediocre headphones, I would not say. They are definitely not top of the line technology wise, but I find them sufficient and sometimes even more than I expected fairly produced hardware to be.

Better than individual experiences I like to present some reviews, but there doesn’t seem to be that many technical reviews in english, at least I did not find them. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/11/fairphone-fairbuds-review-ethically-made-earbuds-with-replaceable-batteries

However, for in-ears, I find them comfortable, but I am more an over ears person. ANC is alright, I’d say. A bit annoying if I am using it on the train and keep hitting the wall or head rest. But either I adapt to these sounds or the hardware takes a bit more time to filter these vibrations out.

For the tradeoff of better sustainability and exchangability if something breaks or the batteries need replacing, I find the price fair.

If you might also care about the socioeconomic manufacturing process and fair payment for these necessary resources, I can recommend the Fairbuds in-ears or Fairbuds XL for over ear.

https://shop.fairphone.com/fairbuds

Both have noise cancelling as an option and an equalizer via app.

It depends on the content you want to talk about. A general warning won’t help to avoid trigger, stress or anxiety. Better to write your text, read over it, put it in spoilers and prepend content notes (CN) about the included points. These can be various traumatizing aspects and you can be really detailed as people have various stress symptoms. Food, harrassment, bullying, sexism, death - everything you talk about you can warn your readers with content notes.

From NieR Automata - Weight of the World https://youtu.be/P_yaecJ11JQ?si=e5mDeU-lfM1G1E6q

Oh no. What a waste of power and space. For leaving it roughly 21 hours on average in one spot.