Are my fairbuds broken?

Help Accessories
1

Hi all, i recently bought a fairphone 5 and got fairbuds with them. So i wanted to give then a go.

When trying the actice noise cancelling I heard a lot of static noise, but only in my left ear. I know the static noise is part of how ANC works and have to admit that I have never used or experieced active noise cancelling before, so cant compare to other manufacturers. But i really am surprise with the volume and especially that I only hear it in my left ear.

Could it be that the bud is broken? Could it be that my ears are broken? Or is this just some getting used to?

2

Short answer is - Probably yes.

Long answer is that you’ll either have to get a new cup and replace it (faster) or go through support and get offered an RMA, which means being without the headphones for a while with no guarantee they’ll fix/replace the problematic parts.

3

I have absolutely the same issue as you.

I’d like to share details from my open support ticket in March 2025 (https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/requests/1256993), as I haven’t received any response yet:

  • The left Fairbud produces a crackling or hissing noise when ANC is enabled. This starts after a random amount of time — sometimes within seconds, sometimes after 20–30 minutes.
  • I’ve tested the Fairbuds with multiple devices, including a brand-new Fairphone 5 — the issue persists across all of them.
  • I’ve tried all suggested troubleshooting steps: re-pairing, reinstalling the app, resetting the Fairbuds — nothing has resolved the problem.

I’m disappointed that this issue remains unresolved and that there’s been no follow-up from support. Hoping someone from Fairphone sees this and can escalate it.

4

I contacted support via email, it took a bit long but eventually I had to ship my earpiece and got it back repaired (I think replaced).

Hope you hear from FairPhone soon!

5

Great, that it ended in this way!
Could you post an email you’ve used to send the request to, please?
Thank you in advance!

6

Sure! The email adres is support@fairphone.zendesk.com

Good luck, i hope your buds will be fixed!

1 Like
7

Thank you! I hope too :handshake:

8

It happened!

After I sent an email directly to Fairphone support, they finally responded to my open ticket.
Just wanted to share this in case anyone else is waiting on a reply — reaching out via email might help get things moving.

1 Like
9

I am happy to hear that!

10

My Fairbuds have been sent to the service center. Most likely, they will be replaced with new ones.

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11

I received my Fairbuds back from the service center with a note saying no issues were found.
However, the original problem is still there — the left earbud crackles and becomes louder when ANC is enabled.

I spent around 1 hour actively listening to reproduce the issue again, and unfortunately, it did come back.

12

I’ve sent my Fairbuds back to the service center again, and in parallel, Fairphone provided me with a brand-new replacement pair.
I’m currently testing the new Fairbuds to see if they don’t have the same issue. Will report back after some more time with them!

1 Like
13

In my case the left ear sounds like white noise. Much much louder than the right ear.

14

I suggest you to open a support ticket