Do the Fairbuds XL support USB-C to USB-C audio?

[rokejulianlockhart]

@Fairphone recently released the

Fairbuds XL Headphones | Fairphone

and I rather want to replace my buggy and non-waterproof WH-1000XM5 | Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones | Sony United Kingdom with the Fairbuds XL Headphones | Fairphone. However, one of the things I hate the most about my XM5 is that although it charges (in about 5 minutes!) using USB-C, it doesn’t support audio transfer via that port, meaning I must either use a USB-C to aux adapter and all the issues that presents

https://www.reddit.com/r/fairphone/comments/vx9aja/comment/ifxdwng/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

or use Bluetooth and all the issues that presents

so can I connect to something like my fp4 wired simply with USB-C male to USB-C male?

[mde]

Yes, you can use them with a standard USB-C to USB-C cable. Even the cheaper USB 2.0 cables are sufficient for this.
Bluetooth audio works just fine with the FP4 as well, though.

[rokejulianlockhart]

Do you know also whether it can charge and play audio via the same cable simultaneously, @mde?

[AndreasChris]

There are splitters that implement this, so it should be doable, but I did have a few issues when testing some (Edit: with my FP4) (especially with lower output chargers) as described in the following post:

Best USB-C to Audio Jack Adapter for FP4

I have some updates to report regarding adapters I tried: Let’s start off with the best experience - this USB C (male) to 2.5mm AUX (male) cable by MOSWAG for use with my Bose QuietComfort over-ear headphones. The cable seems to work flawless when connected directly to the fairphone. The only downside I noticed is, that the 2.5mm side of the cable does not sit in the headphone plug as firmly as the original one - potentially due to the larger rim directly below the connector. Now for the USB C…

[urs_lesse]

While it was no problem to play audio from my computer to the Fairbuds XL using a USB-A-to-USB-C cable, the sound was notably flatter (tinnier) than via Bluetooth or the Audio-jack-to-USB-C cable. Not distorted in any way, just lacking bass and, well, let’s call it: life

Regarding charging at the same time, I cannot provide any experience (I think you only ever get to see the charging level in the Fairbuds XL app). Given a battery charge lasts relatively long, I did not really check this. (I no longer posess the Fairbuds XL here, they were just loaned to me temporarily.)

[mde]

As far as I can tell from my own experience, it charges automatically when connected to any sort of “live” counterpart - also when playing music.
This might be blessing and curse at the same time, though: If you connect the empty Fairbuds XL to your phone, the charging alone might drain more than 30% of your battery for a full charge. This is less of an issue with desktop computers or notebooks with sufficient battery capacity.

[rokejulianlockhart]

That’s a blessing for me, although indeed, it should be possible to disable. Thanks lots. They sound like my perfect headphones.

[mde]

Just in case you didn’t already find it, I’d like to point out this collection of issues with the Fairbuds XL to reduce future disappointment.
In my case, none of those issues prevent me from using them, but you never know…