Maybe it’s best to sell them? 
yes, I’ll do … but first I need to organize a new phone and then I will sell the whole package (FP4, Fairbuds XL) … the last months were too bad for my experience with Fairphone so Ibdecided to switch to another manufacturer …
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I wonder why the firmware is not open source. Seems like that would be consistent with the company’s business model. I can live with the inferior sound quality including bad transparency, underwhelming noise reduction and enhancement of wind noise when using noise cancelling outdoor because I made the purchase due to repairability of the product. However, software should be part of this model of repairability. I should be able to repair the source code and rebuild and flash the firmware if I am capable and see fit. Without this level of openness/transparency/fairness or dramatic improvements in quality or I couldn’t possibly recommend these headphones to anyone else who just wants a good quality set of headphones for the price doesn’t assign value to the repairability.
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Despite all the justified criticism of noise cancelling.
The sound of the Fairbuds themselves is not inferior.
On the contrary, all tests that criticize the sound quality compare the Fairbuds with higher priced products.
All in all, the sound quality is more of a strength of the Fairbuds.
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I had the fairbuds XL for a while and I was positively surprised regarding ANC, transparency, and also sound. Honestly, imo this was all really good. I come from cheaper ANC headphones, although I also had the Bose 700 for a while and we have a pair of AirPods Max.
For the price of the Fairbuds XL their performance together with fair production and repairability is absolutely great imo.
Also, the controls with the nub are the best controls I have ever had on headphones. Wish others would do that. The stupid touch controls you get on expensive “premium” devices never work reliably. They are aweful. Touch controls on headphones are a no-buy for me.
My last headphones before the XL where Anker Q30. While they have good specs for the price, they fell apart after only 6 months of usage. The headband broke at two points, one of the earcups fell off, and the cushion of the second earcup ripped.
I still sent the Fairbuds XL back, for one reason. I regulary use my headphones wired using an ordinary headphone jack. While this is also possible with the USB-C to minijack cable, the performance using that is really sub-par. There is a very disturbing hissing noise, and conversion of the signal seems to take quite a tax in terms of loudness and sound quality. Worst wired performance ever.
If they had just built in an ordinary mini jack, like soundcore or sony or most others do. These could have been the perfect headphones for me. But for some reason Fairphone seems to not like headphone jacks.
Well, lets hope they add a minijack in the Fairbuds XL 2. I sure will buy them, if they do.
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