diff --git a/libvo/x11_common.c b/libvo/x11_common.c
index cdbbc213b5..e33b3c7ff6 100644
--- a/libvo/x11_common.c
+++ b/libvo/x11_common.c
@@ -993,34 +993,18 @@ static int vo_x11_get_gnome_layer(struct vo_x11_state *x11, Window win)
     return WIN_LAYER_NORMAL;
 }
 
-// set a X text property that expects a STRING type
+// set a X text property that expects a STRING or COMPOUND_TEXT type
 static void vo_x11_set_property_string(struct vo *vo, Atom name, const char *t)
 {
     struct vo_x11_state *x11 = vo->x11;
     XTextProperty prop = {0};
-    int success;
 
-    success = Xutf8TextListToTextProperty(x11->display, (char **)&t, 1,
-                                          XStringStyle, &prop);
-
-    // The call can fail if the string uses characters not in the STRING
-    // encoding (which is latin-1 as far as I can tell). Try COMPOUND_TEXT
-    // instead. (It is possible that COMPOUND_TEXT always works, but since the
-    // difference in the type used for the property is visible to the Window
-    // manager and the ICCCM seems to specify STRING, we're trying to be careful
-    // and try STRING first.)
-    // GTK seems to follow about the same fallback mechanism.
-    if (success != Success) {
-        XFree(prop.value);
-        prop.value = NULL;
-        success = Xutf8TextListToTextProperty(x11->display, (char **)&t, 1,
-                                              XCompoundTextStyle, &prop);
-    }
-
-    if (success == Success)
+    if (Xutf8TextListToTextProperty(x11->display, (char **)&t, 1,
+                                    XStdICCTextStyle, &prop) == Success)
+    {
         XSetTextProperty(x11->display, x11->window, &prop, name);
-
-    XFree(prop.value);
+        XFree(prop.value);
+    }
 }
 
 // set a X text property that expects a UTF8_STRING type