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BigDO

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2012
1,352
2,118
Bumping this thread as it may help someone - the vent cleaning (either by something sticky or “sucking” the vents) definitely works.

Getting a “good seal” result on the ear tip test results in a much fuller bass and much better noise cancelation. Cleaning needs to be done periodically on Gen 1 APP (not sure about Gen 2 as I don’t have them yet).
 

carlosnunez.dfw

macrumors newbie
Dec 12, 2019
4
10
This problem is fixed on the Gen 2's.

The vent is now outside the earbud perpendicular to your outer ear canal similar to the WF1000XM4s. Only the in-ear sensor remains in contact with your ear.

At this point, I would not recommend the Gen 1s to anyone, for any reason.

I truly believe their design is defective.
 

BigDO

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2012
1,352
2,118
This problem is fixed on the Gen 2's.

The vent is now outside the earbud perpendicular to your outer ear canal similar to the WF1000XM4s. Only the in-ear sensor remains in contact with your ear.

At this point, I would not recommend the Gen 1s to anyone, for any reason.

I truly believe their design is defective.

Defective is a bit of an overstatement, since the problem is easily addressed by regular cleaning. Suboptimal is more like it.

I haven’t tried the Gen 2 yet, but if I was able to get a brand new, sealed Gen 1 for $100 or under I’d definitely jump on that. More, and I do agree Gen 2 is the way to go, especially when on $200 sale.
 

86Hawkeye

macrumors regular
Oct 6, 2016
152
89
Chicago, IL
This problem is fixed on the Gen 2's.

The vent is now outside the earbud perpendicular to your outer ear canal similar to the WF1000XM4s. Only the in-ear sensor remains in contact with your ear.

At this point, I would not recommend the Gen 1s to anyone, for any reason.

I truly believe their design is defective.
Agree. Much better and more consistent results for me with AirPods Pro 2.

Also, the eartips seem to fit better for me. They stay in place longer. I've read "rumors" that the silicone is slightly different than 1st gen, but that seems far fetched.
 

sft109

macrumors member
Nov 27, 2009
56
18
I have maybe exchanged my Gen 1’s a dozen times (not an exaggeration). I’ve had them since day 1. They are definitely a flawed design. There‘s a reason Apple exchanged them that many times out of warranty and then also went ahead and changed the design for the 2nd Gen.

My left ear must be more oily and/or waxy because the left always has problems first (metallic static noise on calls is more prevalent issue I have). I use a ton of Apple products and I’m pissed at Apple for not doing a recall. It looks like they fixed the issue on the Gen 2 by moving that vent but I refuse to buy them out of principle until these actually die. So I just use my Gen 1’s as a headset for calls mostly at work now and use my Max’s for music when I can.
 

BigDO

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2012
1,352
2,118
Can anyone link an article/video analyzing the difference on the vents? Considering buying the Gen 2 but want to make sure I won’t be a weirdo sucking on his AirPods anymore
 

vinegarshots

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2018
981
1,347
Can anyone link an article/video analyzing the difference on the vents? Considering buying the Gen 2 but want to make sure I won’t be a weirdo sucking on his AirPods anymore
Gen 2 are fine. I had to clean my gen 1s almost every single day. My Gen 2s haven’t had any issues since release day.
 
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TheSynchronizer

macrumors 6502
Dec 2, 2014
443
729
Gen 2 are fine. I had to clean my gen 1s almost every single day. My Gen 2s haven’t had any issues since release day.
That’s good to hear. Do the vents on the gen 2’s ever come in contact with the ear? Or have you ever noticed them to have any dirt at all?
 
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