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sixth

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 16, 2006
302
23
Has anyone tried AP4 ANC on airplanes? I am not expecting anything amazing but was curious if anyone has tried them. Maybe short flights they are acceptable? Long haul still use my Max but wondering what everyone has experienced. Tia!
 

Tenhauser

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2011
40
60
i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)
 
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Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,699
5,629
I use the gen 1 APP, which I believe has similar noise cancellation to the Airpods 4. I’ve also flown with APP2.

It’s obviously completely subjective but the APP were great. The APP2 were even greater. Nobody can tell you whether you’ll be happy with them, you’re going to need to try them.
 
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seggy

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2016
465
311
I use the gen 1 APP, which I believe has similar noise cancellation to the Airpods 4. I’ve also flown with APP2.

It’s obviously completely subjective but the APP were great. The APP2 were even greater. Nobody can tell you whether you’ll be happy with them, you’re going to need to try them.
Nowhere is that more true than what you lead with - an assumption that doesn't make sense.

The differences in how they fit means the ANC has to work *much* harder on the AP4's to be anywhere near as effective as even the OG APP.
 

seggy

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2016
465
311
Users have reported that they are comparable (APP Gen 1 and AirPods 4 with ANC).

https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/1flya58

More experienced reviews are out, and as usual reddit (and a significant percentage of MR?) commentators do be talking out of their butts.

Performance appears to be exactly what I would expect them to be - ANC taking the edge off things that ANC traditionally does well, but hindered by the lack of a passive seal. It would be less fatiguing for people sensitive to ANC, but much less effective overall even with the relatively low passive isolation that's available in APP/2.

The relative volume issues people are experiencing does also prove that these are working hard.
 
Last edited:

Tenhauser

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2011
40
60
i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)

so i’ve tested them on airplay and, frankly, can’t see substantial difference between these and APP2

they def have looser fit but i like it as this kind of fit doesn’t irritate inner canal
 

sixth

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 16, 2006
302
23
i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)

Love to hear what your experience was @Tenhauser !
 

BD1

macrumors 6502
Jun 27, 2007
466
153
I am on a flight right now. AP4 is very close to APP2 with noise cancelation. I am very impressed with AP4 performance. If you listen closely at the same volume the AP4 might be 80% to 90% of APP2. But in real world use you won't really notice and you can increase the music volume just slightly on AP4 to get the same effect. Most people will be happy with AP4 on airplanes.
 

VisceralRealist

macrumors 6502a
Sep 4, 2023
644
1,772
Long Beach, California
Tried them on a short (and loud) flight yesterday. To me, the ANC of the AP4 works just fine for listening on a plane. It's not going to make it silent, but it's going to lower the plane noise enough that you can listen to, say, a podcast at normal volume. Using the ANC in say, a bustling café (as I did earlier today), it was even more effective. If you really want to eliminate that plane noise, the AP4 is not going to do that, but it's going to reduce the noise enough that listening at normal volume is an option, which it really wasn't for me with the AP3. I would often just give up listening with those on a plane. For me personally, I don't need more noise canceling than this.
 
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