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I own AirPods and I rate them as

  • Excellent

    Votes: 403 70.5%
  • Good, but I've got some problems

    Votes: 134 23.4%
  • No good, I'm returning them to Apple

    Votes: 14 2.4%
  • Tim Cook isn't Steve Jobs and Apple is doomed, etc.

    Votes: 21 3.7%

  • Total voters
    572

royinla14

macrumors 6502a
Oct 12, 2011
541
145
Just wondering if everyone has the airpods pointing roughly vertically down, or somewhat towards their mouth. I ask because I recently saw someone walking around and the tips of his airpods seemed to be like 30 degrees up from mine. I can see this maybe making his voice quality better, however is the shape of my ear just strange and that's how everyone wears them?
Yes I wear them pointing towards the lower mouth area not directly down. Just fits better for my ears
 
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MrMac2015

macrumors member
Apr 15, 2015
93
45
Sleeping with AirPods in was fine, aside from not getting tangled up in cables it means I can keep my iPhone on a table.
I'm also getting used to using siri for volume control; it's not bad for occasional changes in volume.

Does Siri tell u she won't increase the volume any more?
 

asfalloth

macrumors regular
Dec 4, 2013
219
156
London
I've found the pause feature to be buggy at times. I take out one AirPod and sometimes the music begins playing in the other one while the AirPod is still in my hand.
That will only happen if the one you've taken out you cover the infrared port with your hand or fingers.
 
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Ralfi

macrumors 601
Dec 22, 2016
4,373
3,101
Australia
I'm also getting used to using siri for volume control; it's not bad for occasional changes in volume.

What commands are people using for volume adjustment.

I've been saying 'Increase/Decrease volume xx%' but find it adjusts in too small increments, even when saying 90% or more.

The only way I can turn it way up is by saying 100%, but that's too loud & introduces the need to lower the volume..

I would've thought saying 'Volume 75%' or 'Volume 40%' with the volume then adjusting to 75%/40% respectively of the full volume bar would be simpler & more direct/intuitive?

Unless that's what's meant to happen & mine aren't working right?

EDIT (mini review)...

Used at gym for the first time today.

At distance of between 20-25m from recently replaced iPhone 6S (so with new battery).

At end of ~1 hour workout, Airpods were still at 100% (though just checked again now & without using them further they're at 97% despite sitting in the case for an hour post-workout?), iPhone was at 98%.

No dropouts (of audio nor of pods from ears). Just tiny blips now & then at furthest distance, but these were almost non discernible as audio still played, just at a lower volume for a microsecond.

Siri commands used; Pause, Skip Track - worked fine. First attemps at skipping I said 'Skip Track' which Siri didn't recognise. I think it was more the low volume I spoke at it, not wanting to speak too loud. Second attempt worked. I think next time, I'll just say "Skip" & see what happens.
 
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ebika

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2008
840
791
Chicago
What commands are people using for volume adjustment.

I've been saying 'Increase/Decrease volume xx%' but find it adjusts in too small increments, even when saying 90% or more.

The only way I can turn it way up is by saying 100%, but that's too loud & introduces the need to lower the volume..

I would've thought saying 'Volume 75%' or 'Volume 40%' with the volume then adjusting to 75%/40% respectively of the full volume bar would be simpler & more direct/intuitive?

Unless that's what's meant to happen & mine aren't working right?
I've been saying "set volume 30 percent"
 

Boardiesboi

macrumors 601
Sep 3, 2013
4,612
10,690
Sydney Australia
Getting unreliable connections with the iPhone.

Sometimes I open the case and connection is immediate. Other times, I hear the connection sound in the AirPods but they're not connected, or I have to manually connect in the Bluetooth menu or force the sound in the music app to go through the AirPods.

Anyone else have similar experience?
 

rstark18

macrumors 65816
Sep 18, 2009
1,135
395
Looks cool. Where can I find these foam covers that make it so the case still closes?
I bought a 400 pack for $10 on amazon a while back for the wired earbuds. That vendor isn't there anymore but there are plenty of others. Personally I'd buy the lower quality bulk pack instead of say a higher quality 12 pack as the big bulk pack are cheaper and thinner which works better with the case. Also you will tear a few when you're figuring out the best way to get them on.
 
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Ralfi

macrumors 601
Dec 22, 2016
4,373
3,101
Australia
For some reason, Siri thinks I'm still in the car - sometimes I ask it to change volume & it response with either 'use the cars controls to change volume' or 'I can't do that while you're in the car'.

??
 

Brookzy

macrumors 601
May 30, 2010
4,985
5,577
UK
For some reason, Siri thinks I'm still in the car - sometimes I ask it to change volume & it response with either 'use the cars controls to change volume' or 'I can't do that while you're in the car'.

??
Your iPhone is probably still connected to your car's Bluetooth.
 

Ralfi

macrumors 601
Dec 22, 2016
4,373
3,101
Australia
Your iPhone is probably still connected to your car's Bluetooth.
Never thought of that, since I only connect via CarPlay & have always had Bluetooth off, until now.

But the car is off anyway, so I didn't think it'd pick up the phone? Will check it out..

Ok I think it's fixed now - I don't think the phone properly disconnected from the cars CarPlay interface (removing the Lightning cable may not be the preferred way to close CarPlay). So I reconnected & disconnected by opening the car door, thereby shutting down all accessories, which seems to have worked.
 
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moxxham

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2015
357
451
Sydney, Australia
Just wondering if everyone has the airpods pointing roughly vertically down, or somewhat towards their mouth. I ask because I recently saw someone walking around and the tips of his airpods seemed to be like 30 degrees up from mine. I can see this maybe making his voice quality better, however is the shape of my ear just strange and that's how everyone wears them?

Yea I wear mine at an angle too, with the microphone more towards my mouth. Just stops them from sticking out and looking a bit weird haha
 

teidon

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2009
443
213
Received my AirPods today. I don't normally use headphones because I don't like the cable. I am positively surprised by the sound quality of these. Upper range seems to be quite well balanced and low end reaches surprisingly low. And for example drums in many songs has nice punch to them. But some heavier songs, especially power metal, tends to be a bit lacking. Luckily I don't listen to metal that much. But for the most part they sound great in my opinion. But as said, I don't normally use headphones. I mainly listen to with Genelec speakers (2+1) with a DAC.

Quick testing with some random frequency sweeps on Youtube shows that frequencies below ~60Hz begins to fade and below ~25Hz is just silence. Correcting the frequency response with iTunes's EQ improves things quite a lot. Setting 32Hz to around +6dB and 64Hz to around +3dB more or less evens out the frequency response. With those settings they sound even better and even power metal sounds good and the drums in more or less every songs gains even more punch. Using the "Improve bass" (or what ever it's in english) EQ preset sounds somewhat bad because it increases frequencies up to 500Hz, which is unnecessary with these headphones. It's a shame Apple doesn't allow custom EQ settings on iPhones.


Anyways, I am quite happy with these so far. They seem to stay well in my ears, so much so that I have to pull them to get them out of my ears. And the case is really small and overall the build quality of the case and AirPods is very Apple good.

E: Forgot to mention that maximum volume seems to more than enough. At least in quiet environment the volume is too loud for me when set to above 75%. I prefer to keep it around 40-50%.
 
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ulinerg

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2014
120
31
Ottawa, Canada
So far so good. I was definitely in the skeptical camp as I was never a fan of the earbuds that came w/ the iPhone. They never ever stayed in place. And I'm not usually an Apple early adopter type but these have been great so far. I guess those wires really did affect how they stayed in place. I haven't worked out in them yet but so far they have stayed in place with all normal movements. Also, after a couple of hours, they started to be a little uncomfortable, like most earphones I've had. But uh...a small adjustment fixed that. I guess I've been wearing them wrong? hahahaha.

I am impressed with the range on these as well. I've only taken one call but the microphone is quite impressive. I like being able to take one out while on the call and then switching. It was all pretty seamless. They sound quite good as far as I'm concerned. I'm not an audiophile but I think they sound good.

Pretty cool how it shows you the battery level for each Pod + the case so you always know where you're at. I do wish the case stood up though.

I agree w/ others that not being able to change the volume on these is kind of a bummer but I have an AW so it's not really a problem. I also don't have a problem actually touching my phone while these are in should that be necessary.

So yeah - I went from I just want to try them and will probably return them to hey these are cool and I like them lot.
I agree with your impressions. I was also disappointed about the volume control, but now I just double tap and get Siri to "Increase volume" or "Decrease volume" and that seems to work for me.

Love the fact that they stop playing when I remove one pod.
 
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danmart

macrumors 68000
Apr 24, 2015
1,580
1,075
Lancs, UK
Just had my first proper test of the AirPods. Needed some last minute fresh produce from the local supermarket, and since traffic is hell I decide to walk, accompanied by the AirPods.

So, a 30 minute walk each way, walking on roads with above average traffic noise. The sound from the 'pods when acting as earphones was great. Yes, there is environmental noise and I had to turn up the volume (to maybe 70%, when I normally have it around 40% in a quiet environment) but they don't claim to be noise cancelling or isolating, so that's perfectly acceptable.

When I get to the supermarket, they didn't have exactly what my wife has asked me to get, so I thought it best to check... With the 'pods still playing music I attempted to start a call from my Watch. The music stopped, and audio was passed to the 'pods but the ringing was almost inaudible, and when my wife answered she sounded like a mouse at the bottom of a well! With no obvious way of re-triggering the bluetooth connection I had to switch over to the handset directly, but I was able to do with without losing the call. Disappointing.

As soon as the call stopped, music started playing again, perfectly. Weird.

Whilst walking back home, I got a text, which I read on my watch. I tried to reply using Siri via the 'pods, but Siri couldn't understand what I was asking for.

I figured I would also try changing albums. I used the double-tap action several times during the course of my trip and whist it initially seemed quite reliable it got much less reliable over the course of the walks. Asking for 'Escapology' got my 'Hormonally Yours'?!?! I tried asking multiple times, but with no success. By this point it was raining moderately, and traffic was still pretty heavy. I switched to using Siri on the Watch (pressing the digital crown) and this approach worked first time.

On the final stretch, I decided to try a call again. Using Siri via the 'pods I told it to ring my home phone, knowing the answering service would pick it up. I left a message and then successfully hung up with a double tap. There was a lower level of traffic when I was on the phone, but still some. When I got home I listened to the message and it was very good. You could tell I was outside but the speech was clear. There was clearly some kind of environmental noise cancellation going on, and I heard the volume dip slightly, coinciding with the time an SUV passed me.

All in all not perfect, but pretty good. At the end of the activity, involving over an hour of solid use from the 'pods they had gone from 100% to 81%, so the five hour battery life is totally plausible.

I'm still a happy customer, and hopefully the kinks will get ironed out...
 

Chacocliff

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2014
660
573
I have a quick question for people that have their Airpods already, can you charge the case by itself, while you are using the buds? So that they case would be charged fully, when I was ready to put the buds back in to charge themselves.
 

Applefan4515

Suspended
Sep 19, 2016
206
202
I have a quick question for people that have their Airpods already, can you charge the case by itself, while you are using the buds? So that they case would be charged fully, when I was ready to put the buds back in to charge themselves.

yes.
 

C64

macrumors 65816
Sep 3, 2008
1,236
222
For those using an iPhone SE are you noticing any drop outs? I get them only outside, and only when I put the phone in my pocket in very open space, away from buildings. After walking to and from work 4 times this week it happens in the same spots each time, though it's possible the free city WIFI or other technology is interfering.

I heard on the Happy Hour podcast that the SE has a bluetooth cut out problem when covered in a pocket but can't find any reference to this issue online.

It's a minor problem, I'd still rather use AirPods and the SE over other options but wondering if my device is faulty.
I believe they referenced an old problem, that has since been fixed. I've never experienced dropouts on my SE, using BT earphones daily since I got it. Have been using the AirPods throughout the day with the SE since Wednesday, and no problems at all (in or out of pockets).
 

Tinototem

macrumors regular
Sep 28, 2010
108
82
Sweden
Got my Airpods yesterday and i am impressed of the size of these things. I have however one issue with them, when i am on a phone call i get some crackling and popping sounds, this only occurs when i am on the phone and not while i listen to music.

I see that i am not alone however i am unsure if this is a common issue or not, i see some mentioning #PoppingGate
 

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
The Airpods are good... but just not $160 good IMO.

I just received these for $35 last night: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M659IIY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Someone else had posted a link and I picked them up and I'm blown away. I'm 90% sure returning my Airpods at this point.

The Airpods are slightly "not as loud as I'd like" (but plenty loud don't get me wrong but I want Max volume to make my ears bleed). The fit is just OK... they aren't bad but my ears are bigger so the Airpods hang slightly looser than I prefer and the range isn't as good as I was hoping. I was hoping for Solo3 like range but it's more like standard Class 2 BT which is around 33-50 feet. The Luxa2 I picked up has about the same range.
 

tivoboy

macrumors 601
May 15, 2005
4,052
853
I have this problem, too.
are you by chance using wifi calling, I've found I can hear the wifi calling artifacts much more clearly now - they were always there but the earbuds didn't really bring them to life.

Here is the other problem I am having:

Well, I have them paired to four devices, and frankly I think it is part of the problem I'm having with disconnects. I think the behavior of the W1 chip with near bluetooth devices and it essentially activates them when say the lip is opened. I continue to have a problem with the phone disconnecting when my ipad is near, and also when my laptop is near. I'm going to try and drop the connections from all those devices, and see if the random drops from my iphone stop. Either on calls or when streaming. It's a bit annoying at the moment, as there really isn't any indication why it occurs and what to do about it - fix wise.

Brings up another question though. How will the devices get firmware updates? Both the case and the airpods? Will it be via lightning plugged into a computer, or via wireless connected to a device? Many people may not have a computer to plug it into, so I would think it would have to be with a phone or ipad or other wireless device.
 

Regeneration

macrumors member
Jul 8, 2015
36
54
I just got my airpods, and the audio is amazing through iPhone but when I use my MacBook to listen to them the audio is crap, seriously awful. Is it just me or anyone has the same issue?
 
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