AirPods Pro - different tips affecting music quality?

[Telesmurfen]

I have a little question, and I hope to get some answers.
I’m one of those fortunate enough to get a good seal with all three sizes of the silicone tips on my AirPods Pro (most people around here seem to have the opposite problem.. they can’t get a good fit, according to the fit test). So, the question is.. how does the fit affect the sound quality? I mean, obviously the smallest tips go the furthest into the ear canal, and the stem of the APPs are almost buried into the cheek. The medium size is, well, medium into the ear canal. The largest size, goes just deep enough to make a good fit, but doesn’t go very far into the ear canal, and the stems on the APPs have plenty of air between them and the cheek.
So, my question is: what would be the best fit? Obviously I can’t judge from the fit test, as that one shows “good fit” regardless of the size. And the ANC is working well with all three sizes.
I imagine that the largest might give the best quality for music, as it’s further away from the ear drum, and leaves some space to create a wider soundstage. Am I wrong? Does anyone know how these things work? Or doesn’t it matter how deep into the ear canal the APPs go? I’m sorry if these are stupid questions, but I honestly don’t know how far into the ears these are supposed to go.. I just want the widest soundstage possible, and the best overall sound..

 

[BrianBaughn]

There's probably no good, easy answer for that. Earphones are not like speakers and earbuds are even less so. Positional changes affect the "EQ curve" for all three but with earbuds it's noticeable with millimeters.

What people prefer is quite subjective. If you'd like to be more "objective" you could listen to a song in front of a pair of properly positioned excellent near-field monitors, in a properly balanced room, and then adjust the earbuds to match what you heard using the same song. But I have to say that the chances you can replicate the exact spot for the earbuds once you walk out the door are pretty slim!

 

[Cashmonee]

I have a little question, and I hope to get some answers.
I’m one of those fortunate enough to get a good seal with all three sizes of the silicone tips on my AirPods Pro (most people around here seem to have the opposite problem.. they can’t get a good fit, according to the fit test). So, the question is.. how does the fit affect the sound quality? I mean, obviously the smallest tips go the furthest into the ear canal, and the stem of the APPs are almost buried into the cheek. The medium size is, well, medium into the ear canal. The largest size, goes just deep enough to make a good fit, but doesn’t go very far into the ear canal, and the stems on the APPs have plenty of air between them and the cheek.
So, my question is: what would be the best fit? Obviously I can’t judge from the fit test, as that one shows “good fit” regardless of the size. And the ANC is working well with all three sizes.
I imagine that the largest might give the best quality for music, as it’s further away from the ear drum, and leaves some space to create a wider soundstage. Am I wrong? Does anyone know how these things work? Or doesn’t it matter how deep into the ear canal the APPs go? I’m sorry if these are stupid questions, but I honestly don’t know how far into the ears these are supposed to go.. I just want the widest soundstage possible, and the best overall sound..

There is only one answer to your question. Find a song you know really well and listen to it with each of the tips. If one set sounds better than the others, you have your answer. If not, then whatever anyone here says is meaningless. Try them and pick whatever sounds best and feels comfortable.

 

[perezr10]

I find that the large size has deeper bass

 

[Telesmurfen]

Thanks for the replies so far.. yeah, I’ve tried all the different silicone tips both indoors and outdoors. The smallest ones kinda lets in a little more external noise, like cars and busses driving by. The medium sized ones feels ok, and sounds ok. But, I actually think I prefer the largest tips. As the poster above me said, it seems to give the “fullest” sound - and most bass. It also helps that it doesn’t go too deep into the ear canal, so it’s a bit more comfortable to wear, and the soundstage is about as good as the APPs are able to produce.
So, now that I’ve found the best tips (for me), only one problem remain. The APPs are almost unusable for calls outdoors. I know that there is a whole thread discussing this already. But I find it ridiculous that Apple hasn’t addressed this issue yet. As soon as there’s a little wind outside, or a car passes by, the person on the other end can hardly hear me. I’m now on my fourth pair, hoping everytime that the next pair will be better. But, the problem still persists. I wish that Apple would release a new firmware for the APPs soon, to address this issue and perhaps tweak them to sound even better (if possible). As far as I know, the latest firmware is from September.

 

[Cashmonee]

Thanks for the replies so far.. yeah, I’ve tried all the different silicone tips both indoors and outdoors. The smallest ones kinda lets in a little more external noise, like cars and busses driving by. The medium sized ones feels ok, and sounds ok. But, I actually think I prefer the largest tips. As the poster above me said, it seems to give the “fullest” sound - and most bass. It also helps that it doesn’t go too deep into the ear canal, so it’s a bit more comfortable to wear, and the soundstage is about as good as the APPs are able to produce.
So, now that I’ve found the best tips (for me), only one problem remain. The APPs are almost unusable for calls outdoors. I know that there is a whole thread discussing this already. But I find it ridiculous that Apple hasn’t addressed this issue yet. As soon as there’s a little wind outside, or a car passes by, the person on the other end can hardly hear me. I’m now on my fourth pair, hoping everytime that the next pair will be better. But, the problem still persists. I wish that Apple would release a new firmware for the APPs soon, to address this issue and perhaps tweak them to sound even better (if possible). As far as I know, the latest firmware is from September.

My experience with the AirPods Pro is that their mic is not very good, especially in a noisy environment.