Background info:
> I love the OG AirPods 2 and they fit me well except that the right ear pod sits a tad loose due to my ear shape; But I never run/jog and so it's never been a problem for me;
> I have hated every other in-ear phones that go into the ear canal because of the pressure/blocked feel and subsequent discomfort
> I do not care about noise cancellation
> Still wanted to switch to pro because of the smaller stem (I know that sounds stupid!); I was willing to try it because of the advertised ventilation system and also 'cause its apple, they would make it as comfortable as possible (was my reasoning)
> I have had the pros for a day now
First impressions:
As soon as I put it in,I was taken aback by the noice cancellation! You have to experience it;
I immediately switched to transparency mode;
Tip: You can make transparency mode the default setting (after pairing it with the iPhone);
Settings>Bluetooth> select "i" icon against AirPods Pro> select transparency mode
> Sound setting
~ I do not like 'noise cancellation' when no audio is playing; Despite the ventilation, I feel my ear is kinda blocked;
But when audio is playing, it doesn't bother me so much; I would only use it when I really want to block out external noise - maybe when I'm travelling by plane; not in day to day usage.
~ 'Off' setting also makes me feel ear pressure/ear block; So not planning to use this setting;
~ 'Transparency' mode is brilliant; Initially required a bit of getting used to; But now feels like I'm using the OG AirPods; So I use only this setting.
> Fit/seal
~ The medium and large were shown by phone to be best seal; But I choose to wear small ear tips because (1) The medium and large tips make a "flap" when I remove the earbuds out of my ear - the loose edges of the silicone tip facing the AirPods rubbing against my ear causing the said flap; So I found removing AirPod Pros not a smooth process; Small tips don't cause this problem for me; (2) small tips are also ones that feel most comfortable in my ears.
~ Using small tips, phone often said no proper seal on my right ear, sometimes it just recognised left AirPod because of this; But I have learnt to put in the right airpod in a way which does offer a good seal and is also comfortable; Otherwise I would have switched back to AirPods OG; So agree with what Tim Cook said; the pros are not replacements for OG AirPods; they are complementary; It all depends on our ear shapes.
> Comfort
With small ear tips and transparency mode on, I do not feel ear block/pressure and I am able to forget its there just like OG AirPods; However I do feel a slight difference when putting them into the ear and immediately after I remove them;
But I got used to it in one day.
> Call quality
This is very important to me;
I have made only two calls - one from a noisy restaurant and another from my room which only has ambient noise like air conditioner. According to feedback from the other party of the calls, first was not great while the second from my room was excellent - no different from OG AirPods. I don't often make or take calls in noisy environments, so this is fine for me;
will be testing it more next couple of days;
Tip: Use the transparency mode for calls - mainly because you have to hear yourself to gauge how loud you are speaking - so you don't end up raising your voice; From my brief testing at home, comparing it with OG AirPods, I can hear my voice in the same volume level as OG AirPods when I'm using transparency mode; So you don't have to fear you would shout in public when using AirPod Pros.
I do not find noise cancellation and off modes to be suitable for calls.
> Audio quality
To my ears, they sound just the same as OG AirPods 2
> Smell
Yes, they did have a fruity sort of smell out of the package and it still lingers on; Perhaps its some chemical they douse the pods with to clean them??
That's it for now!
> I love the OG AirPods 2 and they fit me well except that the right ear pod sits a tad loose due to my ear shape; But I never run/jog and so it's never been a problem for me;
> I have hated every other in-ear phones that go into the ear canal because of the pressure/blocked feel and subsequent discomfort
> I do not care about noise cancellation
> Still wanted to switch to pro because of the smaller stem (I know that sounds stupid!); I was willing to try it because of the advertised ventilation system and also 'cause its apple, they would make it as comfortable as possible (was my reasoning)
> I have had the pros for a day now
First impressions:
As soon as I put it in,I was taken aback by the noice cancellation! You have to experience it;
I immediately switched to transparency mode;
Tip: You can make transparency mode the default setting (after pairing it with the iPhone);
Settings>Bluetooth> select "i" icon against AirPods Pro> select transparency mode
> Sound setting
~ I do not like 'noise cancellation' when no audio is playing; Despite the ventilation, I feel my ear is kinda blocked;
But when audio is playing, it doesn't bother me so much; I would only use it when I really want to block out external noise - maybe when I'm travelling by plane; not in day to day usage.
~ 'Off' setting also makes me feel ear pressure/ear block; So not planning to use this setting;
~ 'Transparency' mode is brilliant; Initially required a bit of getting used to; But now feels like I'm using the OG AirPods; So I use only this setting.
> Fit/seal
~ The medium and large were shown by phone to be best seal; But I choose to wear small ear tips because (1) The medium and large tips make a "flap" when I remove the earbuds out of my ear - the loose edges of the silicone tip facing the AirPods rubbing against my ear causing the said flap; So I found removing AirPod Pros not a smooth process; Small tips don't cause this problem for me; (2) small tips are also ones that feel most comfortable in my ears.
~ Using small tips, phone often said no proper seal on my right ear, sometimes it just recognised left AirPod because of this; But I have learnt to put in the right airpod in a way which does offer a good seal and is also comfortable; Otherwise I would have switched back to AirPods OG; So agree with what Tim Cook said; the pros are not replacements for OG AirPods; they are complementary; It all depends on our ear shapes.
> Comfort
With small ear tips and transparency mode on, I do not feel ear block/pressure and I am able to forget its there just like OG AirPods; However I do feel a slight difference when putting them into the ear and immediately after I remove them;
But I got used to it in one day.
> Call quality
This is very important to me;
I have made only two calls - one from a noisy restaurant and another from my room which only has ambient noise like air conditioner. According to feedback from the other party of the calls, first was not great while the second from my room was excellent - no different from OG AirPods. I don't often make or take calls in noisy environments, so this is fine for me;
will be testing it more next couple of days;
Tip: Use the transparency mode for calls - mainly because you have to hear yourself to gauge how loud you are speaking - so you don't end up raising your voice; From my brief testing at home, comparing it with OG AirPods, I can hear my voice in the same volume level as OG AirPods when I'm using transparency mode; So you don't have to fear you would shout in public when using AirPod Pros.
I do not find noise cancellation and off modes to be suitable for calls.
> Audio quality
To my ears, they sound just the same as OG AirPods 2
> Smell
Yes, they did have a fruity sort of smell out of the package and it still lingers on; Perhaps its some chemical they douse the pods with to clean them??
That's it for now!
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