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AirPods Pro HURT! *** 9/30/22 Update: Second Gen Work Great!

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nyc232

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 28, 2008
45
44
Sigh, I want to love these things so bad but they hurt and cause very obvious redness in my ears. I’ve tried all three tip sizes over the past two days with breaks in-between, still hurt.

How could gen 1 & 2 fit so comfortaby, sometimes even forgetting they were on.

What could be the major design difference that could be causing this?

Also, threads on reddit are starting to pop up with others having the same issue.

Thanks.
 
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cambookpro

cambookpro

macrumors 604
Feb 3, 2010
7,228
3,365
United Kingdom
The design difference is quite apparent - the Pros have an in-ear tip which rests in your canal, and will exert some pressure. The original two generations of AirPods just rest in the (if I’m remembering my GCSE biology correctly...) concha of the ear.

Obviously it will depend on the individual and their ear shape, but I have found the original AirPods to be more comfortable for longer periods than any in-ear headphone I’ve used before. This is my one reservation with the AirPods Pro, or I think I would already have bought a pair.

Everyone is different - I see dozens of pairs of Beats Solo 3 out and about, but when I put them on I get an excruciating pain after a short while of listening where it pushes my left ear back. Unless you wear completely over-ear cans, the comfort of headphones seems to be highly subjective.
 
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HappyMBAowner

HappyMBAowner

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2015
129
144
Quebec
I went to the Apple Store today, tried them on, and hated them right away. The design is VERY different from the original Airpods. Thay are much bigger and the added silicon tip is as stupid as all the other companies that use this type of fitting - and it does not fit comfortably into my ears because it goes much deeper into the canal, and because of the weight, they just don't stay in place. I understand all the great technical and sound improvements Apple put into these Airpods Pro, but the comfort went down the drain. I won't buy this version. I'll continue using the Airpods 1,2 and wait until the designers come to their senses.
 
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gelie

macrumors 6502a
Mar 7, 2010
614
214
nyc232 said:
Sigh, I want to love these things so bad but they hurt and cause very obvious redness in my ears. I’ve tried all three tip sizes over the past two days with breaks in-between, still hurt.

How could gen 1 & 2 fit so comfortaby, sometimes even forgetting they were on.

What could be the major design difference that could be causing this?

Also, threads on reddit are starting to pop up with others having the same issue.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
OUCH
 
Enygmatic

Enygmatic

macrumors 65816
Jan 27, 2015
1,074
1,257
Various
I’ve posted similar myself... the issue for me isn’t the tip - it’s the “pod” itself, which is larger than the Series 1/2 “pod”. It’s causing quite a bit of discomfort after 10 minutes or so, with me trying to twist them a bit to ease the pain. I’ll try them next week for my runs on base (what I got them for); if the pain continues, I’ll return them and stick with PB Pro for PT and regular AirPods for casual listening/phone calls.
 
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kofman13

macrumors 6502a
May 6, 2009
547
165
I have only one other pair of ANC headphones I’ve used and those are Beats Studio 3 wireless. When I use the ANC on that I do feel some pressure on my ears but its mild and I forget it pretty fast. But I just got AirPods pro today and have been testing for a few hours. I tried all three tip sizes and within 5-10 seconds of turning on noise cancelling on the AirPods pro I feel a VERY strong pressure on my ears and I even feel short of breath and my chest gets a little tight and I feel like that lump in my throat feeling when you get nervous. and there’s pressure on my sinuses as well, and if I keep wearing them with ANC on for 5-10 minutes it gets really uncomfortable and worrisome and almost painful. The noise cancellation is incredible and Im trying to justify keeping them and not returning. I stopped using the AirPods pro (with ANC on) an hour ago and all those symptoms have NOT GONE AWAY yet (although have faded a little bit) but still so weird that an hour later I still have the chest/ear fatigue and pressure in my head. Ive never felt this way before I cant compare it to anything else.
 
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nyc232

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 28, 2008
45
44
kofman13 said:
I have only one other pair of ANC headphones I’ve used and those are Beats Studio 3 wireless. When I use the ANC on that I do feel some pressure on my ears but its mild and I forget it pretty fast. But I just got AirPods pro today and have been testing for a few hours. I tried all three tip sizes and within 5-10 seconds of turning on noise cancelling on the AirPods pro I feel a VERY strong pressure on my ears and I even feel short of breath and my chest gets a little tight and I feel like that lump in my throat feeling when you get nervous. and there’s pressure on my sinuses as well, and if I keep wearing them with ANC on for 5-10 minutes it gets really uncomfortable and worrisome and almost painful. The noise cancellation is incredible and Im trying to justify keeping them and not returning. I stopped using the AirPods pro (with ANC on) an hour ago and all those symptoms have NOT GONE AWAY yet (although have faded a little bit) but still so weird that an hour later I still have the chest/ear fatigue and pressure in my head. Ive never felt this way before I cant compare it to anything else.
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[automerge]1572605513[/automerge]
Unfortunately, I think I have to return them. I just think the shape is too large and the weight is too much.
 
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maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
What I find, is that some earbud designs simply do not fit my ear, particularly Apple's. Ear shapes are like fingerprints, everyone has different ears and sadly that means stuff like the airpods will not work
 
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kingston73

kingston73

macrumors 65816
Dec 23, 2015
1,166
717
maflynn said:
What I find, is that some earbud designs simply do not fit my ear, particularly Apple's. Ear shapes are like fingerprints, everyone has different ears and sadly that means stuff like the airpods will not work
Click to expand...

Same here. I had the jabra elite for a short time, bought because all the reviews said they worked great and were super comfortable etc., well they would not stay in my ear no matter what tip size I used and always felt very uncomfortable. Some people are going to have to accept that these new Pro's will not fit them, it's not apple's fault, it's genetics.
 
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cosmic68

cosmic68

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2007
488
113
jbachandouris said:
Seriously? They give you fresh tips and sanitize after EACH customer. It's been like this since the AirPod 1's came out.
Click to expand...

TIL. Did they cover the original EarPods in, what, like a mini condom or something?

Might go and try a pair of the new ones to see if they fit comfortably in that case, as been holding off as never liked plug ins in before.
 
jbachandouris

jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Aug 18, 2009
5,928
3,087
Upstate NY
cosmic68 said:
TIL. Did they cover the original EarPods in, what, like a mini condom or something?

Might go and try a pair of the new ones to see if they fit comfortably in that case, as been holding off as never liked plug ins in before.
Click to expand...
They covered them in nothing. They are hard plastic non porous so they just clean them with wipes in front of you. Not sure if they have further sensitization in back. We haven't any posts on MR about issues with that so I guess they were clean enough.
 
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Paco II

Paco II

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2009
2,288
706
Please take this with the humor it is intended to have, but for a long time people like me were terribly jealous of those that could wear AirPods, and we couldn't. I love the fit and comfort of the Pros, and it is somewhat funny that for some that can wear the originals they can't wear the Pros!
 
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MacGuy84

MacGuy84

macrumors member
Nov 6, 2008
50
13
The 1st and 2ng Gen airpods actually fit great on me, No pain at all even after hours of continuous wear. The issue for me is the actual plastic “pod” itself, its much larger and presses strongly against the cartilage in my ear. Funny because i was more concerned with how i was going to adjust to the rubber tip that rest in the canal.
Sadly I think I’m going to the store to return them tomorrow.
 
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