AirPods Pro Lack of Bass

[Ralfi]

Thanks, dude. I was just trying to help, but obviously some people would rather argue pointlessly than actually contribute anything meaningful to the discussion. I usually don't bother replying to them, but this one was kinda fun. I mean, how often do you get to debate frequency response with a "makeshift DJ" who name drops sound bars to appear cool (lol!) and has a penchant for exclamation points?

It’s rare people try & help to the extent you’ve done here, so for someone to respond like that’s uncalled for. I’ve had enough of the rude negativity online, so it has to be called out.

BTW, i’m really into the Daft Punk tune in that playlist.?

 

[augustya]

Yeah !! Yeah !! Frequency Response which was unheard to everyone else till now. It was just given to Mankind here on this Thread ! We Get it !!

 

[bobob]

The simplest way that I have found to fix the lack of bass on your AirPods Pro is to add this to your playlist.

Spoiler

 

[GIBBI]

I do also think that the bass is not as present as on my 1st gen AirPods. All tips pass the sealing test, but there is just less bass when I listen to music.

I think the APP are just calibrated differently, they highlight voices more than bass in my opinion to get a "clearer sound".

 

[icloudUser]

I found the bass more than ok for me and i rechecked it after reading all the posts here. Again I find it more than adequate for my goto genre - Metal.
I am not into posting links to prove my point as there are many variables but I will do this time only to know what you think about the bass response.

Wait for the bass 2+ mins onwards. Try this on Apple Music/spotify. I can only post youtube link from my PC.

 

[Ralfi]

I found the bass more than ok for me and i rechecked it after reading all the posts here. Again I find it more than adequate for my goto genre - Metal.
I am not into posting links to prove my point as there are many variables but I will do this time only to know what you think about the bass response.

Wait for the bass 2+ mins onwards. Try this on Apple Music/spotify. I can only post youtube link from my PC.

Hey there.

I’ve just fired this track up in both Spotify/AM & the bass comes through as ‘dirty’ in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s meant to sound like that or if the Airpods Pro’s just can’t handle it?

 

[RigSatMe]

Hi, everyone!

Seems, I have found a way how to replicate the APP automatic EQ adjustment which results for me in a lack of bass with each ear tip from small to large one:
1. Put APP into OFF mode (where both Noise cancellation and Transparence modes are off).
2. Play the track which should sound right for you in terms of bass, mids and highs.
3. Take out one left or right earbud whichever you prefer.
4. Wait for a few seconds after music stops playing.
5. Put in earbud back.
6. The playback will start automatically, if you haven’t adjusted Settings of APP in Bluetooth settings. If not, press play.
7. For the first second, I can hear full fat bass with rich mids and highs. Afterwards, I can hear how APP set in force by auto adjusting EQ. As the result, the bass become flat, however, mids and highs remain the same.

I presume APP auto EQ might varies as well from one APP to another. I will get to nearest Apple store, ask for a replacement and will checked whether replicated issue is my personal experience only or it is common issue with some APP batch.

 

[augustya]

Hi, everyone!

Seems, I have found a way how to replicate the APP automatic EQ adjustment which results for me in a lack of bass with each ear tip from small to large one:
1. Put APP into OFF mode (where both Noise cancellation and Transparence modes are off).
2. Play the track which should sound right for you in terms of bass, mids and highs.
3. Take out one left or right earbud whichever you prefer.
4. Wait for a few seconds after music stops playing.
5. Put in earbud back.
6. The playback will start automatically, if you haven’t adjusted Settings of APP in Bluetooth settings. If not, press play.
7. For the first second, I can hear full fat bass with rich mids and highs. Afterwards, I can hear how APP set in force by auto adjusting EQ. As the result, the bass become flat, however, mids and highs remain the same.

I presume APP auto EQ might varies as well from one APP to another. I will get to nearest Apple store, ask for a replacement and will checked whether replicated issue is my personal experience only or it is common issue with some APP batch.

First thing to say Kudos to you is, because you have been able to correctly diagnose and reproduce the thing that is causing death of BASS in your APP. That is very intelligent.

Yes I think you should get it checked at an Apple Store. Maybe try it with a Third Party EQ APP and see if it makes any difference ??

 

[Ralfi]

but the song was TLC's No Scrubs. At the club, I heard/felt this sick bass beat that I'd never heard before - it recurs occasionally, throughout the whole song. Sort of infrequent, but it's there.

Is it possible to point out when this beat occurs, mavis? I'm curious to see if I can pick it up.

 

[icloudUser]

Hey there.

I’ve just fired this track up in both Spotify/AM & the bass comes through as ‘dirty’ in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s meant to sound like that or if the Airpods Pro’s just can’t handle it?

Its meant to be raw and detuned. The genre is sludge metal. Not sure what you mean by dirty but i can guess it . This genre is Meant to be rough and distorted.
The APPs are grand for me when it comes to the bass. The other earbuds i use are SH Momemtums wireless. They are no.1 and the bass comes through very heavy and I dont mind it but I like the balanced sound stage of the APP.

 

[Ralfi]

Its meant to be raw and detuned. The genre is sludge metal. Not sure what you mean by dirty but i can guess it . This genre is Meant to be rough and distorted.
The APPs are grand for me when it comes to the bass. The other earbuds i use are SH Momemtums wireless. They are no.1 and the bass comes through very heavy and I dont mind it but I like the balanced sound stage of the APP.

Ok cool. Yeah it sounded rough ie. not a smooth flowing bass note.

Good to know the APP’s reproduced it accurately.

 

[MajkDudkowski]

Hi, everyone!

Seems, I have found a way how to replicate the APP automatic EQ adjustment which results for me in a lack of bass with each ear tip from small to large one:
1. Put APP into OFF mode (where both Noise cancellation and Transparence modes are off).
2. Play the track which should sound right for you in terms of bass, mids and highs.
3. Take out one left or right earbud whichever you prefer.
4. Wait for a few seconds after music stops playing.
5. Put in earbud back.
6. The playback will start automatically, if you haven’t adjusted Settings of APP in Bluetooth settings. If not, press play.
7. For the first second, I can hear full fat bass with rich mids and highs. Afterwards, I can hear how APP set in force by auto adjusting EQ. As the result, the bass become flat, however, mids and highs remain the same.

I presume APP auto EQ might varies as well from one APP to another. I will get to nearest Apple store, ask for a replacement and will checked whether replicated issue is my personal experience only or it is common issue with some APP batch.

I managed that problem on same way! But I thought that it was placebo... good to know that there is another person with that feeling.

 

[icloudUser]

Hi, everyone!

Seems, I have found a way how to replicate the APP automatic EQ adjustment which results for me in a lack of bass with each ear tip from small to large one:
1. Put APP into OFF mode (where both Noise cancellation and Transparence modes are off).
2. Play the track which should sound right for you in terms of bass, mids and highs.
3. Take out one left or right earbud whichever you prefer.
4. Wait for a few seconds after music stops playing.
5. Put in earbud back.
6. The playback will start automatically, if you haven’t adjusted Settings of APP in Bluetooth settings. If not, press play.
7. For the first second, I can hear full fat bass with rich mids and highs. Afterwards, I can hear how APP set in force by auto adjusting EQ. As the result, the bass become flat, however, mids and highs remain the same.

I presume APP auto EQ might varies as well from one APP to another. I will get to nearest Apple store, ask for a replacement and will checked whether replicated issue is my personal experience only or it is common issue with some APP batch.

Cannot recreate the flat bass anomaly. Tried twice!
Deffo get yours checked/replaced.

 

[mavis]

Is it possible to point out when this beat occurs, mavis? I'm curious to see if I can pick it up.

Sure. The low-frequency beat hits at 0:11, 0:17, 0:22, and so on. The main beat starts at about 0:20 and peaks at around 109Hz, but that low-frequency, sort of "thunderous" (for lack of a better word) beat hits at about 50-52Hz. That's the one that most speakers and headphones can't reproduce well (if at all). I made a video showing the frequency analysis of the first thirty seconds or so, and I paused the analysis at the end, with a really slow decay on the graph so you can more easily see the difference between the main bass beat and the low-frequency beat. There are two peaks visible in the low end, and I move the cursor from the main beat to that low beat, so you can see the exact frequencies (109Hz vs 50Hz, as mentioned) ... Also, I hope YouTube doesn't strip the audio due to copyright ... lol

That's an example of the kind of low-frequency bass I like to test when I get new headphones, or when I'm trying different tips on IEMs. What I noticed on my AirPods Pro was that when I listen to that song (for example) on Spotify, the low end bass (anything less than 60Hz or so, I guess?) was noticeably weaker than with Apple Music, no matter how I adjusted the EQ (off, flat, presets, or manual) ... I need to find my lightning to headphone adapter, so I can plug my iPhone into my Mac and use it as a source, to test this more 'scientifically' ... ?

 

[Ralfi]

Thanks, mavis. Yeah those are some deep bass drops eh. Flipping between Spotify/AM, both are very similar, it’s so hard to pick the difference, but if anything (& it’s tiny, AM maybe sounds a little fuller, but it may be more a volume thing...)...

 

[mavis]

Thanks, mavis. Yeah those are some deep bass drops eh. Flipping between Spotify/AM, both are very similar, it’s so hard to pick the difference, but if anything (& it’s tiny, AM maybe sounds a little fuller, but it may be more a volume thing...)...

Were you able to hear those beats on your AirPods Pro?

I was just listening to the playlist on my Sony WH-1000XM3s (in terms of bass quantity and quality, there's no comparison!) and I ran a frequency analysis on the track This Could be Anywhere in the World by Alexisonfire. This is the only track of theirs with a hard-hitting sub-bass beat, but WOW - at hits at 33Hz (!!) throughout the song (for example at 0:08 and 0:12 and again at 0:26 and 0:30) and according to the analysis, that beat is the loudest/most powerful part of the entire song - but again, it's barely audible on most systems and headphones. On the AirPods Pro it's audible, but it definitely lacks the impact/presence it was intended to have ...

Here's a link to the song:

This Could Be Anywhere In the World by Alexisonfire on Apple Music

Song · 2006 · Duration 4:03

music.apple.com

And here's a screenshot of the frequency analysis, taken at about halfway through the song, with the decay set to zero so you can see the max level of each frequency up to that point. The 33Hz beat is clearly the strongest, but depending on how good of a seal you're getting on your AirPods Pro, it might just be audible at a whisper level, overpowered by the rest of the song ...

 

[Ralfi]

Were you able to hear those beats on your AirPods Pro?

Yeah I heard it. & it sounded good to me.

This is the only track of theirs with a hard-hitting sub-bass beat, but WOW - at hits at 33Hz (!!) throughout the song (for example at 0:08 and 0:12 and again at 0:26 and 0:30) and according to the analysis, that beat is the loudest/most powerful part of the entire song - but again, it's barely audible on most systems and headphones. On the AirPods Pro it's audible, but it definitely lacks the impact/presence it was intended to have ...

Also hear these drops. Not sure how much I’m missing out on, but it definitely has an impact & isn’t drowned out by other instruments ?

I’ll test it out on the home theatre where the SVS SB 2000 sub should gorge on it ?.....& it did! Those reverberations were beautiful!

But credit to the miserly AirPods Pro (in comparison to the home theatre)...They’ve come a long way.

 

[mavis]

Yeah I heard it. & it sounded good to me.


Also hear these drops. Not sure how much I’m missing out on, but it definitely has an impact & isn’t drowned out by other instruments ?

I’ll test it out on the home theatre where the SVS SB 2000 sub should gorge on it ?.....& it did! Those reverberations were beautiful!

But credit to the miserly AirPods Pro (in comparison to the home theatre)...They’ve come a long way.

Haha, for sure a subwoofer is the way to go - especially one that does 500W RMS and 1100W peak, like that SVS (I looked up the specs) ... nice! You're right about the AirPods having come a long way, though. If Apple would just open them up to personalization like Sony has done with their headphones, I think they'd be even better.

 

[Antgb84]

I’m also experiencing complete lack of any bass with L tips on. Waiting for some foam pieces to try out but so far with Apple supplied silicone tips bass is virtually nonexistent. Pity I’m forced to revert to regular AirPods for now every now and then which have far better and punchier kick nearly for half the cost of Pros. What’s the deal with that?

 

[RigSatMe]

I’m also experiencing complete lack of any bass with L tips on. Waiting for some foam pieces to try out but so far with Apple supplied silicone tips bass is virtually nonexistent. Pity I’m forced to revert to regular AirPods for now every now and then which have far better and punchier kick nearly for half the cost of Pros. What’s the deal with that?

I have a reservation at Genius Bar on 12/28/19. I will report back afterwards.

 

[RigSatMe]

I have received replacement today. The firmware version is 2B588. Left and Right AirPods Pro comes in the separate box each. Serial number in Settings now shows “1”. They sound balanced but still the problem mentioned in this thread may be reproduced in the same way. I will listen up for another week and will decide on.

 

[DesertSilver]

I have received replacement today. The firmware version is 2B588. Left and Right AirPods Pro comes in the separate box each. Serial number in Settings now shows “1”. They sound balanced but still the problem mentioned in this thread may be reproduced in the same way. I will listen up for another week and will decide on.

Unrelated to thread but I got a replacement left APP from an Apple store and serial number on iPhone shows as “1” also. Tried various resets/re-pairing and can’t get proper serial number to show. Not a big deal but still strange.

 

[cflem]

Here’s a great test.
Bass sounds awesome here... just not in the music... it’s the adaptive EQ.

Bass Sounds tuned on A 1 (30 Samples) by Deep Bass

Song · 1:07 · 2010

music.apple.com

 

[topcat001]

This is very interesting. How do the APPs compare to AP gen 2? In my experience, the APv2 have less bass and brighter highs. When I listen for a long time with my APv2s I get a little fatigue due to the bright highs.

In comparison, on the APPs the bass is punchier, and the highs are a little more mellow, but still perfectly clear. This makes it very comfortable to listen for a long time. I am using the medium tips and the seal is good.

AFAIK Adaptive EQ (which uses the inward facing mics) turns off when ANC is turned off. In the gym for example, I only turn on ANC if it's very noisy. Otherwise the tips offer enough isolation to run without ANC and battery drain is a bit lower. Outdoors I keep ANC on.

 

[Ralfi]

Haha, for sure a subwoofer is the way to go - especially one that does 500W RMS and 1100W peak, like that SVS (I looked up the specs) ... nice! You're right about the AirPods having come a long way, though. If Apple would just open them up to personalization like Sony has done with their headphones, I think they'd be even better.

Hey Mavis. Care to run your scanner over this track...specifically at 3:27...

Why So Serious? by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard on Apple Music

Song · 2008 · Duration 9:14

music.apple.com

?