AirPods Pro Lack of Bass

[mavis]

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

?

Haha, I know that track! Isn't 3:27 where the tank or whatever comes in? Haven't seen that movie in ages, but yeah - I think it peaks at 31Hz. I can check it within the next day or two!

 

[Ralfi]

Haha, I know that track! Isn't 3:27 where the tank or whatever comes in? Haven't seen that movie in ages, but yeah - I think it peaks at 31Hz. I can check it within the next day or two!

Bump!

I’m curious to know how deep that bass is, mavis!
?

It really feels like the roof is collapsing around me.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I think your correct. APP’s are not for everyone. No way Apple (or any other manufacturer) could design a pair of ear buds that fit everyone perfectly.

No, but they could have gotten WAY closer by offering an XL tip or by designing a memory foam tip.

 

[mavis]

Bump!

I’m curious to know how deep that bass is, mavis!
?

It really feels like the roof is collapsing around me.

Ok, I'll run it through the analyzer when I have a chance. Probably won't be until the end of this next week ...

 

[anthony13]

2C54 has considerably less bass in my opinion. I know the reports suggested that it had more bass, but I have found it lacking. I typically use Latin EQ, as it pushes the low end with with out pushing the low mids. That said, compared to the original AirPods, I think the pro’s have much more bass regardless of 2c54.

 

[John dosh]

Yeah since the firmware update bass has taken a massive hit. No longer is it thumping and booming it’s just not there anymore. Everything has taken a massive hit. Really is a shame because before the update sound was amazing and everything was working so good. Quicker they go back to the last firmware the better.

 

[mavis]

Bump!

I’m curious to know how deep that bass is, mavis!
?

It really feels like the roof is collapsing around me.

Hey man! Apologies for the incredibly late reply - today was the first time I actually had time to do this.

So, that's the analysis about 10-20 seconds after the rumble starts (this track from the Dark Knight soundtrack, in case anyone missed it). You can see that it peaks at about 35Hz, but look at the fairly gentle roll-off on either side -it's got a fair amount of impact down around 20Hz (and lower), it looks like! Definitely a good track to test a sub.

 

[Ralfi]

Hey man! Apologies for the incredibly late reply - today was the first time I actually had time to do this.


View attachment 893223

So, that's the analysis about 10-20 seconds after the rumble starts (this track from the Dark Knight soundtrack, in case anyone missed it). You can see that it peaks at about 35Hz, but look at the fairly gentle roll-off on either side -it's got a fair amount of impact down around 20Hz (and lower), it looks like! Definitely a good track to test a sub.

Oh ?. 20Hz! I’m not shocked by that. I was shocked when I first heard it though!

Thanks, Mavis. I wonder which track on Apple Music has the lowest bass. ?

 

[Antgb84]

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[DanielAdamBush]

Dear All,

recently purchased AirPods Pro, Firmware 2C54. I have 1st gen AirPods as well. Comparing APP to AirPods, APP lack bass. I have tested all included tips: medium and small ones sits perfectly and Apple ear tip fit test confirms this.
Please advise if anyone has the same experience? Have you exchanged for the new ones? If yes, please advise whether the new ones sound better?

[automerge]1584804861[/automerge]
I have AirPod Pros and use them with YouTube music. The bass is rather good to me. I bought them last year but not sure of the firmware.

But if I had wanted more bass I suppose I could use ClipGrab to download the videos and work them over to my Music app on the iPhone, change the EQ setting in Settings and listen with more bass then.

 

[anshuvorty]

So, what is the TL;DR? Is there a definitive case of the AirPods Pro lacking bass or is it a software issue?

 

[onurradio]

I too am having the same issue with my AirPods Pro sounding flat no matter what eartip I use (I did the order the foam ones from Amazon today). I opened a case with Apple telling them no matter what profile I use that the Pro headphones don't come close to the Airpods 2 bass quality. They are doing an RMA for me but either someone didn't do their homework when these were in R&D or something. Hard to believe that with all the QA that Apple does on their products that someone didn't raise their hand in their focus group and ask why the bass quality doesn't compare the the regular Airpods. Will update everyone after the swap and see if the replacements are any better.

 

[MXBY]

I received my AirPods Pro yesterday, and have been underwhelmed by the bass response. I have owned AirPods Gen 1 for the last few years, but I'm thinking of using them instead as I love their sound.

Just now I found an EQ app in eqMac, and after playing around for a few minutes, it seemed to help somewhat to set the three bottom frequency ranges in the Advanced EQ to around +3.0 to +4.0 dB, with perhaps a little extra to the 32 Hz slider. The bass signal is not "clean" at those settings however, and will be oversaturated in some situations.

Has anyone found good preset settings for eqMac or any other Equalizer?

 

[Amaze]

Has anyone with this ”problem” had their APPs replaced and the ”problem” gone? Problem in quotes because I think this is just a sound profile APPs have.

I don’t like it and might end up selling these and getting Powerbeats or something.

Regular Airpods sound fine to me.

 

[kissmo]

Today I went running and I decided to take wired Airpods with me. Those that came with the iPhone 11 pro max.
Without any doubt, the bass levels on them is much stronger than on the APP.
I don't have any issues with the APP, sound quality in many areas is better but I agree, they lack Bass.
Just a quick note - I pass the isolation test, APP stay fit in my ears, there's no issue with them.

I didn't notice until today the huge difference.

 

[MXBY]

Just now I found an EQ app in eqMac, and after playing around for a few minutes, it seemed to help somewhat to set the three bottom frequency ranges in the Advanced EQ to around +3.0 to +4.0 dB, with perhaps a little extra to the 32 Hz slider. The bass signal is not "clean" at those settings however, and will be oversaturated in some situations.

Turns out that eqMac was really buggy together with AirPods, crashing all the time, and therefore not a viable solution for Mac.

I am instead using Audio Hijack which has a simple 10-band EQ. It's actually an audio routing/recording application – like Soundflower – but very robust. However, I am generally so far unable to EQ the AirPods Pro in a satisfactory way as boosting the bass creates distortion very quickly. On the more positive note, Audio Hijack supports running serious audio plugins like the iZotope Ozone Suite in the background on all system audio. I've managed to make the AirPods Pro a relatively fair bit more exciting by using iZotope Maximizer, Equalizer and whatnot. This is the best solution I can think of short of selling/returning the AirPod Pros. The downside is that you muck around with the original mixes of the music.

I was just listening to some music I remember sounding great on AirPods Gen1, which was really boring on AirPods Pro. I must apologize to myself for buying them – they are simply not an engaging product.

 

[PJ.]

I too have found the bass a let down. Talked to online support who eventually out my onto a manager whose opening line was “I have the AirPod 2 and don’t have a problem with bass so I don’t see why your Pros should” yes you don’t have a problem so no one else should. Anyway for some foam tips from Amazon which make the bass a lot better

Canopus Memory Foam Replacement Earbud Tips, Compatible with AirPods Pro to Avoid Falling Off, 3 Pairs (Small, Medium, Large), Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0842C2RLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_byuTEbJ52VAQ6

I don’t understand why when I have noise cancelling turned on the bass is much better so when I use them on a windows laptop it is rubbish again. Is this a bug?

PJ

 

[MXBY]

I don’t understand why when I have noise cancelling turned on the bass is much better so when I use them on a windows laptop it is rubbish again. Is this a bug?

I have had my AirPod Pros for a week or so. I've never noticed any substantial difference in bass when switching between noise cancelling and no cancelling. Perhaps the noise cancelling mode is a little better in regards to bass although I can't say for sure. According to the latest audiologist I visited, I have far above-average hearing abilities. I've compared this on Mac and iPhone X.

It may be a bug causing some of our problems. Wasn't there talk a few months back about decreased bass response following a firmware update?

 

[jmgregory1]

I just got a pair of AirPod Pros a couple of days ago, and was surprised by how good they sound. I wouldn’t say they’re terrible for bass response, but I wasn’t expecting much with a small in-ear headset. I’ve not use any Apple headphones in years - like 10 years to be exact, so I can’t say how they compare to past versions. I have been using some Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2’s for the past couple of years, but now with my wearing them for hours every day, they were just getting to hot to wear so much. They’ve got great bass response and far better ANC, which is likely more due to the over-the-ear form factor.

I’m also one of those people who over-indulged with my Walkman in high school (for you youngsters out there - I’m talking about the original cassette tape Sony Walkman back in the early ‘80’s), as well as having lived with a metal band in college where our stereo speakers were a pair of the bands Electro-Voice 15” loudspeakers, so I’ve not done my hearing any favors over the years and because of that don’t need any speakers or headphones to be mind-blowingly loud.

 

[Ralfi]

Had a listen to Drake’s 2020 album yesterday & the bass was ?

 

[Ralfi]

Also @2:12 of Shiny Collarbone by The 1975 is impressive.

Shiny Collarbone by The 1975

Listen to Shiny Collarbone by The 1975 on Apple Music. 2020. Duration: 2:50

music.apple.com

 

[acctman]

Dear All,

recently purchased AirPods Pro, Firmware 2C54. I have 1st gen AirPods as well. Comparing APP to AirPods, APP lack bass. I have tested all included tips: medium and small ones sits perfectly and Apple ear tip fit test confirms this.
Please advise if anyone has the same experience? Have you exchanged for the new ones? If yes, please advise whether the new ones sound better?

Test bass with Rockstar. On Spotify... AirPod Pro

 

[richie.cl]

For some reason I get way more bass with NC on.
I believe this is related to the shape of the ear canal not compatible with adaptive EQ.

 

[MacManiac76]

I get pretty good bass on my AirPods Pro. A lot more than I thought they would. For how small they are, I think the overall sound range is excellent.

 

[seggy]

They're not particularly bassy but it's fine: In fact, sound signature is very similar to some of the high-end headphones I own. If you're into car meets on the other hand and determine sound quality based on amount of bass (and the fact that the APP was praised for it's sound quality at launch means that most fanbois have no idea what sound quality is), they'll definitely disappoint.

My main gripe at launch was the terrible sound quality with ANC - it sounded like the drivers were clipping a lot of the time. It's probably fair to say that the dialling back of the midrange sound cancellation with subsequent firmware is not unrelated.