Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AirPods Pro - Pictures and first impressions
- Thread starter Boardiesboi
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just had a short testrun in the AppleStore. They fit a bit better thanks to the thicker body and the shorter stem. Sound Quality: Compared to the original AirPods, they did definitely not smash me away. Basses are indeed somewhat better, more direct, it does not depend how precise you can put them in the absolutely correct position in your ears.
If you really are into basses, they will please you more, yet it is not a different world. I left the store, put my "old" AirPods in the ears and was quite satisfied with their sound. And: yes, I am into basses as well.
They will need another testrun for me. For now I will stick to V1.
I have a few questions before I order mine
1. can you hear yourself breathe obnoxiously loud?
2. are you experiencing „spider senses“ like the fabric of a scarf bumping into your jacket being unusual loud?
3. is there some annoying noise when the music is too quiet? Like a base and constant buzzing?
4. how is the pressure in your ear canal? Comfortable?
1. can you hear yourself breathe obnoxiously loud?
2. are you experiencing „spider senses“ like the fabric of a scarf bumping into your jacket being unusual loud?
3. is there some annoying noise when the music is too quiet? Like a base and constant buzzing?
4. how is the pressure in your ear canal? Comfortable?
Got my AirPods Pro this morning. Really loving the fit, they are sooooo comfortable (for me). ANC is good; I didn't expect it to be like my Sony over-the-ear headphones, but it functions very well, even blocking out the hand dryer in the loo (which, according to my watch, was at 95db).
Sound is fine for me, I'm not an audiophile nor someone who is very demanding. Bass is good enough for me.
Really like the touch controls, they work really well!
Having said all that, I'm going to exchange mine tomorrow. Two reasons for this:
1. Every time I open the AirPods lid, the pop-up dialog shows a red exclamation mark on the right earbud. They work fine, but it's worrying nonetheless.
2. After listening for about an hour or so, I found that the left bud is draining far more quickly than the right one:
Sound is fine for me, I'm not an audiophile nor someone who is very demanding. Bass is good enough for me.
Really like the touch controls, they work really well!
Having said all that, I'm going to exchange mine tomorrow. Two reasons for this:
1. Every time I open the AirPods lid, the pop-up dialog shows a red exclamation mark on the right earbud. They work fine, but it's worrying nonetheless.
2. After listening for about an hour or so, I found that the left bud is draining far more quickly than the right one:
My experience so far...
1. No
2. Yes, but minor and only on transparency mode (movement of jacket)
3. No
4. Pressure was fine in ear canal however had some discomfort after a few hours on outer ear where the AirPod rests. Might need to adjust with tip sizing/get used to them over the next few days
Many of us don't live in giant cities nor travel often. For $249 sound should be a top priority for reviewers to at least give some comparisons.
1. yes louder with NC on
2. no - but its unnatural with NC on, like some pressure
3.yes - like a rustle and one time a louder cracking sound
4. not so good like the (orig) AP
I need them for my Callings and found out that – even with NC off an transparency on – I cannot hear my own voice clear/loud enough.
Picked them up from Apple Store and first impressions are pretty good. Noise cancellation is good, sounds like you are in a music hall rather than muting all the noise around you. YMMV tho.
Fit is much better and music finally doesn’t get drowned out like the OG ones.
Loving it so far.
Fit is much better and music finally doesn’t get drowned out like the OG ones.
Loving it so far.
Interesting...mine arrived with 97% for left and 51% for right; wonder if anyone else had full charges when first opening up, or if this an indication of a faulty R AirPods
The only benefit i can see now for my Beats are keeping my ears ward while walking the dog ??
Just had another hour with them, you can tell the pressure is equalised in the ear canal you could wear them all day. Well except for the battery dying after 4-5 hrs but you get what i mean.
Got used to the squeeze gestures instead of tapping really quick.
Anyone else noticed the new hinge has quite a bit of movement. Mine moves left and right and makes a bit of a clicked sound. Not sure if thats normal or not?
Same. My first gens had it but too but less of a click. Not really troubled by it tbh
Hello Mavis,Just got mine here in Tokyo.
The first thing I did was load up my "Bass Test" playlist in Apple Music. A big caveat here - I'm coming from Sony WF-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM3, with the Clear Bass turned up to 8 - I like bass, particularly in the 20-80Hz range. I've found quite a few songs over the years with beats or bass lines in that range, and I always test new headphones by listening to those tracks. For example, Bambro Koyo Ganda by Bonobo - that's an Apple Music link, btw - at about 1:41 this wicked sub-bass line kicks in, and on good headphones it's amazing. Cheap headphones/speakers? You can't even hear it. Another sort of asterisk - I have a cold ATM, which is probably affecting my hearing a little.
The good news is, the AirPods Pro can handle the bass, BUT it's far more 'polite' than I'm used to. The bass is there, but it's a lot more subdued, compared to the Sonys. Again, the Sony WF-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM3 can be adjusted to be very bass-heavy - still clean, and not overpowering, but yeah - they can be tailored to fit the sound you're looking for. Their bass, when EQ'd, is definitely much stronger than the AirPod Pro. The soundstage on these AirPods is fairly wide, for earbuds, and the highs are clear and smooth. The mids are a bit more forward than I'm used to, but that might just be because I'm running on flat EQ whereas my WF-1000XM3s are on a custom EQ.
ANC is good, not quite as effective as Sony's implementation but still pretty good. Traffic noise is basically non-existent with ANC enabled and music playing, and train noise is gone, too. I can still hear the occasional outside sound (the woman sitting next to me on the train just turned the pages of a magazine and I heard it, a bit, but then I didn't hear it at all when she put the magazine in her bag before getting off the train) but it's FAR better than the original AirPods - I stopped using the AirPods (still have the 2nd gens in my bag) because I was so tired of all the ambient noise coming through. The AirPods Pro definitely take care of that.
If anyone has any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
edit: here's a link to my bass test playlist on Apple Music, if anyone wants to give it a spin. All different genres, but most of the songs have a solid <100Hz bass line or occasional beat, that makes them good for testing headphones and speakers. Even Triste by Elis Regina - that one's Bossa Nova and just has an acoustic bass, but it thumps.
edit2: I've managed to get a bit more bass out of the AirPods Pro by changing the EQ from Off to Latin. That preset seems to boost the low end, drop the mids a bit (takes care of them being a little too forward) and leaves the high end intact, or slightly increased. Sort of a shallow "V" shaped EQ, to my ears. I then reduced my Sony WF-1000XM3 bass boost from 8 to 3, to compensate, and both headphones sound good now. The AirPods Pro still lack the punch of the Sonys in the <100Hz range, but it's better than before. ?
I was thinking of getting one for myself . However I am also looking at Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW. Do you think the CKS5TW would sound better than the air pod pro ? Looking forward to your reply on this.
Regards,
John
1. Especially when not playing music: with ANC off, yes (low, stuffy sound); with transparency on not as much (quieter, higher-pitched); with ANC on no. I feel like I would not want to use the AirPods Pro with ANC totally off
2. Similar to question 1 - with ANC off yes; with transparency only the higher frequencies come through; with ANC on no
3. Nothing I can hear at least. I know what you're talking about, though - my Momentum M2 AEBTs have a low hiss when ANC is on but no music is playing. I don't hear that with the APPs
4. The APPs definitely have a more noticable "presence" in my ears than the first gen AirPods do. I'm more aware of them, while the regular AirPods wear 100% effortlessly. I need to use these more to be able to judge, but one hour in I feel like I could wear the originals longer
Mine makes a soft, strained metallic sound when I open it. First gen AirPods' case does not. I'll need to monitor it to see if it becomes worse.
...
General observations:
The absolute standout feature of the APPs for me (so far) is the Active Noise Cancellation combined with super lightweight earbuds. It gets rid of AC humm and other sounds home electronics make, without annoying ANC hiss. I imagine these would be great for Mac Mini 2018 owners *g*
The sound quality is comparable to my first gen AirPods - it's okay, not great - but the originals are terrible outside when there's noise present. I like to listen to music at low volumes (1/4), and that's impossible with the first gen. I'll see tomorrow if that's possible with the APPs, and how transparency handles an office environment.
Last edited:
I swear people do weird **** to Apple products.
Last edited by a moderator:
Noticed it as I opened the lid and when putting them in my pocket... Not sure if thats weird
Last edited by a moderator:
my first ANC headphones have been my Beats studio 3 pro wireless that came free with my 2019 macbook (thank you back to school offers). I love ANC now so much i use this feature every day with my beats even without playing anything just for ANC and silence to meditate ( i live in a loud city). so ANC is really big for me which is why i use my beats more than my Airpods 2, just for ANC. thats why im so excited about airpods pro which will let me go back to airpods but have ANC.
QUESTION to anyone with beats studio 3 pro wireless, how does the ANC with airpods pro compare to the ANC with the beats? on airpods pro when ANC is turned on and nothing playing do you hear a background whitenoise/hiss at all? (i hear that with the beats with ANC turned on and nothing playing)
[automerge]1572454568[/automerge]
QUESTION to anyone with beats studio 3 pro wireless, how does the ANC with airpods pro compare to the ANC with the beats? on airpods pro when ANC is turned on and nothing playing do you hear a background whitenoise/hiss at all? (i hear that with the beats with ANC turned on and nothing playing)
[automerge]1572454568[/automerge]
lmfaoooo. i think they all do that. i noticed that on airpods 1 and 2 but honestly who cares? i forgot about it in 2 minutes
I've got a set of Studio 3's and ANC for me with the new Pro's are similar enough to make my Beats redundant.
Thank you - Finally a level headed reply regarding sound quality.
I'm fairly confident most people "blown away by the SQ" are simply being impacted by the different experience any in-ear vs out of ear solution provides by design.
[automerge]1572454835[/automerge]
Thank you - Very much as expected on the SQ front, by itself.
[automerge]1572454878[/automerge]
Really great questions that have always been the types of issues keeping me from using in-ear design stuff basically forever..
Excellent. It sounds like the airpods are aiming for high quality audio with a wide soundstage, where highs and mids aren’t drowned out or distorted by bass. The bass heavy sound many people enjoy is better served by Beats headphones imo.