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AirPods Pro vs. AirPods Pro 2 Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
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Honestly, I find the “2x improvement in noise cancelling” dubious. Could be some 2x improvement on some bizzare frequency we never normally are around. They tend to hype a bit on headphone stuff.
I’m going to wait to see a few reviews, if they’re genuinely better by a good margin I’ll buy but honestly I love my AirPods Pro’s, no real need to change them. The noise cancelling would need to be noticeably better with noticeably better sound overall.
Can’t wait for my iPhone 14 Pro Max tomorrow and I upgrade stuff every year or when new versions drop but this year both the AirPods Pro (as above) and Watch I’m holding out. Don’t see any need for Series 8 since it’s practically same as Series 7, plus I’m not a women so temperature sensor has no utility for me. Also the ultra looks too big for me, plus the most I do is gym or walk. No mountain climbing or event sports for me.
I’m going to wait to see a few reviews, if they’re genuinely better by a good margin I’ll buy but honestly I love my AirPods Pro’s, no real need to change them. The noise cancelling would need to be noticeably better with noticeably better sound overall.
Can’t wait for my iPhone 14 Pro Max tomorrow and I upgrade stuff every year or when new versions drop but this year both the AirPods Pro (as above) and Watch I’m holding out. Don’t see any need for Series 8 since it’s practically same as Series 7, plus I’m not a women so temperature sensor has no utility for me. Also the ultra looks too big for me, plus the most I do is gym or walk. No mountain climbing or event sports for me.
Will see how well the upgrades stack up in real world reviews. The better in ear detection makes it tempting to upgrade for me, as that’s the biggest issue I have with mine.
That said, I’m not buying anything new from Apple that still includes lightning. 98% of my peripherals are USB C these days and I’m done buying lightning cables. Enough is enough Apple.
Edit and add: Anyone having issues with tips, get memory foam tips (got mine for a few bucks an Amazon). I was ready to return the APP, but they made all the difference.
That said, I’m not buying anything new from Apple that still includes lightning. 98% of my peripherals are USB C these days and I’m done buying lightning cables. Enough is enough Apple.
Edit and add: Anyone having issues with tips, get memory foam tips (got mine for a few bucks an Amazon). I was ready to return the APP, but they made all the difference.
Lightning is a deal breaker for me too. It's likely I would have bought otherwise them since my old in ears just broke.
DIY Foam Tip for True Wireless IEM or Ear Buds | Comfortable Shoes Studio
I want to start this off by stating that I'm not an audiophile, I just want my true wireless in ear buds to stay in my ears, which they just don't with the typical silicone tips that are packaged with most entry level buds. My search for tips that stay in my ears began when
comfortableshoesstudio.com
How do you give this comment a thumbs down, unless you are deluded ?!
ALAC was used, as Apple couldn't be sure of the patents situation for FLAC, so rolled their own lossless format to be sure, not because they tried to throw a load of money at someone to secure ownership of it.
And the real issue is not ALAC vs. FLAC anyway (ALAC is an MP4 codec, so I've found it works on more and more devices; so none of those incompatibilities you mention). Storage is hardly an issue these days on portable devices (certainly as time goes on when we'll see 2...3...4+TB devices at cheaper prices per GB), and neither is encoding/decoding hardware performance (Apple Silicon, and other competitors, can do this stuff extremely easily).
The real need is getting a BT streaming lossless codec. Whether that happens or not right now or in near future, is obviously open to debate. But eventually that'll come, and the source codec will not be an issue whatsoever.
And the real issue is not ALAC vs. FLAC anyway (ALAC is an MP4 codec, so I've found it works on more and more devices; so none of those incompatibilities you mention). Storage is hardly an issue these days on portable devices (certainly as time goes on when we'll see 2...3...4+TB devices at cheaper prices per GB), and neither is encoding/decoding hardware performance (Apple Silicon, and other competitors, can do this stuff extremely easily).
The real need is getting a BT streaming lossless codec. Whether that happens or not right now or in near future, is obviously open to debate. But eventually that'll come, and the source codec will not be an issue whatsoever.
That was me. I decided to buy. Sound is noticeably improved! You're missing out!!
Go get 'em!!!
AirPods Pro 2022 review: Already excellent earbuds, improved | AppleInsider
Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are better than the original in almost every way thanks to the more powerful H2 processor in a familiar form-factor.
appleinsider.com
"...Audio quality and the H2
AirPods Pro 2 have a new low-distortion audio driver and a custom amplifier. These, combined with advanced audio processing performed by the H2 processor, translate to a better audio experience.The audio quality updates are immediately noticeable. Low-frequency bass punches much more, and the audio sounds crisp and clear.
The H2 is responsible for everything from battery management to Spatial Audio. The increased Active Noise Cancellation and new Adaptive Transparency benefit from the higher processing power.
Adaptive EQ uses information from the internal microphone to control audio as it is played, so it sounds natural in your ear. A better processor improves this algorithmic process.
Personalized Spatial Audio improves sound further by taking the user's ear shape into account. The iPhone's TrueDepth camera lets users scan their ears and sync this information across devices. This feature is used for any AirPods that support Spatial Audio, not just AirPods Pro 2..."
"...
Apple did not announce support for lossless over AirPods Pro 2, but don't count it out yet. It could be possible if Apple develops a new lossless audio codec for the H2 processor and Bluetooth 5.3.
We've found AirPods Pro audio quality to be rather outstanding without lossless and find it hard to imagine how it would change with a new codec. While "better" audio is welcome, it isn't clear if the higher bandwidth, higher memory, and more battery exhaustion are worth the tradeoff for marginally improved sound quality..."
Exactly right. Just got mine today, and for me it’s a huge upgrade for all the above but mainly because the new tips finally give me a good seal. I’ve had a couple pairs of the pro in which I had to combine (!) foam from other manufacturers into the AirPods to get a good seal. Now that’s solved, and I am impressed from the bass that they can produce. I have also the AirPods Max and the B&W PX7 so its an easy comparison. The 50% more battery is also a main upgrade, as I barely take them off all morning in the office. 100% worth the upgrade.
I have both AirPods Pro 1’s and AirPod Pro 2’s in front of me and was looking for some description would help tell them apart at a glance (while I personally can smell the difference between H1 and H2 and taste the difference between Bluetooth 5.0 and 5.3, I do know a few people that can’t, tragically). This article came up first in a search and, while great for MY senses, it’s not so much for others.
I would implore the editors to update the first post of this thread with images from here
support.apple.com
and here
support.apple.com
(or capture your own images)
indicating that, visually, with the case open, the black ovals facing forward are noticeably longer on the AirPods Pro 1’s. One doesn’t need perfect eyesight OR an iOS device (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209580) if they’re quickly looking at both trying to determine which pair to hand down and pair one to keep
I would implore the editors to update the first post of this thread with images from here
AirPods Pro 1 with Wireless Charging Case - Tech Specs - Apple Support
and here
AirPods Pro 2 - Tech Specs - Apple Support
(or capture your own images)
indicating that, visually, with the case open, the black ovals facing forward are noticeably longer on the AirPods Pro 1’s. One doesn’t need perfect eyesight OR an iOS device (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209580) if they’re quickly looking at both trying to determine which pair to hand down and pair one to keep
Indeed! Additional items that would be great to have on the article post. Then again, this IS a buyer’s guide, so totally understand if that’s not desired. Could be that I just happened on THIS post where there’s another one in the product area that provides the same information.