Anyone notice sound panning around?

[teh_hunterer]

If you swiped down and in control centre spatial audio is OFF then I think you need to go back to the apple store for a return

I have added a pic to my post above to show where the button is located

Spatial audio was never on in the first place. Not for me, and not for pretty much anyone in here experiencing the issue.

It happens on multiple devices, all of which have spatial audio turned off.

 

[Smoothie]

I haven't read this whole thread, but I think this behavior is intended. I hear this both on my APP1 and APP2 with spatial audio turned off. If you were listening to live music with the vocalist in the center and you turned your head to the right, the vocalist would sound as though they're toward the left. As you return your head to the original position, the vocalist sounds like they're centered again because both ears are now again the same distance from the vocalist. Same thing happens with the APP, which is trying to duplicate the sound of live music. However, if you leave your head turned to the right for a certain period of time, the APP assume that's your new position and will slowly pan the vocalist back to the center. That's my theory, at least.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I haven't read this whole thread, but I think this behavior is intended. I hear this both on my APP1 and APP2 with spatial audio turned off. If you were listening to live music with the vocalist in the center and you turned your head to the right, the vocalist would sound as though they're toward the left. As you return your head to the original position, the vocalist sounds like they're centered again because both ears are now again the same distance from the vocalist. Same thing happens with the APP, which is trying to duplicate the sound of live music. However, if you leave your head turned to the right for a certain period of time, the APP assume that's your new position and will slowly pan the vocalist back to the center. That's my theory, at least.

The issue that myself and others are running into is that even with spatial audio turned off, even when we're just sitting still looking in the same direction for 20 minutes, the audio (typically speaking/singing voices) will randomly pan around, and then correct itself. This is purely incorrect and buggy behaviour and not at all what was intended.

I used the AirPods Pro 1st gen since launch, often for multiple hours per day, and never experienced this issue even once.

 

[Smoothie]

The issue that myself and others are running into is that even with spatial audio turned off, even when we're just sitting still looking in the same direction for 20 minutes, the audio (typically speaking/singing voices) will randomly pan around, and then correct itself. This is purely incorrect and buggy behaviour and not at all what was intended.

I used the AirPods Pro 1st gen since launch, often for multiple hours per day, and never experienced this issue even once.

Yeah, that doesn’t sound right. Random panning sounds like a bug. I haven’t experienced that.

 

[Smoothie]

I did a little more experimenting with the APP2 that I just bought today. Apparently, spatial audio with head tracking had been turned on and I didn't realize it. So what I was describing about the vocalist panning with changed head position was with that setting on. When I turned off spatial audio completely, there was no panning. When I turned on spatial audio with no head tracking, there was no panning. I haven't had it pan with head tracking turned off.

 

[zerogme]

Happening for me with APP1 after iOS16. Changing Spacial Audio settings either in Accessibility or on the volume slider doesn’t have an affect. What I noticed though is the side you’re holding your phone when you start playing content is the side it pans to. Fix seems to be quitting the app, holding the phone centrally, relaunching it and then it plays back ‘normally’ (could well still be a small shift). This doesn’t inspire confidence, but I’d say it’s a bug with dynamic head tracking. Hopefully it’s a software fix as I’ve had these for 2 years and never had this before.

 

[teh_hunterer]

It seems to be worse on YouTube and YouTube Music. I tried to listen to Nat King Cole's Stardust yesterday and I had to put the AirPods back in their case and take them out again because his voice was going crazy panning from left to right.

 

[imagineadam]

I have air pods pro original since July 2020.

I’ve noticed since the last firmware update that my sound will drift more to one side sometimes left or right after coming back from a paused state from a podcast/YouTube/music for say 20-30 seconds to a minute or so. It’s been driving me nuts. The only way to fix it is to remove both pods for a few seconds and put them back in and then boom they are fine and the sound is even. Then if I pause for a bit and come back from pause the problem starts all over again!


I don’t use spatial audio either.

 

[imagineadam]

It may be fixed for AirPods Pro 2 but it’s definitely introduced to AirPods Pro 1 after the latest firmware update..

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airpods-pro-1-sound-shift-drift-after-5b58-firmware.2369902/

I’m on iPhone 13 Pro Max 16.1.1, but I also see the problem on my iPad too so it’s definitely the AirPods. Tried turning off spatial audio, head tracking, personalized spatial audio but this problem persists.

This is exactly the same for me! You are not alone! And I’m glad I’m not going crazy!!!

 

[snyp1193]

This is exactly the same for me! You are not alone! And I’m glad I’m not going crazy!!!

I have decided to upgrade to AirPods Pro 2, one because this is driving me crazy and two I got a good deal for Cyber Monday. I hope this problem is actually fixed on APP2.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I have decided to upgrade to AirPods Pro 2, one because this is driving me crazy and two I got a good deal for Cyber Monday. I hope this problem is actually fixed on APP2.

It's not lol. I only noticed the problem since buying the APP2. I never saw it on my original APP, but I'm guessing it's firmware related if it's happening on the 1st ones as well.

 

[snyp1193]

It's not lol. I only noticed the problem since buying the APP2. I never saw it on my original APP, but I'm guessing it's firmware related if it's happening on the 1st ones as well.

I received my APP2 today and based on my use so far I’ve not been encountering this problem anymore. Maybe it’s too early to tell so I’ll give it some time.

Update: After using it for a few hours now I can say it’s definitely fixed for APP2 on 5B58. I’ve not encountered it once. My best guess it was an unintended bug for APP1 while trying to fix APP2.

 

[imagineadam]

I received my APP2 today and based on my use so far I’ve not been encountering this problem anymore. Maybe it’s too early to tell so I’ll give it some time.

Update: After using it for a few hours now I can say it’s definitely fixed for APP2 on 5B58. I’ve not encountered it once. My best guess it was an unintended bug for APP1 while trying to fix APP2.

Good for you! Still happening constantly on my APP1! I can’t believe more people aren’t noticing/complaining about this!

 

[BriceApp]

Good for you! Still happening constantly on my APP1! I can’t believe more people aren’t noticing/complaining about this!

I have it on my APP1 and it is annoying. I am able to switch to phone output and back to APP and it fixes it until I need to pause and hit play again. I put a ticket in via the feedback app.

 

[BriceApp]

I have yet to experience this on the new 5B59 firmware that was released this past week. So far it seems this issue has been resolved, at least for me.

 

[RedcapK7]

Yes, it's back with this software update I noticed. But way less distracting than it was at release. Weird.

 

[TheSynchronizer]

Interestingly I seem to have this issue too, on YouTube too, but not on my AirPods Pro. Instead, I’m experiencing it on completely different anc earphones made by Morejoy, and the issue is exactly as described here where sometimes some of the sound frequencies, especially the voices, just pan by themselves seemingly at random.

Weird.

 

[BriceApp]

I am also on 16.3RC, so it could be that or a combination of the two that has seemly resolved the issue for me. I will say none of the 16.3 betas helped.

 

[imagineadam]

I have yet to experience this on the new 5B59 firmware that was released this past week. So far it seems this issue has been resolved, at least for me.

Same seems to be fixed for me too! Finally!!!

 

[imagineadam]

Same seems to be fixed for me too! Finally!!!

Ah I jinxed it! Still goofed up!!! Darn it!! Happened after being paused for a little bit! Air pods pro gen 1.

 

[pdxrevolution]

I never experienced this on Pro 1, but it happens all the time for me on Pro 2. The issue, as far as I can tell, is using ANC or transparency. If either of those is enabled, I get the panning. But if I switch the slider to the central, "Off" position (so that there is no transparency/ANC happening), I don't get panning. YMMV.

 

[w00dy81]

This happens to me always but it’s only on spoken word content like podcasts, Apple Podcasts or pocketcasts/overcast or YouTube talking videos.

Ways I’ve found to make it go back to centre is one of 2 ways but it always reverts,

1. Switch airplay from AirPods to iPhone/iPad then switch back to AirPods.
2. When playing spoken word in podcast’s or YouTube press play on a song in Apple Music and it goes back to centre instantly

Both of these methods after the audio goes back to the AirPods will start to drift again I’ve tested this several times and it’s frustrating

 

[imagineadam]

Yeah happens to me all the time still on my AirPods Pro 1. Never had this problem until they came out with air pods pro 2 and updated the firmware. Pretty frustrating but I’ve learned to just switch the input from the air pods to the phone and then back to the air pods and it fixes it until I pause and play again. Super annoying but I’m sure it’s low on their priority list of bugs to fix.

 

[BriceApp]

This seems to be resolved with firmware 6A300.

 

[Diopter]

I got AirPods Pro 2 for Christmas and they seem to have this issue (latest firmware) where the audio occasionally randomly shifts/pans. It seems to mostly happen on spoken content like podcasts. Are people still having this or do I have a faulty unit?