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turbineseaplane

macrumors P6
Mar 19, 2008
17,374
40,151
I’m not trying to start any war anything but I have no clue how you guys are finding the audio quality to be better than the AirPods Pro.

We had both units in house for several weeks (still have APP) and the audio was indistinguishable to me. Any variances I found were simply due to slightly different fit.
 

fishmoose

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2008
1,855
361
Sweden
Got mine today as they were released in Europe today. Overall I like them. Wanted them for the gym (trying to get in shape after having health issues due to Corona) and they’ll do just fine for the gym. Will still be getting the new AirPods Pro whey they are released.

But for the gym and other “sporty activities” these seems perfect. The case is indeed the worst thing about them.
 

ice29

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2016
187
143
Switzerland
Mine were pretty awful according to folks on the other end

I would not buy them if that is a primary usage need or concern
subscribe to that, it's easy to record a comparison, for example using QuickTime... they are really not good

One thing I have noticed today is a slight hum with these, when ANC or transparency is turned on (with transparency it is more pronounced) and I don't play anything in them. Difficult to describe, I am also more sensitive to these things :) But when compared back to back with APP, the APP don't have any kind of hum that would be noticeable to me. To be honest, this might be the reason to send them back, since I can hear it all the time when listenting to podcasts etc. (not noticeable while playing music)
 
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Andain

macrumors member
Apr 17, 2021
52
115
German UPS says mine are ariving tomorrow aparently (yay?)

AirPods 1st gen, AirPods Pro from day 1, temporary PowerBeats Pro and Beats Solo Pro day 1 user.

Will post thoughts. I am very curious myself.
 

BD1

macrumors 6502
Jun 27, 2007
466
153
Mine were pretty awful according to folks on the other end

I would not buy them if that is a primary usage need or concern
Not my experience….my brother has a set and he sounds very clear on phone calls. He switched to AP as a test and I could not tell a difference.
 

kshitijshah

macrumors regular
Jul 13, 2012
225
293
Been using this for a month. I love them. I can finally stop worrying about anything having the H1 chip falling out. The bass signature is more prominent than the Airpods Pro but I like the overall utility and fit of the Beats Fit Pro.
 

ice29

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2016
187
143
Switzerland
You can tell a difference during calls, APP voices sound clearer/nicer, but these are also not that bad... just back-to-back comparison reveals the difference.

I was just doing a noise-cancelling tests since my GF is printing something on the plotter the whole day (which is a nice monotonous noise that should get cancelled away). I wear medium tips with APP and used them also for BFP as they came with them.
Results:
- APM - worst noise cancelling, I can hear the plotter clearly, just a bit quieter
- APP - perfect, almost no plotter sound
- BFP - somewhere in the middle, better than APM but also clearly worse than APP, can still hear the plotter

Out of curiosity I tried the big tips on BFP and voila, the noise-cancelling effectivness is on par with APP! I can't wear big tips with APP since they will get out of my ear with those (middle ones are perfect), but with the wingtips these will stay in ear with BFP. Will try to wear them like this for a few days (the seal-test in ios gets a pass with all 3 tips on both headphones, so can't use it as some kind of metric for isolation :) )
 
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Snapperjw

macrumors 6502
Oct 8, 2007
341
295
So in the UK and had by Beats Fit Pro for a week and they hurt, they make both ears feel sore after about an hour of use. I’ve tried changing their position in my ears but can still feel them rubbing. Thinking about taking them back to Apple.

Any thoughts on the fit and stopping the ear pain?
 
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turbineseaplane

macrumors P6
Mar 19, 2008
17,374
40,151
So in the UK and had by Beats Fit Pro for a week and they hurt, they make both ears feel sore after about an hour of use. I’ve tried changing their position in my ears but can still feel them rubbing. Thinking about taking them back to Apple.

Any thoughts on the fit and stopping the ear pain?

That's essentially exactly why I returned mine a while back
Not sure there's really a fix if the particular fit doesn't work for you
 
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TorontoSS

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2009
1,087
395
So in the UK and had by Beats Fit Pro for a week and they hurt, they make both ears feel sore after about an hour of use. I’ve tried changing their position in my ears but can still feel them rubbing. Thinking about taking them back to Apple.

Any thoughts on the fit and stopping the ear pain?
Other than maybe changing the tips, to perhaps memory foam ones? And i found moving the earphones BACK helped.
 

ice29

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2016
187
143
Switzerland
So in the UK and had by Beats Fit Pro for a week and they hurt, they make both ears feel sore after about an hour of use. I’ve tried changing their position in my ears but can still feel them rubbing. Thinking about taking them back to Apple.

Any thoughts on the fit and stopping the ear pain?
Do they hurt inside ears or the hooked tip outside? In my case the tips were hurting my ears after ~30mins, but when I turn them towards the back of the head (so the tip of the wingtip does not pinch my ear) it's much better!

You can play with the angle, it's also shown in the beats guide on youtube

Screenshot 2022-01-30 at 10.36.26.png
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,342
9,446
Over here
I like the look of the fit, but my APP are not exactly poor fitting. They have dropped on occasion.
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,883
8,054
Do they hurt inside ears or the hooked tip outside? In my case the tips were hurting my ears after ~30mins, but when I turn them towards the back of the head (so the tip of the wingtip does not pinch my ear) it's much better!
Another one here with ears hurting from the Beats Fit Pro. In my case, it's hard to say where it hurts. After about an hour, my entire ear hurts wherever the earphone is touching my ear. I'm returning it anyway, since I like the sound of my Bose Sports Earbuds better (and let's not start another discussion of which brand sounds best, it's a personal preference), so I'm not trying too hard to figure out a solution. Still, it's disappointing, because I like that it has all the same functions as the AirPods Pro. I did try the APP, and like the sound and it doesn't hurt my ears, but it feels prone to falling out. I'm now hoping that rumors of the new APP having no stems are true, and that such a design will stay in my ears better than the current APP.
 
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ice29

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2016
187
143
Switzerland
My biggest discomfort actually comes from the biggest ear-tip which I have to use since otherwise the ANC is bad in my ear (with middle tips)... I feel the tip is too big, the wingtips help it stay inside like this, but it's not really comfortable. So they will 90% go back in a few days.

I have just sent APP for repair again (humming noise when ANC/Transparency on, already exchanged twice, but apple seems to still continue to replace them even though my Apple Care+ already expired) and also ordered Technics AZ60 to compare (no Apple chip, but if they can pair to all my devices I don't mind switching from the menu manually)
 

Boardiesboi

macrumors 601
Sep 3, 2013
4,611
10,690
Sydney Australia
Sorry to hear that this hurts some of your ears….

My ears must be massive… I twist to different angles and the tips don’t touch any part of my ears lol
 

Tom_Hagen

macrumors newbie
Feb 8, 2022
1
0
Hi everyone,


New FBP user here (and new Forum member too). I’ve read all the thread and I’ve found no big deal issues with wind noise coming inside the FBP, so I guess it is a question of a faulty set that I should return for a new one, but this is basically what I experienced in my first week of usage:


  • Great for working out indoors, with great and secure fit (although not especially comfortable) and more than OK sound for the price
  • Also great for the tube and bus rides in the city, the ANC in my view is quite effective
  • But I find outdoor usage completely frustrating: even the slightest breeze (let alone serious wind) causes and incredible turbine noise that ruins the listening experience, regardless of the mode (ANC, transparency, or none). It is noticeable (and annoying) even when you just walk on the street, and the moment you start running at a certain pace the sheer minimum friction with the air produces a noise that is really hard to endure for more than a few seconds.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’ve looked for ases on the internet but I haven’t found any, so, as I mentioned earlier, I assume it is just a set that is not working properly.


Thank you people!
 

Sword86

macrumors 6502
Oct 6, 2012
345
163
New BFP owner here.
No problem with using the stock tips. I went initially with the Large ones. The fit test showed they were fine. I could feel the large tips in my ear cavity, and although with no discomfort, I figured going to the medium tips would be even better as long as they passed the fit test. I tried them but despite the fit test coming out OK the majority of times, I ended up retaining the large tip in my left ear and a medium in the right. Comfort is no issue at all. I find the wings don't even touch the inside of my ears no matter the position. The tips are the only thing holding the buds in my ears.
As far as sound quality, I really have not much to compare them to other than a pair of RHA MA 750s I've had for several years that the BFPs are replacing. I always used Comply tips in the RHAs but I have lost any love I ever had for Comply. They are great if fit and seal are an issue but I got tired of feeling them in my ear and how they don't have the same quality and durability of the past. IMO, they are no longer worth anywhere near the money they ask for them. (not that they've ever been inexpensive anyway) With the stock tips I think the sound quality is great. It's hard to compare the two since the BFPs are airy and the RHAs feel sealed by comparison due to the Comply tips. I mean, what do you expect from earbuds anyway? I have any number of serious headphones at home with dedicated HP amps and DACs in my system. I sure wouldn't use the BFPs at home when I can use what I have there.
I have one small issue I'll resolve. Because they fit so well and comfortably in my ears, it's almost like there is nothing there at all. I always find myself touching the buds, like they have fallen out, and hitting the controls, pausing the music. I haven't spent enough time with them to determine how to operate them so I guess I'll need to pull out the literature and figure that out. Currently I have them set to lower and raise the volume but I'm thinking I'll switch that out since I'm used to reaching in my pocket to my phone or going to my AW for volume changes.
Overall, at almost a week in, I'm quite happy with them. S
 
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synicalx1

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2020
142
90
  • But I find outdoor usage completely frustrating: even the slightest breeze (let alone serious wind) causes and incredible turbine noise that ruins the listening experience, regardless of the mode (ANC, transparency, or none). It is noticeable (and annoying) even when you just walk on the street, and the moment you start running at a certain pace the sheer minimum friction with the air produces a noise that is really hard to endure for more than a few seconds.
If it's occurring with ANC off and in Transparency mode, I'd be inclined to think the problem is a poor seal in your ear. If you haven't already it's probably worth trying different tips. Also with my old APP's I found to get a proper seal I used to have to hold the top of my ear, pull it up, hold the pod in and then let go of my ear - nothing else really seemed to work.
 

wilberforce

macrumors 68030
Aug 15, 2020
2,930
3,207
SF Bay Area
Hi everyone,


New FBP user here (and new Forum member too). I’ve read all the thread and I’ve found no big deal issues with wind noise coming inside the FBP, so I guess it is a question of a faulty set that I should return for a new one, but this is basically what I experienced in my first week of usage:


  • Great for working out indoors, with great and secure fit (although not especially comfortable) and more than OK sound for the price
  • Also great for the tube and bus rides in the city, the ANC in my view is quite effective
  • But I find outdoor usage completely frustrating: even the slightest breeze (let alone serious wind) causes and incredible turbine noise that ruins the listening experience, regardless of the mode (ANC, transparency, or none). It is noticeable (and annoying) even when you just walk on the street, and the moment you start running at a certain pace the sheer minimum friction with the air produces a noise that is really hard to endure for more than a few seconds.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’ve looked for ases on the internet but I haven’t found any, so, as I mentioned earlier, I assume it is just a set that is not working properly.


Thank you people!
Yes I get wind noise when cycling with my BFP and I don’t think it is a seal problem. I think the wind gets picked up by the external mics and vents. The only mode I find is tolerable is with both ANC and transparency off, else the wind noise is not constant because ANC and transparency cannot deal with it.
 

-griffy-

macrumors member
Jun 15, 2011
49
108
I really hope the improvements with this set make their way to the next Powerbeats Pro. I love most everything about these, and the noise canceling/transparency mode especially for running outdoors, but they just don't stay in my ears consistently. I even got some Comply memory foam tips, which helped a lot but the left one is still prone to coming loose sometimes no matter what size tips I use. The little wings on these just don't work with my ears properly, they don't really push against the "lip" in my ears to create any tension.

My ears are just too dumb, I need some ear hooks for a more secure fit.
 

NastyMatt

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2020
521
737
Question for those who own the BFP - do both channels connect to your device every time when taken out of the case? Any charging issues?

My main bugbear with the PBP are that more often then not only one side connects and I then have to reseat it, close the case, wait a few seconds and then try again. Might sound like much but it means I can't just grab them out of the case and go.
 
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