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waynewayne

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2009
27
4
Unfortunately my APP are affected by the hissing issue and I am outside the 3 year window to have these replaced by Apple. It’s particularly pronounced in one bud however they tested and confirmed both are failing and it will cost roughly the same price as a new pair to replace them.

Bit of a bummer for a premium product. Trying to move on from that I am looking for a replacement.

I value ANC as I use them when gardening and in the office and also ease of use across devices (almost exclusively Apple) which pushes me towards upper tier of Beats or AirPods range.

I was less sure on the APP 1st gen fit when exercising - they could work loose In my experience. Not a deal breaker as I have a banged up pair of over the head ones I can use if exercising (but they don’t have ANC). Volume seemed OK although did not reach the highs I might have expected, again usually not a deal breaker as combined with ANC more than loud enough for 99% of listening. Sounds quality seemed fine to me for typical Spotify and podcast streaming.

So what would you recommend?

I was between the AirPods Pro Gen 2 and the Beats Fit Pros, leaning towards the AirPods for the smaller case and better ANC. I also like the sound of the active transparency which may be perfect for my use case (noisy garden work). The Beats Fit Pro look like they may have better application in the gym. If the APP gen 2 has a better fit I would be all over them. Slightly apprehensive over them given the first pair have killed themselves off in a short period of time.

There are also Sony / BOSE which I haven’t fully considered - but am open to being pushed that way.
 

vinegarshots

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2018
980
1,347
I like my AirPods Pro Gen 2-- much more resilient than Gen 1. Still no problems for me, and i had tons of issues with Gen 1. I bought some silicone wingtips on Amazon to hold them in my ears when exercising, etc.

My wife has some Beats Fit Pros, and I do not like the sound quality. Maybe hers are defective, but transparency mode has a very noticable hiss.
 
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xthine

macrumors 6502
Apr 29, 2015
292
267
USA
I’ve moved away from AirPods and switched to Shures. I use their truly wireless adapters for trail running and might be worth a look. Let me know if you have any questions.
 

DR3MCLAREN

macrumors 6502a
Dec 13, 2021
965
1,620
Calgary Canada
I just updated yesterday from my 1st gen AirPods to AirPod Pro Gen2 and I'm amazed at the difference. First off they are far more comfortable and actually stay in my ears. The sound quality is light years ahead of the originals. The music has a much richer and deeper sound quality to it. I'm really enjoying the spatial Audio too!. The transparency mode and noise cancellation mode are very impressive. I recently flew to Mexico with my old airpods and even on full volume could barely hear the show I was watching. I can already tell I won't be having that issue any more with the Pro's. Plus the battery life is better too! I watched a bit of Ted Lasso with them last night and I felt like I was in the locker room with them the sound was that good.
 

FreakinEurekan

macrumors 604
Sep 8, 2011
6,539
3,418
So what would you recommend?

I was between the AirPods Pro Gen 2 and the Beats Fit Pros
I don't have the APP Gen 2 but I do have the 1st gen, and the Beats Fit Pros too. I switch back and forth depending on what I'm doing.

Benefit of the Beats Fit Pros: Stays in the ears better; longer battery life.

Benefit of the APP: More comfortable; better phone call audio; easier to charge with MagSafe

Likely additional benefits of APP Gen 2: Longer battery life; built-in lanyard connector

At 3+ years your APP Gen 1 batteries are likely worse than mine, and mine don't last as long as I'd like. I do plan to replace mine with the Gen 2 on the "assumption" that I'll get 4-5 hour listening time per charge, which is what I'm getting from the Beats Fit Pros (Apple claims "up to" 6 hours for the APP Gen 2).
 
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