Call quality (outdoors / AirPods Pro): What's your Experience?

[Donnation]

No way – tried this:

1. stays numb (little less though) and

2. this also means adding distraction cause of enviromental noise.

= not good apple

Lol, ok. You can't have it both ways. You can't have noise cancellation on but also hear the sound of your own voice when talking. If you want noise cancellation on you'll have to deal with not being able to hear your own voice, cause you know, your voice is making noise....

 

[oli]

You did not get it: I expected my voice clear/loud enough at least in "transparancy" mode and this would be technical/KI next level (the iPhone already works it out in decent way): differenciating noise in distance and own voice so you can use NC AND filtre in your own voice for real good pro conversations… – damn, apple.

 

[GDF]

What is the difference of having transparency on compared to just turning everything off?

 

[sxc]

Good review of mic quality in this review

 

[DDustiNN]

I asked a friend during a call yesterday, and he said he didn’t even notice anything different.

 

[oli]

Good review of mic quality in this review

very bad quality - Even worse that you cannot hear yourself in a phonecall.

 

[ceiji]

For making calls, I find that transparency mode is the best. With noise cancellation on, I cannot hear myself speaking - which is expected. With everything off, I hear myself too loud and also the other person can hear all the background noise from my end. With transparency mode on, I can hear myself talking the right amount. Also the headphones negate out a lot of background noise. On a conference call while I was driving in the rain, people at the other end was able to hear me clear and also was not able to tell that i was driving. That's good enough for me.

 

[dokie]

I've been using the two previous generations virtually non-stop for phone calls in my daily business and private live - never had a problem.

Same here! I found this thread trying to see if i just had a defective unit or not. I use the pods for work, hours each day for calls in multiple environments.

I opened up the pros halfway though my day yesterday and used them like normal in my usual starbucks spot. Every single person i talked to commented on how I sounded like I was far away and that the back ground noise was alot louder. Essentialy i sounded clearer and with less background noise on the old ones.

The new features are super cool but surely the call quality on the recieveing end cant be worse right? Its bad enough that I had to take them out for almost all my calls and definitely conference calls.

 

[upnorth85]

OK, guys, after going through heaps of reviews, I am going to buy it. I live 12 minutes from an Apple store, so I can always return it if the microphone call quality is poorer than my existing Airpod.

 

[orschinger]

Every single person i talked to commented on how I sounded like I was far away and that the back ground noise was alot louder. Essentialy i sounded clearer and with less background noise on the old ones.

so yeah, that‘s exactly my experience. :-(

 

[sxc]

Do you think the mic quality is not as good because on OG AirPods, the mic is at the bottom of the stalk, but on AirPods Pro, they are a slit on the side of the stalk, and the slit is on the side that's not next to the face?

 

[Christian 5G]

I tried speaking to somebody in gym and they couldn’t hear me at all. Had to switch to phone mode.

Examining them I saw the microphone on the outside? I wonder the reasoning behind that

I need to do some more testing, never know with the new products from Apple these days

 

[oli]

For making calls, I find that transparency mode is the best. With noise cancellation on, I cannot hear myself speaking - which is expected. With everything off, I hear myself too loud and also the other person can hear all the background noise from my end. With transparency mode on, I can hear myself talking the right amount. Also the headphones negate out a lot of background noise. On a conference call while I was driving in the rain, people at the other end was able to hear me clear and also was not able to tell that i was driving. That's good enough for me.

After trying a few more calls and simulating with the audiorecording app I found out exactly the same like you: with noise cancellation on, my own speaking ist dumb but with transparency mode I cannot only hear my own voice but also is the background noise almost cancelled. I gave it a second try and after a while I got used to hear my own voice with the APpro plugged in: first it is distracting because still your own voice is sort of humming because of the plug-in (that is why you are always hearing your own voice different than other people hear it) but you get the second layer of your voice through the transparency mode.

 

[Christian 5G]

For making calls, I find that transparency mode is the best. With noise cancellation on, I cannot hear myself speaking - which is expected. With everything off, I hear myself too loud and also the other person can hear all the background noise from my end. With transparency mode on, I can hear myself talking the right amount. Also the headphones negate out a lot of background noise. On a conference call while I was driving in the rain, people at the other end was able to hear me clear and also was not able to tell that i was driving. That's good enough for me.

Hmm, makes sense because I was on noise cancellation and could be the reason they couldn’t hear me.
Hopefully an update coming if you could choose transparency or off whenever your calling or something

 

[oli]

Hmm, makes sense because I was on noise cancellation and could be the reason they couldn’t hear me.
Hopefully an update coming if you could choose transparency or off whenever your calling or something

-> good idea – accompanying the idea of ki-anticipating…

 

[c14nhl]

Phone calls with Transparency Mode on is the best phone call experience I’ve ever had. To the point it feels like you’re talking to someone next to you as it feels like you have nothing in ear, and you can hear yourself clearly.

I’ve not had any complaints regarding how I sound to the other person.

 

[dokie]

I’m going to test them out again today. 2 days so far- had complaints on the other end each day. I’ve tried repairing and a few other things but no luck. I may go to Apple or something today.

The experience on my end is awesome. Just sucks that i got the “Pro” for work mainly and am starting to wonder if they even had that in mind. Almost all the reviews are mostly about sound quality not call quality.
My initial impression is that these would be great if I was still in college (not that I could of afforded these in college) or used them to commute to work.
But for actually working..seems like a step back which is why I hope I just have a defective unit.

 

[GDF]

I seem to be having interference and breakup on some call with the Pros. Never had this with Airpods 2. I am wondering too if these are meant for music and not phone conversations, which the first generation was great at. Will keep testing, but these might be getting returned and stick with the Airpods 2.

Maybe just received a defective pair.

 

[jwlbel]

My husband has a pair and he walks to and from work on a VERY busy loud street. I can barely hear him when he calls me. I used to hear the traffic noise in the background and I do not hear that now but I also do not hear him either.

 

[oli]

…anyone with experiences making the call with APpro:

•hearing own voice clear/loud enough – in spite of in-ear-isolation – with transparency

•on the other side of the line: hearing the guy`s (him/her with the APpro) voice clear and loud enough

•and with noise in the background will that be filtered (even in the practical transparency mode) and still the voice will be clear and loud enough.

My experience but more by simulation with voice-recording was:

After trying a few more calls and simulating with the audiorecording app I found out exactly the same like you: with noise cancellation on, my own speaking ist dumb but with transparency mode I cannot only hear my own voice but also is the background noise almost cancelled. I gave it a second try and after a while I got used to hear my own voice with the APpro plugged in: first it is distracting because still your own voice is sort of humming because of the plug-in (that is why you are always hearing your own voice different than other people hear it) but you get the second layer of your voice through the transparency mode.

 

[oli]

…any further/new experiences making calls with APpro (use as a headset)?

 

[DougFNJ]

I have always had a great experience with AirPods 1 and 2's making phone calls. When I first got these AirPods Pros, I made a couple of calls, I was told I sounded muffled and distant. I adjusted them a little and was told it made a little improvement, but not a great call. I figured I would mess around with the for a week and see if there would be any improvement.

I don't know if the firmware updated sometime in between then and today, but I have been making calls all morning using the AirPod Pros, Ive asked a few people if I sound ok, they are all telling me I sound crystal clear. They also sound clear like the same experience Ive been having with the AirPods 1 and 2's.

I am going to try it in a number of environments, but if call quality stays consistent, these are keepers.

 

[Rolltide14]

I have always had a great experience with AirPods 1 and 2's making phone calls. When I first got these AirPods Pros, I made a couple of calls, I was told I sounded muffled and distant. I adjusted them a little and was told it made a little improvement, but not a great call. I figured I would mess around with the for a week and see if there would be any improvement.

I don't know if the firmware updated sometime in between then and today, but I have been making calls all morning using the AirPod Pros, Ive asked a few people if I sound ok, they are all telling me I sound crystal clear. They also sound clear like the same experience Ive been having with the AirPods 1 and 2's.

I am going to try it in a number of environments, but if call quality stays consistent, these are keepers.

Hey Doug,

Have you had many more conversations since this? How are things now. I bought a pair initially but I kept getting complaints and ended up taking them back. One of the main reasons I purchased them was for phone calls.
Thanks!

 

[bwoodruff]

I just got mine. Made a non-Facetime voice call. No complaints about mic quality from the other end. Used voice memos to record myself and it sounded fine to me. Have not tried to use them outside (i.e. in the wind etc) yet.

 

[oli]

I just got mine. Made a non-Facetime voice call. No complaints about mic quality from the other end. Used voice memos to record myself and it sounded fine to me. Have not tried to use them outside (i.e. in the wind etc) yet.

How ist your experience using transperency (to hear your own voice better) vs. in normal or NC-mode?