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Hearing the “thump” of my own walking while wearing new AirPods Pro
- Thread starter Benz63amg
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There's absolutely no thump for me with APP2, except if I intentionally loosen one of the earbuds even slightly. Seems to me that the performance has much to do with having a perfect fit. Anything less than perfect can be heard. Same goes for ANC performance in general. Great fit --> fantastic sound.
I have not experienced any ANC degradation over time with APP2s. This could be explained by them not having a mesh on the side to become clogged.
With APP1 the thump was not only dependent on having a perfect fit, but also on how clean the meshes were. Because a careful blu-tack treatment sure did get rid of the thumps immediately for a few days or weeks, depending on intensity of use.
Overall the sound and performance improvements with APP2s are impressive to me. With the longer battery life, less maintenance and Find My improvements, I think they are a great, if a bit expensive upgrade from APP1. I re-sold my APP1s for good money, having taken super good care of them. Very happy with APP2 after about two weeks.
I have not experienced any ANC degradation over time with APP2s. This could be explained by them not having a mesh on the side to become clogged.
With APP1 the thump was not only dependent on having a perfect fit, but also on how clean the meshes were. Because a careful blu-tack treatment sure did get rid of the thumps immediately for a few days or weeks, depending on intensity of use.
Overall the sound and performance improvements with APP2s are impressive to me. With the longer battery life, less maintenance and Find My improvements, I think they are a great, if a bit expensive upgrade from APP1. I re-sold my APP1s for good money, having taken super good care of them. Very happy with APP2 after about two weeks.
I’m not sure I agree with your comment regarding the mesh on the first gen AirPods Pros as being the reason for the thump. I experienced the thump straight out of the box and it has nothing to do with the mesh part being clean or not. I’m glad to hear you’re not experiencing any thump with the second gen pros though. Is there absolutely no thump at all just as if you were using the classic AirPods 1 or 2?
As I tried to say, I'm aware of two reasons for the thud: 1) blocked mesh, and 2) less-than-perfect fit. I can reproduce both with APP1, but only #2 with APP2. And I know the mesh plays a role with APP1, because cleaning it instantly removes the low-frequency thuds while walking. The APP1 mesh is on the side, against the skin. APP2 doesn't have a mesh there.
Note: One or both reasons may not apply to all APPs, and there may be reasons 3, 4 and 5 too. Can't generalize with confidence from a sample size of "just me"...
All I can say is that APP2s have worked great for me. The low-frequency thuds are gone, if I use the correct tips the correct way. I can kind of hear my steps, but only as "higher-frequency whiff" - not a problem for the audio experience.
Edit: Snazzy Labs self-professes as an expert on the topic. He talks about this thud and its causes in his review. Could be interesting for some. Around 4:00 mark.
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Just watched the video. He really does say the thud has gone away with the second gen Pro’s. Perhaps I’ll stop by the Apple Store and pick up the new AirPods to see what they’re like
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I honestly don't notice any thumping at all on my Pro 2's. I have Sony XM3s as well which I notice significant thumping with.
I only had this with one set of APP1’s that were defective.
I’ve had a few other sets that were defective in some way, but those did not have the thump.
I’m fact: stuff like thumps, my breathing, my heartbeat, these are all things I hear with regular buds, plugs, or APP’s set to ‘off.’ But those all disappear with Transparancy or ANC enabled.
I’ve had a few other sets that were defective in some way, but those did not have the thump.
I’m fact: stuff like thumps, my breathing, my heartbeat, these are all things I hear with regular buds, plugs, or APP’s set to ‘off.’ But those all disappear with Transparancy or ANC enabled.
Have you used the first gen Pros? The thump with them is horrendous
As far as sound quality goes, the second gen Pros sound better than the first gen ones?
Can confirm that the thump is significantly better. Not gone, but for me, the APP1 were unusable if I was moving around. I tried my APP1 and the new APP2 back to back and the APP2 were somehow more comfortable and the thudding/thumping when walking/running is reduced by 80-90%. Damn, I had almost hoped they'd be the same so I wouldn't have to shell out the $250.
Super unscientific observation.
The thump got worse with the APPv1 over time, then I would do a 6 month Apple Care replacement, and the cycle would start over.
This was the main reason for me buying v2, while its great to have them replaced, it was just a pain. I gave my v1's to my daughter who doesn't seem to care about ANC or anything like that...she's happy.
v2 (so far) seems to handle the thumping (out of the box) better than new v1s. So there's that.
I also notice markedly better ANC as I do my daily walks.
We have a very large AC condenser unit at work and the v2's almost cancel it out completely, something the v1's were never able to do.
Just one data point.
The thump got worse with the APPv1 over time, then I would do a 6 month Apple Care replacement, and the cycle would start over.
This was the main reason for me buying v2, while its great to have them replaced, it was just a pain. I gave my v1's to my daughter who doesn't seem to care about ANC or anything like that...she's happy.
v2 (so far) seems to handle the thumping (out of the box) better than new v1s. So there's that.
I also notice markedly better ANC as I do my daily walks.
We have a very large AC condenser unit at work and the v2's almost cancel it out completely, something the v1's were never able to do.
Just one data point.
For me, yes. Much, much better though. Though there may be several causes - for me on the APP1, it was there right out of the box (so it wasn't some sort of debris/blockage/cleaning issue).
So is this the same effect like there's something mechanically "loose" in the airpods or something else? I thought it was a hardware issue/defect and apple replaces it? I had this on my left airpod 2nd gen and just returned them. It's like when I'm moving, something is mechanically shaking in the airpod, even when they're copletely turned off. Same thing happened with 1st gen and it got worse and worse over time until it was like having a rattle in your ear when you're moving.
Totally normal with such kind of earphones.
I have this with all the "closed" or "sealed" earphones. Yes, with the PBP as well as with the APP2. When I am running with my PBP I normally hear music, then I only hear the music. When music stops I hear my steps, my blood pumping and also my heartbeat.
Of course it can be different for everyone because we are all very different.
So, no it is not a hardware or a software failure but totally normal.
I have this with all the "closed" or "sealed" earphones. Yes, with the PBP as well as with the APP2. When I am running with my PBP I normally hear music, then I only hear the music. When music stops I hear my steps, my blood pumping and also my heartbeat.
Of course it can be different for everyone because we are all very different.
So, no it is not a hardware or a software failure but totally normal.
Sub-bass, sound stage size/separation and overall clarity are improved. At the same time they’re still neutral. Using a 100% subjective scale, they sound about 20% better to me. 🤓
No, it's not a rattle - a thump like a drum. Plug your ears with your fingers and walk around, same effect for me.
Doesn't hurt to try them out - that's what I did. I guess it did hurt the wallet to shell out the $250. Though it's still there, it's quite a bit better. Return them if the thump is unbearable - maybe that will even help encourage Apple to resolve it 100% in the APP3. (though I suspect that it's mostly anatomy/physics for some, like me)
My experience with the APP1s was that they were fantastic when new, but the thumping sensation would develop over time and get progressively worse. For me, it was about 60-90 days, during which time, I could progressively hear my footsteps or even gum-chewing to the point where I felt like I was walking on a snare drum. I tried resetting them, and that had no effect. So I sent them off to Apple to be repaired -- a total of three times, until Apple said it would no longer accept them for repairs. Each time they were repaired, they were like new, with no thumping with each step and no hear myself chew gum of swallow, but the problem would crop up again after several weeks of use. This problem occurred with all listening modes. I'm hoping that the APP2s have fixed this issue, because I haven't found a pair of headphones that work as well, sound as good (when not making the thump) or fit as well. Apple told me the problem was caused by the microphones used for noise-cancelling and transparent sound, and since the repairs did make a difference, it was not something I was imagining or unique to my own pair.
I thought I had a problem with my APP1's too and I sent it to an Apple Store and they diagnosed no problem. I do hear something occasionally when I'm running that sounds like a clack. It's not easily reproducible, but it does arise at times.
The Store employee told me that APP2's are not known to have this problem, but then again, it's too early to tell, isn't it?
I think once the battery life of these APP1's are no longer acceptable or the click/clack comes back more regularly, I may upgrade to the APP2. My APP1's have been already replaced at least twice that I remember....
I have had zero thump noise with my AirPods Pro 2 while running 🏃♀️ and I run a lot. No less than 8 miles, 2 or 3 times a week. I wear Brooks Glycerin 20 shoes which are very cushioned so that may help masking the thump but honestly I can’t hear any thump noise not even without music playing. Also, I’m using Comply foam tips with my AirPods Pro 2.
"Problem develops over time" was exactly what I was having too with the 3 APP1 pairs I ended up using over time. A gentle blu-tack treatment got rid of it every time though on my last pair. The side mesh against the ear needed a regular maintenance routine. Now rocking APP2 with no such mesh and no issues whatsoever. I'm sure a lot of people would find the problem gone with APP2s. FWIF.
What about when walking? The thump is heard mostly when walking, not running.