To those who had AirPods Pro gen 1 and upgraded to gen 2…

[EastHillWill]

…what are your thoughts? I spent about two hours comparing both gens back to back while cleaning and doing yard work, changing tips but making sure both had the same kind.

Music sounds a bit better on gen 2, perhaps due mostly to better lows. However, ANC was the same, just different. I tested with a mower and carpet cleaner that were steadily loud, as well as a string trimmer and leaf blower which varied. Gen 2 didn’t block MORE noise, just different aspects of the noise. For example, the mower didn’t sound quieter, but the sound that did get through was different. (Not sure how to explain that better, sorry.)

Honestly it’s a bit disappointing, given the talk about how much ANC has improved. Gen 2 is very good, but so was gen 1. If you had gen 1, is your experience the same or different?

(Side note: The Comply foam tips, as well as some other foam tips I bought off Amazon, seem to fit fine on gen 2 despite having been bought for gen 1.)

 

[Ryan1524]

Really enjoying it. Sound quality is decently improved, especially on the low end. And ANC is so much tighter than before. It feels like it’s better at cancelling daily city street noises, and let’s a lot less things through.

I sold my gen 1 before opening the gen 2. So with no direct comparison to do, it feels more like a clean break and a definite improvement.

 

[audiomixer]

While visiting my daughter in des moines and on a whim, i bought the airpods pro 2nd gen. I noticed the bass on the 2nd gen deeper on spatial audio (watching apple tv program “see.”) and the overal audio was crisper in general. I did a number of back and forth between 1st and 2nd gen on this. Noise cancellation on the first gen i considered pretty good and the 2nd gen is as good so far although i havent been able to really test it in my normal environment.
I was perfectly happy with the 1st gen but having tried the 2nd gen, well, my family member now has my 1st gen…

 

[ZilzilaStriken]

ANC has improved a bit. I use train transit daily, it is much better compared to gen 1. I also go out for walk daily and transparency mode feels improved as well. I don’t do phone calls or listen music, so I don’t know about call quality and heavy bass stuff. However, I am facing other issues like loss of sound at times if I put my phone in back pocket, never had this with gen 1. Also sometimes it stops playing all together and need to put back in case and then put again, I am reckoning this is likely iOS bugs.

 

[EastHillWill]

ANC has improved a bit. I use train transit daily, it is much better compared to gen 1. I also go out for walk daily and transparency mode feels improved as well. I don’t do phone calls or listen music, so I don’t know about call quality and heavy bass stuff. However, I am facing other issues like loss of sound at times if I put my phone in back pocket, never had this with gen 1. Also sometimes it stops playing all together and need to put back in case and then put again, I am reckoning this is likely iOS bugs.

Sounds like bugs, yes. So for you gen 2 is much better at canceling out the train noise? I would assume I’d notice that with the blower or mower. I think the algorithms are tuned to cancel out some noises better than others, but I haven’t noticed one scenario in which the ANC is better on these.

 

[ZilzilaStriken]

Sounds like bugs, yes. So for you gen 2 is much better at canceling out the train noise? I would assume I’d notice that with the blower or mower. I think the algorithms are tuned to cancel out some noises better than others, but I haven’t noticed one scenario in which the ANC is better on these.

Yes, I sometimes use it without playing any audio just to get rid of background noise (while on certain trains that are old in the line) and it has improvements over Gen 1. Seems like as you said about using algorithms to cancel out some noises better. It is not mind blowing like I wore the Gen 1 for first time.

 

[Kobra]

I‘ve used the AirPod Pro daily sin it’s release in 2019, bought the gen 2 last week and haven’t used it that much yet. But after some back and forth testing while listening to music I find that gen 2 has improved sound quality as others already have said.

One major issue I had with the gen 1 was the vent for pressure equalization caused irritation on the outer part of my ear canal, as the vent on the gen 2 is placed at the top of the earphones I don’t experience this irritation anymore. This alone was worth the upgrade to me.

To my experience the ANC is better as well, though perhaps not twice as effective but still an improvement.

 

[dpadr]

i used the first gen AirPods most days for phone/music/podcasts and since i use them so much i figured even a modest upgrade would be nice so i got the new ones. are they a big upgrade? no.

the ANC is a little better as far as I can tell. music has more bass. outbound call quality seems the same. for the most part they seem like a small iterative change.

 

[AirpodsNow]

I was surprised that the xs tips fit me better, and that the volume control is quite useful. Besides, he Biggest gripe I had with gen 1 was the “bad” mic quality, I tested it outside and inside the house… people said it was pretty clear. For me these were the benefits so far… I haven’t got a chance to really test Transparency mode yet.

 

[gpoop]

sound quality is greatly improveANC is much better. Barely hear any noise at the gym. Transparency mode is much more clearer and louder. These don't slip out of my ear like the first gen did.

 

[ice29]

Received the APP2 two weeks ago, already have the APP1 since their introduction.
The ANC is a bit better, with APP1 I can hear cars from the street (on my balcony) as dimmed sound, with APP2 it changes to a very dampened "hissing" sound. Back to back you can hear the difference, but I was already happy with APP1 noise canceling capabilities (it will never cancel everything completely, so for me these slightly differences are minor).
Audio quality is slightly better, though I expected a bit more (I have APM as well and these sound much much better, but okay it's unfair comparison, but I hoped to sell APM and just keep APP2)
Transparency seems the same to me, it was already perfect on APP1 (better than APM).
Mic quality is also slightly improved, but again not as good as APM (which I prefer for some conference calls, when I can't use the Macbook mic, which is miles better since it does not use BT compression)
I also have to say that the APP2 firmware is a bit buggy, I had situations where the volume control was not working, ANC was turned on on one of the buds only, turning head changes ANC too much (so that it was annoying)... But these will get fixed.

In the end I decided to return my APP2 (pre-ordered them immediately when it was possible). Since my APP1 have low resale value I will keep using them until they break (though this might be tricky, I am already on my 3rd pair since it always stars making these strange noises so I have them replaced by Apple for free), then APP2 might be a bit cheaper. I might actualy buy Beats Fit Pro if I see them on sale somewhere soon, to complement APP1, since the wingtips rule for sport activities (APP2 were slightly more stable in my ears, but it's probably just the new tips which are a bit "rougher" than older used ones)

 

[supergt]

Received the APP2 two weeks ago, already have the APP1 since their introduction.
The ANC is a bit better, with APP1 I can hear cars from the street (on my balcony) as dimmed sound, with APP2 it changes to a very dampened "hissing" sound. Back to back you can hear the difference, but I was already happy with APP1 noise canceling capabilities (it will never cancel everything completely, so for me these slightly differences are minor).
Audio quality is slightly better, though I expected a bit more (I have APM as well and these sound much much better, but okay it's unfair comparison, but I hoped to sell APM and just keep APP2)
Transparency seems the same to me, it was already perfect on APP1 (better than APM).
Mic quality is also slightly improved, but again not as good as APM (which I prefer for some conference calls, when I can't use the Macbook mic, which is miles better since it does not use BT compression)
I also have to say that the APP2 firmware is a bit buggy, I had situations where the volume control was not working, ANC was turned on on one of the buds only, turning head changes ANC too much (so that it was annoying)... But these will get fixed.

In the end I decided to return my APP2 (pre-ordered them immediately when it was possible). Since my APP1 have low resale value I will keep using them until they break (though this might be tricky, I am already on my 3rd pair since it always stars making these strange noises so I have them replaced by Apple for free), then APP2 might be a bit cheaper. I might actualy buy Beats Fit Pro if I see them on sale somewhere soon, to complement APP1, since the wingtips rule for sport activities (APP2 were slightly more stable in my ears, but it's probably just the new tips which are a bit "rougher" than older used ones)

Regarding the beats fit pro, just be advised the wingtips hurt my ears after an hour or so making them unusable for long periods of time. The case is trash tier: flimsy plastic that feels cheap and bulky on top of it. The buds themselves sound better than APP1 but cannot offset the deficiencies I mentioned.

 

[ice29]

Regarding the beats fit pro, just be advised the wingtips hurt my ears after an hour or so making them unusable for long periods of time. The case is trash tier: flimsy plastic that feels cheap and bulky on top of it. The buds themselves sound better than APP1 but cannot offset the deficiencies I mentioned.

Thanks for the “warning”! You are right about those points, I tested them when they came out, thought they could replace APP completely for me, but no, the mic is much worse than APP and the wingtips hurt after some time… they were also very expensive when introduced, so I returned them.
Now you can get them fairly cheaply so to get a pair just for sports (running, fitness, biking under 2 hours) might be worth it… but not to use as main buds most of the time.

 

[SkiHound2]

Except when traveling, and I've not been, I don't rely on ANC much. So I won't compare. But compared to the originals, I think the overall sound quality is considerably better. IMO, bass is not only more present but also cleaner and tighter. Separation of instruments and vocals seems both more spacious but also more precise and solid. I did a pretty long listening session last night and couldn't really stop thinking these were a substantial step up with respect to overall sound quality. I liked the original APP and thought I was silly to buy the APP2. But reviews seemed consistently positive and I guess I wanted a new toy. I think they are a pretty nice step up. Can't compare to the high end competition from other manufactures because I've not tried them.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I just got the APP2 and i'm doing an A/B comparison with them right now. From initial results, i would agree with a lot of members here. The bass is much better in this version while increasing the clarity. it feels much forward and more energic than the APP1 - APP1 feels flat in comparison.

I use a desk fan on max to heard the ANC differences, and you can clearly tell that Apple has made improvements in this category. I will be taking them on an airplane along with Bose NC700 and APP1 so i can do some A/B/C testing. I would say it's better than the APP1 but not better than the Bose NC700 or Airpods MAX.

Mic quality, i did the wind mic test using DHRME "pop pop popsicle" sound test. I would say they seem improved over the original and without any noise, i felt like the mic quality was better on the APP2.

 

[drew.bowser]

While visiting my daughter in des moines and on a whim, i bought the airpods pro 2nd gen. I noticed the bass on the 2nd gen deeper on spatial audio (watching apple tv program “see.”) and the overal audio was crisper in general. I did a number of back and forth between 1st and 2nd gen on this. Noise cancellation on the first gen i considered pretty good and the 2nd gen is as good so far although i havent been able to really test it in my normal environment.
I was perfectly happy with the 1st gen but having tried the 2nd gen, well, my family member now has my 1st gen…

welcome to DSM! Sound quality-wise I would agree, ANC is slightly better but not a game changer. Im really noticing the quality of life improvements of the physical changes...Charing options, speaker, Find My, responsiveness, volume control, better battery life.

 

[neil74]

I am disappointed. Sound quality is better than the APP1 but as I have posted elsewhere I am not happy at all with the ANC which I think is barely any better than the 1st generation (which were Ok but not great). Everybody seems to be raving about the ANC on these so I am wondering if mine are faulty, I am going to look into with Apple support.

I also have the new Bose buds and the APP2 are not on the same planet ANC wise.

 

[EastHillWill]

I am disappointed. Sound quality is better than the APP1 but as I have posted elsewhere I am not happy at all with the ANC which I think is barely any better than the 1st generation (which were Ok but not great). Everybody seems to be raving about the ANC on these so I am wondering if mine are faulty, I am going to look into with Apple support.

I also have the new Bose buds and the APP2 are not on the same planet ANC wise.

Okay, so we’re both on the same page. Are our units defective somehow, or are these wildly different impressions people are having completely subjective? Would love to know.

That’s interesting about the Bose buds. Do they have a transparency mode, and if so how is it?

 

[Arcontia]

I’ve had AirPods Pro 2 for the last 24h. Had the original AirPods Pro for a year and a half.

Overall - yes I found it was worth the upgrade (and I’ll be looking to sell my original AirPods Pro to make back some of the money spent).

The key things I found that are a really good overall improvement in a quick day of use:

-ANC is far improved. The ones on my original have lost a lot of quality in how well ANC works, these new ones, was like having a blocked ears but in the good way - when I need to work on my computer and concentrate, especially on the go, this is perfect.

-Sound quality is much improved - hard to describe and I’m awful with the terminology here but just sounds a lot clearer and richer, so the user experience for the main thing we use these things for is much improved.

-Battery life - yes its noticeably better.

-Improved FindMy capabilities is very useful imo, as it can be unfortunate and an easy mistake to misplace them.

-MagSafe charger compatibility - big yes as someone who loves the MagSafe eco system. The original AirPods Pro could charge wirelessly, but I found it was sometimes inefficient charging or wouldn’t charge at all, not directly compatible with MagSafe. MagSafe fixes this by snapping the charging case in place.

My only criticism? Apple not offering a trade-in of any kind for your original AirPods Pro. Any trade in value is better than nothing and it means until you can find a buyer, my original Airpods will just sit and gather dust. Did I 100% NEED to upgrade? Well, not yet, but getting close as the battery was getting bad. But the advertised improvements in these new AirPods Pro were absolutely enticing to me - Apple Watch Series 8 in comparison as an example, with its pitiful difference from Series 7, is a good example of with a new release, what not to do. They got it right with these new AirPods Pro, plenty to like

 

[SPØØK]

…what are your thoughts? I spent about two hours comparing both gens back to back while cleaning and doing yard work, changing tips but making sure both had the same kind.

Music sounds a bit better on gen 2, perhaps due mostly to better lows. However, ANC was the same, just different. I tested with a mower and carpet cleaner that were steadily loud, as well as a string trimmer and leaf blower which varied. Gen 2 didn’t block MORE noise, just different aspects of the noise. For example, the mower didn’t sound quieter, but the sound that did get through was different. (Not sure how to explain that better, sorry.)

Honestly it’s a bit disappointing, given the talk about how much ANC has improved. Gen 2 is very good, but so was gen 1. If you had gen 1, is your experience the same or different?

(Side note: The Comply foam tips, as well as some other foam tips I bought off Amazon, seem to fit fine on gen 2 despite having been bought for gen 1.)

Regarding your foam tips, do you have a preference on any that you tired? If so, which did you try and why do you prefer one over the other?

 

[EastHillWill]

Regarding your foam tips, do you have a preference on any that you tired? If so, which did you try and why do you prefer one over the other?

The Comply were the best, and also the most expensive. One of the other brands I tried was Proof Labs; they’re okay, but the Comply were notably better.

 

[Pug72]

Upgraded from gen 1 to 2 today and well impressed with the better bass and general sound.
The volume control is what I really wanted as much handier when gardening, etc.

Glad I went for it.

 

[EastHillWill]

Upgraded from gen 1 to 2 today and well impressed with the better bass and general sound.
The volume control is what I really wanted as much handier when gardening, etc.

Glad I went for it.

Physical volume control is such a great addition (although it really should have been there from the start). I occasionally wear the first gen, and every single time I end up swiping the stem to no avail.

 

[macrumors_account1111]

I sold my gen 1 before opening the gen 2.

Where and how on Earth does one sell used earbuds? I struggle to sell used phones and laptops, yet people are willing to pay for half-dead batteries and earwax?

I could maybe understand it with those earbuds that have replaceable batteries like the ones from Sony, but the Airpods are pretty much disposable.

 

[Boidem]

I bought a pair of Gen 1 APPs last year, as they were on offer for just £90 extra because I bought a new iMac under the B2S promotion. Initially, I found them to be excellent, amazing even, for tiny earbuds. But very quickly,I discovered they caused me discomfort if wearing them for anything more than 5 minutes or so. Tried the different eartips, the small were not as bad, but they were still very uncomfortable. The problem seemed to stem (!) from the eartips themselves; the bit they clip onto is oval in shape, and larger than most types of earbuds, so this mean that they inner hard part of the rubber tip was still just to large for my tiny ear canals. Saddened, I sold them onto a friend for what I'd paid for them (they were so pleased!). 😔

Fast forward a year, and the new APP2s are coming with extra small eartips. So I took a punt and bought a set. The XS tips were a great improvment, but still not great comfort wise. Tolerable, mind. Then I read a tip (!!) about some 'Azla Sedna Earfit Xelastec' eartips, which I purchased online for what I considered an exorbitant amount of money. These were instantly much more comfortable, and I can wear the APPs without any problems now. The solution seems to be because the eartops are in two parts, a harder plastic bit that clips onto the earbud itself, and a rubber tip that pushed onto that, but similar to the round stems that most other brands seem to use. This means the actual rubber bit can be smaller still, so better for those with tiny ear canals. And I'm thinking, you can probably replace the little rubber bits with cheap tips designed for other brands, which are all over the internet. Anything Airpod specific is at least 3 or 4 times the price.

I use, I cannot really tell any difference, as it's been over a year between having both sets. The much lauded volume control I stil haven't been able to master; it either goes down when I want it to go up, and vice versa. That's if it actualy works at all. Perhaps I'm doing something wrongly. Overall I'm very pleased with them tohuh, the ANC seems to work pretty well, and I like the little lanyard cord loop thing on the case. That, I think, is one of the best improvements they've made.

The case made a weird noise earlier when I went to get the buds. I don't know why.