Transparency mode sold me on the Airpods Pro

[autofree]

I bought the Airpods Pro last week to give them a test drive, thinking I'd eventually return them. After using it for the past week I decided to keep them due to the amazing transparency mode.

Most in-ear headphones that has noise isolation creates bone conduction that amplifies any type of moment that you make (walking, running, eating, rustling of clothes, etc.). I was always sensitive to those sounds and could never wear in-ear headphones for long periods. I've tried a few and always ended up returning them. I currently use the Bose Soundsport Free, which is open and doesn't create that seal that causes bone conduction.

The more recent in-ear headphones has transparency mode that uses the microphone to let outside sound in. While it works, it still didn't solve the problem with bone conduction. I've tried out the Jabra 65ts, Momentum, and Sony wf-1000xm3 and they all have transparency mode but you still hear the amplified internal sounds. While they all sounded good, esp the Momentum, it just wasn't comfortable to wear.

The Airpods Pro somehow got transparency mode right. It's not perfect but as good as it can get IMO. With transparency mode on, it almost sounds like you don't have the headphones on. There's only the slightest bone conduction effect. I can wear them for hours and not feel like I need to take them off to give my ears a break.

It's not the best sounding headphones out there, but all the other features make up for it.

 

[Sajal]

I too have the Bose Soundsport Free and thinking of getting the Airpods pro, majorly due to the ANC and the w1 chip's ease of use. I understand I might have to lose out on some bass/treble quality of the frees.

Can you please confirm or share a bit more from your real life experience of both the IEMs.

 

[autofree]

Can you please confirm or share a bit more from your real life experience of both the IEMs.

Bose Soundsport Free:

• Sound quality is better than the APP. Better bass, mids, highs, soundstage. Everything I listen to on the Bose sounds more crisp and airy, like guitar riffs and vocals. There's just more details in the music. I believe it's due to the open design of the Bose.
• Comfort. Slight edge to Bose. Due to the open design, the Bose was very comfortable to wear all day. I like the in-ear hooks that keep it in place. Fit was perfect for my ears. Not saying the APP isn't, it's just not as comfortable as the Bose.
• Volume controls. Although the controls were hard to press, it's nice to be able to control the volume directly from the headphones vs taking out your phone. And I'm not about to ask Siri to turn down the volume while I'm at the gym .
• Easier to keep clean (since it's black).
• Still use them for working out.

Airpods Pro:

• Perfectly synced audio and video. Bose has a terrible almost 1 sec delay when watching Youtube videos. I never used it for videos.
• Call quality is way better.
• When on a call, you can hear from both earphones vs only one side on the Bose.
• Transparency mode as mentioned above.
• ANC: Worked very well. And it didn't feel like my head was in a vacuum with it turned on either.
• Looks better. The Bose protruded out of your ear way too much.
• Easy pairing. As soon as I take it out of the case and in my ear, it's ready to go. At times, the Bose needs to be resynced or I need to turn it off and back on.
• Hey Siri whenever I need her (although I rarely use Siri)
• Better, more portable case.
• Overall, the APP just works seamlessly with the iPhone. ANC is nice to have when I need it. And transparency mode put it over the top for me by removing the bone conduction issue I had with most IEMs.

 

[weeesss]

I’m

Bose Soundsport Free:

• Sound quality is better than the APP. Better bass, mids, highs, soundstage. Everything I listen to on the Bose sounds more crisp and airy, like guitar riffs and vocals. There's just more details in the music. I believe it's due to the open design of the Bose.
• Comfort. Slight edge to Bose. Due to the open design, the Bose was very comfortable to wear all day. I like the in-ear hooks that keep it in place. Fit was perfect for my ears. Not saying the APP isn't, it's just not as comfortable as the Bose.
• Volume controls. Although the controls were hard to press, it's nice to be able to control the volume directly from the headphones vs taking out your phone. And I'm not about to ask Siri to turn down the volume while I'm at the gym .
• Easier to keep clean (since it's black).
• Still use them for working out.

Airpods Pro:

• Perfectly synced audio and video. Bose has a terrible almost 1 sec delay when watching Youtube videos. I never used it for videos.
• Call quality is way better.
• When on a call, you can hear from both earphones vs only one side on the Bose.
• Transparency mode as mentioned above.
• ANC: Worked very well. And it didn't feel like my head was in a vacuum with it turned on either.
• Looks better. The Bose protruded out of your ear way too much.
• Easy pairing. As soon as I take it out of the case and in my ear, it's ready to go. At times, the Bose needs to be resynced or I need to turn it off and back on.
• Hey Siri whenever I need her (although I rarely use Siri)
• Better, more portable case.
• Overall, the APP just works seamlessly with the iPhone. ANC is nice to have when I need it. And transparency mode put it over the top for me by removing the bone conduction issue I had with most IEMs.

I have both sets and I concur with the above comments!

 

[Sajal]

Thanks for the detailed differences.. It's really helpful.

On a separate note.. the Youtube sync issue got fixed recently. You might want to give it a check again. Sadly its been quite some time to have this fix.
Read about it

 

[augustya]

Bose Soundsport Free:

• Sound quality is better than the APP. Better bass, mids, highs, soundstage. Everything I listen to on the Bose sounds more crisp and airy, like guitar riffs and vocals. There's just more details in the music. I believe it's due to the open design of the Bose.
• Comfort. Slight edge to Bose. Due to the open design, the Bose was very comfortable to wear all day. I like the in-ear hooks that keep it in place. Fit was perfect for my ears. Not saying the APP isn't, it's just not as comfortable as the Bose.
• Volume controls. Although the controls were hard to press, it's nice to be able to control the volume directly from the headphones vs taking out your phone. And I'm not about to ask Siri to turn down the volume while I'm at the gym .
• Easier to keep clean (since it's black).
• Still use them for working out.

Airpods Pro:

• Perfectly synced audio and video. Bose has a terrible almost 1 sec delay when watching Youtube videos. I never used it for videos.
• Call quality is way better.
• When on a call, you can hear from both earphones vs only one side on the Bose.
• Transparency mode as mentioned above.
• ANC: Worked very well. And it didn't feel like my head was in a vacuum with it turned on either.
• Looks better. The Bose protruded out of your ear way too much.
• Easy pairing. As soon as I take it out of the case and in my ear, it's ready to go. At times, the Bose needs to be resynced or I need to turn it off and back on.
• Hey Siri whenever I need her (although I rarely use Siri)
• Better, more portable case.
• Overall, the APP just works seamlessly with the iPhone. ANC is nice to have when I need it. And transparency mode put it over the top for me by removing the bone conduction issue I had with most IEMs.

I’m


I have both sets and I concur with the above comments!

I am a BASS Head ! Love the Pounding Hammering BASS as I am completely into Progressive House/Club Music I had shortlisted the JABRA Elite 65t because it ticked all my check boxes was a complete package for me !! Any user of Jabra Elite 65t here who can compare it with Airpods Pro. I had heard the Airpods Gen-1 & 2 and as far as BASS is concerned for my Kind of Music, it was pathetic, right down to throw in Trash. So how is Airpods Pro against Jabra Elite 65t any experiences ?

 

[c14nhl]

I bought the Pros for ANC but I’m most impressed by Transparency mode.

I feel it’s the best headphone call experience I’ve ever had. You can hear yourself clearly and it almost feels like you’re having a conversation with someone sat next to you.

I’m very impressed with these AirPods Pro.

 

[autofree]

I am a BASS Head ! Love the Pounding Hammering BASS as I am completely into Progressive House/Club Music I had shortlisted the JABRA Elite 65t because it ticked all my check boxes was a complete package for me !! Any user of Jabra Elite 65t here who can compare it with Airpods Pro. I had heard the Airpods Gen-1 & 2 and as far as BASS is concerned for my Kind of Music, it was pathetic, right down to throw in Trash. So how is Airpods Pro against Jabra Elite 65t any experiences ?

@augustya

I actually had the Jabra Elite 65t when they first came out and used them for several months before returning them. I don't have them now to compare to the APP, but I can give you my thoughts. I used them to go on runs.

Jabra Elite 65t

• I'll get straight to the sound. I would say the APP sounded better, and when compared to the Bose, the APP was a closer comparison. The 65t were decent as best. I had the Bose Soundsport at the time and did a direct comparison and the Bose was WAY better. Not even close. The 65t sounded muddled. Every aspect of Jabra's sound was just ok. This may sound strange to say, but I never really bobbed my head to the music with the Jabra's. I do on the Bose and APP.
• Speaking specifically to the bass, it does have decent bass (due to tight seal), but nothing to write home about from what I recall. The Bose was so much better in that regard. I'd give the edge to the APP here as well. The APP's bass isn't has punchy as you may like, but it's good. Kinda muddy and not as crisp as the Bose though. The 65ts bass was lacking something that makes you want to move to the music.
• Comfort-wise, it was not comfortable to use. The bone conduction as I described above was terrible on these. One of the worst that I tried. Every internal noise was amplified. Don't even think about eating with these on...you can hear every crunch.
• Transparency mode on these was bad too. It amplifies all the sound around you, but sounds very unnatural. It's like taking a mic and listening through them from the headphones. I recall eating at Dennys, and can hear conversation from a couple seated several tables away from me, like there was a muffled mic next to them. And the bone conduction didn't go away either with the mode on.
• Call quality was just ok. Friends would complain I didn't sound clear and at times I'd take off the headphones to talk to them directly from the phone.
• I like the controls on these, but every time you press on the buttons, 2 things happen. You hear the amplified affects of pressing on the headphones. You also end up pressing the earphones into your ear.

On paper, the 65ts sounded great to me too. But I ended up returning them. It just wasn't a good user experience for me. Hope that helps.
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I bought the Pros for ANC but I’m most impressed by Transparency mode.

I feel it’s the best headphone call experience I’ve ever had. You can hear yourself clearly and it almost feels like you’re having a conversation with someone sat next to you.

I’m very impressed with these AirPods Pro.

I totally agree. Phone calls on these are near perfect, even better than using the phone itself. Apple really nailed phone calls with the Airpods (both Gens and the Pro). What's better with the Pro is when you turn on noise cancellation, outside sound is blocked and you can hear even clearer. It's amazing.

I like the ANC and am using it more. The bone conduction effect is hardly noticeable with ANC on and no music playing.

 

[macintoshmac]

I bought the Airpods Pro last week to give them a test drive, thinking I'd eventually return them. After using it for the past week I decided to keep them due to the amazing transparency mode.

Most in-ear headphones that has noise isolation creates bone conduction that amplifies any type of moment that you make (walking, running, eating, rustling of clothes, etc.). I was always sensitive to those sounds and could never wear in-ear headphones for long periods. I've tried a few and always ended up returning them. I currently use the Bose Soundsport Free, which is open and doesn't create that seal that causes bone conduction.

The more recent in-ear headphones has transparency mode that uses the microphone to let outside sound in. While it works, it still didn't solve the problem with bone conduction. I've tried out the Jabra 65ts, Momentum, and Sony wf-1000xm3 and they all have transparency mode but you still hear the amplified internal sounds. While they all sounded good, esp the Momentum, it just wasn't comfortable to wear.

The Airpods Pro somehow got transparency mode right. It's not perfect but as good as it can get IMO. With transparency mode on, it almost sounds like you don't have the headphones on. There's only the slightest bone conduction effect. I can wear them for hours and not feel like I need to take them off to give my ears a break.

It's not the best sounding headphones out there, but all the other features make up for it.

That is nice to know. Hope they can even improve upon this in future revisions.

 

[augustya]

@augustya

I actually had the Jabra Elite 65t when they first came out and used them for several months before returning them. I don't have them now to compare to the APP, but I can give you my thoughts.

Amazing on how to some the same Ear buds sound tight and punchy in bass and to some muddy ! But that is what music is all about. It cannot sound the same to everyone. Everyone will perceive it differently !!

 

[Pug72]

I've found there's a big variation in bass level across different tracks/albums.

Got Apple Music? Try Voices by Against The Current (Album Past Lives). Very good bass produced and shows what the APP can do.

 

[autofree]

Amazing on how to some the same Ear buds sound tight and punchy in bass and to some muddy ! But that is what music is all about. It cannot sound the same to everyone. Everyone will perceive it differently !!

Agreed. Really should give any earphones a test run. When I first got the 65t I thought they sounded pretty good. Until I tried them side by side with the Bose and could notice the difference. Every track I listened to just sounded better. But I'm guessing some may prefer the sound of the Jabra's to the Bose.

For instance, I saw a comparison to the Sony's vs Bose, and many were saying Sony's sounded better with better soundstage. I thought the exact opposite. Bose has better soundstage to me.

 

[augustya]

Agreed. Really should give any earphones a test run. When I first got the 65t I thought they sounded pretty good. Until I tried them side by side with the Bose and could notice the difference. Every track I listened to just sounded better. But I'm guessing some may prefer the sound of the Jabra's to the Bose.

For instance, I saw a comparison to the Sony's vs Bose, and many were saying Sony's sounded better with better soundstage. I thought the exact opposite. Bose has better soundstage to me.

Yes Bose Soundsport Free has the most pounding bass of all but there is a massive latency while watching videos which is also what i am concerned and not looking to happen in the ear buds i decided to buy, In the case of Airpods Pro i am told that is no latency at all. I also will very much use the Airpods Pro to watch Netflix and YouTube Videos. So i want an all round sounding ear buds.

 

[Sajal]

there is a massive latency while watching videos

Just wanted to clear this up.. NO latency/audio lag with bose ss free while watching videos on Netflix/Prime/NPlayer/Apple TV+ etc.. There was lag with Youtube, which has been fixed recently. However I still find a bit lag in Facebook videos, not sure about other apps if any.. Also on SS free its not only the bass, the clarity and treble is too good to miss.

I am too getting the airpods pro. However Bose SS free still will be my main driver for music on the go.