Transparency Mode vs native passive transparency on regular Airpods

[wolfboy]

For those that have used/own both, how does transparency mode compare to the passive transparency on the regular Airpods?

I’m debating between getting the Airpod Pro or the Airpod 3 and unsure about this. Long story short, I have a baby and need to be able to hear my surroundings. The problem is I have a white noise machine running all the time and it can drown out sound in the regular Airpods where I have to turn the volume up higher than I’d like. Because of that, I’m curious if the Pros will be better for me as I can toggle on/off transparency mode. I do like the bud style of the regular ones more than the in-ear style, but I’ve read Apple’s made some improvements to the in-ear experience.

EDIT: Okay my Airpods Pro have arrived and transparency mode sounds 99% like there’s nothing in your ears, almost exactly the same...it’s very impressive. With music playing, it’s comparable to regular Airpods passive open design but with the better sound quality, just gotta turn the volume lower to hear surroundings more clearly. The silicone tips are not as comfortable as the Airpods, but a minor thing to get used to. However, they are more comfortable than other IEMs. The great thing about them is with noise canceling, you don't hear the usual in your head noise like with other in ear phones (such as loud chewing noises when you eat and loud thumping when walking)

 

[Channan]

Regular AirPods don’t need transparency mode because there’s no active or passive noise cancellation. It’s exactly the reason I bought the 3rd gen AirPods when I already own the Pros. I want to be able to pause my music and not have to take my AirPods out of my ears to hear everything around me normally.

I’ll keep my Pros for when I actually do want to block out other noise, but regular AirPods will get the majority of my use.

 

[wolfboy]

Regular AirPods don’t need transparency mode because there’s no active or passive noise cancellation. It’s exactly the reason I bought the 3rd gen AirPods when I already own the Pros. I want to be able to pause my music and not have to take my AirPods out of my ears to hear everything around me normally.

I’ll keep my Pros for when I actually do want to block out other noise, but regular AirPods will get the majority of my use.

I know that, but what I was asking was how does transparency mode on the Pros compare for hearing your surrounding? Does it sound the same/similar to the regular AirPods if you turn it on?

Also, do you hear the loud thumping when walking like other IEMs?

 

[NARadyk]

With the AirPods Pro, the outside world sounds clearer, everything is just more prominent and THERE in your ears but I never used this feature as in my experience and opinion, I had to compensate for this by having the volume of the music much louder to be able to comfortably enjoy my music.

With the AirPods 1/2/3, as crazy as it sounds, I think the experience is better in terms of transparency. You can have your music at a decent volume and still hear just enough of the outside world. It’s more muffled in comparison but the mix just blends better.

I may have lost you with that explanation but I guess it’s truly hard to explain unless you experience both and everyone has different opinions.

 

[Ralfi]

It’s exactly the reason I bought the 3rd gen AirPods when I already own the Pros. I want to be able to pause my music and not have to take my AirPods out of my ears to hear everything around me normally.

You paid for a whole other set of AirPods because you didn’t want to tap to pause & tap-hold for Transparency on the Pros, which let’s you listen to everything around you normally?

If the Pros fit your ears, then they have all the functionality of the regular AirPods & you have no need to spend money on the latter.

 

[Channan]

You paid for a whole other set of AirPods because you didn’t want to tap to pause & tap-hold for Transparency on the Pros, which let’s you listen to everything around you normally?

If the Pros fit your ears, then they have all the functionality of the regular AirPods & you have no need to spend money on the latter.

Yes, for a couple of reasons. Have you had people come up and talk to you while you were listening to music with noise cancellation on? I’m guessing rarely, if ever, because that one click to pause, wait for it to apply so it doesn’t register multiple clicks, then the click and hold to switch to transparency takes a few seconds. It’s awkward having someone waiting to speak to you while you mess with your headphone controls.

Also, I like to be able to pause my music for extended lengths of time and leave my AirPods in. Doing this with AirPods Pro requires transparency mode because of the sealed fit. Transparency mode drains the battery more quickly, meaning I’d have to take them out to charge them more frequently, and the battery will degrade quicker. Doing this with regular AirPods uses a negligible amount of battery (only the Bluetooth connection to your phone) and will preserve battery health for longer.

Lastly, it’s my money so I’m not sure why it bothers you how I spend it. It’s worth it to me and that’s the only thing that matters.

 

[SkiHound2]

I know that, but what I was asking was how does transparency mode on the Pros compare for hearing your surrounding? Does it sound the same/similar to the regular AirPods if you turn it on?

Also, do you hear the loud thumping when walking like other IEMs?

I've not used any version of airpods other than the pros, so I can't compare. I find transparency mode very useful and actually started a thread. My hearing is not what it used to be. I hear OK, but it's just not what it was when younger. I think the air pod pros in transparency mode enhance ambient sounds, especially speech. I can hear my wife when she speaks to me from the next room, I can have conversations, I can hear things in my environment, etc. In short, I can use these in many situations where I wouldn't use conventional ear buds. I would say audio sounds better and more immersive when using noise cancellation. But there are many times I don't want the ambient noise cancelled.

 

[Ralfi]

that one click to pause, wait for it to apply so it doesn’t register multiple clicks, then the click and hold to switch to transparency takes a few seconds. It’s awkward having someone waiting to speak to you while you mess with your headphone controls.

Yeah I understand this annoyance. It happens to me at gym & in the front yard when neighbours come for a chat. I’ve hoped for a feature option where you pause music & it automatically switches to Transparency which is on other models.

I like to be able to pause my music for extended lengths of time and leave my AirPods in. Doing this with AirPods Pro requires transparency mode because of the sealed fit. Transparency mode drains the battery more quickly, meaning I’d have to take them out to charge them more frequently, and the battery will degrade quicker.

Well, after almost 3 years of ownership, & near daily use, I can say the AirPods Pro batteries have aged much better than my original AirPods.

Lastly, it’s my money so I’m not sure why it bothers you how I spend it. It’s worth it to me and that’s the only thing that matters.

You didn’t need to take it that way. I just laid out my opinion, based on daily usage of AirPods & AirPods Pros over a number of years…

Yes, for a couple of reasons. Have you had people come up and talk to you while you were listening to music with noise cancellation on? I’m guessing rarely,

So now I see where this came from.

No need to be so touchy…

 

[Channan]

Yeah I understand this annoyance. It happens to me at gym & in the front yard when neighbours come for a chat. I’ve hoped for a feature option where you pause music & it automatically switches to Transparency which is on other models.

Well, after almost 3 years of ownership, & near daily use, I can say the AirPods Pro batteries have aged much better than my original AirPods.

You didn’t need to take it that way. I just laid out my opinion, based on daily usage of AirPods & AirPods Pros over a number of years…

So now I see where this came from.

No need to be so touchy…

Your opinion is fine, but your comment came across as condescending so I thought my response was appropriate. I wasn’t trying to be rude.

 

[Matz]

I've not used any version of airpods other than the pros, so I can't compare. I find transparency mode very useful and actually started a thread. My hearing is not what it used to be. I hear OK, but it's just not what it was when younger. I think the air pod pros in transparency mode enhance ambient sounds, especially speech. I can hear my wife when she speaks to me from the next room, I can have conversations, I can hear things in my environment, etc. In short, I can use these in many situations where I wouldn't use conventional ear buds. I would say audio sounds better and more immersive when using noise cancellation. But there are many times I don't want the ambient noise cancelled.

I have a set of APP and AP3 that I'm evaluating before deciding which, if either, to keep. This is my first experience with AP, so I'm not yet convinced that I need them.

The largest difference between the two, imo, is Transparency Mode on the AAP. Like yourself, my hearing isn't what it used to be. So I was quite pleased to discover that the amplification of background sound in Transparency Mode can be adjusted. You may have already discovered this. If not, the setting is found in the Control Center. If Transparency is active, tap the Hearing button (it looks like an ear), then you should see a tab called Transparency Mode - Amplification, which has a slider to adjust amplification from 0 to 100%. Pretty neat.