What do you guys think of the new AirPods Pro audio quality?

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

Mine come tomorrow. I found my original AirPods Pro sound quality and noice cancellation would fade over time. Eventually they would develop the infamous crackling with noise cancellation and transparency mode, Apple would replace them, and the new pair would sound mind blowingly good in comparison.

I'm on my fourth pair of original AirPods Pro (all replacements from the service program) for what it's worth, and it has been the same thing every time.

I wonder how much of this difference is from the better tech in the APP 2 and how much is just from people's APP 1 being somewhat degraded without people realising...

I really hope Apple has fixed those issues for this second generation.

I think they fixed that. Apple made changes to the physicals of the APP2. They moved the black grill - that had a tendency to get clogged with skin oil and earwax which subsequently degraded the bass and NC - to the top of the APP2.

 

[Jutah]

Yeah, I actually went back to Balanced (with moderate strength) as well. Technically the default is whatever settings are there upon completing the Custom Audio Setup, but I think it’s still good to play with them on-the-fly afterward so you have a better idea of how the sound signature changes.

Yeah, generally speaking i think it's better to listen an original track as it supposed to be, with the defult setting of the device and of the audio player. With APP1 on spotify i use a specific custom EQ but now i reset it. I realized that the EQ changes a lot the native sound of the device.

 

[sorgo †]

Yeah, generally speaking i think it's better to listen an original track as it supposed to be, with the defult setting of the device and of the audio player. With APP1 on spotify i use a specific custom EQ but now i reset it. I realized that the EQ changes a lot the native sound of the device.

Yeah, EQs are kinda trash mostly, glad that Headphone Accommodations do more to fix the root of the issue (a muddy default soundstage)

 

[dubvulture]

I believe unless specified by the user the change applies during phone calls and when playing content with Noise Cancellation turned on. Transparency-specific Accommodations may be separately set, although I don’t use them; I seem to remember hearing strange “artifacts” like pronounced static while experimenting with AirPods Pro gen 1.

What about you, @dubvulture ? Do you use Headphone Accommodations with Transparency Mode

I took screenshots of my settings. I don’t use Transparency Mode very often, but the Headphone Accommodations definitely apply while in that mode. I’m in ANC 99% of the time.

 

[sorgo †]

I took screenshots of my settings. I don’t use Transparency Mode very often, but the Headphone Accommodations definitely apply while in that mode. I’m in ANC 99% of the time.

Thank you! I will play around with this later

 

[josena]

I took screenshots of my settings. I don’t use Transparency Mode very often, but the Headphone Accommodations definitely apply while in that mode. I’m in ANC 99% of the time.

In headphone audio I miss a sliding bar from slight to strong, not only 3 points.

 

[jimmy_uk]

I use Spotify and definitely had to use the EQ to boost everything. Without EQ the APP2 sound like I'm listening through a tube.

Bass is still lacking for my taste when compared to my Sony WF-1000XM3 which are very old now. It's heard bass, not felt bass. That said the ANC is so much better but still doesn't silence voices ( which is the dragon I'm chasing).

Sadly mine are being returned because the connection would randomly glitch and drop out. Very jarring. My phone thinks they are still connected but the audio plays from the phone speakers. 🤷‍♂️ Another glitchy release day product for me!

Bose QC2 now in hand and early testing: equal ANC to APP2 and sound awesome with deep bass. Comfort is in question as they are a little large in the ear opening.

 

[cardfan]

Still on old ones til they break. To be honest though it wouldn’t make a significant difference for me. Do like the case has a speaker to find it easier.

 

[Tagbert]

I use Spotify and definitely had to use the EQ to boost everything. Without EQ the APP2 sound like I'm listening through a tube.

Bass is still lacking for my taste when compared to my Sony WF-1000XM3 which are very old now. It's heard bass, not felt bass. That said the ANC is so much better but still doesn't silence voices ( which is the dragon I'm chasing).

Sadly mine are being returned because the connection would randomly glitch and drop out. Very jarring. My phone thinks they are still connected but the audio plays from the phone speakers. 🤷‍♂️ Another glitchy release day product for me!

Bose QC2 now in hand and early testing: equal ANC to APP2 and sound awesome with deep bass. Comfort is in question as they are a little large in the ear opening.

that's not really surprising. The APP default profile is probably a compromise between what is ideal for music and what is ideal for voice. Often, a response curve that is good for music will be too base heavy for voice. For myself, I only listen to music at most 10% of the time. the rest is calls and podcasts where I want clear vocals and base is unimportant. I do wish that Apple would allow us to choose or customize the audio profiles for the APPs and not have to depend on various apps to do so or not.

 

[gorkt]

I am hoping to pick mine up in an hour or so. My husband was home on Friday to get the package, but they happened to come while he was napping so they brought to an access point to pick up today. Looking forward to finally trying them out!

 

[sbdyontheweb]

Not exceptional I think they're just fine, the problem for me is that they're full of bugs (see other threads, automatic switching doesn't work, sound quality and volume changing weirdly on macbookpro depending on task)

 

[metalsiren]

Not exceptional I think they're just fine, the problem for me is that they're full of bugs (see other threads, automatic switching doesn't work, sound quality and volume changing weirdly on macbookpro depending on task)

I think the big problem with things like auto switching is MacOS and iPad OS are not up to date. auto switching from my beta iPad os and iPhone is flawless, but going to my MacOS not on the beta, not that good

 

[sbdyontheweb]

I think the big problem with things like auto switching is MacOS and iPad OS are not up to date. auto switching from my beta iPad os and iPhone is flawless, but going to my MacOS not on the beta, not that good

ah ok that would make sense.
they should have delayed the launch a little bit there is way too many bugs its really frustrating, my partners one cant even update to latest firmware and are not showing on "find my". fingers crossed we get express bugfixes.

 

[Jutah]

I tried, in a silent space, to listen to the same track with app2 and the simple wired Apple buds.

The difference is not day and night as I aspected to be. A more rounded sound on APP2 of course, but not miles away from the (good) quality of the wired buds.

 

[Tagbert]

I tried, in a silent space, to listen to the same track with app2 and the simple wired Apple buds.

The difference is not day and night as I aspected to be. A more rounded sound on APP2 of course, but not miles away from the (good) quality of the wired buds.

that is a bit surprising as most people will notice a significant difference in bass and general fullness of sound with in-ear APP vs the open ear buds.

 

[gorkt]

Just got mine today, and I can hear the difference. The new ones sound a bit fuller and warmer, a tad stronger bass. It’s subtle, but I noticed it.

 

[someone33]

Bose QC2 now in hand and early testing: equal ANC to APP2 and sound awesome with deep bass. Comfort is in question as they are a little large in the ear opening.

Comfort might be the deciding factor me as well, the APP2 are just more comfortable than any other in-ear buds I've tried. I wouldn't say the QC2 and APP2 have equal ANC though. The ANC with the QC2 is another level above the APP2, it's not even the same sport. The downside though is the louder noise floor with the QC2.

 

[- rob -]

ah ok that would make sense.
they should have delayed the launch a little bit there is way too many bugs its really frustrating, my partners one cant even update to latest firmware and are not showing on "find my". fingers crossed we get express bugfixes.

I was surprised that the setup was so dodgy.

I had APP1s and when I opened the APP2 case there was nothing. Nada. Opened closed it. Pulled out buds put them in nothing. Pushed back button nothing. Finally disconnected APP gen 1, plugged new ones into my Mac by lighting cable and they came alive.

idk what I was doing wrong but it felt like the most broken onboarding I’ve seen in an Apple product, maybe ever.

 

[skidu]

You are a lifesaver! Thank you so much! Never knew this feature was there. They sounded a bit too muddy out of the box as I stated in my OP. Very centered and closed off soundstage (imo). But Headphone Accommodations opened them up nicely by disconnecting and raising the highs ever so slightly. Now they sound crisp and clear and the vocals sound pure and pleasant.

It’s like night and day. Still can’t believe it. Lol. Thanks again @sorgo!

Thank god I came back to this thread, had very similar initial impression as yourself.

I got used to the sound for a couple days and found it fairly pleasant. Until I played the same songs on my actual speakers are realized how much of the trebled was getting clipped. Adjusting the slider to moderate really brings out that sparkle in the top end, it's like a veil has been lifted.

Thanks guys @sorgo

 

[jimmy_uk]

Comfort might be the deciding factor me as well, the APP2 are just more comfortable than any other in-ear buds I've tried. I wouldn't say the QC2 and APP2 have equal ANC though. The ANC with the QC2 is another level above the APP2, it's not even the same sport. The downside though is the louder noise floor with the QC2.

My test was having the TV on at normal listening volume then testing the APP2 and QC2 with ANC on - music playing and nothing playing. With both earbuds I could still hear the TV equally hence my comment.

With both they have much better ANC than my WF-1000XM3's but still not the silence I crave. QC2 still winning out due to sound quality, bass and stereo separation. Comfort is still the issue as they touch alot of skin to be secure which can be irritating and makes my ears hot. The small size and lightness of the APP2 is impressive.

Regarding QC2: With ANC on but no audio playing, can you notice the occasional glitching digital/machine noise in the left bud (other than the feint hiss)?

 

[HelyCopter]

I have a pretty big collection of headphones and IEMs. I bought the APP1 for transparency mode. It works great for doing chores, walking the dog, errands and so forth. The sound was pretty vanilla with a distinct lack of bass and sub-bass. They were basically lackluster across the whole frequency range. Not bad, just not exciting at all.

The APP2 is similar. The sound signature is absolutely improved. These are tuned better across the range. They have a fair amount of bass and some noticeable sub-bass as well. The mids are reasonably saturated and the highs are bright without being too cutting.

My primary problem with them remains from the APP1: the fit. These fit better, but I still struggle to get a decent seal on my left ear. The L tips are about 1/2mm too small to work reliably in my ear(s.) It appears that Apple very slightly altered the case so that they feel more secure, so that’s a bonus.

The ANC and transparency modes are great. This is what I come to AirPods Pro for and the 2.0 version doesn’t disappoint. They are significantly better at eliminating ambient noise, do a fair job of stifling moderately loud noises and a pretty good job of dulling down loud sounds, particularly with active transparency.

So I’d characterize these as a definite upgrade from the originals. They fit better, sound better, reject noise better and (from specs, not experience yet) have a more robust battery. Apple still has a ways to go before these compete with wired IEMS at a fraction of the price (and some of the TWS buds as well) but these are a serious step in the right direction.

Oh, and spatial audio seems like a gimmick to me. I’ve only come across a handful of tracks that sound good with it. It sounds better on these but I still think it’s way over processed.

could you please point some IEMs for this music enthusiast that is not satisfied with the regular consumer Bluetooth buds, I need something stronger and with better sound , thanks

 

[skidu]

could you please point some IEMs for this music enthusiast that is not satisfied with the regular consumer Bluetooth buds, I need something stronger and with better sound , thanks

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-UK/p/ie-600/

I still miss my IE8's and 80's but I tried some old wired iems' the other day, such a faff with all the dongles and cables. If you want to stick with wireless, check out the Momentum 3's

 

[AL2TEACH]

The spatial audio with movies, same, better or difference?

 

[someone33]

Regarding QC2: With ANC on but no audio playing, can you notice the occasional glitching digital/machine noise in the left bud (other than the feint hiss)?

I know what you're talking about but I hear it in the right bud, not the left.

 

[Born Again]

Yeah it’s definitely a pleasing sound. I remember from the first generation APP back in 2019 that Apple tweaked the soundstage early on with firmware updates. So we’ll see what happens.

Regarding my daily drivers, I rocked the AirPods Pro for quite a while. I also frequently use the wired Sennheiser Momentum in-ears. For speakers I use a pair of KEF LS50 Wireless II and a pair of OG HomePods. All of them excellent sounding speakers. Really love them!

Remember how good our anc was out of the box then the forced firmware zapped it?

Was never the same from the release date 2019.