What level sound quality does the AirPods pro achieve in terms of a wired IEM, both past or present? Like is it as good as a 1 more triple driver, an entry leve shure?
Lord no. The sound quality is roughly the same as the Gen 1/2 Airpods, only now with a bit better bass and more up front mids, though this is likely largely helped by the isolation factor.
I did quite a bit if A/B testing with my JH5 dual driver customs, and Westone W50 5 driver universals. The Airpods are not in the same ballpark at all. They do not have the same soundstage depth or stereo separation, have an incredibly small headspace which seems distant, and are missing heaps of detail, even via streaming services from an iPhone.
They sound fine, but don't expect sound better than a $20-40 wired dynamic earbud, ie skull candy. Just as the original AirPods did not sound better than the come with EarPods. For $250 you are getting:
-Wireless convenience
-Pairing and on/off convencience
-Charging convenience (case/size)
-Smartphone Features
However, you are also getting a finite product life due to batteries. Maybe they'll last 3 years at most. My current high end IEM's I've had since 2012 and 2015 and both are good as new, ready to be plugged in and used for as long as I like.
I've also noticed 2 interesting things with the AirPods Pro:
-Apple limits the volume on their devices quite significantly. These do not get loud (though they are sufficient). Makes me wonder if it is so people don't blow their drivers, ruin their hearing, battery life conservation, etc. My wired IEM's get much louder, and AirPods Pro when connected to other non-apple devices also get much louder.
-Everything sounds better from the Music app (streaming or library) with iPhones. Significantly better than spotify, independent apps, or youtube etc. So, if you are going to use your iPhone for music (which many Airpods Pro users will), strongly consider using Apple Music!