[AlwaysForward]

it may be worth keeping them for that purpose then reselling and hoping that AirPods gen 2 blow me away.

Apple will never be chasing audiophile demographics. If you want audiophile wireless buds, look to Bose or B&O. With Bluetooth 5 finally maturing, a new generation will hit this year that will rival the wireless connectivity performance of airpods, though less "smart."

 

[MICHAELSD]

Disagree. Perhaps more accurately, factually incorrect. This is a similarly bold claim to when Jude called out your post exaggerating the performance post in the Studio 3 thread. Airpods are cool and sound good but they don't compete at all with even $100 IEM like the triple driver. Go the quoted range includes LZ A4, Quad Driver (which I own), Pinnacle P1 or FiiO F9.

You've stated many times on head-fi that you don't like IEM in the first place. I'm commenting for posterity so that anyone who reads this in the future won't be confused by the post here.

I’ve edited my post to “some IEMs.” I’m sure there are many like the Triple Driver or Quad Driver that are significantly better, but based off of what I’ve heard from Klipsch, Xiaomi, the wireless BeatsX (which actually received positive reviews), and a few other brands the AirPods are close to playing in their league. Still not perfect and I’ll admit I’m not the most focused on IEM’s as my preference is for over-ear headphones so I may not be the best to compare.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Apple will never be chasing audiophile demographics. If you want audiophile wireless buds, look to Bose or B&O. With Bluetooth 5 finally maturing, a new generation will hit this year that will rival the wireless connectivity performance of airpods, though less "smart."

Sound can only get better with each new generation, even if it’s only moderately so.

Truth be told I would have probably purchased something else were it not for the discounted price I paid and the strong resale value on AirPods. Other manufacturers are catching on to the truly wireless tech, but AirPods are still king of that segment for providing the most reliable wireless connection.

 

[Bob24]

I think you got your answer below;

Have a look at the post you quoted ... it is different from your quote.

Of course you can think that they sounds as good or better as most similarly priced wired earphones ... but you are in a minority.

That is fine we can all enjoy them for whatever we like about them. But I think most people like them for the nice design and extremely good usability while sounding decent (but not amazing). Most people buying them with an expectation they'll sound as good as their similarly priced wired set will be disappointed.

 

[ceeloChamp]

Does anyone here know what the isolation (in db) that the AirPods have? It probably differs ear to ear, but are there general numbers out there?

 

[MICHAELSD]

Does anyone here know what the isolation (in db) that the AirPods have? It probably differs ear to ear, but are there general numbers out there?

Only about 1-2dB.

 

[ceeloChamp]

Only about 1-2dB.

Makes sense. I'm trying to figure out how little I'll be able to hear the world around me if I get headphones that have (-21db) isolation. It's really hard for me to visualize isolation numbers in practical terms

 

[Bob24]

Apple will never be chasing audiophile demographics. If you want audiophile wireless buds, look to Bose or B&O. With Bluetooth 5 finally maturing, a new generation will hit this year that will rival the wireless connectivity performance of airpods, though less "smart."

Makes sense. I'm trying to figure out how little I'll be able to hear the world around me if I get headphones that have (-21db) isolation. It's really hard for me to visualize isolation numbers in practical terms

It is very minimal. If no music is playing, you'll pretty much ear outside noise exactly the same as if you were not wearing the earphones.

 

[ceeloChamp]

Oh no I guess I misspoke....I have the AirPods (love them also) and love how I can hear everything around me. I'm looking at getting some IEMs with -20-25db isolation and was trying to use somthing I know (AirPods) to compare.

 

[Bob24]

Oh no I guess I misspoke....I have the AirPods (love them also) and love how I can hear everything around me. I'm looking at getting some IEMs with -20-25db isolation and was trying to use somthing I know (AirPods) to compare.

Sorry I actually misread your post a bit. I don't think the AirPods are a very good starting point to imagine what isolating IEMs will be like unfortunately (since the AirPods have virtually no isolation). What what kind of situation do you want isolation for? At -20-25db I'd say if you are walking down a mildly noisy street you can probably still hear your environment a bit when no music is playing, and not that much when music is playing.

 

[ceeloChamp]

No worries, I think I made a bad comparison. I won't derail this thread by explaining it, I really just wanted to know how little dbs the Airpods block out

 

[Jajo]

Has anyone tried flipping the AirPods? For instance, left AirPod on right ear and vice verse? You can get a bit of a seal and a more secure fit.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Ambient noise is the enemy of AirPods. They’re good-sounding IEMs (not great, or fantastic but also not bad) but environmental noise can tend to drown them out and make them sound a lot more lacking than they do in quiet environments. I’m still pretty ambivalent about the aesthetic design, as I feel like I get some funny looks at the gym even though they’re more common now than they were a year ago.

Apple did a solid job with the fitment as they do fit well in my ears, and won’t fall out even with excessive motion; although, if the AirPods do move the tiniest bit they can lose the little isolation they do provide as well as the bass and fullness. They’re also not the comfiest over long periods.

They do have their utility and I feel like I’ll enjoy them for runs even if I really wish that there was a Podcasts app for Apple Watch. If I’m still tethered to my phone for runs to listen to podcasts then it isn’t that much more inconvenient to use the wired EarPods.

Future iterations are where the potential lies. I’d like to see:

- Better sound with ruler flat bass response down to 20Hz, less sibilant treble, and even more separation which I know they’re capable of as there’s a lot of audio potential still remaining with their open design.

- Comfier, more secure fit that won’t move and affect sound. (Currently, I feel it moves ever so slightly slowly over time and though it won’t fall out for me pushing them deeper improves the sound.)

- Adjustable noise isolation. (Not noise cancelling.) There are a lot of ways to accomplish this, with one of the more obvious being to design them to isolate more then utilizing the mics to bring in ambient noise rather.

- More smart features and sensors seem to be a given. Utilize the Apple ethos: give us what we don’t know we need.

Personally I don’t think the controls are bad, as I’d strongly recommend an Apple Watch to fully experience AirPods. Siri does a solid job at controlling volume, etc. and works quickly with the newest devices thanks to the mics doing a solid job picking up speech.

They’re solid for now and do have a lot of utility for certain use cases, but are definitely not ideally usable all the time such as in a noisy gym. With AirPods I’m buying into the potential of future generations, and I think they have a bright future.

I’d strongly consider a more expensive ~ $199-$299 “AirPods Pro” or whatever they decide to call it if Apple just decided to build the best truly wireless product possible with relatively high-end sound.

 

[Bob24]

They do have their utility and I feel like I’ll enjoy them for runs even if I really wish that there was a Podcasts app for Apple Watch.

I am completely with you! Such app (with synchronisation of podcasts though iCloud and auto download of the latest episodes while on WiFi) would be a perfect fit for the Apple Watch / AirPods combination. I’m actually surprised Apple hasn’t released one yet (it would be more useful than some existing default apps such has the photo app which to me is a bit of a gimmick on such a small screen especially since in most cases when you want to check photos you will have your phone with you).

 

[MICHAELSD]

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