[whsbuss]

Got 2 sets yesterday - one for me and one for the wife. I love the convenience of pairing just once and connecting on different Apple devices. Battery life is good and the BT range from my iPhone 7 is well over 50 feet on different floors in my house. Just saw on 9to5mac they did a stress test - 10ft drop, washing machine cycle and water emersion. Passed with flying colors. Well worth the price for me.

 

[gavinfabl]

How much better than the EarPods? Would you say they'd be adequate for an "audiophile"?

Compared to EarPods slightly more depth (bass). Everything really I said in my review.

I wouldn't say they are top audiophile grade. Highly convenient and no wires and light.

 

[kugino]

was able to pick up a couple on monday. got the last two at my nearby apple store and i was 10th in line (with about 70 lined up altogether)...and they haven't received any shipments since. 
 
in the short time i tried them at the store (the pairs i bought are for wifey and niece), i was pleasantly surprised at how well they fit my ears as no apple earbuds/earpods seem to like my small ears. they're light, have a tackyness to them like the jet black iphone, and the sound wasn't bad for what they are. they're better, say, than the cheap BT earbuds i have to work out with...
 
having truly wireless earbuds with very simple connectivity is nice...hope to see more kinds of offerings like these in the coming year.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

Gave them an audition today at the Apple Store.  The effortless pairing and the way they pause automatically when one ear piece is pulled out and resume when put back in is just magic.  Very impressed.  They fit is awesome, I can see myself using these in the gym.  I found you can hear outside quite clearly even with the volume up.  Sound was better than expected, there was some punch in the bass, vocals quite clear, nothing to write home about but quite acceptable for wireless.  The case was great and very cute.  If Apple invested some money on r&d to create a better sounding wireless airpods v2, they'd have a winner on their hands in my book.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Also tried these in the store for two minutes. The guy said they sound much better than the EarPods, and there is a noticeable improvement in sonics. Of course the wireless connectivity seems to work perfectly. When I have more time to demo in an Apple Store I'll test them for a longer period specifically for audio. Promising first impression. Need another demo to determine if the sonics would be satisfactory for me, but fit is fine.

Perhaps the best surprise about the AirPods is that the build quality of the buds themselves and the case feels much more premium than the EarPods. It doesn't feel as cheap as I was expecting for the money, which is a great sign.

 

[whsbuss]

Had mine for almost a week. They are now my go-to for listening to music on the go. Even around the house when I just want some good music doing chores, they are great. Have yet to lose a signal anywhere inside. Recommended for sure.

 

[tinyman392]

I might as well comment here...  It's been a while since I posted on Head-Fi, nearly a year actually, LOL.  I got my AirPods on Thursday and have been using them consistently, maybe have about 5 hours on them.  The fit is great and they definitely don't fall out (the EarPods didn't for me either).  Online, you'll find lots of people who say that the EarPods didn't fit them, but the AirPods do.  The shape of the 'bud is exactly the same, so the better fit is mostly due to lack of cable (tension can be a powerful force).  The pairing process and entire UI of the thing is nearly perfect; it's very well executed.  I found a few major issues:

1. Lack of playback controls
   1. Play/pause, next, previous (play/pause can be swapped with Siri in settings)
   2. Volume
2. Battery woes
   1. It discharges 10-15% overnight while I sleep (not in use)
   2. Under heavy-ish use, the battery will last maybe 36-42 hours

 
As for sound differences.  Comparing to my EarPods (that came with my iPhone 7), the volume is lower (5 clicks on EarPods ~= 6 clicks on AirPods).  There are some sonic differences between the two.  There isn't as much quantity of bass, though it's also not as tight as the EarPods.  This means more bass texturing, but less control and punchiness.  There is a distinct airiness to the AirPods over the EarPods (this was the fist thing I noticed).  Any of this can change during burn-in, however.  Everything else is more or less the same.  That said, if you aren't a fan of the EarPods signature, I would steer clear of these*.  
 
TLDR: The UI of the entire thing is exquisitely designed, as a proof of concept, these make a great one.  The fit will be improved over the EarPods, though they won't fit everyone still.  That said, it's still worth trying on.  The sound is very EarPod-esque, so if the EarPods fit you and you don't like the sound, I would steer clear.  If the EarPods don't fit and you don't like the sound, a better fit can improve sound, so it's worth a test (though I'd demo them if possible).  
 
*if the EarPods don't fit you properly, I would urge you to try the AirPods if you can as fit can change how something sonically sounds.  

 

[kugino]

  I might as well comment here...  It's been a while since I posted on Head-Fi, nearly a year actually, LOL.  I got my AirPods on Thursday and have been using them consistently, maybe have about 5 hours on them.  The fit is great and they definitely don't fall out (the EarPods didn't for me either).  Online, you'll find lots of people who say that the EarPods didn't fit them, but the AirPods do.  The shape of the 'bud is exactly the same, so the better fit is mostly due to lack of cable (tension can be a powerful force).  The pairing process and entire UI of the thing is nearly perfect; it's very well executed.  I found a few major issues:

1. Lack of playback controls
   1. Play/pause, next, previous (play/pause can be swapped with Siri in settings)
   2. Volume
2. Battery woes
   1. It discharges 10-15% overnight while I sleep (not in use)
   2. Under heavy-ish use, the battery will last maybe 36-42 hours

 
As for sound differences.  Comparing to my EarPods (that came with my iPhone 7), the volume is lower (5 clicks on EarPods ~= 6 clicks on AirPods).  There are some sonic differences between the two.  There isn't as much quantity of bass, though it's also not as tight as the EarPods.  This means more bass texturing, but less control and punchiness.  There is a distinct airiness to the AirPods over the EarPods (this was the fist thing I noticed).  Any of this can change during burn-in, however.  Everything else is more or less the same.  That said, if you aren't a fan of the EarPods signature, I would steer clear of these*.  
 
TLDR: The UI of the entire thing is exquisitely designed, as a proof of concept, these make a great one.  The fit will be improved over the EarPods, though they won't fit everyone still.  That said, it's still worth trying on.  The sound is very EarPod-esque, so if the EarPods fit you and you don't like the sound, I would steer clear.  If the EarPods don't fit and you don't like the sound, a better fit can improve sound, so it's worth a test (though I'd demo them if possible).  
 
*if the EarPods don't fit you properly, I would urge you to try the AirPods if you can as fit can change how something sonically sounds.  

this is a very useful mini-review. thanks. i think many bemoan the lack of volume changing on the airpods themselves...requires having to talk to siri. wonder if v.2 will allow touch-enabled volume changer.
 
as with many apple products, v.1 often is a proof-of-concept that often gets better in subsequent versions (not everything, but many things). macbook air, for example. hopefully we'll see a much improved airpod next year. i bought a pair for my wife, but i will wait to see what v.2 looks like for myself.

 

[tinyman392]

  this is a very useful mini-review. thanks. i think many bemoan the lack of volume changing on the airpods themselves...requires having to talk to siri. wonder if v.2 will allow touch-enabled volume changer.
 
as with many apple products, v.1 often is a proof-of-concept that often gets better in subsequent versions (not everything, but many things). macbook air, for example. hopefully we'll see a much improved airpod next year. i bought a pair for my wife, but i will wait to see what v.2 looks like for myself.

Glad it was useful.  For me it isn't the volume controls that are problematic as much as the lack of next/previous/play-pause are.  I'd rather have those before volume.  Realistically, I wish they could do them all, but I'm not sure how well they could get that to work with touch controls.  Realistically, the play/pause, next, and previous can be done using tap, double-tap, and triple-tap controls, respectively.  However, we then lose Siri (which is something Apple doesn't want to go away).  

 

[MICHAELSD]

There is a distinct airiness to the AirPods over the EarPods (this was the fist thing I noticed).

Of course there is.

 

[Rurouni]

Picked up a pair as I've always been into wireless earbuds.
 
Overall
 
- These earphones are an all-rounder as far as wireless earbuds can be with the current state of technology.
- Soundwise, these to me are not in the same league as the Sony SBH-80s (especially when the SBH's are receiving via Apt-X), instead I'd put them a notch above a previous pair of Plantronics Backbeats 2s, which still makes them quite decent, considering the AirPods have zero wires and is a much more compact & light solution
- Don't get them expecting sonic excellence, but get them if you would like the lightness and convenience of a completely wire free system with decent sound  
 
Hope this helps anyone who is considering getting them!
 
Perception of Sound
 
Good:
Pleasant treble
Above average instrument/vocal separation 
Decent soundstage
Works fairly well with a wide range of music/movies (I'd avoid harder rock tracks though)
 
Not so good:
Still has a 'V' shaped sound signature of many bluetooth earbuds
While able to articulate bass notes, bass is below average in punch/presence
 
Fit
 
Good:
Very light 
Generally comfortable to wear the whole day
 
Not so good:
To me the fit is not as secure as I'd like, may fall off when my ears are sweaty (YMMV)
Does not offer much sound insulation as these are more hybrid earbuds than IEMs. As such, in a noisier environment, you may not get the best out of them. It should be fine in more tranquil/low noise environments in my estimation
 
Convenience
 
Good:
Very light and completely wireless
Music/platback stops the moment you take one out of your ears, finding this v convenient
Pairing is super easy
Bluetooth connection is so far quite stable, I get minimal pops/crackles with these earbuds
Charging case is a gem
 
Not so good:
Current only double tapping calls up Siri though you can set it to start and stop music
Starting and stopping music only appears to work for Apple apps. Other apps like youtube won't stop playing unless you take out your AirPods from your ears

 

[thewatcher101]

Just got mines today, I think it has a premium sound for consumer grade, it has a nice full sound.
 
The bass significantly improves and just effortless. 

 

[u2u2]

I followed the available commentary leading up to the AirPod release and was somewhat ambivalent about trying them out. Happened to be near an Apple Store just before opening on release day, the 19th, so I dropped in. There was a short line just prior to opening so I was able to get in easily and pick a pair up. Well worth the 15 minutes invested as they perform acceptably and are convenient to the extreme. Siri works really well especially when driving and the clarity of phone calls is exceptional. Good comments in the immediate prior posts so I can not add too much except to say my SE846 and  XBA-Z5 IEMs are not seeing any use. Convenience has trumped the differences in audio performance for the time being. I don't care for EarPods as they don't stay in and move too much to produce consistent sound. The AirPods stay put. Worth a try if you are on the fence.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

Managed to reserve a pair for pick up yesterday at Covent Garden Apple store and after giving them a good test today, I'm glad I bought them, they're not sonically as good as my wired V-Moda ZNs - nowhere near as good in fact - but as U2U2 commented in the post above, it's having the convenience of a truly wireless set of earphones.  Think they will do the job as a gym pair and while driving to take calls.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I did some A/B testing with my EarPods with the rest of my headphone collection, and I'm genuinely surprised at how much clarity there is in the mids. There are backing vocals on the EarPods I could pick out better than any other headphone. That being said the bass response is pretty abysmal, it seems to lack bass under 450Hz. More articulate treble than the Solo3 though. If the AirPods are slightly better in that bass response is significantly improved along with just a tad more clarity in the mids and treble then I could see them sounding quite decent.