RickB
Headphoneus Supremus
I suppose sound quality is relative. In my AirPods, I hear sucked out mids, anemic bass, and overly energetic treble. EQ solved few of these problems. I use them for listening to podcasts and TV shows, but for serious listening they are not a serious contender. They are a casual product for casual listeners and casual sound. Because my analysis of the acoustic reproduction of sound in podcasts is so very casual, they do perfectly when I use them around the house, while cooking, out and about, and (in one ear only, per CA law) while bicycling. In this capacity, their convenience can't be beat.
As regards sound, keep looking. If convenience recommends these above even the Bose QC series, you are not an audiophile. Even my knockoff K3003i (which got 90-95% of the way there when I a/b'd with the real thing at the harman kardon store in NYC) sound miles better. The QC35 and new sony 1000x thing are both competitive, but it's a lot easier to pack bluetooth and battery into a circumaural can than truly wireless IEMs. Props to Apple for giving us our first truly competitive wireless IEM. It fits a lot of use cases. For most music, though, they disappoint anyone with a serious interest in sound. A used HD600 or Q701 would be a far worthier investment, even with zero amplification.
Well, then I guess I must not be an audiophile. Because with these, I can stop critically listening and just enjoy the music. Of course, I do not use them for serious listening. My use case is for background music while reading eBooks on a Kindle, and for that they are great. I don't hear sucked out mids, but rather a very open and organic sound. They sound even more open than the HD600/HD650. I guess that is the nature of their loose fit (for some people).
My main problem with the AirPods is the zero isolation. I don't see how people can use them on the go. In public, traffic noise will all but drown them out, unless you jack the volume way up into dangerous territory. They are a disaster on the bus or other mass transit. I can only see using them indoors in quiet environments. YMMV.