[SilverEars]

Most TWS still have either too much boosted bass & treble or sucked out mid or just have un-natural sound tuning. I have tried Momemtum TW 1/2, Jabra 75t and Sony WF-1000XM3), in the end I find AirPods Pro is still the best. Being TWS, the sound quality cannot match against a good set of headphones/iems but they have a neutral and balanced sound quality that works. Besides, the anc is great and there’s no battery or connection issues. It is the still best TWS given the current wireless technology and what’s available now.

Yeah, it makes stupid sense to collect TWS given how disposable they get with the battery. It makes sense to buy one well rounded one that's practical and don't have nasty frequency response. I rarely use my TWS, and mainly used it on commutes due to train noise with ANC and for exercise, and it was the most practical option other than full-sized ANC due to usage for exercise. So, I only need ONE.

Only other TWS I'm curious about at the moment is the Samsung Galaxy Buds live that's shaped like beans. I read it will have ANC with a price of $169. It's not conventionally shaped as it doesn't utilize ear-tips. So, I wonder how it isolates?

From the looks of it, it's the closest to hearing aid designs with it's compact form. I really like compact form-factors, so it looks interesting to me.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/24/...bean-earbuds-leak-name-noise-cancellation-app

 

[sidecross]

Yeah, it makes stupid sense to collect TWS given how disposable they get with the battery. It makes sense to buy one well rounded one that's practical and don't have nasty frequency response. I rarely use my TWS, and mainly used it on commutes due to train noise with ANC and for exercise, and it was the most practical option other than full-sized ANC due to usage for exercise. So, I only need ONE.

Only other TWS I'm curious about at the moment is the Samsung Galaxy Buds live that's shaped like beans. I read it will have ANC with a price of $169. It's not conventionally shaped as it doesn't utilize ear-tips. So, I wonder how it isolates?

From the looks of it, it's the closest to hearing aid designs with it's compact form. I really like compact form-factors, so it looks interesting to me.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/24/...bean-earbuds-leak-name-noise-cancellation-app

" Yeah, it makes stupid sense to collect TWS given how disposable they get with the battery..."

You can only speak for yourself, I am sight disabled and listening is my insight into media and my use BT iems is not stupid.

 

[kenz]

Think we can understand where the liner is going. TWS aren't cheap and they have a finite lifespan considering they are done for once the battery gives up.
The convenience and freedom of movement cannot be understated which i believe is one of the reasons for their asking price.

Audio quality wise they may yet to reach wired solutions. Maybe not today but someday, they will.
And hopefully by then, battery technology would have advanced to longer lifespan and usage.

In the meantime, lets be thankful that the wireless movement has kicked into high gear and can only expect better things to come.

 

[sidecross]

Think we can understand where the liner is going. TWS aren't cheap and they have a finite lifespan considering they are done for once the battery gives up.
The convenience and freedom of movement cannot be understated which i believe is one of the reasons for their asking price.

Audio quality wise they may yet to reach wired solutions. Maybe not today but someday, they will.
And hopefully by then, battery technology would have advanced to longer lifespan and usage.

In the meantime, lets be thankful that the wireless movement has kicked into high gear and can only expect better things to come.

I would think that the change in technology, as can be witnessed over the last three years, will surpass the battery life cycle. These BT iems are like smartphones and our exchanged for newer ones before battery failure for most users. In fact my 2016 iphone se shows today 96%. I try to charge all my devices at 50% of use and have had excellent results. I think its more important that manufacturers be forced to recycle their battery's from all devices.

 

[FlowLikeWater]

Think we can understand where the liner is going. TWS aren't cheap and they have a finite lifespan considering they are done for once the battery gives up.
The convenience and freedom of movement cannot be understated which i believe is one of the reasons for their asking price.

Audio quality wise they may yet to reach wired solutions. Maybe not today but someday, they will.
And hopefully by then, battery technology would have advanced to longer lifespan and usage.

In the meantime, lets be thankful that the wireless movement has kicked into high gear and can only expect better things to come.

actually i think wireless never reach wired, cause wired always higher bitrate, higher power delivery, less data loss, less interference

will get close tho

just look at ethernet vs wi fi as example

 

[sidecross]

actually i think wireless never reach wired, cause wired always higher bitrate, higher power delivery, less data loss, less interference

will get close tho

just look at ethernet vs wi fi as example

I would agree, but for most the convenience out paces a small degrade in sound reproduction.

 

[DavidS11]

At current technology the best TWS is still not comparable to sound quality from the best of wired phones, there’s a huge gap yet. For now TWS is a just for complement/convenience and it’s still wired phones for sound quality. I doubt TWS can sound as good as wired phones in the near future and we will have to wait a long time for a miracle technology.

 

[sidecross]

At current technology the best TWS is still not comparable to sound quality from the best of wired phones, there’s a huge gap yet. For now TWS is a just for complement/convenience and it’s still wired phones for sound quality. I doubt TWS can sound as good as wired phones in the near future and we will have to wait a long time for a miracle technology.

I have no argument with that statement, but 90% of my listening is spoken word and the difference in quality today is negligible. As for recorded music TWS is closer, but still no match to wired and is the reason I still use wired for my critical music listening.

 

[stephenlee2801]

At current technology the best TWS is still not comparable to sound quality from the best of wired phones, there’s a huge gap yet. For now TWS is a just for complement/convenience and it’s still wired phones for sound quality. I doubt TWS can sound as good as wired phones in the near future and we will have to wait a long time for a miracle technology.

I agree entirely but I guess it is easy to fall into a train of thought that the degradation of sound quality in adopting TWS is unacceptable when in reality it is acceptable for 90% of cases (most situations other than critical music listening). I was initially of the camp where I refused to adopt TWS because I refused to adopt what I considered an inferior product because of sound quality (foolish I know). When I purchased the Airpods Pro for work calls I was pleasantly surprised that the quality was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Of course the sound quality is not as good as a wired solution and as with you, I doubt the sound quality of TWS will ever match a wired solution in the near future. But I think the technology has matured to the point where we are now in the sweet spot of sound quality / convenience trade off (as opposed to 5-10 years ago where the wireless solutions were not nearly as convenient and the sound quality trade off was much more significant).

 

[DavidS11]

Love the AirPods Pro - great sound, super compact, lightweight, comfort, versatile and just works

 

[chickenmcnug]

Agreed with everyone here. The AirPods are just perfect for me to grab when I want to go down from the office for a quick cig. Quality wise definitely not as good but the convenience more than makes up for it.

 

[stephenlee2801]

Have people had the chance to try third party tips with the AirPods Pro yet? I've been using the stock Apple tips but have found that the seal is not as tight as I'm used to with other IEMs I have used in the past (i.e. olive or silicone tips with the SE846) - I get the impression that I'm between sizes for the stock Apple tips.

 

[sidecross]

Have people had the chance to try third party tips with the AirPods Pro yet? I've been using the stock Apple tips but have found that the seal is not as tight as I'm used to with other IEMs I have used in the past (i.e. olive or silicone tips with the SE846) - I get the impression that I'm between sizes for the stock Apple tips.

I have tried Dekoni tips but they were for me not an improvement for me due to the short nozzle of the airpod pro design. Comply is offering some now as well.

 

[nanaholic]

Have people had the chance to try third party tips with the AirPods Pro yet? I've been using the stock Apple tips but have found that the seal is not as tight as I'm used to with other IEMs I have used in the past (i.e. olive or silicone tips with the SE846) - I get the impression that I'm between sizes for the stock Apple tips.

https://www.aiuto-jp.co.jp/products/product_3062.php
These are coming out soon which looks the most promising to me when it comes to third party APP tips.
Body heat activated gel type tips and comes in 6 sizes. Not sure about international availability though.

 

[HuoYuanJia]

I bought my wife a new iPad Pro and was offered the AirPods Pro for less than 100€. I took that discount planning to sell them off. But Apple has some magic integrated in their packaging. It's just so fun unwrapping their seal and lifting their boxes. So I couldn't resist and had to open the APP myself.

What. A. Pleasant. Surprise!

Overall, the APP are just such a great product! It really shows that especially audiophile products have some catching up to do - though not in terms of sound quality, obviously.

The fit is superb. I use the large silicon tips and I don't even feel them. Passive isolation is really poor and the half-open design doesn't create any ear pressure at all. So at the beginning I kept wondering if I even have a seal, but every time I remove them, the tips even pop inside out. So the fit is so good that even though I am interested in the AZLA and Dekoni tips, I fear that there won't be any noticeable improvement for me personally.
I really like that these don't demand the deep insertion I usually go for with IEM. These are borderline open earbuds.

Since passive isolation is really poor, the effect of ANC is even more so remarkable. And switching between ANC and transparency mode is so easy, I can hardly count how often a day I switch between them. I definitely have some IEMs that have overall better isolation than APP with active ANC, but the comfort of switching isolation on and off is what really enhances the usability. However, if I were traveling a lot and I need to isolate myself, I would absolutely recommend to also pack a pair of CIEM.
I use these on a bike too and wind noise is better than I thought. Some passive IEM do much worse.

Bluetooth has also been very reliable so far. I have only paired them with my 11 Pro so far. I use them as a headset a lot and not one person has complained about the microphone quality - something that I am not used to. Battery life seems amazing too. Yesterday I forgot the charging case in the office so I just put the ear buds on my table at home. They remained connected and my iPhone always showed me the battery status. This morning, I wake up to 27%. I insert them before heading out and they played music all the way until I arrived in the office. My mind is blown!

The sound tuning is pretty good, too. Punchy, not overdone bass, accurate midrange and just the right amount of treble. Unfortunately, sound quality is rather poor. You don't get any good separation or clarity. Cymbals don't shimmer, bass strings don't vibrate, voices don't breathe, etc. But none of that is really important on-the-go. It's definitely a lifestyle product. But for me, living in Berlin, going with the subway, riding the bike, walking down lively streets, etc., the AirPods Pro have already become a very important gadget for me.
(My wife and I also share the Bose QC35 and AirPods 2 occasionally, but neither has the convenience of the APP!)

IMO, the most exciting thing about the AirPods Pro is imagining what will become in 5 years time. I can hardly imagine the progress Apple will achieve with a yearly revision. This is really exciting stuff! Perfect ANC and a transparency mode that can replace hearing aids? Boy oh boy.