Apple AirPods Pro And NEW AirPods Pro 2nd Gen (from 23 Sep 2022) - Impressions

[FieldingMellish]

... getting them out of the case is a bit fiddly, and it takes some getting used to that the stems are shorter and on the other side when compared with the old AirPods when putting them back in.

I felt that way also and I only imagined what it was going to be like once it gets real cold outside and its effect on case removal and handling. Then I came across this at a Mac oriented site that showed how the designers intended the IPP to push and swivel upwards for easier case removal. See item 1: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/airpods-pro-tips-and-tricks/

 

[plakat]

I felt that way also and I only imagined what it was going to be like once it gets real cold outside and its effect on case removal and handling. Then I came across this at a Mac oriented site that showed how the designers intended the IPP to push and swivel upwards for easier case removal. See item 1: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/airpods-pro-tips-and-tricks/

very good point. Over the last few days I was unconsciously marching in that direction, but had yet to arrive at twisting them.

overall I’m quite happy with them. I even managed to run the battery down all the way (it does make some strange sound when it gets low), with a bit more than the 4.5h promised for NC mode. They were really comfortable for the whole 4.5h of use, and hoch is not bad.

 

[106099]

My first use of the Airpods Pro in winter conditions. NW winds steady at 10-15 mph with gusts in my face over 20 mph (according to my Apple Watch) Temp at 31 F. It was also snowing lightly during my 30 minutes run.

I tried listening for wind noise and could not with music at 55% using the iPhone X running 13.2.2
This elimination of wind effects is superior to my full size Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose QC35 II and Beats Studio 3 Wireless.

Sadly, while the music did not drop at all for the entire run with an iPhone. The music was constantly interrupted when using an Android device.

 

[AustinJerry]

I have had my new AirPod Pros for a little over a week now. Several impressions:

- I am very impressed with the integration with my iPhone.
- very impressed with the various indicators of charge level, and the ease of use with my Mophie charging pad.
- Unlike my previous wireless Bluetooth earbuds (PSB M4U 4), I have had no glitches in Bluetooth connectivity. A very seamless experience.
- I have struggled a bit finding the perfect fit. I have tried both the smallest tips and the medium-sized tips. Both result in a “good fit” result when running the test. Neither feels “right”.
- During a workout at the fitness center yesterday, I had three separate occasions in which an earbud fell out of my ear (yikes—not supposed to do this!). Can an earbud be damaged when it falls to a hard floor?
- While I find the audio good, and comparable to my previous PSB earbuds, I am having a minor issue. When listening to music, I have the feeling that the “center” of the music is slightly shifted to my right ear. I expect vocals, and human voices when listening to podcasts, to feel like the audio is perfectly centered. When listening on the AirPod Pros, I feel a desire to adjust the left/right balance control to center the sound, and of course there is no left/right balance control. This feeling is somewhat disconcerting, and makes me wonder if there is something wrong with the audio driver in the left earbud. I may end up asking for a replacement. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[SilverEars]

I have had my new AirPod Pros for a little over a week now. Several impressions:

- I am very impressed with the integration with my iPhone.
- very impressed with the various indicators of charge level, and the ease of use with my Mophie charging pad.
- Unlike my previous wireless Bluetooth earbuds (PSB M4U 4), I have had no glitches in Bluetooth connectivity. A very seamless experience.
- I have struggled a bit finding the perfect fit. I have tried both the smallest tips and the medium-sized tips. Both result in a “good fit” result when running the test. Neither feels “right”.
- During a workout at the fitness center yesterday, I had three separate occasions in which an earbud fell out of my ear (yikes—not supposed to do this!). Can an earbud be damaged when it falls to a hard floor?
- While I find the audio good, and comparable to my previous PSB earbuds, I am having a minor issue. When listening to music, I have the feeling that the “center” of the music is slightly shifted to my right ear. I expect vocals, and human voices when listening to podcasts, to feel like the audio is perfectly centered. When listening on the AirPod Pros, I feel a desire to adjust the left/right balance control to center the sound, and of course there is no left/right balance control. This feeling is somewhat disconcerting, and makes me wonder if there is something wrong with the audio driver in the left earbud. I may end up asking for a replacement. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Have you noticed how much ANC improves at the gym? That's what I most like about the APP, usage at the gym with the ANC. I hear sound with so much more clarity.

Something that's been on my mind lately is that how fit can cause imbalance to the sound. I think it's possible that people can get imbalance from fit, despite the earphone measurements showing balanced channels. It's due to the asymmetry of our ears. I'm just saying this is one of the many possibilities of imbalance. It could also be the auto tuning system with the the sensors. I get a feeling it may not work precisely as intended for all people.

So, I realized that the sensor at the base is what activates ANC once you have the correct fit. Sometimes the ANC didn't activate, and realized if that sensor is covered, earphone activates the ANC. Both sensors has to be covered for ANC to kick in. I think they can better implement this to be more foolproof.

On another note, after markets tips are seen on Ebay. I see mainly foam though. I don't think the tuning need foam, but for people with fit issues, maybe.

 

[AustinJerry]

Have you noticed how much ANC improves at the gym? That's what I most like about the APP, usage at the gym with the ANC. I hear sound with so much more clarity.

Something that's been on my mind lately is that how fit can cause imbalance to the sound. I think it's possible that people can get imbalance from fit, despite the earphone measurements showing balanced channels. It's due to the asymmetry of our ears. I'm just saying this is one of the many possibilities of imbalance. It could also be the auto tuning system with the the sensors. I get a feeling it may not work precisely as intended for all people.

So, I realized that the sensor at the base is what activates ANC once you have the correct fit. Sometimes the ANC didn't activate, and realized if that sensor is covered, earphone activates the ANC. Both sensors has to be covered for ANC to kick in. I think they can better implement this to be more foolproof.

On another note, after markets tips are seen on Ebay. I see mainly foam though. I don't think the tuning need foam, but for people with fit issues, maybe.

I have figured out the sound imbalance issue! Stick with me, because this is a peculiar finding. As I was switching around the tips to find the best fit, I noticed something different between the right and left tip. Take a look at the attached picture. The hole in the tip on the right looks white, while the hole in the tip on the left is clear. On close inspection, the white in the tip on the right is caused by a thin piece of what looks like cardboard. To the right of the tips is the small obstruction that was removed from one of the other tips. After removing the obstruction, the tips now work perfectly, with sound centered between the ears as it should be. Now, finding this obstruction in the tip is peculiar. Where did it come from? My theory is that the obstruction came from the small case that housed the two spare tips, pictured on the right. When I first accessed the spare tips, they were firmly attached to the case. I suspect that there was a small cardboard disk that was holding the tips in place, and that the small disk tore off and remained inside the tip when it was removed. This theory is supported by the fact that the spare tips no longer snap into the case, suggesting that something has happened to the spot where they are anchored.

When I tried the large tips, the sound from the Airpods was completely muffled. Upon inspection, both tips had the embedded piece of cardboard. When removed, the tips work perfectly.

I think this is faulty packaging, and will be reporting this to Apple. I can't be the only Airpod Pro user who will encounter this issue.

And to answer your question, the ANC worked pretty good during my fitness center visit.

 

[SilverEars]

I have figured out the sound imbalance issue! Stick with me, because this is a peculiar finding. As I was switching around the tips to find the best fit, I noticed something different between the right and left tip. Take a look at the attached picture. The hole in the tip on the right looks white, while the hole in the tip on the left is clear. On close inspection, the white in the tip on the right is caused by a thin piece of what looks like cardboard. To the right of the tips is the small obstruction that was removed from one of the other tips. After removing the obstruction, the tips now work perfectly, with sound centered between the ears as it should be. Now, finding this obstruction in the tip is peculiar. Where did it come from? My theory is that the obstruction came from the small case that housed the two spare tips, pictured on the right. When I first accessed the spare tips, they were firmly attached to the case. I suspect that there was a small cardboard disk that was holding the tips in place, and that the small disk tore off and remained inside the tip when it was removed. This theory is supported by the fact that the spare tips no longer snap into the case, suggesting that something has happened to the spot where they are anchored.

When I tried the large tips, the sound from the Airpods was completely muffled. Upon inspection, both tips had the embedded piece of cardboard. When removed, the tips work perfectly.

I think this is faulty packaging, and will be reporting this to Apple. I can't be the only Airpod Pro user who will encounter this issue.

And to answer your question, the ANC worked pretty good during my fitness center visit.

Weird. And also, the tips that I have is different from yours. My tips do not have ear wax mesh filter. I've seen them on video as well, but wondered why mine doesn't have it. Did they make some tips with mesh, and not others? Is it suppose to have mesh or not?

 

[AustinJerry]

Weird. And also, the tips that I have is different from yours. My tips do not have ear wax mesh filter. I've seen them on video as well, but wondered why mine doesn't have it. Did they make some tips with mesh, and not others? Is it suppose to have mesh or not?

Don't know. I am tempted to take the tips to the Apple Genius Bar and get their comments. Obviously something is going on here. I'm just happy I figured it out, rather than returning the Airpods.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Weird. And also, the tips that I have is different from yours. My tips do not have ear wax mesh filter. I've seen them on video as well, but wondered why mine doesn't have it. Did they make some tips with mesh, and not others? Is it suppose to have mesh or not?

Yes of course the silicon tips are supposed to have white mesh filter. Mine, all 3 sizes have, the spare L I got, also have, as well as everyone else’s I have seen. Otherwise all ear wax will end up stuck on the black driver’s grills muffling the sound. When I first saw, it was one of these things that made me think how well studied in all details this Apple product could be...

 

[AustinJerry]

Yes of course the silicon tips are supposed to have white mesh filter. Mine, all 3 sizes have, the spare L I got, also have, as well as everyone else’s I have seen. Otherwise all ear wax will end up stuck on the black driver’s grills muffling the sound. When I first saw, it was one of these things that made me think how well studied in all details this Apple product could be...

But this doesn’t explain the small piece of cardboard that was blocking the audio, as was shown in the picture I posted. I assume you didn’t encounter the same issue? The piece of cardboard was on top of the mesh filter, and it took using a needle to carefully extract the cardboard without damaging the mesh.

 

[Pro-Jules]

Repost the picture? Looks like it's missing?

 

[SilverEars]

Yes of course the silicon tips are supposed to have white mesh filter. Mine, all 3 sizes have, the spare L I got, also have, as well as everyone else’s I have seen. Otherwise all ear wax will end up stuck on the black driver’s grills muffling the sound. When I first saw, it was one of these things that made me think how well studied in all details this Apple product could be...

Wax guard mesh on the tips is not necessary since the outlet already has protective covering.

 

[SparkOnShore]

But this doesn’t explain the small piece of cardboard that was blocking the audio, as was shown in the picture I posted. I assume you didn’t encounter the same issue? The piece of cardboard was on top of the mesh filter, and it took using a needle to carefully extract the cardboard without damaging the mesh.

No, of course I did not encounter the same issue. My tips box is in good condition and the top of the tips’ holders are all in place after checking. As i see from your photo, yours are damaged that’s why a cardboard piece came out. For sure this is a unique case of packaging failure which can occur among millions of AirPods pro produced. I think you can visit an Apple store and they will give you new perfect conditioned tips.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Wax guard mesh on the tips is not necessary since the outlet already has protective covering.

If you mean the black metal net, it is not exactly protective since if wax ends up on it melted, it cannot be removed after it gets dried without damaging the net and the headphone. On the other hand if wax falls inside the mesh of the silicon tip, it gets dried there and easily removed in the blink of an eye. Mesh filters on tips are very important as used by Shure, Comply etc.

 

[AustinJerry]

Repost the picture? Looks like it's missing?

Since I am new to this forum, I don't know how images are handled. My image is hosted on Dropbox.com, and I inserted the URL into the box that popped up when I clicked on "Image" from the toolbar. The image is viewable when I look at my original post from my Windows Desktop using the Chrome Browser, but the image is not visible when I use my iPad with the Safari browser. I don't understand this behavior.

Regardless, here is the Dropbox.com link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zma9pm3rfgkbso/Airpods.jpg?dl=1, and I will also try the "Image" tool again. Let me know it one of these methods allows you to view the issue I am reporting.

Edit: the embedded image is still not visible using iPad/Safari. The “Image” tool asks for an image URL, and I provide the Dropbox.com link. Why does this not work?