[chesebert]

To clarify i could see myself in the mirror so aimed iPhone to ears more accurately. It worked well.

Are you indicating Apple Music spatial is better via Mac than iPhone?

MacBook Pro M1 with spatial (fixed) sounds slightly better to me than iPhone (I will need to do some back and forth to pin down the difference). I am just using stereo lossless music on Apple Music - I don't particularly care for "spatial mastering" file on Apple Music (I turned Atmos off in preference).

The combination of MacBook Pro M1 with personalized spatial audio (you need your iPhone to scan and generate the profile obviously) and APP 2 have created something that I can only describe as industry disruption - I would pick the former over many high-end rigs I have heard.

 

[mbk]

I haven't noticed any difference in sound quality on APP2 between my iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook Air M1. I also turn off Atmos.

Not sure I agree on the on Fixed Spatial Audio though. I feel like it compresses the soundstage and brings it a little too forward and "in my head." I'd be interested in hearing what songs you think are good showcases for it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I haven't noticed any difference in sound quality on APP2 between my iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook Air M1. I also turn off Atmos.

Not sure I agree on the on Fixed Spatial Audio though. I feel like it compresses the soundstage and brings it a little too forward and "in my head." I'd be interested in hearing what songs you think are good showcases for it.

Fixed Spatial Audio is okay when using the ATV. When it works well it’s kind of uncanny. The sound really does seem to come from the television and can fool my ears into thinking I don’t have buds in at all.

But it only works perfectly some of the time. It often loses track of where the source is and the sound is subsequently skewed too much to the left or right. This is a minor-ish issue for a relatively new tech.

Where I completely agree is in your description of the compressed sound of spatial audio, which seems more pronounced when using fixed mode. To my ears the whole thing sounds over processed in the same way that the photos coming off of the iPhone 14 Pro Max appear over processed. Too sharpened. Too saturated. Too altered. That’s how special audio sounds to me.

That said, it’s not bad for movies. It’s a reasonable solution for getting a cinematic experience without blasting the whole house with sound.

 

[konsumer]

You might need to have someone else hold and aim the phone for you. At six feet tall, with I think arms to match, I had difficulty doing this on my own. Needed to get further away! Similar size phone, a 13 Pro Max.

It will be worth your effort in the end. As an owner of the original AP and APP along with lots of solid performing IEMs and headphone kit I am blown away by the cost/performance ratio on the APP Gen 2. These are good, very good, and I say this with ears that don't fit well with the tip selection Apple offers so I can't squeeze all the goodness out. Hope to find some third party XL size tips...

I have an excellent solution for this problem. My eardrum also was too large so i bought comply xl tips and put them on my AirPods Pro.
The seal is superb and also the Sound Test passed everytime. I noticed a big difference and they sound perfect this way. You can try it if the normal Large Tips are not large enough. It works!

 

[Surf Monkey]

To clarify i could see myself in the mirror so aimed iPhone to ears more accurately. It worked well.

Are you indicating Apple Music spatial is better via Mac than iPhone?

It took me several tries on my right ear to get a good scan. The distance is touchy and the phone needs to be aimed at the right angle. Using a mirror would have helped me for sure but I didn’t think of that. My advice would be to be aware of the tilt as well as the distance. Once I held the phone a little more upright it worked perfectly and I got the left ear on one pass.

 

[alsorkin]

I have an excellent solution for this problem. My eardrum also was too large so i bought comply xl tips and put them on my AirPods Pro.
The seal is superb and also the Sound Test passed everytime. I noticed a big difference and they sound perfect this way. You can try it if the normal Large Tips are not large enough. It works!

Amazon ordering link please?

 

[chesebert]

I haven't noticed any difference in sound quality on APP2 between my iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook Air M1. I also turn off Atmos.

Not sure I agree on the on Fixed Spatial Audio though. I feel like it compresses the soundstage and brings it a little too forward and "in my head." I'd be interested in hearing what songs you think are good showcases for it.

I guess fixed spatial is YMMV at this point. It’s good we get a spectrum of experiences. I listen to Apple Music lossless if that offers any additional data point.

 

[angelom]

For me spatial audio (fixed) is great for films and podcasts and normal stereo always for music. This is for my iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook 16” M1.

Spatial audio for music is making a lot of my music sounding wrong.

 

[Roybenz]

For me spatial audio (fixed) is great for films and podcasts and normal stereo always for music. This is for my iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook 16” M1.

Spatial audio for music is making a lot of my music sounding wrong.

Agree. When using normal stereo you hear the bass is too much, making the previous app sound much better as its more clear and resolved without the heavy bass in these new ones. Making the app2 a bit mushy compared to the old one.

 

[konsumer]

Amazon ordering link please?

Hmmm i bought those in a shop long time ago.

i think these should be similar : https://www.amazon.de/Comply-T-600-...locphy=9044299&hvtargid=pla-420169772310&th=1

but the T-100 could be sufficient. Sorry that i don’t have the packaging but i remember these were standard comply foam tips (large).

 

[Sam L]

Probably right yes. I already thought the APP 1 were pretty great for what they are, let's say an 8.5/10, so then I'd probably give the APP 2 an 9.5/10. This is all relative - it isn't like there's a big improvement in terms of e.g. soundstage and imaging and those are still pretty limited.

I'd give the App 1 a score of 7.5/10 and the App 2 an 8/10. I'm not hearing substantial SQ improvement. To my ears staging and imaging (not on spatial) is lackluster for what they cost.

But then I don't buy any apple wireless products for their sound quality. The APP2 are top notch in convenience and the ANC is fantastic.

 

[rasmushorn]

WOW, the bass on the APP2 is REALLY hitting hard and goes deep. Try this track:

I would say they are now closer to APM in signature and the ANC is super effective. I have used them on the treadmill in the Gym the last two days and I can bring the volume down to 20-30% instead of 40-50% on the APP1 because the ANC makes removes so much noise. I am going to enjoy these. The sound is really satisfying.

 

[Jazz1]

I want mentioning something important about ANC.

Today is second day I testing the APP 2 with construction work outside (only 30 meters away!). Yesterday I'm changing quickly for comparisons but today I using ANC more and no comparisons with others ANC IEMs/headphones. The important thing is that when turning on ANC the sound is changing in the next few seconds (2-3) and sometimes is changing more after 6-7 seconds, and is always for better isolation. This is impressing me very much because I can see the computational aspect working.

Then I deciding doing my typical test with a speaker and youtube video of airplane noise and loud cafe sounds, and comparing with the excellent ANC Sony XM3 headphone. In both categories the APP 2 is clearly better.

Speaking of different topic, I'm looking for opinions of differences between new Bose QC Earbuds 2 and APP2 and every video or article online saying the Bose having more bass than APP2 and that ANC is little better in Bose QC 2. If the bass is more strong in Bose QC 2, then the Bose isn't for me because for me the new APP 2 bass is just correct in the quantity. About the ANC that is better in QC 2, maybe this is true but after my experience (above) today, where the ANC is adapting with outside noise in 2-7 seconds, I don't know if the people comparing this 2 earphones waiting sufficient time for that opinion. But even is Bose is little better, the APP 2 is really very impressive.

For the person that saying that the APP 2 is sibilant comparing with APP 1, I'm 99,9% he isn't having correct fit / tips because from my memory of APP 1 the APP 2 is having more relaxing treble and more big bass, a more warm signature. I always using medium tips with other IEMs, but with the APP 2 I'm using large tips. The hearing test is saying medium is sometimes good and sometimes not good. With large the test is saying is always good and I can hearing the difference. People with IEMs experience (I having a lot) knowing very well that tips size and insertion are critical aspects.

And, by the way, the volume control in APP 2 is working excellent. I love the haptic and sound aspects of this. My seal is never breaking when I changing the volume.

You mention a possible issue with not getting a good seal. Isn't there some new feature on the APP 2 and software that indicates whether a good seal had been acquired? That might be useful to us all if it works well.

If sound quality is your priority, the PI7 are going to be better overall. That's not to say they are better. The APP2 will be a better jack of all trades TWS IEM. Just depends on what your priorities are.

Well after having the APP2 for less than a day, I can certainly agree with you regarding liking the PI7s for sound quality over the APP2. That is not to say I don't like the sound of the APP2. The PI7s sound a little richer, but to be honest maybe slight sound difference between the brands doesn't particularly mean one is totally superior than the other.

The "jack of all trades" comment about the APP2 is a significant one for me. As I never felt comfortable using the PI7s while walking the bike trail. I've got a nervous rescue dog to walk, and I really have to hear runners and bicyclists coming up behind us. (Sadly, people don't understand calling out, "On your left" four feet behind me is not enough notice). The transparency mode works far better on the APP 2 than the PI7s.

Today, on the bike trail, I finally had a great experience listening to music, and hearing people approaching from behind me. Also crossing busy streets, and being able to hear approaching cars is a good thing. Yes of course I look both ways before crossing the street my friends. But, I found it helpful to have all of my senses in play, and the fantastic transparency mode of the APP2s makes that possible.

I have yet to do any noise canceling testing between the IP7s and the APP2s. But, I have a feeling the APP2s might do it better. But I'll reserve final judgement on that. Perhaps people can comment on their experience in the meantime.

The ease of connection of the APP2 to my iPad Pro, M1MacMini, iMac, Apple Watch, and iPhone 13 Pro Max is certainly most welcome. Having the ability to finding the APP2s via the FindMy app. will surely save the day. The "left behind" warning will certainly come in handy!

The PI7s are not going to be abandoned by me anytime soon. It is just good to have choices for different environments and uses. The APP2s would seem to give a lot of versatility!

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'd give the App 1 a score of 7.5/10 and the App 2 an 8/10. I'm not hearing substantial SQ improvement. To my ears staging and imaging (not on spatial) is lackluster for what they cost.

But then I don't buy any apple wireless products for their sound quality. The APP2 are top notch in convenience and the ANC is fantastic.

This is close to my take too. The APP(1&2) excel at being a Jack of all trades. They’re super portable. Feel quite comfortable in the ears. Have very good ANC for their size. Offer some fun features like personalized spatial audio and Find My to spice up the deal. They’re fantastic for spoken word and video content in particular.

Taken purely as an audio experience without all the computational jam Apple likes to slather all over things, APP2 sound pretty good. Kind of like a bit more V shaped Moondrop Aria, which is to say that everything is there. Sub-bass through high treble. There’s detail. There’s a fair amount of bass slam. They can sound airy and open with the right tracks. Nothing you throw at them ends up sounding especially bad. But they don’t really sparkle. They don’t really have enough weight. They’re not as musical as they could be.

All of this to say that they really perfectly hit Apple’s target: Wide audience. Safe tuning. Ultra easy to use. Has fun software gimmicks. If these were $150 they’d be a no-brainer set to use as all around utility phones. At $250 they’re WAY over priced for what you get.

 

[chesebert]

I guess as a counterpoint, I would rather listen to APP 2 than numerous $1k+ headphones. I actually think APP 2 is underpriced for what you are getting. The few weakness I am hearing include a bit lack of mid range and treble resolution, a bit loose and not as well defined bass and not quiet adequate sub bass. It could also use a bit more upper bass resolution. The tonality and timbre are mostly spot on, save for some difficult acoustic instruments. The soundstage is out of my head in a fairly realistic manner, reminding me of LCD5, and way ahead of HD650 in that regard. PrAT is strong as is musical engagement. APP2 can sound fairly holographic with the right recording so it’s definitely above average in that regard. The weaknesses are mostly omission type and not in a manner that would detract from musical enjoyment. IMO, APP2 is in the top half (perhaps even top quartile) of cans regardless of price given it’s so well rounded.

Edit: after going back and forth between iPhone 14pro and 2021 MacBook Pro M1Pro, there is definitely a difference in sound quality. MBP sounds slightly more resolved in midrange and treble, larger soundstage and overall smoother and more analog sounding. It’s as if iPhone is playing back mp3 while MBP is playing flac. I suspect the Bluetooth implementation is better on the MBP than on iPhone. Interested to hear others with similar setup.