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sixth

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 16, 2006
309
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Has anyone tried AP4 ANC on airplanes? I am not expecting anything amazing but was curious if anyone has tried them. Maybe short flights they are acceptable? Long haul still use my Max but wondering what everyone has experienced. Tia!
 
i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)
 
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I use the gen 1 APP, which I believe has similar noise cancellation to the Airpods 4. I’ve also flown with APP2.

It’s obviously completely subjective but the APP were great. The APP2 were even greater. Nobody can tell you whether you’ll be happy with them, you’re going to need to try them.
 
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I use the gen 1 APP, which I believe has similar noise cancellation to the Airpods 4. I’ve also flown with APP2.

It’s obviously completely subjective but the APP were great. The APP2 were even greater. Nobody can tell you whether you’ll be happy with them, you’re going to need to try them.
Nowhere is that more true than what you lead with - an assumption that doesn't make sense.

The differences in how they fit means the ANC has to work *much* harder on the AP4's to be anywhere near as effective as even the OG APP.
 
Users have reported that they are comparable (APP Gen 1 and AirPods 4 with ANC).


More experienced reviews are out, and as usual reddit (and a significant percentage of MR?) commentators do be talking out of their butts.

Performance appears to be exactly what I would expect them to be - ANC taking the edge off things that ANC traditionally does well, but hindered by the lack of a passive seal. It would be less fatiguing for people sensitive to ANC, but much less effective overall even with the relatively low passive isolation that's available in APP/2.

The relative volume issues people are experiencing does also prove that these are working hard.
 
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i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)

so i’ve tested them on airplay and, frankly, can’t see substantial difference between these and APP2

they def have looser fit but i like it as this kind of fit doesn’t irritate inner canal
 
i will test them on long haul flight from NYC to London on October 9

will post my impressions

p.s. on my initial test they are more comfortable the Pros 2 due to lack of in ear tip which can cause irritation and sweat

sound is also great, they have more openness which i like more than closed feeling of pros 2

long haul will def put them to test as i will use them as noise cancelling buds (as i’ve used the pros 2)

Love to hear what your experience was @Tenhauser !
 
I am on a flight right now. AP4 is very close to APP2 with noise cancelation. I am very impressed with AP4 performance. If you listen closely at the same volume the AP4 might be 80% to 90% of APP2. But in real world use you won't really notice and you can increase the music volume just slightly on AP4 to get the same effect. Most people will be happy with AP4 on airplanes.
 
Tried them on a short (and loud) flight yesterday. To me, the ANC of the AP4 works just fine for listening on a plane. It's not going to make it silent, but it's going to lower the plane noise enough that you can listen to, say, a podcast at normal volume. Using the ANC in say, a bustling café (as I did earlier today), it was even more effective. If you really want to eliminate that plane noise, the AP4 is not going to do that, but it's going to reduce the noise enough that listening at normal volume is an option, which it really wasn't for me with the AP3. I would often just give up listening with those on a plane. For me personally, I don't need more noise canceling than this.
 
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Bumping my old thread. How are people liking or disliking their Ap4 ANC on air travel?
 
Will follow this as I have the APP2 and use them on flights. While I understand that they will not be as good as larger, over-the-ear headphones, I have been pretty happy. But trying to decide on the AP4 or to wait for the APP3. Never loved the fit of the AP but the last I had was the wired ones, which the wire was constantly pulling them out of my ears - hence the upgrade to the Pro versions.
 
Anyone who had used other in ear headphones, not over ear type comment what AirPods 4 ANC are like on a plane please.

I've used AirPods 3, I know didn't have ANC, and couldn't hear really.

I have nothing Ear (2) in ear, but those are like AirPods Pro which are "shove in ear" type. I much prefer the AirPods 4 ANC for comfort.

So having never used on a plane, the ANC is decent in general use, but by design not having them pushed into your ears they won't be as good. Do they work well on a plane? Debating which to take when travelling
 
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