AirPods Pro 3 - pleasantly surprised (coming from much more expensive headphones)

[ISignedUpToAskThis]

Bought a set of APP3s yesterday. My primary use case is watching movies/shows rather than music as my apartment has thin walls. I've been using some pretty high end wireless headphones for this until now, but had read a few reviews that were very positive about the APP3s for their audio when watching movies - especially with bass frequencies.

Have to say - I'm very impressed.

Dialogue very clear, impactful bass, soundtracks sound nice. Good soundstage. No lag/delay/sync issues either (I'm using them with an LG C4 OLED).

They're not perfect, the midrange is a little muddy/fuzzy and I've experienced the ANC white noise/hiss that some others have mentioned.

But coming from higher end wireless ANC over ear headphones like the Focal Bathys (4x the price), I have to say when it comes to watching content, the APP3s are 90% as good as those, and 95% as good as the AirPods Max purely for watching content with.

 

[waw74]

do you have an appleTV?

pairing with that gets you access to the noise canceling options from the screen menus, as well as "atmos" (as much as you can have with just 2 things) you can also "pin" the sound to the tv, so as you turn your head, the sounds seems to stay in the same place in the room.

 

[Christopher Kim]

Agreed - I also have some very high-end audiophile grade headphones (wired, that I use with a good DAC / Amp), and have had AirPods Pro 1 & 2 for 4+ years. They’re absolutely “good enough” for most listening, and way more convenient whether I’m on-the-go, in the office (and don’t want massive over-ear cans on my head!), on calls (I use my APP2s as my primary work headset), etc.

Especially if you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem, the synergies of easily going from device to device, having the ANC (or transparency) when you need it, it’s easily my favorite Apple accessory and up there in my favorite Apple devices period.

If you have Apple Music, being able to listen to its broad selection of Dolby Atmos / “Spatial Audio” mastered tracks, is also a great bonus. While headphones / APPs aren’t the best to take advantage, you still get access to the DA track. Whereas with any other headphone, you’re limited to the normal stereo / lossless track.

I still will use my high-end headphones when I want to do some “critical listening” without disturbing my family. Or use my Sonos speakers (I have 2 x Era 300s in a stereo pair, + a Sub Mini) when I don’t mind disturbing my family (hah!). Also a great way to listen to Dolby Atmos / Spatial Audio tracks via Apple Music. But I will be the first to admit I use my high-end headphones much less than I used to, and the AirPods Pro is a huge part of the reason.

 

[cynics]

APP sound pretty good compared to any manufacturers earbuds. We are past the point of a diminishing returns with earbuds and now billion dollar companies are inventing clever ways to trick your senses into perceiving better sounds rather than actually producing them due to physical limitations (driver size, driver power and driver location).

The things you like about them like bass and soundstage is a good example. You just prefer the way Apple is simulating them. Those tiny drivers aren't able to move air to produce those low frequencies you perceive. And the earbuds are crammed in your ears, there is physically zero soundstage. Using harmonics, EQ, manipulating other frequencies, delays, and other techniques they produce convincing results.

I don't know whether to be impressed or scared by the audio fidelity these tiny earbuds can produce nowadays.

 

[scrane]

Airpods are easy to like. They are balanced and don't call attention to themselves. Once broken in they are very smooth.