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AirPods Pro 3

aoaaron said:
I am very, very certain the measurements will lineup with a mid bass dip around 40-100hz. It's clearly audible, as is the brightness. I'd say overall, they're better than the APP2 - but I can definitely imagine a lot of people preferring the APP2 over the 3.
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I posted a video from Dave2d a few days back where he did a frequency sweep and it shows exactly what you describe (cut around 100hz with a couple extra db down low, boosted treble), and his comments mirror yours.

Of course what an ear hears will be quite different from what a basic coupler shows due to all the DSP shaping that it done, but it should give a good rundown of the relative baseline differences.

It's a bit of a shame, as recent IEM research (Meta tuning) seems to suggest it's moving away from what is beginning to look like a more natural tuning philosophy, to something that's more v-shape, Harman'esque, target.
 
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even the anc is worse on pro 3, I had some noise outside my home and tried both and the AirPods Pro 2 cut more sound out, also the fit is more comfortable with pro 2 the new ones the pro 3 went harder in my ears and started to hurt, theres nothing better with the new ones, another apple return, if you dont agree just try both and do your own tests
 
Kylo83 said:
even the anc is worse on pro 3, I had some noise outside my home and tried both and the AirPods Pro 2 cut more sound out, also the fit is more comfortable with pro 2 the new ones the pro 3 went harder in my ears and started to hurt, theres nothing better with the new ones, another apple return, if you dont agree just try both and do your own tests
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Comfort wise, no doubt the APP2 is better. The APP3 is more of a traditional IEM - i.e. you need to shove them in your ear canal to ensure a good deal for optimum sound. Sadly I think that was the main means of getting better audio quality - but it doesn't seem to have paid off well.

There are loads of better sounding wireless IEMs so this has perplexed me. I thought apple with their R&D team would have done a lot better.



Beau10 said:
I posted a video from Dave2d a few days back where he did a frequency sweep and it shows exactly what you describe (cut around 100hz with a couple extra db down low, boosted treble), and his comments mirror yours.

Of course what an ear hears will be quite different from what a basic coupler shows due to all the DSP shaping that it done, but it should give a good rundown of the relative baseline differences.

It's a bit of a shame, as recent IEM research (Meta tuning) seems to suggest it's moving away from what is beginning to look like a more natural tuning philosophy, to something that's more v-shape, Harman'esque, target.
Click to expand...

I saw his review and was hoping he was flat out wrong. Sadly he is one of the most reliable, honest, simplest reviewers so his A/B comparisons had me concerned.

The sound signature Apple have gone for is very strange IMO. Normally a Harman curve doesn't mean a boosted treble to this extent. I thought apple would have gone a bit more neutral on the treble side just to avoid it sounding so shrill at higher volumes.

The APP2 at higher volumes with distortion can sound bad. The APP3 at higher volumes can sound intolerable and painful to listen to.

I don't mind a bright speaker btw. I used to own DALIs and Arendal speakers, both brighter than Perlisten.
 
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I was looking to upgrade to them but cannot find any stores in the UK with available stock. Amazon and Apple both state a Oct delivery date now.
 
My new Pro 3’s are definitely better than my Pro 1’s on every level. Fit is fine, ANC better than expected but obviously not like my Pro Max’s. Sound quality great in my opinion, but I’m not an audiophile, just the average listener that these are aimed at.
 
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I prefer the scooped mids, and boost on the really low and high end. I've observed all of those same qualities. The earpieces fit my ears better, but that won't be true for everyone.
 
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Unfortunately I was able to grab the new Airpods today and confirm what I had suspected when I saw the keynote last week. The eartips no longer merely rest inside the ear instead they have expanding foam that seals better but causes me discomfort in just under an hour. This makes improvements like the 8 hour battery life irrelevant and I can't use headphones that I can't wear for extended times especially at airports and on flights where they never leave my ears.

Their sound is somewhat different and probably mostly a matter of personal preference. It's neither clearly better nor clearly worse. Since it's still a single driver there's not that many gains to be had. There is a reason more expensive wired in-ear headphones use anywhere from 2-8 drivers. Diminishing returns and marketing makes some brands add ridiculous amounts but single driver in-ear designs are at a disadvantage. That's a fact made obvious by these new Airpods. Otherwise what's the reason that Apple just tuned them with a more pronounced V curve and called it a day?

Sound quality was never an issue with the Airpods Pro to begin with. Hence why Apple made the right call and kept them priced affordably rather than try and reinvent the wheel. And for anyone who doesn't have issues with the deeper seat of the expanding eartips the Pro 3 should be a great choice.

It's unfortunate that Apple does not keep offering the Pro 2 alongside the Pro 3. The days of the Pro 2 are numbered and as they probably aren't being manufactured anymore it's only a matter of time until replacements become unavailable.
 
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I’ve been using the APP2’s with Comply foam tips for some time now and just got the APP3’s. I like the new tips – they fit well and are comfortable. Comparing sound quality & ANC – I do like the APP3’s better. Not a huge difference, but noticeable to me. I use adaptive hearing settings with an Rx audiogram. I bought them intending as a tryout – I’d return them to an Apple store nearby if I didn’t find value in the upgrade. But these are definitely keepers, no hemming or hawing.

Edit: Another plus - using these on my Spinner bike with a fan on, I don't get wind noise as I do with my APP2's.
 
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After 24 Hours: My AirPods Pro 3 Experience

After the first 24 hours with my AirPods Pro 3, I can confidently say I absolutely love the new soundstage. The instrument separation is remarkable, and the entire soundstage feels precise, controlled, and stable. There’s minimal clipping even at full volume, which is expected but still very impressive.

Sound Quality

I don’t think these will appeal to everyone, but for classical music, jazz, and opera, they’re absolutely perfect. The music sounds magical again, a huge improvement over what I found to be the muddy and chaotic soundstage of the AirPods Pro 2. Of course, this comes down to personal preference.

Fit Challenges

The fit remains problematic. The new tips are less flexible and sturdier, making them less forgiving when it comes to achieving a snug fit or proper seal. I have two sets and I’m testing both Medium and Large sizes, but I’m still unsure which works better. More testing is needed.

ANC Performance

The ANC is indeed improved, but only when you achieve a proper seal. Since the new foam tips are stiffer and less accommodating, finding that proper seal becomes absolutely critical to the experience.

Bottom Line

These earbuds have transformed my listening experience for certain genres, but the fit issues could be a dealbreaker for some users. The technical improvements are substantial, but they’re only accessible if you can achieve the right seal.
 
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Taq'aix said:
After 24 Hours: My AirPods Pro 3 Experience

After the first 24 hours with my AirPods Pro 3, I can confidently say I absolutely love the new soundstage. The instrument separation is remarkable, and the entire soundstage feels precise, controlled, and stable. There’s minimal clipping even at full volume, which is expected but still very impressive.

Sound Quality

I don’t think these will appeal to everyone, but for classical music, jazz, and opera, they’re absolutely perfect. The music sounds magical again, a huge improvement over what I found to be the muddy and chaotic soundstage of the AirPods Pro 2. Of course, this comes down to personal preference.

Fit Challenges

The fit remains problematic. The new tips are less flexible and sturdier, making them less forgiving when it comes to achieving a snug fit or proper seal. I have two sets and I’m testing both Medium and Large sizes, but I’m still unsure which works better. More testing is needed.

ANC Performance

The ANC is indeed improved, but only when you achieve a proper seal. Since the new foam tips are stiffer and less accommodating, finding that proper seal becomes absolutely critical to the experience.

Bottom Line

These earbuds have transformed my listening experience for certain genres, but the fit issues could be a dealbreaker for some users. The technical improvements are substantial, but they’re only accessible if you can achieve the right seal.
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And how to get the right seal I spend an hour and couldn’t get the anc to get better so much be the seal but it’s so hard to get the right one. The pro 2 is fine with any tip really
 
I upgraded bc i am interested in better noise cancellation. But it seems thst tgey hsvd better adaptive sound as well. If the surrounding noise level goes up the volume increased so i could continue to listen to my audiobook. And as the noise subsided the volume went down. The Pro 2 did not do that.
 
Ensyed said:
I upgraded bc i am interested in better noise cancellation. But it seems thst tgey hsvd better adaptive sound as well. If the surrounding noise level goes up the volume increased so i could continue to listen to my audiobook. And as the noise subsided the volume went down. The Pro 2 did not do that.
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The feature you’re experiencing is called Personalized Volume. You can turn it off by going to your AirPods settings.
 
Kylo83 said:
And how to get the right seal I spend an hour and couldn’t get the anc to get better so much be the seal but it’s so hard to get the right one. The pro 2 is fine with any tip really
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Yeah, Apple definitely took a gamble with the new foam tips. They’re much less forgiving in terms of fit, so they’re not going to work for everyone.
 
I managed to buy my APP3 locally today and spent some time comparing them to my APP2 and there is a definite improvement for me in sound stage size and audio clarity. Very impressed. I’ve not been able to compare noise cancellation differences yet but I’d be surprised if it’s 2x better than my APP2 with Comply foam tips which were already very good compared to the APP1.

The new Apple foam filled tips work great for me so no need for a aftermarket option now.
 
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For those who think that the noise reduction of the AirPods Pro 3 is worse than that of the AirPods Pro 2, we have made an interesting discovery!

My wife often only uses the AirPods 2 with noise cancellation in bed and can therefore make a very good comparison. She told me that since the new update of the AirPods 2 pro, the noise cancellation doesn't work as well as before. I then made a comparison with the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 and came to the same result as my wife. Finally, we did the whole thing with the AirPods Max that haven't received the update yet and the usual old quality of noise cancellation was back as it has to be.

The problem is therefore clearly reproducible. We can only hope that Apple will fix this with a new update.
 
Some of these posts on this thread are making me think Apple have somehow sent me counterfeit APP3 😂

I struggled to see a difference in the tips versus the APP2. There’s more stiffness in the middle but the rest just seems the same. They don’t give me the impression of foam infused. At first I thought they’d included APP2 tips, because the promo images made it seem like there’s extra thickness to the whole flappy bit.

I just cannot seem to get a good fit/seal or something.
ANC isn’t good at all, and worse than APP2 for me. And there’s constant quiet white noise or static or whatever it’s called.
I tried them at the table with family, and using ANC I could hear them talking more with the APP3 than the APP2. I could even clearly hear the sound of a book dragging off a shelf.
I tried the L and M tips (I comfortably use L with APP2, as M don’t seal at all). There’s an off-putting imbalance too, which makes me think they just don’t fit my ears 😒

I checked firmware - I think they were on 8A353. They’re on 8A357 now but still the same.

I’ll try fiddling some more and see if I can get a better fit, but so far it seems like I’ll need to return them.
 
Has any one noticed that the case orange light doesn't come on as much, or even maybe at all, when you wear the Airpods for a while and put them back in to show they are charging? My phone says they are charging, but no orange light.

Seems strange.
 
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r-m said:
Some of these posts on this thread are making me think Apple have somehow sent me counterfeit APP3 😂

I struggled to see a difference in the tips versus the APP2. There’s more stiffness in the middle but the rest just seems the same. They don’t give me the impression of foam infused. At first I thought they’d included APP2 tips, because the promo images made it seem like there’s extra thickness to the whole flappy bit.

I just cannot seem to get a good fit/seal or something.
ANC isn’t good at all, and worse than APP2 for me. And there’s constant quiet white noise or static or whatever it’s called.
I tried them at the table with family, and using ANC I could hear them talking more with the APP3 than the APP2. I could even clearly hear the sound of a book dragging off a shelf.
I tried the L and M tips (I comfortably use L with APP2, as M don’t seal at all). There’s an off-putting imbalance too, which makes me think they just don’t fit my ears 😒

I checked firmware - I think they were on 8A353. They’re on 8A357 now but still the same.

I’ll try fiddling some more and see if I can get a better fit, but so far it seems like I’ll need to return them.
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I’ve tried the medium tips and they’re definitely worse.

I got my wife to try them with M, then L, then S.
M was better for her, L was good but not great, then S was the best. She said she could barely hear the kettle boiling, and really struggled to hear what I was saying unless she was looking at my lips.

So I’ve tried S, and it’s like ANC isn’t even on I can hear everything so clearly.
Tried M, and they’re still no good. I can even hear her jeans rustling as she walks in the next room.

Really disappointing that they just don’t fit me 😒

Even more annoying, just tried music and it’s off-centre. Left side is louder than the right.
The sound is better than the APP2 though. Just off.
 
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aoaaron said:
ive compared both just now and I feel the APP2 sounds more natural and has more mid bass.
The APP3 sounds thinner but higher frequencies. Does maybe sound more detailed/brighter but sterile.


For reference: I'm an audiophile, and own a Perlisten S series home cinema.

Overall, not impressed. Doing an update in my iPhone to see if it improves things but overall - no where, and I mean no where near the jump from APP1 to APP2.
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The V-shaped EQ-curve seem to be a thing these days and I really dislike it. You just miss so much information in the music with this kind of EQ-curve. Sure a slight boost in the low bass is nice for a portable device used in a less than optimal listening environment, but this excessive cutting of midrange is beyond me. Even in mid/high range hifi this is a trend (Not high-end but I have a Primare i25 Prisma which replaced an i22. The i25 has a more detailed top end and a tighter and fatter low end, but the mids are lacking)

Before I bought my AirPods Max I also auditioned a couple of other headphones - the B&W PX7 and PX8 among others. The PX8 were good and I could happily live with them, however the PX7 were horrible in my ears. By scooping out the mids the bass becomes boomy and the top end shrill and fatiguing.

Reading what you and others are saying about the APP3 I'm pretty sure they are not for me.
 
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