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AirPods Pro microphone scandal - edit: PROOF
- Thread starter Phwoar
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THANK YOU for the compliment
I have thousands of clients who have purchased the AirPods Pro and to my knowledge, no one has brought them back because of this, but then it's typically not windy here. I would be interested if the next-gen solved this issue for you.
Hello, yes that is indeed me
I did that tape trick quite a while ago now - and it worked flawlessly for as long as I did it, because to this day I’m on the exact same pair of Airpod Pros that I’ve had since then, and everything about them works perfectly. So safe to say the tape trick seems to have worked for me for keeping the inside grills flawless and clean.However now I’ve started using wingtips with my APPs that I can slide on and off, which i absolutely adore as no matter what I do now my Airpods will never fall out of my ears. Secondly, because of the wing tips my ears never physically touch the body of the airpods anymore - therefore I no longer need to use tape on the grills as they stay clean by the nature of never making contact with my ears anyway.
I can’t comment whether tape or no tape would help the issue being described here, because as long as I’ve had these airpods I do not ever remember experiencing this issue. Yes - when its windy people can often say that I don’t sound very clear, but it’s no different from using my phones microphone as a few times before I’ve tried switching from my airpods to my phone on a windy day and people would say I‘m no more or less understandable. So I’ve stopped switching and I seem to never think about it anymore as my APPs mics seem to work as intended.
I would test it out if I knew how to replicate the issue here, but unfortunately it seems like I cant, so there could be a chance that APPs that do experience this issue are faulty.
Also, my "everyone" is, at 5000+ users, statistically so large and globally sampled that we can confidently say it's all users, all batches of Apple AirPods Pro ever produced. Not going to explain that as it is already evident you are an intellectual person and you will catch my drift
I would just like to point out that your statistically large group is not an accurate global sample for one very simple reason.
You are sensationalising and exaggerating the figures in the same way that you did with your “Scandal” in the original post.
There are 5000+ COMMENTS in that thread, NOT 5000+ users with the problem. I can guarantee that most of these comments are the same people having conversations with other.
In the same way that you have commented repeatedly in this thread, 9 times, do we therefore then say that 9 people have the problem based on this thread alone?
Stop with the hyperbole and actual lies and misinformation and exaggeration.
I accept that you think there is an issue, I would counter and say they are working as they should and that wind is a problem for any kind of microphone, but please can you dial the hysteria and incorrect information down about 100 notches.
Jason
@JasonHB thanks for your constructive comments, you have some excellent points and I like the way you think, particularly your argument that there are 5000+ commenters in the Apple support thread who are having a problem with the AirPods Pro microphone.
I also find myself agreeing with you that this is a crazy large number of people from all over the world in that Apple thread with this microphone problem – they are leaving comments, discussing the problem with each other, liking each other's posts, quoting each other...it's really showing a global consensus among consumers that there is a problem, which is excellent.
Also, you are correct that the wind is a problem for any kind of microphone...and of course this problem has been resolved in the standard AirPods, they handle the wind just fine. The Apple lightning wired headphones also handle wind really well. So your argument is correct, which means the AirPods "Pro" microphones are the odd one out as they appear to be unable to handle wind input (seemingly in opposite to what was advertised).
In relation to your helpful comments on hysteria, I think the amazing thing has been the historic queues of consumers desperate to buy Apple products, that was a global phenomenon...you remember when the iPhone first came out and people were lining up around the block to get it?
I remember this time so well, it was global hysteria for a very nicely designed product. On the news everywhere. There were people even camping in tents to get the product first! Amazing levels of hysteria for Apple, worldwide.
During that time, Apple built up a phenomenal brand loyalty, to the point where some customers still to this day really dislike the notion that Apple could produce a faulty product and not fix it. The butterfly keyboard issue springs (pardon the pun) to mind.
It's really unfortunate that this same brand loyalty among customers is sometimes being leant on by Apple to excuse some poorly executed products – so let's hope this behemoth corporation with so much potential gets its quality control back up to where it was when the world was hysterical about Apple products.
I hate seeing 5000+ people from around the world indicating they have a problem with Apple AirPods Pro microphones...it means something has gone wrong and still hasn't been fixed.
C'mon Apple, let's see you get that premium "pro" high quality back up to the levels your customers expect! Your customers are willing to defend you even when you get it wrong, so pay their loyalty back with hearing their 5000+ complaints and issue a fix so their user experience matches the product you have advertised!!
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To be honest, the primary purpose for me using AirPod Pros are for music and music alone. I take them out after listening since I don't like the idea of them being in my ears for extended periods doing nothing, and of course draining the battery the process.
So really, phone calls are 1/8th the time I even have them in. So, once again, I don't get this. Who's standing outside in a high wind or gale trying to talk on the phone via AirPods? Weather Channel guys?
So really, phone calls are 1/8th the time I even have them in. So, once again, I don't get this. Who's standing outside in a high wind or gale trying to talk on the phone via AirPods? Weather Channel guys?
Your use case is not the sole use case apple developed the AirPods Pro for…. Some people leave the house and may take a phone call while doing so. It may even be on a day where there is wind
Similar issue. Can’t even make a call outside with parents without them saying that I sound far away or voice cutting in and out. Goes away immediately when I use speaker or not using AirPods Pro
The problem with these posts is that you’re trying to minimise the issue because you think apple can do no wrong.
There are a large amount of people who take calls on their APP, just watch any news segment with Zoom guests and you’re bound to see them.
The same goes for people taking them out to take calls outside and on a walk or when they’re out for a walk and listening to music, someone calling them. You’re acting like it’s a near zero situation.
I live in the concrete jungle of London and in January 2021 I have had people tell me that it’s too noisy/“I can just hear the wind” please call me back. They also sometimes amplify the wrong sound (passing by bikes or cars) the wind isn’t even that strong here.
The issue is there, no point in trying to deflect the issue that people are having.
I'm coming in late to this post, but I want to point out numbers. When this was originally posted there were around 5000+ complaints in an apple discussion. Even if you multiply it hundred times over (so half a million) its a blip of an issue based on just numbers. According to a random websearch Apple has sold over 100 million of these, which means generously that there is about 1% of them having issues. I hope it is easily fixable from a firmware point of view and not something else, but it isn't a very large percentage when it comes to impact on the consumer. Please note that I found tape helpful as well, as a friend of mine had a similar issue.
How come when I get mine replaced (4 times) I get the same problem each time?
Mine is the same experience as many others getting their AirPods Pro replaced - same problem even on replacement.
Because they have a special shelf with your name on it where they put the known defective pairs to keep sending to you.
Please, when you have a basic understanding of reading comprehension and math/statistics, come back and restate your case.
Be careful of ad hominem attacks, lest people accuse you yourself of having a defective pair.
I'm a little bit of a hypocrite as I detest most things wifi. Obviously my phone hasn't much choice. I have found most wifi tech and bluetooth tech substandard to wired for both computers and iOS/android devices. I also get that my numbers point of view doesn't help those who got a bad pair, just pointing out numbers =)
I’ve replaced my airpods pro tree times but no improvement on sound quality in a noisy environment, especially when i walk through street with huge amount of traffic i was putting them to my pocket if someone calls, i was quite sure they will complain very often about the call quality. Finally i found a solution, i set one of the airpods mic active all the time, when i have a phone call i use that mic close to my mouth, sound quality is perfect now in the middle of traffic. You can easly test it via voice memo app on the iphone. You are breaking hands free usage but better than not able to use it effectively. I would suggest apple designers to compare noice on both earphone and disable higher noice side while continuious comparison still in place. It should amplify the human voice (probably they can filter it) on the side which is active at that time, it will help to mitigate low volume issue due to distance between ear and mouth.
It's still numbers. When the 6,000 become 600,000, then it's getting close to about 0.5% of how many have been sold, and another post mentioned that if you don't use the microphone in automatic, but choose a side manually, the issue seems to go away. Of course the product isn't perfect, people make the product and/or the machines that make the product. Scandal numbers yet? Not even close. It has to make a statistical difference to be scandalous. Is it large enough for Apple to go hmm, what's going on with this group of them. Hopefully.
Just curious: Do you have your microphone set to either R or L, or do you use the default "automatic" setting?
I don’t have an AirPods pro but thinking of buying one and have been reading reviews on it. I am concerned about APP does not work or worked poorly in outdoor windy environment, sometimes when the wind is not strong.
After reading this forum and watching the YouTube video “AirPods Pro microphone wind & noise”, I suspect that the problem could be due to hardware and not firmware and could be either difficult to fix or not fixable because it is difficult to put a lot of extra electronic into such small volume of the AirPods; also the power consumption would be another problem.
This outdoor wind noise problem also happens to AirPods without noise cancellation. In the past, when my son called me while biking, and when it was windy, the wind noise would get so loud (several times louder than his voice), so bad that I wanted to unplug the airpods, but at the same time, his voice signal was lowered to a degree I couldn’t hear what he said. This suggests that the noise is larger than the signal, also suggests that there could be an automatic gain adjustment circuit which turns down the gain when the input is too high and as a result, the wind noise (which is larger than the voice signal) and the voice signal are both turned down together. Similar situation (noise larger than voice signal) could be happening in the APP with noise cancelation leading to the same result.
Obviously, the solution is to increase the signal to noise ratio by increasing the voice signal or reducing the noise or both. One way is to use an Apple earpods with leads and hold the microphone near the mouth. This would increase the voice signal and reduce the wind noise leading to voice signal larger than noise, which the circuit in the EarPods is designed for.
I suspect all the noise cancellation wireless headsets on the market have the same outdoor wind noise problem. If not, just go buy the one that works.
After reading this forum and watching the YouTube video “AirPods Pro microphone wind & noise”, I suspect that the problem could be due to hardware and not firmware and could be either difficult to fix or not fixable because it is difficult to put a lot of extra electronic into such small volume of the AirPods; also the power consumption would be another problem.
This outdoor wind noise problem also happens to AirPods without noise cancellation. In the past, when my son called me while biking, and when it was windy, the wind noise would get so loud (several times louder than his voice), so bad that I wanted to unplug the airpods, but at the same time, his voice signal was lowered to a degree I couldn’t hear what he said. This suggests that the noise is larger than the signal, also suggests that there could be an automatic gain adjustment circuit which turns down the gain when the input is too high and as a result, the wind noise (which is larger than the voice signal) and the voice signal are both turned down together. Similar situation (noise larger than voice signal) could be happening in the APP with noise cancelation leading to the same result.
Obviously, the solution is to increase the signal to noise ratio by increasing the voice signal or reducing the noise or both. One way is to use an Apple earpods with leads and hold the microphone near the mouth. This would increase the voice signal and reduce the wind noise leading to voice signal larger than noise, which the circuit in the EarPods is designed for.
I suspect all the noise cancellation wireless headsets on the market have the same outdoor wind noise problem. If not, just go buy the one that works.
Lol GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!!
You know Apple just released AirPods Pro firmware update 3E751 in the last 24 hours?
I’m delighted to announce I’ve tested it, as have others around the globe, and Apple has done nothing to change the gain problem in the AirPods Pro microphones.
The Apple AirPods Pro microphones are STILL A SCANDAL!!!
(aka Wooo this thread is still relevant!!)
Haha the best is watching the reactions to the firmware update not fixing the problem over on Apple Support forums, get the popcorn:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250813242?page=29
That thread has now hit 6000 people since this thread was started.
Apple doesn’t seem to be listening to its users, on this and other problems, so we can really expect more and more of this to come.
I guess there really is a point where an integrated software/hardware ecosystem approach gets so big it disintegrates.
So onto fixing this issue:
I understand from many reviews the microphones in the Jabra Elite Active and the Anker Soundcore Life P2 vastly outrank the performance of Apple AirPods Pro microphones - much cheaper too.
Does anyone have any good experiences with other brands other than Apple’s product that doesn’t work?
You know Apple just released AirPods Pro firmware update 3E751 in the last 24 hours?
I’m delighted to announce I’ve tested it, as have others around the globe, and Apple has done nothing to change the gain problem in the AirPods Pro microphones.
The Apple AirPods Pro microphones are STILL A SCANDAL!!!
(aka Wooo this thread is still relevant!!)
Haha the best is watching the reactions to the firmware update not fixing the problem over on Apple Support forums, get the popcorn:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250813242?page=29
That thread has now hit 6000 people since this thread was started.
Apple doesn’t seem to be listening to its users, on this and other problems, so we can really expect more and more of this to come.
I guess there really is a point where an integrated software/hardware ecosystem approach gets so big it disintegrates.
So onto fixing this issue:
I understand from many reviews the microphones in the Jabra Elite Active and the Anker Soundcore Life P2 vastly outrank the performance of Apple AirPods Pro microphones - much cheaper too.
Does anyone have any good experiences with other brands other than Apple’s product that doesn’t work?
Yes exactly have this freaking issue also and replaced it twice and guess what exactly the same crap again. I am so disappointed in Apple and the AirPods Pro. And the other thing is the settings won't get saved after some time they always go back to default settings... Apple fix this
Hope the following info would help to understand why wind noise poses a problem for ANC ear buds and it is a challenge to eliminate it.
According to http://en.rode.com/blog/all/ways-to-reduce-wind-noise-when-recording-outside, wind noise is a problem for film making when recording outside (the audio system does not have ANC).
According to this article , the frequency range of the wind noise falls within 20-250Hz and creates a rambling sound in the microphone. There are ways to effectively reduce the wind noise: unidirectional mic and/or surrounding the mic with foam and fur. These items reduce the wind signal more than the voice signal.
The wind noise sometimes generates a large signal which saturate the preamplifier. An analog high pass filter placed at the electronic front end to attenuate signal lower than 250 Hz would greatly help( or low cut equalization).
http://www.michaelgallagher.co.uk/how-to/how-to-reduce-wind-noise-in-field-recordings. The author also found that noise reduction program did not help.
Note that the ideal frequency range for music is 10-20,000Hz. Thus attenuating or cutting off signal below 250Hz will make music sounds bad, but may be OK for voice over telephone which is 300-3,400Hz. I suspect that most ANC earbuds have a low end cutoff frequency way lower than 250Hz, otherwise music will not sound good. This unfortunately would allow a lot of wind noise frequencies to get through.
Also note that when listening to music, the music is sent from the phone to the earbuds at Bluetooth frequency. Thus the desired music and noise are physically separated. This allows the noise to be more effectively cancelled by creating a negative signal of the noise and then mix the positive and negative noise signals together. In the wind noise case, however, the voice and wind noise are physically mixed together and are not separated.
If the Airpods Pro design has the similar problems mentioned above, then replacing the AirPods will not make the wind noise problem go away.
According to http://en.rode.com/blog/all/ways-to-reduce-wind-noise-when-recording-outside, wind noise is a problem for film making when recording outside (the audio system does not have ANC).
According to this article , the frequency range of the wind noise falls within 20-250Hz and creates a rambling sound in the microphone. There are ways to effectively reduce the wind noise: unidirectional mic and/or surrounding the mic with foam and fur. These items reduce the wind signal more than the voice signal.
The wind noise sometimes generates a large signal which saturate the preamplifier. An analog high pass filter placed at the electronic front end to attenuate signal lower than 250 Hz would greatly help( or low cut equalization).
http://www.michaelgallagher.co.uk/how-to/how-to-reduce-wind-noise-in-field-recordings. The author also found that noise reduction program did not help.
Note that the ideal frequency range for music is 10-20,000Hz. Thus attenuating or cutting off signal below 250Hz will make music sounds bad, but may be OK for voice over telephone which is 300-3,400Hz. I suspect that most ANC earbuds have a low end cutoff frequency way lower than 250Hz, otherwise music will not sound good. This unfortunately would allow a lot of wind noise frequencies to get through.
Also note that when listening to music, the music is sent from the phone to the earbuds at Bluetooth frequency. Thus the desired music and noise are physically separated. This allows the noise to be more effectively cancelled by creating a negative signal of the noise and then mix the positive and negative noise signals together. In the wind noise case, however, the voice and wind noise are physically mixed together and are not separated.
If the Airpods Pro design has the similar problems mentioned above, then replacing the AirPods will not make the wind noise problem go away.