AirPods Pro - Not enough volume / soundstage

[ArmCortexA8]

I keep hearing how popular AirPod Pro's are yet my own testing compared to a wired pair of headphones via the same audio source proves beyond a doubt these are simply AirPods made wireless and they lack a lot of punch / soundstage of my Sennheiser IE 80's which are wired and sound a lot clearer in all audio aspects. I also find these slip out of my ears no matter what tip is used as I am use to IEM's that sit inside your ear, not the outside.

Basic jaw / mouth movements mean these shift position / move so its a constant game of adjusting. Even at max volume (Bluetooth) these way too weak in volume (no limiters enabled) and lack the quality and thump of my Sennheiser's. I am convinced most people have never done this comparison and when you do, the AirPod Pro's are the last resort if you have no other headphones / IEM's around. The difference is night an day even with the same audio source. It seems marketing overrides audio quality.

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

You're coming from one of the best companies that specialize in audio quality and have been doing it for years (Sennheiser).

While *most* AirPods Pro users are coming from basic headphones or *free* wired AirPods from Apple *or* AirPods 1/2nd gen.

So the difference (experience + sound quality) is an upgrade for *most users*.

That's why you hear how popular they are and "how good they sound". because for those users, IT IS AN UPGRADE in sound quality and overall experience.

There is a decent amount of AP-Pro users that have the fit issue (including me). I switched my ear-tips to foam tips and they stay in my ears no problems, even when I'm doing HIIT workouts with sprints. (they used to fall out constantly during these workouts).

You've gone from a "private jet" (sennheiser) to "first class" (air pods pro)

Most users have gone from "economy" (crappy free AirPods or AirPods 1/2 gen) to "first class" (AP-Pros)

I definitely understand your disappointment. But you should've had some realistic expectations, to be honest.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

You're going from one of the best companies that specialize in audio quality and have been doing it for years (Sennheiser).

While *most* AirPods Pro users are coming from basic headphones or *free* wired AirPods from Apple *or* AirPods 1/2nd gen.

So the difference (experience + sound quality) is an upgrade for *most users*.

That's why you hear how popular they are and "how good they sound". because for those users, IT IS AN UPGRADE in sound quality and overall experience.

There is a decent amount of AP-Pro users that have the fit issue (including me). I switched my ear-tips to foam tips and they stay in my ears no problems, even when I'm doing HIIT workouts with sprints. (they used to fall out constantly during these workouts).

You've gone from a "private jet" (sennheiser) to "first class" (air pods pro)

Most users have gone from "economy" (crappy free AirPods or AirPods 1/2 gen) to "first class" (AP-Pros)

I definitely understand your disappointment. But you should've had some realistic expectations, to be honest.

I was expecting people to have tried a variety of earphones / IEM's over the years, not just blindly accept the AirPod Pro's because others use them and assume they are better. You don't test drive one car. I do agree it appears Sennheiser still hold the audio title, but the sales of the AirPod Pro's are simply because of marketing, not because of audio quality, and it's a world of difference.

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

I was expecting people to have tried a variety of earphones / IEM's over the years, not just blindly accept the AirPod Pro's because others use them and assume they are better. You don't test drive one car. I do agree it appears Sennheiser still hold the audio title, but the sales of the AirPod Pro's are simply because of marketing, not because of audio quality, and it's a world of difference.

Think of this forum as "Apple only".

You'd probably be best served for *realistic* comparisons on Audiophile/hifi audio forums for their comparison. Because they have high expectations for a focus on audio quality and will go the *extra mile* to test and compare them thoroughly.

So yes, Apple's marketing got you to give them a try.

Also yes, Apple's marketing gets most users to Buy.

With most things (if not all things?) in life, there are trade-offs that must be made.

 

[bigshot]

AirPods Pro's advantage is ease of use and integration into the Appleverse. It's more than just marketing. Convenience is just as important than incremental improvements in sound quality... probably more important for things you use on the go. I have great headphones and convenient AirPods. I use both. If you want top sound quality, use full size cans at home.

 

[Sword86]

I keep hearing how popular AirPod Pro's are yet my own testing compared to a wired pair of headphones via the same audio source proves beyond a doubt these are simply AirPods made wireless and they lack a lot of punch / soundstage of my Sennheiser IE 80's which are wired and sound a lot clearer in all audio aspects. I also find these slip out of my ears no matter what tip is used as I am use to IEM's that sit inside your ear, not the outside.

Basic jaw / mouth movements mean these shift position / move so its a constant game of adjusting. Even at max volume (Bluetooth) these way too weak in volume (no limiters enabled) and lack the quality and thump of my Sennheiser's. I am convinced most people have never done this comparison and when you do, the AirPod Pro's are the last resort if you have no other headphones / IEM's around. The difference is night an day even with the same audio source. It seems marketing overrides audio quality.

SQ is exactly why I am hesitant to buy Airpod Pros. I keep hearing how great they are but question whether these people would know what decent SQ is, coming from cheap stuff. I have a friend who thinks his are great but he's only ever owned cheap junk. Junk is all he's ever had to compare them to. I really question his opinion as a result. I agree with the comment it being a lot to do with marketing and folks never having anything decent to compare them to. Same as the hoopla about Bose crap. They're Bose, they must be the best. NOT. S

 

[bigshot]

I have excellent headphones and a kick ass speaker system. I love my AirPod Pros, but sound quality isn't why. They sound decent. Very listenable, and well balanced. Nothing at all to complain about. But they aren't targeted at audiophiles. The reason I love them is because they allow me to take music places I couldn't otherwise. I always have my iPhone in my pocket with my Apple Music account. All I need is that little white box in my shirt pocket and I can listen anywhere for longer than I would ever need to. They are drop dead simple. You just put them in your ear and they work. A lot of the time, I forget they're in my ears. The noise cancellation is fantastic, the passthrough is easy to switch on and off, and it supports spatial audio (for what that's worth). When I sit down to focus on listening to music, I do it with my full size cans or speakers. But for on the go, the APPs can't be beat.

 

[AL2TEACH]

I was expecting people to have tried a variety of earphones / IEM's over the years, not just blindly accept the AirPod Pro's because others use them and assume they are better. You don't test drive one car. I do agree it appears Sennheiser still hold the audio title, but the sales of the AirPod Pro's are simply because of marketing, not because of audio quality, and it's a world of difference.

lol, Apple does have some really good commercials that you are right. The rest is up in the air. I don't think quality is the only thing with EarPods. How they function with other things could be a factor like eh Apple's ecosystem. I didn't get a pair until a month ago and it was because of spatial audio with movies, I never considered quality of listening to music and any EarPods to be a eh thing. In short, I'm sure AirPods users (generally speaking) did not purchase them because of eh great sound alone, lol.

 

[Jayson A]

I keep hearing how popular AirPod Pro's are yet my own testing compared to a wired pair of headphones via the same audio source proves beyond a doubt these are simply AirPods made wireless and they lack a lot of punch / soundstage of my Sennheiser IE 80's which are wired and sound a lot clearer in all audio aspects. I also find these slip out of my ears no matter what tip is used as I am use to IEM's that sit inside your ear, not the outside.

Basic jaw / mouth movements mean these shift position / move so its a constant game of adjusting. Even at max volume (Bluetooth) these way too weak in volume (no limiters enabled) and lack the quality and thump of my Sennheiser's. I am convinced most people have never done this comparison and when you do, the AirPod Pro's are the last resort if you have no other headphones / IEM's around. The difference is night an day even with the same audio source. It seems marketing overrides audio quality.

Dude, I just wanted to let you know a couple months ago, I broke up with apple AirPods and decided I didn’t want the cost of throwing them away and replacing them every year, so I went back to wired headphones. Well, thanks to your post, I started looking at IEMs and decided to buy Sennheiser IE 100 Pros…. HOLY COW. I was missing out on a lot of detail with my AirPods.

You basically got me addicted to IEMs now. They also don’t fall out of my ears no matter what I do, and I love that the cable detaches in case something happens to the cable and you don’t have to throw away the buds and buy a whole new pair.

Awesome stuff man! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Night Spring]

I started looking at IEMs and decided to buy Sennheiser IE 100 Pros…. HOLY COW. I was missing out on a lot of detail with my AirPods.

It costs $100 more than AirPod Pro, right? I think you get what you pay for.

 

[Jayson A]

It costs $100 more than AirPod Pro, right? I think you get what you pay for.

Nah man, the IE 100 Pros were only $99.95 and I still think they're way better than the AirPod Pros.

 

[NastyMatt]

Nah man, the IE 100 Pros were only $99.95 and I still think they're way better than the AirPod Pros.

One of the best things I did with IEMs was to get custom sleeves made, it transforms them. At the time it was £100 to get it done here in the UK, but now it's double and £200 just seems a little steep unless you have high quality IEMs to start with.

Shame the cases for all Apple / Beats IEMs are so restricted they will not shut with custom sleeves otherwise I would get them done and see how it makes them sound.

 

[OhMyMy]

Have you tried changing the Headphone Accommodations settings for the AirPods Pro? Try setting it to Moderate.
Accessibility->AirPods->Audio Accessibility->Headphone Accommodations