Alleged AirPods Studio Depicted in Leaked Image and Video Clip

[iZac]

Makes me feel better about the MW65s I bought a couple of days ago. This type of organic form isn't really my cup of tea.

I had hoped these things would still have a 3.5mm audio jack to connect to ... anything, but that was a stupid thought in retrospect.

Perhaps they might work as a pair of USB-C headphones (not just for charging) with a dongle to convert to a variety of audio jack sizes, but that's probably also wishful thinking

 

[rumz]

It’s pretty amusing how much of the response is to reject an unannounced product based solely on looks (and whatever unpolished version is shown in the video, at that). Such an interesting phenomenon that headphones have become a fashion item.

The question is in what these headphones could be any different from any other high-end headphones? What happened to Apple's philisophy to focus only a few things but do them right? I dont want judge before seeing the actual product but Im starting to worry that Apple is loosing their focus on innovation and we are just getting refreshed products and nothing really new and awesome. Last night event was boring beyond anything I have seen in years.

Oh, I would be surprised if these didn’t have a little Apple exclusive special sauce. It may not be enough to sway fans of other brands, but I imagine they’ll have a few tricks. I mean, for one, people are already excited that they’re rumored to be reversible (no set right/left earcups, but autodetected.)

See that's what I don't get. Beats is a major name in headphones. They spent plenty to get that name. Why splinter your offerings? Why not just have airpods by beats or roll airpods into beats or something? Why does a phone/computer/services company need 2 totally different and lucrative headphone divisions?

Splinter? For one, there’s an audience or demographic of Apple product consumers who don’t have any interest in the beats brand (and while I hear sound quality has improved in some of the most recent models, it’s hard to shake that reputation— many don’t want the Beats sound signature, lets say), but do have interest in the Apple brand. (Just like there’s a segment that prefers over-ear headphones to in-ear headphones who would prefer something like this to in-ear AirPods.)

I’ve been looking forward to getting these for some time but it will take something special to beat my B&O H6 - beautiful, unmatched reference sound quality and I’ve tried them all.

I hear you. I have 2 pairs of the H6 (a first and second gen... especially enjoy the second gen). It seems to be particularly challenging to bring that sound to a wireless format, for some reason.

Without iOS/macOS AptX bluetooth support, these are not for hires audio nor are they high end. Period. Hires audio can only be played on Apple devices via external DACs via wired connections. There used to be a hack for AptX output on macOS but I think it has been closed.

I don’t think what I’m about to suggest is anywhere in the realm of likelihood. But indulge me for a moment: because Apple makes their own wireless chips (W1, H1, etc), it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to introduce something proprietary to their ecosystem that handles lossless. They do, afterall, have their ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), and could certainly have developed something that could leverage that or something similar exclusive to their hardware and services (in classic Apple walled garden fashion)— so you could hypothetically get lossless but only with some premium tier of Apple Music, an Apple device (mac or iOS) & AirPods Studio Headphones, for example.

Again... I don’t think this is remotely likely. Apple hasn’t shown any interest in making ALAC files (or anything higher qualify than AAC 256) available for purchase or streaming. But, it’s not impossible.

 

[bobob]

No matter what these new AirPods Studio headphones end up looking like, you can be sure that the initial discussion will be rife with oblivious hot takes that will wither with the test of time.

Reddit recently created a thread to reappraise their own initial discussion on the original release of AirPods:

Looking back at Reddit's response to AirPods 4 years ago

It is a revealing exposé on the prevalence of fatuous groupthink in this current world we live in.

(Also, here's the MacRumors AirPods discussion from 7 September 2016.)

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Can anyone tell my what exactly makes those headphones look ugly?

 

[rxp]

I guess ugly is a fashion concept. I don't really care about what my gear looks like, as long as it performs well and is comfortable. I do have to say the Bose 700s do look particularly good to me, but because of the way they look they have a hinge rattle issue.

Posts here about the Air Pods looking ugly before release were also bang on. To me the original ones still look ugly, but the Pro's look great. It's also function over form for apple - the stem enabled better wireless connectivity and permitted a wider separation of the two mics which enabled better beam forming than the competition. It was only until Samsung's Galaxy Buds + that also used a sensor to detect jaw movement that the microphones were surpassed.

 

[rumz]

I guess ugly is a fashion concept. I don't really care about what my gear looks like, as long as it performs well and is comfortable. I do have to say the Bose 700s do look particularly good to me, but because of the way they look they have a hinge rattle issue.

Posts here about the Air Pods looking ugly before release were also bang on. To me the original ones still look ugly, but the Pro's look great. It's also function over form for apple - the stem enabled better wireless connectivity and permitted a wider separation of the two mics which enabled better beam forming than the competition. It was only until Samsung's Galaxy Buds + that also used a sensor to detect jaw movement that the microphones were surpassed.

Reminds me of this Jobs quote:

”Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, “Make it look good!” That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” —Steve Jobs

 

[Jar Jar Abrams]

Rumors suggest that the high-end over-ear Apple-branded headphones that Apple has had in the works for some time are set to launch before the end of 2020, and today, an image of the "AirPods Studio" as they might be called surfaced on Twitter.

Shared by Fudge, a leaker that has provided accurate details on Apple's plans in the past, the image features black headphones with large oblong ear cups and gray fabric padding at the top of the headband, which Fudge says is HomePod mesh. There's also a separate video of a white version.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1306266803182727168

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said that Apple is working on two versions of the AirPods Studio, one that's a higher-end premium version and one that's fitness-focused and made from lighter weight materials, and Fudge suggests this is the lighter "sport" variant.

Gurman at the time described headphones with a retro-like look with ear cups that swivel along with a headband connected with thin metal arms, which does appear to describe the headphones in the image.

The AirPods Studio are expected to have swappable ear pads and headband padding that will attach to the frame magnetically, allowing users to swap in different colors and variants for customization purposes.

Along with these design features, the AirPods Studio are expected to feature Active Noise Cancellation, head and neck detection, orientation detection, and more, with details available in our roundup.

There's no word yet on when the AirPods Studio might launch, but with iPhones set to come out in October, Apple could unveil the AirPods Studio alongside new iPhone models.

Article Link: Alleged AirPods Studio Depicted in Leaked Image and Video Clip

These are the Parrot Zik 4

 

[drzen]

Inspired by the Bowers & Wilkins P5? Looks like Apple just can't get away from their legendary rounded rectangles.

 

[nikaru]

Most if not all headphones today still struggle to come within a few dBs of the frequency response curves that users preference research tends to demonstrate are favoured by most. Most of the usual ANC BT headphones suspects are way off the mark. Advanced electronics may help close the gap in a way that a purely passive transducer can't and Apple / Beats (as of 2020, but certainly not older models) has a pretty decent track record with acknowledging this market research.

I have yet to try spatial audio but if it is truly convincing then there's that.

Otherwise operational qualities, but here I find the leaked design very surprising. It seems the headphones won't fold inwards (like the Beats Solo Pro for example) and the headband is quite large, meaning that portability won't be exceptional compared to some BT ANC alternatives (unless Apple found a very clever way to fold the headband without a visible hinge, as some of their patents suggest). Jon's leaked images suggests that it's a large on-ear instead of an over-ear (with ear pads close in spirit to the B&W P5 it seems) - this is very surprising given Apple's stream of patents for ear detection technology, none of which seem to propose sensors designs compatible with an on-ear design as far as I know. The leaked video suggest an interesting case design. This all makes their design quite unexpected to me.

In my view, there is no point of entering into the pro-audio realm when your own streaming music service only offers 256 kbps AAC. The point of releasing HiFi headphones is when most customers can leverage and enjoy this product in its full potential. Unless Apple's intention is to release 999$ headphones for pro studio users and not for the average mortasl (in the way MacPro and ProDisplay XDR are currently positioned), then I cant see how this product fits in Apple portfolio. That said, I think Apple's intention is to announce these headphones together with an updated version of Apple Music with vastly improved audio quality beating Tidal and other streaming services that currently offer better overall audio quality. Probably, that is the reason for delaying the product. We will see. Regardless, a clever folding design and barely noticable sound improvement (compared to other HiFi headphones) would not be enough to rocket this product where it should be as an Apple product. Therefore, my best guess is that the secret behind this new product has more to do with Apple Music, than with the product itself or any meaningful hardware innovation.

 

[chasing.stoke]

I know history suggests that apple products that are deemed "ugly" on release go on to be remembered as beautiful.

...but these are truly disgusting looking. I can't see myself in them like this

 

[HarryWild]

Looks like October is the month for Apple to show off the goodies at least that interest me!

 

[anza]

Not with bluetooth latency

been wondering about this. fairly confident they'll enable audio through the USB-C. it's going to be hard to market this as a "Studio" headphone otherwise. they can't in good faith show people wireless in a music production environment, which means cutting Garage Band, Logic, etc. out of the entire narrative.

i won't be totally shocked if it's not possible, but given it doesn't require an actual headphone jack or affect the aesthetics otherwise, it seems like a weird thing to be philosophical about.

i reallly hope it's not on-ear. that also seems like a weird call. any chance it could be both on-ear or over based on the changeable ear pads? i'm psyched about that in general. my beyerdynamics are super comfortable, but the ear pads get really gross with oil from hair, skin, etc. within a few months. i find myself changing them out every 6 months or so and it's always a super tedious process.

 

[MacBH928]

can someone explain to me why the over-the-head speakers are better than in ear AirPod Pros?

 

[rumz]

In my view, there is no point of entering into the pro-audio realm when your own streaming music service only offers 256 kbps AAC. The point of releasing HiFi headphones is when most customers can leverage and enjoy this product in its full potential. Unless Apple's intention is to release 999$ headphones for pro studio users and not for the average mortasl (in the way MacPro and ProDisplay XDR are currently positioned), then I cant see how this product fits in Apple portfolio. That said, I think Apple's intention is to announce these headphones together with an updated version of Apple Music with vastly improved audio quality beating Tidal and other streaming services that currently offer better overall audio quality. Probably, that is the reason for delaying the product. We will see. Regardless, a clever folding design and barely noticable sound improvement (compared to other HiFi headphones) would not be enough to rocket this product where it should be as an Apple product. Therefore, my best guess is that the secret behind this new product has more to do with Apple Music, than with the product itself or any meaningful hardware innovation.

They don’t have to target “Hifi” or the “audiophile” crowd for there to be a place for these headphones. 1) It’s a different style that many prefer to listen to, and 2) they don’t sell anything else like it that’s not Beats branded. These could be very good *within the product category of over-ear noise cancelling headphones*. I mean, is there anything out there in the “in-ear” category that can do noise cancellation as well as the industry standard over-ears like Bose?

Anyways. I would love it if they did as you suggest and up the quality game of their online music streaming. Only reason I can really see for them doing that would be to increase their service revenue by having a more expensive tier. Whether the ROI supports that is another question (how many people would need to either sign up as new subscribers for the premium tier or upgrade their plan to premium to really make movement in their services revenue?

It shouldn’t be too long before we find out! I’ve wished for a lossless option in the iTunes Store for a long time, but as I said in another recent post— I’m not holding my breath for it

 

[Tulani]

can someone explain to me why the over-the-head speakers are better than in ear AirPod Pros?

Many over-ear headphones come with cushions that rest against the skull, making them comfortable for the wearer. Earbuds might become uncomfortable over time, especially if they are larger than the ear or canal.

 

[drzen]

can someone explain to me why the over-the-head speakers are better than in ear AirPod Pros?

Because you have much larger drivers that push much more air, resulting in deeper bass, more transparent midrange and smoother treble. Also less in the head sound.

 

[deevey]

been wondering about this. fairly confident they'll enable audio through the USB-C. it's going to be hard to market this as a "Studio" headphone otherwise. they can't in good faith show people wireless in a music production environment, which means cutting Garage Band, Logic, etc. out of the entire narrative.

i won't be totally shocked if it's not possible, but given it doesn't require an actual headphone jack or affect the aesthetics otherwise, it seems like a weird thing to be philosophical about.

i reallly hope it's not on-ear. that also seems like a weird call. any chance it could be both on-ear or over based on the changeable ear pads? i'm psyched about that in general. my beyerdynamics are super comfortable, but the ear pads get really gross with oil from hair, skin, etc. within a few months. i find myself changing them out every 6 months or so and it's always a super tedious process.

Apple's USB-C Dongle DAC's are surprisingly awesome.

Review: Apple vs Google USB-C Headphone Adapters

This is a review, detailed measurements and comparison of Apple's USB-C adapter to the current and last version of Google Pixel headphone adapters. The Apple adapter costs just $9 including one day shipping for free. The Google dongle costs $12. Not that any of these are large by any stretch...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I'd guess that if they do release some "pro" headphones that there will 3 options to use.

1. USB-C cable (with DAC built into the cable)
2. Bluetooth but probably AAC (which is on-par with AptX on Apple devices)
3. 3.5mm cable.

Having a decent pair of professional level headphones that have the option to go wireless, USB-C or Wired without a dongle could be a nice win so long as they aren't basshead cans like beats.

If they can manage to pull off some kind of ultra low latency / lossless audio over wireless via their own technology that would be impressive.

 

[ntlman]

As an admitted audiophile, I realize I have somewhat niche standards and priorities when it comes to the music listening experience. But if you see what is going on the hires personal music player market, one can't help but think that Apple is missing out by not taking the opportunity to make a new hires dedicated iPod. Sony, Fiio, Astell and Kern and others are selling high end players that start at $99 and go into the $1k+ range. Maybe an audiophile edition iPhone with a custom Apple DAC chip and gold plated headphone jack? By offering their own hires DAC chip, they would have a more compelling pitch for Apple Music and listening to other hires sources through an Apple hires iPhone, IMO. I love being able to hook up great external DACs to my Apple devices, but I really wish it didn't require cables/dongles.

One can dream… 🙏

 

[DeepIn2U]

Thanks. I hate it.

likewise, looks horrible

Those look very 1976.

and NOT in a good way! Lloyds equipment looked better back then

I will stick with my Bose.

I’ll stick with AirPod Pro’s / WH-1000XM3/4’s.

 

[anza]

If they can manage to pull off some kind of ultra low latency over wireless via their own technology that would be impressive.

I speculated about this months ago in some other rumor post. This feels like something Apple could have a break through on -- especially when we think about Apple Silicon macs and any custom wireless chips that might be in there. Maybe that's even part of the story if they announce an Apple Silicon laptop in October.

 

[dwaltwhit]

Splinter? For one, there’s an audience or demographic of Apple product consumers who don’t have any interest in the beats brand (and while I hear sound quality has improved in some of the most recent models, it’s hard to shake that reputation— many don’t want the Beats sound signature, lets say), but do have interest in the Apple brand. (Just like there’s a segment that prefers over-ear headphones to in-ear headphones who would prefer something like this to in-ear AirPods.)

i feel like if any brand could overcome the beats hate it would be apple.

 

[Piggie]

Well, at least they may keep you warm and snuggly in the winter

 

[ActionableMango]

can someone explain to me why the over-the-head speakers are better than in ear AirPod Pros?

It is way less gross to share over the head earphones.

 

[MayaTlab]

In my view, there is no point of entering into the pro-audio realm when your own streaming music service only offers 256 kbps AAC. The point of releasing HiFi headphones is when most customers can leverage and enjoy this product in its full potential.

I'm not sure that Apple has any pretention to enter the pro market with these (and which pro market ? headphones used on sets ? DJ headphones ? Headphones used during recording ?), and I don't see much link between the pro headphones market and streaming services anyway.

That being said, 256 kbps AAC, properly implemented, measures in ways that are inaudible to human beings. There is a 99,999999% chance that you'd fail an A/B blind test between Apple's current 2020 implementation of their 256 kbps AAC and CD quality.

Even 256 kbps AAC over bluetooth (which is something different from the file format), as implemented by Apple, measures in ways that most if not all users would struggle to differentiate from wired : https://www.soundguys.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-bluetooth-headphones-aac-20296/

Meanwhile, a 2-3 dB change in some areas of the frequency response can easily be noticed by most users, and even some high-end, "hi-fi" headphones still measure as poorly as this :

Headphones v1.5 - Graph Tool

www.rtings.com

While even worse, headphones' frequency response is significantly affected by each user's individual anatomy.

Most people would be better served spending a lot more time caring about frequency response than anything else, by a mile.

Or in other words, in order of importance to what's audible : frequency response / individual anatomy's influence on frequency response / ergonomics influence on frequency response / master used to produce the file (there's more than a double dozen different masters of the Who's Who's Next and they all sound very different from each others) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> headphones - induced distortion >>>>>>>>>> 256 kbps AAC vs. CD quality file format .

It makes very little sense to me to make 256 kbps AAC a fixation when we're still producing headphones that miss FR targets by miles regardless of their price range.

Wireless ANC BT headphones, as a by-product of having an internal DAC / DSP / mics, have all the necessary theoretical bases to a) equalise the frequency response to a specific curve, preferably one that corresponds to the various curves that have been demonstrated as being favoured by most users (which usually corresponds to a pair of speakers that measure flat in an anechoic room when put in a decently well tuned listening room) - look up Harman curves for example -, and b) fine tune that frequency response to each user's individual HRTF (for example by analysing the user's ear shape with a system similar to Face ID and create a personalised HRTF profile). Passive headphones won't ever be able to do that.

That being said most ANC BT headphones manufacturers still don't care and produce headphones that measure as poorly as this : https://www.rtings.com/headphones/graph#1619/3992

While that's yet to be realised, in the future the truly "Hi-fi" headphones will be powered and make extensive use of their DSP and sensors. There is no future for passive headphones if what you want is "High Fidelity".

 

[deevey]

Makes me feel better about the MW65s I bought a couple of days ago. This type of organic form isn't really my cup of tea.

I had hoped these things would still have a 3.5mm audio jack to connect to ... anything, but that was a stupid thought in retrospect.

Perhaps they might work as a pair of USB-C headphones (not just for charging) with a dongle to convert to a variety of audio jack sizes, but that's probably also wishful thinking

My predictions are

A standard USB-C to USB-C cable which will utilise a DAC built to the headphones and to provide power/charging.

A 3.5mm dongle (or specific cable) to USB-C on the headphones Where the battery is used to power the DAC and enable noise cancellation.

A bypass switch where the audio signal from a headphone jack is re-routed directly to the drivers.