Apple Explains How AirPods 4 Feature 'Great' Active Noise Cancellation Without Ear Tips

[MacRumors]

In a recent interview with Engadget, Apple's vice president of hardware engineering Kate Bergeron and AirPods marketing director Eric Treski explained how the company was able to add "great" active noise cancellation (ANC) to the higher-end AirPods 4, even though the earbuds have an "open-ear design" without silicone ear tips.

Apple said the H2 chip and "computational audio" were significant factors in adding ANC to the standard AirPods for the first time.

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.

"It's really, really hard to create this great ANC quality in a non-ear-tip product," said Treski. "The power of the H2 allows that, so we're actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we're canceling as much as possible."

Apple said the revised shape and acoustic architecture of the AirPods 4 also contributes to the earbuds having effective ANC.

The full interview offers additional details about how Apple designed the AirPods 4, which became available in stores today. There are two types of AirPods 4, with only the higher-end $179 ones offering active noise cancellation.

Article Link: Apple Explains How AirPods 4 Feature 'Great' Active Noise Cancellation Without Ear Tips

 

[Sandstorm]

We'll see. I'm one of the people who dislike silicone tips, but my current AirPods 3 are quite bad on a plane, for example. Picking up AirPods 4 ANC today.

 

[DrJR]

This is amazing and with new AI enhancements it is able to actively filter out the frequencies of my coworkers blathering voice yet render everyone else in the meeting crystal clear.

Imagine a "mute" setting for specific contacts....hmmmmm

 

[arkmannj]

To bad I need to add tips to my Airpod (pro)’s just to get them to stay in my ear, So I end up with a tip anyways.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

That doesn't really answer the question though. Yes, you can computationally cancel noise, but only the noise going through the microphone and out the speaker into the ear. There is no accounting for the noise that comes into the ear from around the sides of the AirPods, which is why AirPods pro have silicone tips to begin with ...to create a seal that prevents noise from coming into the ear unless its going through the mic first.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

To bad I need to add tips to my Airpods just to get them to stay in my ear, So I end up with a tip anyways.

Even AirPods Pro fall out of my ears using Apple's tips.

 

[Sarafay]

Without wind, ANC is excellent. With wind it’s horrible. Take that in your account. But A4 is a nice product. Keep it.

 

[msackey]

Even AirPods Pro fall out of my ears using Apple's tips.

I feel like over time, one of my tips are wearing out or something because the left side seems to be just a tad looser than the other side. It didn't feel like that before. I use my APP almost everyday on my runs.

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple said the H2 chip and "computational audio" were significant factors in adding ANC to the standard AirPods for the first time.

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.

"It's really, really hard to create this great ANC quality in a non-ear-tip product," said Treski. "The power of the H2 allows that, so we're actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we're canceling as much as possible."

I guess Apple didn't want the AirPods Max to have the stronger ANC computational audio power of the H2 chip which is why they stuck with the H1

 

[fwmireault]

"The power of the H2 allows that, so we're actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we're canceling as much as possible."

And yet all this amazing power from H2 was not deemed worthy of an upgrade for AirPods Max

 

[DevNull0]

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.”

Or…you could add 3 cents of silicon tips?

Why are the pros twice the price if these are the more difficult and sophisticated design? The whole article is on how the low end ones are worth way more than a superior product because of stupid design choices.

 

[phenste]

I feel like over time, one of my tips are wearing out or something because the left side seems to be just a tad looser than the other side. It didn't feel like that before. I use my APP almost everyday on my runs.

(you may have already done this, just throwing it out there) never hurts to do the ear fit test in Settings and see if it shows the left tip as being looser, I can see the tips loosening with time just because they're silicone…still sucks to hear though (…no pun intended? lmao)

 

[VisceralRealist]

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.”

Or…you could add 3 cents of silicon tips?

Why are the pros twice the price if these are the more difficult and sophisticated design? The whole article is on how the low end ones are worth way more than a superior product because of stupid design choices.

These AirPods are marketed at people who don't like silicone tips.

I don't see why it's such a problem to offer a feature formerly exclusive to the silicone tips model to those who don't prefer silicone tips.

 

[dp226]

Curious how well it works with loud sharp/quick noises like a gun shot. Though not recommended I have shot a pistol using just AirPod pro (v1) with ANC and it does a good job cancelling the noise with no ringing in ears. Much better than just foam earplugs. I get a good seal with the tips so I felt confident. I wonder how well these work, are they fast enough, how much noise would come around the buds?

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

I feel like over time, one of my tips are wearing out or something because the left side seems to be just a tad looser than the other side. It didn't feel like that before. I use my APP almost everyday on my runs.

There is no way I could ever run with them. Even when going for a walk I'll have to push them back in multiple times.

 

[DevNull0]

These AirPods are marketed at people who don't like silicone tips.

That still doesn’t explain why they’re so much cheaper off their the more advanced tech and only missing a few cents of silicon.

It’s just more of Apple marketing straight up lying.

 

[Kobayagi]

Can they also explain why, after 4 years, they didnt update anything on the AirPods Max...? Adding a ucb-c port and just forgetting the rest is crazy.

 

[phenste]

"It's even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro," said Bergeron, in regards to ANC on the AirPods 4.”

Or…you could add 3 cents of silicon tips?

Why are the pros twice the price if these are the more difficult and sophisticated design? The whole article is on how the low end ones are worth way more than a superior product because of stupid design choices.

would imagine the price difference has something to do with 1) the fact that the laws of physics cannot be beaten and passive noise cancellation will always be superior when combined with ANC 2) APP2 being an FDA-approved OTC hearing aid while maintaining a $250 price point. friendly reminder that OTC aids typically range anywhere in price from $300-$1,000 and uhh, to be blunt, they're not AirPods—combining a great/incredibly popular consumer product with an actual medical device is crazy and seems to be continuously severely under-appreciated on this forum

 

[zhenya]

That still doesn’t explain why they’re so much cheaper off their the more advanced tech and only missing a few cents of silicon.

It’s just more of Apple marketing straight up lying.

That's not at all what the quote says. The AirPods 4 NC is more computationally demanding - that says nothing about the overall design of the mics and the drivers which create the sound - which in the APP2 is outstanding - just that the H2 chip is leaned on a bit more heavily because of the open design.

 

[VisceralRealist]

@DevNull0 Well, they're not twice the price. The Pros are $70 more. For that you're getting better, nearly silent ANC, a better case, and yeah, hearing aid certification. I agree the gap between them is narrowing, just as it is with the Pro and non-Pro phones. But the difference in price is not quite as dramatic as you made it sound, and there are some features the Pros have that the regular AirPods don't. The process of achieving ANC on an IEM without silicone tips is more complex than with, but that doesn't make them more expensive.

 

[t0rqx]

I always thought they firmware worsen the ANC on the 3s and reintroduced it in the 4 to make it ...Great again.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

And yet all this amazing power from H2 was not deemed worthy of an upgrade for AirPods Max

Because that's not how Apple does things. They do things with purpose. They don't just arbitrarily upgrade chips in products just to bring them "up to date". They added what is needed to accomplish the features they are trying to achieve.

 

[t0rqx]

Can they also explain why, after 4 years, they didnt update anything on the AirPods Max...? Adding a ucb-c port and just forgetting the rest is crazy.

The tech is not there, thats the reason they worsen the ANC. Will reintroduce the same one on Airpods Max 2.

 

[sw1tcher]

Because that's not how Apple does things. They do things with purpose. They don't just arbitrarily upgrade chips in products just to bring them "up to date". They added what is needed to accomplish the features they are trying to achieve.

What features did Apple need to achieve when the MacBooks were upgraded from M1 to M2 to M3 that each prior chip couldn't achieve?

 

[teknikal90]

What features did Apple need to achieve when the MacBooks were upgraded from M1 to M2 to M3 that each prior chip couldn't achieve?

being able to order the chips from TSMC in order to actually ship the product, given that TSMC is upgrading the whole foundry to 3nm, before eventually 2nm. Apple has to work lockstep with their suppliers. i suspect the volume of shipment for Airpods Max isn't high enough for them to necessitate getting rid of excess H1 chips and switch totally to H2.