Kuo: AirPods With Wireless Charging Case Expected in Early 2019, All-New Model in Early 2020

[sinsin07]

Only 5%? Yes that’s called Price Price Price Price Price. Ridiculously over priced for what you get. I’ll grab these things for under 100 when new ones come out. Bring it on.

If you don't wanna wait, here ya go:
Sharper Image™ True Wireless Ear Buds in White

Of course no Siri or W1 chip, but the price fits your above mentioned budget.

 

[827538]

This is a good post... I am an audiophile and after trying many different wireless models, I feel that the EarPods are a 5 on a scale of one to ten. For critical listening I use a pair of Shure SE846's with a custom ear molds, Double Helix OFC cables so I have a very very good pair of in-ear monitors. After purchasing and testing several hi-end brands, I have come to the conclusion that currently the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless in-ear monitors are the best. The EarPods are a consumer brand product and not really developed for critical listening. The one size fits all shape is evidence of this. For those who couldn't really tell the difference between 5 to 10, they are the perfect choice. My opinion.

I’m quite lucky as the AirPods fit perfectly for me. I can go for hour long runs or weight sessions and never have them come loose.

 

[Tapiture]

I got mine customized at Blackpods.store but it looks like they're not taking any new orders. I know Colorware offers the same service, though: https://www.colorware.com/p-743-apple-airpods.aspx

I’ve seen those but they’re too expensive

 

[twistedpixel8]

I really cannot understand people who say they are ok for situations like traveling, meaning they do not have many demands or expectations from such situations! That’s quite strange! Don’t you need high quality sound while traveling? Only sitting on your sofa you need good sound? Not all in ears as you write, suffer from mid frequency problems. It’s just AirPods that present so thin mids and most importantly non existing low bass, due to the non existent seal to the outer ear or ear canal. In ear or over ear headphones are quite capable of reproducing all frequencies but ear buds like the AirPods, due to their small size in conjunction with no seal, cannot produce low frequencies at all. As a result the audio spectrum stays “naked” of any warmth, giving mainly scratching highs and thin mids. This is the sound of AirPods, unfortunately! I’ve got them from the first month of release and even though I find them the best idea in audio, ever, I believe they are not meant for high quality music listening. They are mainly made for phone conversation since also in that use scenario you need to hear your own voice, thus you do not want seal. BeatsX and Studio3 are offering thousands of times higher quality sound, deep low frequencies and full spectrum representation. I believe that Apple is in desperate need of true wireless in ears, not ear buds, so that they can offer you the desired noise isolation, whenever you need to really enjoy your music and not the metro rails’ extreme noise!

I find them perfectly adequate for listening to tracks while dozing on a train. If I wanted exceptional quality audio for such situations I’d spend 10x and get some Sennheisers. I’m not a fool; I know there are much better offerings out there but for the price and convenience balance, I’m very happy with my AirPods.

I have a proper sound system for my TV for when audio really matters. This setup works great for me.

 

[munpip214]

Don't know if it means anything, but Costco just stopped selling them. All mention gone from website and in stores.

 

[Doc C]

Couldn’t disagree more. Try walking the streets of NYC or traveling on a commuter train. Having to set the iPhone volume to max just to hear a podcast or semi drown out external noise is just not a great experience.

I agree

I should have been clearer in what I meant to say -- by noisier, I was referring to situations where there is sufficient ambient noise to interfere with listening; there is no doubt that both volume and noise reduction are weak points of the AirPods. Basically, I was just trying to say that they aren't audiophile quality, but for my purposes, in day-to-day life, they are adequate.

As a suggestion, it may be worth checking the EQ settings on the phone. Sometimes an adjustment there can improve the listening experience, or at least make the sound a bit clearer (though at the expense of altering the sound somewhat).

 

[Southern Dad]

The reviews on those Sharper Image AirPod knockoffs are brutal. I recently lost my second set of AirPods. Somewhere in the house, cars, offices, or apartment but lost for now. I am debating getting another pair now or waiting until new ones are announced. Want to see new ones come out from Apple? Just watch what happens if I buy another pair of the current ones.