Yeah I could immediately hear the difference in aptx vs regular codecs but aptx vs actual CD was pretty much the same to my ear.
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Lossless Audio With Apple Vision Pro Will Be Limited to USB-C AirPods Pro 2
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So very “green” of Apple to do this. Create more E-Waste so they can make more money off the die hards. Mother Nature would be so proud…
It's not really the point... this decision is more about the confusion than anything.
This would upset me if I could afford a Vision Pro. My APP2 are a barely 4 months old.
It would make sense to have a USB-C case that can accommodate both revisions of the earphones... but it looks not to be the case.
Yeah but it won't tell you where they are if you have different revisions of the same model infant of you
Just a wild theory, I recall some discussion regarding lossless broadcast over bluetooth that pointed out that the frequency bandwith available within the bluetooth signal could not accomodate the looseless audio bandwith needed so that lossless over BT would be impossible with the current antennaes. With the H2 and ultrabandwith there may be someway to combine these signal bandwiths with BT to accomodate the lossless audio signal. This signal may however have a very limited distance it can be transmitted. However it may be a solution for limited distance inbetween the Vision Pro headset and new Airpods Pros. That may also explain why this lossless feature of the new AirPods does not work with the new iPhones that also have the same radios.
Alongside the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple yesterday debuted a new version of the AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case. The swap to USB-C instead of Lightning is the primary new feature, but Apple also updated audio quality in a way that may upset some of its customers.
As we highlighted yesterday, the new AirPods Pro feature additional dust resistance and support for 20-bit 48kHz lossless audio when connected to the Vision Pro headset. At the time, it seemed unusual that Apple would limit a key audio feature to the new AirPods Pro 2 when the original version is just a year old, but that's exactly what Apple has done.
According to the latest PowerOn newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple confirmed that Lossless Audio will not be available on the AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning charging case, and it is indeed a feature limited to the new USB-C AirPods Pro 2.
Apple in a press release announcing the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C charging case touted the new audio feature, calling it the "perfect true wireless solution" for Vision Pro.
Customers who want to be able to use Lossless Audio with Vision Pro for this audio experience will need to purchase the new AirPods Pro 2, which are available for $249. The Vision Pro headset itself is set to be priced at $3,500.
Article Link: Lossless Audio With Apple Vision Pro Will Be Limited to USB-C AirPods Pro 2
I suspect it's in the radio communications bit and possibly some hardware support for a custom Bluetooth profile. The attention here is on the fact that lossless is only supported by the New APP2s, which I find the wording in Apple's release to be a little ambiguous about, but what isn't ambiguous is that it is also ultra low latency and only supports lossless with AVP, not other sources.
"The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency."
"Lossless Audio only works when connected to Apple Vision Pro. Availability varies by region."
So that tells me that the revolutionary new codec is not a standard BT profile and may require radio features that can't be implemented in all countries. Vision Pro is also very close to the ears in this case so has a very predictable communication path to each AirPod making synchronization to both Airpods easier.
So I believe there is probably a real hardware difference that was necessary to maximize the AVP experience (and getting that absolutely perfect is worth it to Apple, any glitches are going to make adoption more challenging). What I don't understand is why nobody stood up in a meeting and said "AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C)" is an absolutely horrendous product name.
Call them 3rd gen, or do what is done with the Macbook Pros and name them by release year and modify with early/late as necessary.
Not all AirPods Pro 2 are created equally.. Our lossless, is Apples gain :/
I asked Apple via chat and they said the Lightning case APP2s, which also have the H2, will get lossless with VisionPro.
And will people even notice the difference anyway? Most people leave their TV on factory settings and mess up the bass, mid and treble balance in their cars so will they notice?
I rent a lot of vehicles and they are always set to ridiculous settings on their tone controls. Always. Which means that the vast majority of people don’t know what unadulterated music sounds like, and wouldn’t even like the sound of properly configured lossless audio.
I rent a lot of vehicles and they are always set to ridiculous settings on their tone controls. Always. Which means that the vast majority of people don’t know what unadulterated music sounds like, and wouldn’t even like the sound of properly configured lossless audio.
I know it sounds crazy, but you don’t have to throw your old AirPods in the trash. You can still keep using them.