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New AirPods Pro Feature Lossless Audio With Vision Pro and Additional Dust Resistance

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While the new AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case are still classified as second-generation AirPods Pro, the earbuds have a few other new features.

AirPods-USB-C-Port.jpg

In a press release today, Apple announced that the updated second-generation AirPods Pro will support 20-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio with ultra-low latency when the earbuds are connected to Apple's new Vision Pro headset launching in early 2024.

"When Apple Vision Pro is available early next year in the U.S., customers will be able to enjoy the most advanced wireless audio experience in the industry with the new AirPods Pro for exceptional entertainment, gaming, FaceTime calls, and so much more," said Apple.

Apple also said the updated AirPods Pro have additional IP54-rated dust resistance for both the earbuds and the charging case.

The updated AirPods Pro are available to order starting today for $249, and will be available in stores beginning Friday, September 22. Apple is not selling the USB-C charging case separately, and it has discontinued the AirPods Pro with a Lightning case. The standard third-generation AirPods and the AirPods Max were not updated today.

Article Link: New AirPods Pro Feature Lossless Audio With Vision Pro and Additional Dust Resistance
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/09/12/new-airpods-pro-features/
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A

aygwm

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2008
44
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That's a very misleading headline. The fact that Apple can't get Loseless to work on the phone is embarrassing in 2023. Hate to say this... Steve cared a lot more about music than Tim. And it shows. Apple is openly hostile to creating an environment for music listening.
If you compare video quality over the past 50 years, it's gotten progressively better.
You can't say that for audio. The average person had a better audio experience 50 years ago than today. There are many villains here, but Apple is pretty high on that list.
Shame Apple.
We've now had 2 generations of listeners never knowing what the artist intended. Loseless doesn't totally solve this of course. But it shows Apple's complete indifference in creating a magical experience for audio. Spatial audio without Loseless is just plain stupid.
And yes, the law of physics mean AirPods will never sound great. But compressed audio through tiny speakers will always sound bad.
Cmon Apple.
 
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LogicalApex

LogicalApex

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Nov 13, 2015
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abatabia said:
So……my AirPods Pro 2 from last year won’t get this lossless via software update and I can’t buy the case separately? Sigh…..Apple…..so not cool.
Click to expand...
A very weird update. But this isn’t what most people would want anyway at this point.

Lossless only works when paired with Vision Pro. Which makes very little sense.

Apple is getting unnecessarily complex in the small footnotes. Earphones don’t need to get this complicated.
 
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MrRom92

MrRom92

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Sep 30, 2021
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Uhhhh someone wanna tell apple that’s not how that works?

24/48 truncated to… 20/48? (how is that even possible? Is this a typo??) is the exact opposite of lossless. Lossless… is a word… with a definition… we can’t just invent new meanings for them as we please.

The good news is that at least 16/44.1 and 16/48 audio content *should* be lossless, but I get the sense everything will be resampled to 48kHz for processing, so… maybe not still lossy compressed, but a full lossless pipeline? No.

I wonder with what communications protocol this is working with anyway, and why the vision pro is so special so as to make it happen that the iPhone 15 pro can’t similarly broadcast to the AirPods.
 
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darngooddesign

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Jul 4, 2007
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abatabia said:
So……my AirPods Pro 2 from last year won’t get this lossless via software update and I can’t buy the case separately? Sigh…..Apple…..so not cool.
Click to expand...
Lossless only when paired to Vision Pro so unless you plan on buying a Vision Pro why are you complaining about something you wouldn't get even with the new APPs. Besides, I doubt you will hear the benefits of real lossless on those tiny APP speakers.
 
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Sikh

Sikh

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Mar 8, 2011
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This most likely has to do with the significant bandwidth that is required by Lossless audio and the fact that Bluetooth can't do full bandwidth over distance. To me it makes sense that the Vision Pro can do it with the airpods being so close but with the phone, the airpods are roughly 3ft away from your pocket or more if you leave your phone on a table, your outside deck, etc while listening.

I don't like this restriction but the restriction is definitely because of bluetooth. Bluetooth 5.3 has a max banwidth cap of 2Mbps and that drops significantly over distance. From a BT 5.1 test I saw, the bandwidth dropped around 4ft and after that it kept dropping. There was a lot more detail to this test and it was done with solid bluetooth hardware.

When Im on my laptop again tomorrow, ill try to remember to find the link and share it here.
 
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Sikh

Sikh

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Mar 8, 2011
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zach-coleman said:
I think this is almost certainly the answer. There’s no way Apple can get lossless audio with the same range as Bluetooth with current technology.
Click to expand...

MrRom92 said:
A very good guess, I’m thinking this is it also. No other way they are getting a connection stable enough with that kind of bandwidth over Bluetooth.
Click to expand...

Damn we all said the same thing at the same time. Jinx, yall owe me a cookie ;)
 
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darngooddesign

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Jul 4, 2007
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Atlanta, GA
btkadams said:
How is the new pro iPhone not capable of doing this? What a mindboggling restriction with the Vision.
Click to expand...
It's probably a transmission distance limitation because BT can't do lossless; even the AirPodMax needs to be plugged into your phone for lossless. Do you really want to hold your phone an inch or two away from your ears just to get lossless.
 
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QuarterSwede

QuarterSwede

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aygwm said:
That's a very misleading headline. The fact that Apple can't get Loseless to work on the phone is embarrassing in 2023. Hate to say this... Steve cared a lot more about music than Tim. And it shows. Apple is openly hostile to creating an environment for music listening.
If you compare video quality over the past 50 years, it's gotten progressively better.
You can't say that for audio. The average person had a better audio experience 50 years ago than today. There are many villains here, but Apple is pretty high on that list.
Shame Apple.
We've now had 2 generations of listeners never knowing what the artist intended. Loseless doesn't totally solve this of course. But it shows Apple's complete indifference in creating a magical experience for audio. Spatial audio without Loseless is just plain stupid.
And yes, the law of physics mean AirPods will never sound great. But compressed audio through tiny speakers will always sound bad.
Cmon Apple.
Click to expand...
This is horse ****. Audio quality has definitely gotten better over the last 50 years. Shoot, mastering and the production pipeline is crystal clear nowadays and has noticeably more punch than even 10 years ago. People can’t tell the difference between high bitrate lossy (256mbps AAC or mp3) and lossless. You just plain can’t and it’s been proven over and over. This is a complete non-issue.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
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9,703
Atlanta, GA
QuarterSwede said:
This is horse ****. Audio quality has definitely gotten better over the last 50 years. Shoot, mastering and the production pipeline is crystal clear nowadays and has noticeably more punch than even 10 years ago. People can’t tell the difference between high bitrate lossy (256mbps AAC or mp3) and lossless. You just plain can’t and it’s been proven over and over. This is a complete non-issue.
Click to expand...
And imagine expecting to hear real lossless on those tiny APP speakers.
 
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