I love my AirPods - they are a return to the core Apple values of "it just works" and they have brilliant battery life and are actually very good value for money. However, I have to say they don't sound as good to me as my B&O E8's with the included comply foam tips fitted (which admittedly cost £100 more than the AirPods). That's not to say they're bad because they're not but for me the E8's are truly exceptional (particularly when listening to a lossless source).
I didn't buy my AirPods expecting "audiophile" quality and was very pleasantly surprised by how good they sound (I expected similar to the wired buds but they're much better), but to declare them as the best available is a bit of hyperbole IMO
I didn't buy my AirPods expecting "audiophile" quality and was very pleasantly surprised by how good they sound (I expected similar to the wired buds but they're much better), but to declare them as the best available is a bit of hyperbole IMO