Quick Takes: Audiophile Calls AirPods Best Truly Wireless Earbuds He's Ever Heard in Year-Later Review

[bigjnyc]

I played HQ trivia last night, and the live game declared no winner because nobody got the last question right, not because of cheating. We knew right away the pot would roll over to next Sunday.

I always wondered about this game. couldn't you have another device right next to you i.e. an ipad or Macbook with google ready to go and look up answers? or have another person next to you ready to google questions? how much time do you get to answer something?

 

[ipponrg]

That's the point of the study. Experts can not. And you likely would not be able to either given a true blind taste test.

You, along with all the experts, only think you can.

I think you should check your reference again. That was not the point of the study. I still stand by my point that if you cannot tell the difference between white wine (e.g. chardonnay) vs red wine (e.g. malbec) by TASTE, then your palette is pretty bad, and any course of education will not help you.

The point of the study was that visual cues will misdirect inferences.

First, I'd take this so called study lightly. It's a fallacy that students are seen as experts, so I would take this as a grain of salt.

Second, I can conduct the same test and force results to favor my intentions. In this particular flawed case study, the 54 students started analyzing the wine as if it were red wine due to a visual mispresentation. What you're also telling me is that 54 students relied on the wrong sense (sight vs feel) to determine their product's substance and integrity.

The only relevance that your article has to this thread is if we were looking at a brand and implying certain sound characteristics about the brand without actually listening.

 

[LordVic]

much spin. much wow

Vlad never compared the Airpods to audiophile quality equipment nor even said they were audiophile quality

what he said was that the quality of the sound is pretty good, and definitely GOOD ENOUGH that the additional features of portability, pairing make up for the differences, and make them the best option for wireless in ear buds.

MacRumours is on a roll this week for nothing stories spun to sound overly optimistic.

to actually quote vlad with context:

Apple isn’t threatening any hi-fi audio companies (yet), but I think that both it and Google have figured out a new class of high-enough-fi for audio products that appeal with strengths other than sound qualit

By that, I mean that they’re not technically spectacular. They don’t fill my world with a sparkling shimmer when listening to “Rachel’s Song” on the Vangelis Blade Runner soundtrack, but they still put me in that longing, wistful mood. Similarly, the AirPods’ bass doesn’t make my world shake, but it still hits with surprising impact on songs like Woodkid’s “Iron.” There’s enough of everything — bass and treble extension, soundstage, clarity, and detail — in Apple’s tuning to render a convincing reproduction of most genres of music.

Now, they just need to fix their international pricing on these devices so that I cn justify buying a pair... $220 is way too steep. that and they need more robust controls on the headset that doesn't rely on siri.

 

[boo-boo-butt]

The earpods DO NOT fit in my ears. I'm not saying they slip out easily if I tug on them, I'm saying they do not stay in at all.

Earpods are my favourite earphones. I've been using them since I first got a pair with my iPhone 5S.

But if I use them just like that, they feel horrible in my ears - like someone poking their finger in to annoy me - so I use earphone sponges(two on each earpod) and they're wonderful. I usually replace the sponges every 3-4 months after they go flat. Washing them also restores the sponginess.

Without the sponges, earpods simply fall out of my ears as soon as I move my head(as they probably do for you).

I'd recommend trying a pair of earpods with sponge to see. I guess the airpods would feel the same but I think the sponge would interfere with the proximity sensors.

 

[tresmith]

I wish earpods came with those rubber tips that came with other earbuds. maybe then it would be wearable for me.

 

[marmiteturkey]

Did you try watching videos and look closely in the persons lips? Also check the songs you play for example if the song is at 15 Sec it is still playing what was at 13 Sec.

Nope - no way my AirPods have anything like 2 seconds latency. Movies and games are perfectly usable, there's pretty much no detectable latency. Others have commented on the same - I think you might want to try resetting or unpairing and repairing yours.

 

[1050792]

Nope - no way my AirPods have anything like 2 seconds latency. Movies and games are perfectly usable, there's pretty much no detectable latency. Others have commented on the same - I think you might want to try resetting or unpairing and repairing yours.

I shall try that since my Airpods aren't even pairing automatically once they taken out of the case.

 

[ErikGrim]

Earpods are my favourite earphones. I've been using them since I first got a pair with my iPhone 5S.

But if I use them just like that, they feel horrible in my ears - like someone poking their finger in to annoy me - so I use earphone sponges(two on each earpod) and they're wonderful. I usually replace the sponges every 3-4 months after they go flat. Washing them also restores the sponginess.

Without the sponges, earpods simply fall out of my ears as soon as I move my head(as they probably do for you).

I'd recommend trying a pair of earpods with sponge to see. I guess the airpods would feel the same but I think the sponge would interfere with the proximity sensors.

Can highly recommend the hook AirPod covers. Any brand will do as long as they look like this

https://www.amazon.com/EarBuddyz-Airpods-Attachment-Earphones-Headphones/dp/B019BREFE4

 

[44267547]

I shall try that since my Airpods aren't even pairing automatically once they taken out of the case.

Incorrect. Your AirPods do not pair automatically once you take them out of the case, they pair automatically when you first open the lid from the battery charging case.

 

[1050792]

Incorrect. Your AirPods do not pair automatically once you take them out of the case, they pair automatically when you first open the lid from the battery charging case.

I thought they would pair once taken out. I'll try and see if the method you describe works with me.

 

[Dyadzka]

Thouse who are like me unhappy with AirPods sound quality what do think about remastered audio?

 

[Daum]

I've had airpods at launch and I love the convenience and they provide more value than the competition but they don't fit my ears well and and they sound terrible compared to my jaybird x2.

I also think they look rediculous still. I've got the Samsung icon x 2018 now and I love them. Fit is awesome and they sound way better.

 

[racerhomie]

I've had airpods at launch and I love the convenience and they provide more value than the competition but they don't fit my ears well and and they sound terrible compared to my jaybird x2.

I also think they look rediculous still. I've got the Samsung icon x 2018 now and I love them. Fit is awesome and they sound way better.

It’s nice it works for you. But the rest of the world seems to disagree. I am not spending $160-350 on a headphone unless it has Apple level quality control & some Jony Ive magic.

 

[Daum]

It’s nice it works for you. But the rest of the world seems to disagree. I am not spending $160-350 on a headphone unless it has Apple level quality control & some Jony Ive magic.

If you're an iPhone user it only makes sense to get Airpods. You won't get the benefits of the Icon X unless you have a Samsung phone anyway. I just feel bad for all of the iPhone users whos ears don't fit the Airpods. They would have to find other brands or keep using that dongle.

So everyone got over on how weird Airpods look?

 

[MrUNIMOG]

Thouse who are like me unhappy with AirPods sound quality what do think about remastered audio?

I'm very happy with how my AirPods sound, and I think I much prefer the original mastering (assuming this is the version you remastered?) when listening with AirPods.

However for my late 2016 MBP's built in speakers, your remastering seems like a much better fit than the original. Maybe you should call it remastered for MacBook?
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If you're an iPhone user it only makes sense to get Airpods. You won't get the benefits of the Icon X unless you have a Samsung phone anyway. I just feel bad for all of the iPhone users whos ears don't fit the Airpods. They would have to find other brands or keep using that dongle.

So everyone got over on how weird Airpods look?

I don't think they look weird at all on most people I've seen wearing them.

It seems both sound and looks come down to how well they fit your ears. If they don't properly sit in your ears, bass and clarity seem lacking and the stems might be wildly sticking out.

I'm lucky since AirPods fit my ears very naturally, which probably helps a lot with both looks and sound.

I assume that for the vast majority of people they'll fit just fine, since that's what their shape (originally the shape of EarPods) has been designed for.

 

[racerhomie]

If you're an iPhone user it only makes sense to get Airpods. You won't get the benefits of the Icon X unless you have a Samsung phone anyway. I just feel bad for all of the iPhone users whos ears don't fit the Airpods. They would have to find other brands or keep using that dongle.

So everyone got over on how weird Airpods look?

They don’t look weird. People just say that , since they heard some reviewers say it. When worn properly, AirPods can’t even be seen from the front.

 

[ErikGrim]

They don’t look weird. People just say that , since they heard some reviewers say it. When worn properly, AirPods can’t even be seen from the front.

For my wife, they can't be seen at all when she wears her hair out. Caused a bit of a problem when she was wearing them at work and people started talking to her.

 

[Toutou]

Thouse who are like me unhappy with AirPods sound quality what do think about remastered audio?

Listening to this on normal headphones causes physical pain. People shouldn't be forced to alter the record. If it doesn't sound good, the equipment should be thrown away with no remorse.