Anyone return their APP3? From all of the creator first impressions, I was sold on the long list of improvements. A few things stuck out to me from my relatively brief testing.
- The earbuds stick out a lot more than the APP2. If you’re a runner, any wind buffeting from how they protrude is probably negated by the ANC. Naturally, I stuck an APP2 bud in one ear and the APP3 in the other to compare. If you’re after an inconspicuous look, the APP2 are sleek and follow the lines of your face. Looks aside, if you lay down with your AirPods, this might be important.
- The seal I got on the APP3 was solid. They penetrate deeper into your earhole if you’re into that feeling. You nasty hehe. It’s not as intense as other IEMs with comply foam. With the large tips there’s no way these earbuds fall out of your ears unless your canals are like wizard sleeves.
- ANC was great. However, I don’t find the ANC on the APP2 lacking and I didn’t get to test them side by side.
- Mics. For people doing an A/B comparisons of APP2 vs APP3 mics, remember to update the APP2 to the latest firmware that is supposed to allow “studio quality” recording. In the tests I did, it was a toss-up on which sounded better. It’s cool that Apple updated the APP2 as well so you can also use the APP2 as a mic. For anyone recording content, these are decent but don’t replace dedicated mics.
- Sound quality. I didn’t test them long enough to provide a conclusive outcome, but I think the sound was comparable. I ran through a few tracks from rap to classical to see if any differences stuck out. I’d say any improvements in bass come down to the better seal on the APP3. The APP2 fit just fine for me though.
