Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

[nasso]

I'm mostly curious how ANC works on "not full in your ear with silicone tip" earbuds.

I have AirPods gen 2s, fairly new. I'm missing ANC though, in the gym and on the train.

I love the fit on the Airpod Gen2s. I have been looking towards getting some pros too, for the and, but in general I prefer the airpod style over the "in-ear" style (I don't know the terms for the two different in-ear styles).

I'm skeptical about how well it will work. Googled around a bit though and found some Huawei earbuds that have it, and watched some reviews, that seemed favorable.

Does anyone have experience with this?

If it works well, it would be a great match for me. The most important thing for me is ANC and mic quality. Sound quality is not a high priority. Sure, it is nice if they sound great. Have not had any problems with that though. I don't really care about lossless and stuff like that. Work meetings and listening to podcasts/"background music" in the gym and on my commute are the main use cases for me.

 

[CausticSoda]

Probably something like this:

1) AirPods. - No ANC, no Transparency.

2) AirPods (Plus?) - ANC and Transparency.

3) AirPods Pro. - ANC, Transparency and health tracking features.

4) AirPods Max.

Seems like a lot, but look at any of the Chinese IEM makers. Some come out with new wired and wireless designs and technologies almost monthly. Apple’s dev cycle on the AirPods line is GLACIAL.

Ha! I can imagine that. Only professionals would want health features tracked via their ears. With the line-up you suggest, option 2 is good for me. Just call me a rank amateur with slightly more cash to spend than the other amateurs 😂 Honestly, their naming system is stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[krspkbl]

I won't upgrade until new Pros. I really hope they have a better fit as they will fall out all of the time! I like to fall asleep to an audiobook or music but it's so frustrating. my old Sony earphones had a great fit and wouldn't budge.

I bought an Echo for my bed side to listen to music/audiobooks because the airpods suck for laying down. If the Airpods didn't work seamlessly between my iPhone, watch, and MacBook then I'd have stuck with Sony.

Yeah I've tried the different fittings but doesn't make a difference.

 

[nasso]

Ha! I can imagine that. Only professionals would want health features tracked via their ears. With the line-up you suggest, option 2 is good for me. Just call me a rank amateur with slightly more cash to spend than the other amateurs 😂 Honestly, their naming system is stupid, stupid, stupid.

I wouldn’t mind health tracking/workout on my earbuds.

I like watches. Love my casios, g-shocks, mechanical watches etc. I enjoy watches very much.

I don’t want an apple watch. I don’t like the way they look. They are too thick for me. The battery life is too bad for me.

But to get step/fitness/pulse/workout tracking without having to wear two watches would be great.

I see potential in a ring or earbuds for that.

 

[CausticSoda]

I wouldn’t mind health tracking/workout on my earbuds.

I like watches. Love my casios, g-shocks, mechanical watches etc. I enjoy watches very much.

I don’t want an apple watch. I don’t like the way they look. They are too thick for me. The battery life is too bad for me.

But to get step/fitness/pulse/workout tracking without having to wear two watches would be great.

I see potential in a ring or earbuds for that.

Sure, I was criticising their "pro" naming system, not people who may want the features on AirPods.

 

[UncleMac]

I just don't get the kerfuffle about lossless on AirPods

It's probably because I'm getting older and I absolutely can't hear like I used to be able to
None of us can as we age

Doesn't "lossless" matter more on really high end full size headphones or speakers or something?

Totally agree! There is so much room from improved sound quality on the AirPods Pro without lossless. Most people can't hear the difference regardless of age. I have been doing A/B testing on my home stereo ($6000+ setup) and the difference is negligible if even audible. The quality of the source material has a much bigger impact on the sound than lossless/lossy playback. Lossless has become a buzzword with little to no meaning IMO.

 

[nasso]

Sure, I was criticising their "pro" naming system, not people who may want the features on AirPods.

Ok, yeah. I get that. There is some weird naming going on. Plus, pro, max etc. I just read pro as ”over base level” or ”extra features”. But yeah, that is not what professional means.

 

[flottenheimer]

While that is true to some extent, that would probably make the AirPods bigger, heavier and use more materials. As it is, the amount of materials and batteries in those is tiny compared to other computing devices. Have you thrown out any other electronic device in the past couple of years? Batteries, old CD player, even a light bulb? Volume-wise, all of the other products and their containers that get thrown out totally dwrarf the AirPods. It doesn’t meant that Apple shouldn’t try to improve them, but I’m not surprised that the batteries aren’t replaceable, yet.

I hear you. There would probably be tradeoffs to size/weight. I do not think they would be deal braking though. And while most old tech, such as old CD-players and broken lightbulbs are either outdated or no longer of any use, my AirPod Pro's worked perfectly. I loved them even. Aside from the worn down batteries that is. further more they weren't exactly cheap when bought or to replace with new ones either.

Would have been fine even with having to pay for professional, Apple certified, battery replacement...

 

[klasma]

Except that AptX Lossless isn’t actually lossless:

aptX Lossless: what is the breakthrough Bluetooth codec? How can you get it?

You can now stream CD-quality audio losslessly over Bluetooth, if you have the right kit

www.whathifi.com

It’s close to CD quality but is still compressed some. If you want CD or better you need wires.

My understanding is that it is lossless in good RF conditions, but it transparently degrades when the connection is not optimal. Qualcomm advertises it as such.

 

[Surf Monkey]

My understanding is that it is lossless in good RF conditions, but it transparently degrades when the connection is not optimal. Qualcomm advertises it as such.

Of course Qualcom claims as much. And if you want a higher bit rate than CD offers you’re out of luck with AptX Lossless.

 

[klasma]

Of course Qualcom claims as much. And if you want a higher bit rate than CD offers you’re out of luck with AptX Lossless.

The latter is certainly correct. Personally I don't believe that higher bit rates than CD offer any benefits for listening. (Editing/mixing/mastering is a different question.)

 

[reubs]

They better keep a non-silicon tip version available.

I’ve been an AirPods user since day one, literally ordered them the first day you could.

I will NEVER use a version that sticks a plunger in my ear.

It's weird; I got the Pros the other day through an amazon sale because I'll be on a plane soon and I really want some noice cancelling headphones, but the non-tipped AirPods stay in my ears SO MUCH BETTER, and I'm not sure I can tell a difference in sound (maybe my hearing is just that bad?).

Also, the noise cancelling isn't nearly as dramatic as I'd like, and the "conversation awareness" means I can't talk to myself or sing along to music while working without triggering it!

Anyway, I think I'm a bigger fan of my standard AirPods than I am of my Pros.

 

[phrehdd]

Except that AptX Lossless isn’t actually lossless:

aptX Lossless: what is the breakthrough Bluetooth codec? How can you get it?

You can now stream CD-quality audio losslessly over Bluetooth, if you have the right kit

www.whathifi.com

It’s close to CD quality but is still compressed some. If you want CD or better you need wires.

Now, that being said, why the hell doesn’t Apple already support AptX Lossless? I use an AptX dongle that can broadcast in AptX HD, Lossless and LDAC. They all sound better than Apple’s native Bluetooth support.

Compression doesn't always mean lossy but point well taken.

 

[dstankus]

Hopefully they'll improve the charging connection from the case to the headphone. Mine randomly loses the physical connection on one headphone or the other, causing it to connect to the iPhone, until the battery dies. The Genius Bar said the contacts were dirty and cleaned them but it still happens.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don't care either way on lossless, as I doubt I personally will notice either way

Certainly happy to have it if they decide to implement it!

Sure seems like Apple should be supporting aptX by now, at least, right?
Like -- why not?

 

[Surf Monkey]

I don't care either way on lossless, as I doubt I personally will notice either way

Certainly happy to have it if they decide to implement it!

Sure seems like Apple should be supporting aptX by now, at least, right?
Like -- why not?

I’m assuming that Qualcomm charges too much for Apple’s bean counter in chief.

 

[kerr]

Can we get precession finding?

To be precise, precision

 

[MNWildFan]

I just got AirPods Pro 2 about a week ago. I traded my 1st gens in. I love them.

I’m always of the belief that if you want it now, get it now.

Exactly

I usually live by that philosophy as well, with the rare exception being that I upgraded from my XR to a 15 after it got unveiled

And for my newest Apple purchases of a M1 mini and M2 MacBook Air, I got my mini in 2022 and then the Air just last week (both 2 years after each chip's respective release as the base M1 came out in 2020 and the base M2 in 2022)

 

[DotCom2]

Remember when we used to have cords? Seems like decades ago! Oh, and the Shuffle that we use to run the cords up our shirts lol

 

[Surf Monkey]

Remember when we used to have cords? Seems like decades ago! Oh, and the Shuffle that we use to run the cords up our shirts lol

Some of us still used wired headphones. Because they sound superior to Apple’s offerings.

 

[Tagbert]

Remember when we used to have cords? Seems like decades ago! Oh, and the Shuffle that we use to run the cords up our shirts lol

I had to use my wired headphones for a couple of weeks and hated it the whole time. I kept catching the cords on my backpack and pulling them out of my ears. I was so glad to go back to wireless.

 

[coolkid93]

They better keep a non-silicon tip version available.

I’ve been an AirPods user since day one, literally ordered them the first day you could.

I will NEVER use a version that sticks a plunger in my ear.

Probably the best comment on this thread and FACTS! 🤣😂

 

[Surf Monkey]

I had to use my wired headphones for a couple of weeks and hated it the whole time. I kept catching the cords on my backpack and pulling them out of my ears. I was so glad to go back to wireless.

You’re wearing them wrong.

Seriously though. If you want actual quality sound reproduction Apple’s wireless buds are about the last choice. Wired is the way to go, but you have to get good wired phones.

These for example:

Yincrow X6

Introduction Yincrow is a company that makes earbuds. I will be reviewing the Yincrow X6 and would like to thank Lend Me Ur Ears and Yincrow for this review unit. At the moment, you can purchase th…

audio123reviews.com

Or these:

ISN NEO 5

Features ISN Audio NEO series,different tuning style Medical grade resin material,light and beautiful,comfortable to wear. Handmade,durable and solid 10mm diaphragm dynamic driver with 4 Knowles BA…

isnaudio.com

 

[gold333]

Probably the best comment on this thread and FACTS! 🤣😂

Lol, I would never use airpods that don’t stick a plunger in my ear 🤣

I have both Airpods 3 and Airpods Pro 2. The Pro 2 are lightyears beyond the Airpods 3.

They actually stay in your ears when running and the bass response is at least 3x better because of the seal.

It’s weird how a vocal minority (30 people on a forum) complain and literally millions of people around the world are happy.

 

[Tagbert]

You’re wearing them wrong.

Seriously though. If you want actual quality sound reproduction Apple’s wireless buds are about the last choice. Wired is the way to go, but you have to get good wired phones.

These for example:

Yincrow X6

Introduction Yincrow is a company that makes earbuds. I will be reviewing the Yincrow X6 and would like to thank Lend Me Ur Ears and Yincrow for this review unit. At the moment, you can purchase th…

audio123reviews.com

Or these:

ISN NEO 5

Features ISN Audio NEO series,different tuning style Medical grade resin material,light and beautiful,comfortable to wear. Handmade,durable and solid 10mm diaphragm dynamic driver with 4 Knowles BA…

isnaudio.com

That’s just not a priority for me when listening to music or podcasts on the go. there is just not enough different in the audio to me. I’d rather have the convenience of wireless.