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W1 may be overrated

D

darthbane2k

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 22, 2009
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I wanted the beatsx or Airpods and got sick of waiting for a release date, so today I bought the solo 3 wireless headphones.

Let me say that the W1 chip is a little overrated. The range is fantastic , that much is clear, but the quick pairing / switching only works for the iPhone and the watch. The iPad Pro and mac still has to be connected the traditional way (as a sound output source from control centre), so in reality quick automatic switching does not work.

In all likelihood the headphones are going back and I'll wait for the BeatsX considering the cost
 
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darthbane2k said:
I wanted the beatsx or Airpods and got sick of waiting for a release date, so today I bought the solo 3 wireless headphones.

Let me say that the W1 chip is a little overrated. The range is fantastic , that much is clear, but the quick pairing / switching only works for the iPhone and the watch. The iPad Pro and mac still has to be connected the traditional way (as a sound output source from control centre), so in reality quick automatic switching does not work.

In all likelihood the headphones are going back and I'll wait for the BeatsX considering the cost
Click to expand...
Yes but you don't have to go to Settings>Bluetooth>Solo3>Connect>etc..

Just Control Center>Solo3

Very convenient!
 
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Ok switched on the headphones for my morning commute and I didn't even get the 'connect' pop up on my iPhone 7.
I had to connect via control centre the old fashioned way.
How very disappointing. Could this be why Airpods have been delayed?
 
darthbane2k said:
Let me say that the W1 chip is a little overrated. The range is fantastic , that much is clear, but the quick pairing / switching only works for the iPhone and the watch. The iPad Pro and mac still has to be connected the traditional way (as a sound output source from control centre), so in reality quick automatic switching does not work.
Click to expand...

Of course, W1 chip is overrated.

It's still way better than what is out there, so far.

➰
 
This isn't true...

Once you connect and pair with iPhone, assuming all Devices are logged into iCloud, then the headphones show up as an option on the iPad and watch in addition to my MacBook and iPhone. Just selection the output button and there are your W1 enabled headphones with the % battery. No manual pairing needed.

So no, the W1 isn't overrated. Range, battery, and pairing are all stellar.
[doublepost=1478191618][/doublepost]And connect doesn't need to pop up each time. Once the connect panel negotiates the initial pairing with your iPhone, you just turn them on and off and they will appear as an option for output across all devices.
 
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I meant the apparent seamless switching between devices. Doesn't work with iPad or mac
 
Nikhil72 said:
But it does..what are you talking about exactly that's not working?
Click to expand...
So I play music on iPhone.. listen for a while on my headphones. Press pause, walk over to my iPad and play something on that - it's supposed to just switch and it does not. It's actually on Apple'a site, quick switching of devices only works on iPhones and Apple Watch
[doublepost=1478196828][/doublepost]Seems like I'm not the only one
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/w1-headphones-and-switching.1998202/
 
The way it works is you still have to select the device as the audio output device. Again, W1 eliminates manual pairing. Once you did the pairing with iPhone, it will show up in the AirPlay menu on your other devices for you to manually select. But no, you do not need to go to the Bluetooth menu.

From apple:

"AirPods connect automatically with all your Apple devices. They’re simultaneously connected to your iPhone and Apple Watch, and sound switches instantly between the devices. Want to listen to your Mac or iPad? Just choose AirPods on those devices."
[doublepost=1478198739][/doublepost]So 1) play music, 2) pause on iphone, 3) go to iPad, 4) choose W1 headphone from airplay menu, 5) play.
 
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I get what you're asking for, and it seems impractical. You're asking for a device to make an assumption.
 
179202 said:
And the 40 hours battery!
Click to expand...

I say the range factor outweighs the battery life for me. I am not awake 40 straight hours and listen to music. Just lasting through the day and charge overnight would suffice for me. If that is part of the price one is laying out for these, I'd say reduce that to a full day battery life and charge me $50 to $100 less. ;)
 
I have a question for those with a w1 equipped headset. Using BT now with my iPhone or iPad and if I have keyboard sounds activated, there is a lag. I don't have an audio lag when playing an video and there is no lag with the keyboard sounds using wired headphones. Does the w1 chip solve this issue?
 
key clicks are still slightly delayed with beats solo3 on my iphone 7 plus... not as bad as when I connect to my vizio soundbar of course but still off.. I believe I read with video the phone delays the picture slightly to match the audio of the headphones but that compensation cant happen with the keyboard.

Also of note, using the solo3 with my macbook pro which doesnt have a w1 chip, video always looks slightly out of sync.
 
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mhollandnyc said:
key clicks are still slightly delayed with beats solo3 on my iphone 7 plus... not as bad as when I connect to my vizio soundbar of course but still off.. I believe I read with video the phone delays the picture slightly to match the audio of the headphones but that compensation cant happen with the keyboard.

Also of note, using the solo3 with my macbook pro which doesnt have a w1 chip, video always looks slightly out of sync.
Click to expand...
The W1 chip is headphone side. Doesn't depend on your paired device actually having W1; it's software based to negotiate with the W1 chip in the headphone itself
 
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AustinIllini said:
If Beats are overrated, AirPods are an absolutely stupid buy.
Click to expand...

Airpods by themselves would be irrelevant.

It's the W1 chip inside that makes them brilliant. Even more so than the Beats with the W1 chip.

Airpods will lead the way to an AR future with goggles, anchored by a more powerful iPhone, controlled by the AW, and sounds projected on each Airpod.

The W1 chip technology may be deployed to all devices to manage & double the battery charge.

The only question is: How long will it take to deploy?

➰
 
rockyromero said:
Airpods by themselves would be irrelevant.

It's the W1 chip inside that makes them brilliant. Even more so than the Beats with the W1 chip.

Airpods will lead the way to an AR future with goggles, anchored by a more powerful iPhone, controlled by the AW, and sounds projected on each Airpod.

The W1 chip technology may be deployed to all devices to manage & double the battery charge.

The only question is: How long will it take to deploy?

➰
Click to expand...
That may be possible down the road, but right now, this specific AirPod is not that important.

The sound quality is just bad and they're a really bad buy for the price.
 
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