My new AirPods Pro: What I like about you, part deux
Last week I told you how much I liked my 1st generation AirPods, and that after testing literally dozens of other headphones, earphones, and earbuds, I always looked forward to returning to my AirPods. And, I told you that I like Apple’s new AirPods Pro, which feature both passive and active noise cancellation, even better before running out of space.
So, here are the reasons I love my new AirPods Pro even more than I loved my original AirPods.
First and foremost, AirPods Pro sound distinctively better than the original, and sounding good is my first criteria for earphones — if they don’t sound good nothing else matters.
And, I believe AirPods Pro sound as good as or better than the other Bluetooth earbuds I’ve tried, and noticeably better than the 1st generation AirPods.
AirPods Pro combine several features to produce
clear, clean sound.
• Adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to the shape of your ear
• An inward-facing microphone hears sound as you do and fine-tunes it on the fly
• A new low-distortion speaker driver provides clearer lows
• Soft silicone ear tips seal your ear to reduce ambient noise
It all adds up to a set of earbuds that sound great regardless of what’s playing. Podcasts are easier to understand; rock music sounds like rock ‘n’ roll; and jazz or classical music sound as good on AirPods Pro as any other in-ear headphone I’ve tried.
In addition to sounding great, AirPods Pro’s silicone ear tips make them even more comfortable than the original AirPods. Plus, unlike many other earbuds, AirPods Pro’s silicone ear tips are a snap to attach and remove.
Furthermore, AirPods Pro’s active noise canceling is as good as any I’ve ever tried. To my ear, almost all noise-canceling headphones sound muffled and weird when noise canceling is enabled. So I used to only enable it in the loudest of environments, such as airplanes, trains and my woodworking shop.
AirPods Pro adjust their noise canceling 200 times per second, and although they sound slightly different with noise canceling enabled, they retain far more musical detail than others I’ve tried.
Finally, Transparency Mode, which lets you hear outside sound, works better and sounds more natural than other headphones with similar features. I disliked this feature in other headphones because it made music sound so weird. AirPods Pro Transparency Mode is better and sounds noticeably more natural than the others.
I have only two complaints.
First, AirPods Pro are expensive at $249. That being said, having tested numerous less-expensive
options, I’d still buy AirPods Pro again.
Second, while the silicone ear tips are easy to use and comfortable, none of the three sizes is a perfect fit for my ears. While my 1st generation “universal fit” AirPods never fell out or felt unstable in my ears, my AirPods Pro need to be adjusted regularly to keep them secure.
In the end, the good features far outweigh the bad and I recommend AirPods Pro without hesitation.