Our testing found active noise-cancellation in the AirPod Pros to be a smashing success.
Testing was conducted in organic everyday settings to accurately compare the product’s noise cancellation efficacy. I found that the new AirPods Pro units were effective at significantly lowering the volume on 1.) street sounds 2.) loud indoor settings, as well as in situations where loud external distractions could be heard. They were exceptional at cancelling out the world when worn, thereby allowing the ability to enjoy conversations, live streaming, music or whatever else one so chooses to listen to during a normal day’s wearing experience.
With that being said — please do not expect to not hear certain high-decibel eruptions in everyday life — like landscaping blower motors, construction site clamoring, and heavy machinery. However — these babies come very, very close indeed. For users choosing to hear some of the outside world when they are wearing their Air Pod Pros while listening to music, the new AirPods Pro’s “Transparency mode” is an excellent tool. However, I did experience challenges when trying to hear ambient background voices on an overhead loudspeaker system.
All in all, these newly added features represent significant and notable product improvements when compared to previous iterations of Apple’s AirPods. Apple’s cites these updates and improvements as justification for the increased price that comes with the new AirPods. Second-generation and original AirPods will remain available at $159 and $199 price-points, respectively.
While the AirPod Pros are excellent for regular everyday use, when I desire to listen to music, I still feel compelled to switch to my PowerBeats Pro wireless headphones for more bass, as well a fuller range of overall sonic quality.
With that being said — noise cancellation is my primary reason for strongly recommending the AirPods Pro. I found the AirPods Pro testing experience to be stellar, if not also scintillating.
FITTING ISSUES: I experienced few if any issues with the new AirPods Pro units. In fact, they seemed to me to be the exact same fit as with previous AirPods units I’d tried. However, my colleague did report to me that her new AirPods repeatedly kept coming out of her ears, even when she was stationary.
When consumers receive their new AirPods, Apple includes three different sized silicone ear tips in the box (the medium-sized ones already attached to the new AirPods product buds). The fitting goal for end users is to emplace the units in the wearer’s ears in a way the creates a complete seal when properly inserted into the ears. When done properly, this greatly assists with achieving both optimal audio quality and maximum noise cancellation.
When consumers receive their new AirPods, Apple includes three different sized silicone ear tips in the box (the medium-sized ones already attached to the new AirPods product buds). The fitting goal for end users is to emplace the units in the wearer’s ears in a way the creates a complete seal when properly inserted into the ears. When done properly, this greatly assists with achieving both optimal audio quality and maximum noise cancellation.
Apple has designed an Ear Tip Fit test to help customize the units to each user. This can be found in “Bluetooth settings” on an iPhone. To conduct the test, consumers are required to place the “L” and “R” AirPods in each ear and press “play.” The consumer will then hear a musical snippet in the new AirPods units while algorithms in tandem with an inward-facing microphone. This technological signal-test feat is important because it allows you to confirm whether or not you have an effective ear-seal for each ear, or if you require an adjustment. Since the ear buds are worn independently and considering the vast idiosyncrasies of the human anatomy — there is a reasonable possibility that some end users may need a varying sized tip for their left or right ears.
The medium size (default) ear tips passed the test for both of my ears. However, I chose to conduct testing with the full complement of provided sizes. This was not a problem, nor was it at all time consuming, or tedious as the tips are malleable and easy to remove and snap back on.
The small tips formed an imperfect seal in my ears, which was a “NO-GO.” The largest size tips were also a “NO-GO” as well. My colleague shared with me that she found a small tip passed the test for one ear, while a medium tip fit her other ear. The bottom line here is that consumers should take their time and experiment with different sizes and combinations to achieve the best possible, most proper fit when making this kind of consumer electronics investment.
MULTIPLE WAYS TO CONTROL THE NEW AIRPOD PROS: Apple has some technical issue to tweak for sure. One is varying volume response variations for Siri and the music volume level a user is listening to when the SIRI voice speaks up. It is an irregular switch from higher to lower and makes for an untenable user experience, where SIRI’s comes across through the AirPods as far lower than the music. Not good.
Apple allows users to move between Noise-Cancellation and Transparency modes in more than one way, which is rather cool: 1) You can ask Siri, 2) you can tap controls on your phone’s Control Center, or 3) you can physically squeeze an indented force sensor on the stem hanging down from either fog
Pros are considerably shorter than on the previous AirPods product release versions.
When alternating between listening modes, users are notified by an audible chime that alerts them that the change from one mode to another has been registered and positively affected (hopefully of course the user will be able to tell the difference sonically).
You can also squeeze the sensor on the stem for different desired results: 1) a single squeeze to play content, OR pause or answer a voice call, 2) two squeezes to skip ahead to the next music selection, or 3) three squeezes to skip back on song selection. If you have become accustomed to prior models where you used to tap as opposed to squeezing to affect these functionalities, you will adjust (like I did) in no time flat!!
Also notable with the new AirPods Pros — these are what Apple is calling the first “sweat and water-resistant AirPods.” While I have not tried s swimming or showering in the units I tested — I did sweat profusely while jogging for 1 hour and three minutes in them. I wore them hard and wet and they performed proficiently and without the slightest hitch. It is also worth nothing that waterproof is the general direction that Apple is headed with its vaunted iPhone as well — waterproof, and completely cordless…. But that’s an entirely different topic of discussion (or should I say speculation?).
DEVICE CHARGING AND BATTERY LIFE MANAGEMENT: As with second-generation AirPods (but not the originals), the case you charge the AirPods Pro models in can be wirelessly juiced up when placed on a compatible (Qi-certified) charging pad. The pillbox-size case on the Pro is a bit bigger than the cases on earlier models.
A solid five hours of listening time on the new AirPods Pros is what Apple promises when neither the Noise cancellation mode or the Transparency mode is activated. However, users can expect only 2.5 hours when either of these signal processing modes are activated (on). This information is key for those users desiring to pro-actively “load manage” their device’s effective usage time.
According to Apple, a five-minute charge provides consumers about an hour of listening or talk time. The units charge in the case via Lightning cable.
Like previous AirPods product releases, the new AirPods Pros are equipped with sensors that allow the units to sense when ear emplacement has been activated.
In our estimation, the most impressive of the rather gaudy bevy of the AirPods’s portfolio of features is by far its noise cancellation prowess. As Apple technically describes the technology, “an outward-facing microphone detects external sounds, which are then countered by what’s described as an “equal anti-noise” before you hear it. At the same time, that inward-facing mic listens inside your ear to eliminate unwanted internal sounds with anti-noise.” Apple’s state-of-the-art AirPods signal technology adjust noise cancellation continuously at approximately 200 times per second. This kind of proprietary signal processing results in unwanted noise being virtually eliminated during the user experience.
Getting AirPods to fit just right into a consumer’s ear canal is clearly a subjective experience, so sizing experiences may vary from person to person. However, when it comes to signal clarity, functionality, and noise cancellation — this product is getting remarkably closer and closer to mastering the concept of the time-honored adage — “silence is (indeed) golden.”
