Apple - AirPods Pro 1

I tried bose, sennheiser, sony, etc ... airpods has the sound quality and microphone pick-up altogether. try the airpods pro (especially the noise cancelling)

I use my AirPods Pro.

I have not noticed any delay. I was surprised it works when I set it up with zero extra tweaks My AirPods don’t work on pop os.

Its a shame you hate Apple products because you just described what the Airpod Pro’s are good for..im sure theres plenty that will fit your criteria but i find the Airpods perfect for what your describing.. My next set to try will be the Earfun Pro 4’s so maybe look into those..

I just go with my AirPods Pros. I've tried many different headphones over the years and these work the best and work seamlessly with my Apple Watch/Phone/Macbook, etc.

Because no one else has mentioned it yet, speed and trip length is probably the number 1 deciding factor here. Sub 30mph drives around the city, airpods are fine, but they don't fit so well in my experience while wearing a helmet, and they can get uncomfortable after about 20 min. Their value definitely falls off hard once you hit a threshold where they just can't block sound like actual earplugs, but if your under that 90 percent of the time then its probably fine

I’m pretty harsh on mine and they are still holding up well enough. My first gen pros crapped out on me within like a year or 2 so these are already much better.

I have buds 2 pro, airpod pro, and bose quiet comfort buds. Galaxy buds are good, not great. Anc is acceptable, transparency is a little tinny/echoey. My biggest complaint is that you can't use transparency with only one buds in which is my most common use since I wear them at work. Air pod pros were great. I used to have an iPhone so that's why I automatically went with them a couple years ago. Anc is great, transparency is very clear and can be used with just one bud. My complaint here was that they just didn't play well with my flip 6. I had weird times where the volume would spike or drop and I could never remember the stem controls for changing the modes. Bose quiet comfort buds (not the ultras) are my winner. No stem, though they do stick out a bit from the ear. Excellent anc and transparency that work with just one bud in. They stay in my ears better and have a really good app. The bass is just incredible compared to the others. It really blew me away at first. I also can't remember the last time I charged them. For them all being about the same price I'd go Bose 100%

Earbuds airpods pro. No contest. Save space, noise cancelling feature.

I still got APP and they work like a charm

Air pods pro (1st gen)

This. I hated the silicone tips of APP. That’s why I just only get the Airpods

I use my air pods pros 1st gen I have left over from my iPhone 12 and it works great with the pixel. Does spacial audio, noice cancelation and all. Very happy and impressed. Will keep them till they die. Already been through one charging case with them. So when the ear buds bite the dust they will be dead and will go to pro my JBL's I got laying around from black Friday for $10.

I still sometimes use my pro 1 but the right has a rattle in it when I move my head ever so slightly. Sounds almost like an adhesive came undone from heat.

I would say airpods pro but only if you want it to start to randomly disconnect after about a year. I know apple has been sued before for basically forcing their products to die early so you buy new ones and I'm not saying that is occurring but it's odd, there is a rather large subset of airpods pro users who report that after owning them for some time they begin to disconnect randomly. I work in the same office 7 days a week, and for the first year they were absolutely incredible, but now they just disconnect and then reconnect randomly. And NO restarting your iphone or any of the BS Apple tells you does not work. It is just a feature of my airpods pro now. It's infuriating especially knowing that the likely outcome is I will end up buying another set for 250 bucks. Apple knows that. So I dont know but do a search on it and read about it because it is VERY strange. I sit in the same seat in the same office every day for the past 10 years so this shouldn't be happening. Does it sometimes 2 or 3 times a minute and then other times once every 15 minutes. I love Apple products but these are a nightmare.

Sony for sure! The sony's support Hi-res bluetooth codecs such as LDAC (android devices), where as the Apple only supports SBC and AAC. The airpods pro do sound great when paired to apple TV due to the spatial audio. I have an iphone as my primary device but when at the gym, I use an android just to play music using the LDAC codec. Sounds amazing!!! I have Airpod Pros (first gen) and Sony XM4s. The sony's also have better ANC, I believe! I really hate that Apple does not support hi-res bluetooth audio, even on Airpod Max or whatever they're called. In summary, if you are an audiophile; Sony! If you don't care and dont care about lossless audio (or close to it on bluetooth); the airpod pros!

Buds2 Pro, Buds Live, & Buds FE with my Galaxy & Airpods Pro's 1&2 with my iPhone.

I have used 1st gen Pro for 4 years and now another year with 2nd Gen Pro and never had issues

It will be mainly a comfort thing. The airpods pro do bother me after a while. The ANC won’t be as good though, I imagine.

I believe you cannot wear any in ear earbuds if you get a tragus or daith. I was able to wear my AirPod pros while healing my conch and rook though.

With all my AirPods, AirPods Pro and the new AirPods Pro, there’s about a quarter second of latency, it has to do with Bluetooth not the devices, Bluetooth just doesn’t go fast enough So I’d keep looking for one with a usb c dongle

AirPods Pro perfect for me.

I have had a lot of issues with my AirPod Pros 1. The battery sucks, I don’t love the silicone ear tips, and now I get audio feedback on them when I’m exercising. Now that the AirPods 4 have noise cancelling, it was a no brainer for me to go back to the classic style. I really liked my OG AirPods and am excited to get the 4s!

I have the 3 and the pros and I use the 3s 90% of the time.

Honestly air pod pros have been a revelation and I don't usually like buds.

AirPods Pro and B&O Portal

I hated the Sony with a passion and got AirPods Pro instead and love them. I got the Sennheiser for my partner who love the sound and ease of use. Unfortunately when calling me, the sound I hear is awful, really muffled.

Wanting to replace my 1st gen pros that still work okay, but have gotten poor battery life and make buzzing sounds when moving. Either getting pro 2s or 4 ANC depending on how they review. Might also buy and try myself in a week.

To be brutally honest, all the good ones are much more expensive. Apple air pod pros literally make my existence tolerable. They’re pricey but worth the peace they bring me. The best budget backup is the Bose Noise Cancelling pods. I got them on sale once for $100, and their noise cancelling is pretty good but the battery life sucks. If budget is really a factor, try Backmarket or another similar site to see if you can find a refurbished pair.

I loved them but they died on me after 18 months (charging case got oxidation). Not buying them again.

I love my Apple Airpods Pro and my Aftershokz. The Apple AirPods Pro are much more comfortable in-ear than regular earbuds, and the AfterShokz are bone conducting and don’t go in your ears. I have no idea how they work but they are great.

I used to feel the same, but then realised, it is not touch, but the feeling of not able to hear outside sound due to plug. The realisation was post I got AirPods Pro, and used transparency mode. Could be different for you, but shall try it out.

Simple. 4’s do not fit in my ear. The pros do. Do what fits and is more comfortable for you.

I tried the Pro 1 and 2. They both fall out of my ears.

Adding on here, I had the original Pro until both earbuds developed the crackling issues (twice!) and they were my favorite buds ever. I just picked up the Pro 2s after maybe 2 years of trying alternatives (also was waiting for USB-C) and these things are still the greatest. Much better noise cancellation than the first gen, and all the other nice-to-haves easily make it worth the price. Adaptive mode + conversation awareness is wonderful, and having a case that makes sound makes it much harder to lose.

That’s funny cos I had the opposite experience on my last trip. I usually take only my AirPod Pro’s. I dunno if it was just a particularly loud plane or if I’m getting extra sensitive but my AirPods noise-cancelling just weren’t cutting it. From now on I think I’ll just suck it up and take my bulky over-ear Sony’s. I’d rather have the discomfort of lugging them around rather than repeat the discomfort of that flight.

I walk in both worlds: Pixel Buds A-Series Pixel Buds Pro Apple Airpods Pro I also tried other brands, like Bose, which didn't fit well at all and returned it right away. Or the no-name orange light special at Woot, which didn't fit or work well at all (yeah, cheapie, I know). So it's all about fit for me. Before ordering, make sure you can return it if you don't like it. Airpods is a backup to my daily driver Pixel Buds Pro.

I think the Pro/non-pro differences are mostly QOL - like noise cancellation and transparency. Nothing particularly important for this use case, as I believe the sound characters are fairly similar. If you’re on Mac, using AirPods is a breeze. I used to produce on PC laptops and had ran into troubleshooting issues with Bluetooth, but that shouldn’t be much trouble with a Mac. Edit: as pointed out by u/hot-soup-mouth below, the seal on the Pros vastly improves perceived bass

Good call. I’m admittedly spoiled in this regard as I’ve only ever used Pros, so I hadn’t taken the seal into consideration - but definitely important.

Are they stable? I have AirPods pro 1 th gen and with my oily ears i have to adjust them all the time. Thats why im searching for most stable premium earbuds

I have weird ears and I have to have silicone tips or they just fall right out. I use mine everyday for gym with no issues. I use AirPods Pro I am not sure if which model. You guys keep mentioning the Bose I’m curious now. I also use my AirPods when I ride. I have no issues with them under both my full face and my Bell Rouge music sounds great, I sort of “feel” my bike as much as hear it but the NC makes it so a nice ride. I forget how loud my bike really is sometimes

AirPod pros hands down. Don’t get gaslit by cardo bros

I had a Mac issued for work and got Pros, but at the time had an Android. They work just fine with an Android phone. You can’t see the battery remaining on them, but…. Not a huge deal breaker for me I find the pros will fall out of my ears if I’m too active though. Like I could never go running in them and feel they were secure

Airpods seem to balance all the main features offered by other top end earbuds better than anyone. However, that also means they are the not the best in anyone particular category. There are earbuds that offer better sound, better noise cancelling or have more features. I had the Airpod Pro 1 for many years. I recently just moved away from them and I am now using the Nothing Ear (2024). For me I was looking for the best sound quality. The Nothing Ear have incredible sound quality and the also have the ability to change sounds with the custom equalizer. The noise cancelling is ok, but not great. I have not really used transparency much, but it did not review really high. The Bose QC Ultra earbuds that you mentioned always seem to be the top earbuds reviewed for people that want noise cancelling. Bose always does a great job at producing high quality sound. Their only drawback for me is the price (its a little out of my range). I am in the Apple Ecosystem, I have a Macbook, iPad, and iPhone. So I really wanted to stay with the Airpods, but I didn't want to buy the 2nd gen just to see the 3rd gen come out and be disappointed. I had every intention to buy the 3rd generation Pro's but when they did not come out last year I decided to look for something else. I don't regret not getting the Airpods. I am getting exactly what I wanted with the high quality sound. They pair up with my Apple products with no problems. If noise cancelling is your main priority there are other products that will work great especially the Bose earbuds that you mentioned. Hopefully you enjoy the buds that you select.

I use the various ones I've acquired over the years. i have my old air pod pros that I keep in my purse, Galaxy bud FE that I keep in my home office, and I also have Sony WH-1000mx4 headphones as well. I use those a lot for traveling. they all work and after having so many different headphones over the years from the different phones I've had, I didn't care to add the Google ones to the mix 😭

Cracking noise of original Airpods Pro 1st gen while on phone call was getting litte annoying. Went with Airpods 4 without noise canceling.

I use Bose QC2 headphones at home, when I’m out I use my AirPods Pro. Both are great but my Bose are getting on a bit and are 6 years old, so their battery life is not what it once was. I also have Galaxy buds with noise cancelling that are really good but I have an iPhone so AirPods are just easier.

I made a concession for the pros because I thought they would be better and they still hurt my ears and constantly slip out and generally are more inconvenient. They’ve finally started dying so I can look at replacements.

AirPods Pro are actually an excellent pair of earphones and linking them to an iPhone is a plus. I do prefer Sony (I have XM5s but 6s I believe just came in), but you won’t go wrong with the AirPods

Jogging! Having the optionality to have ANC off and have the sound leakage is much better for me when running than transparency mode with the Pros. The silicone tips on my Pros never fit my ears that well either.

I have very small ears. Like i have my industrial pierced (that long bar at the top of the ear for those who dont know) and they had to go down a gauge and give me a shorter bar than they normally would pierce with, for reference. I have airpod pros, first and second gen. Had to get new ones cause my first pair started acting funky 2 years in (still great tho). Theyre not 100% noise canceling but they definitely work well because when im watching a video my bf has to tap me or yell pretty loud because i literally cannot hear him lol.

I sleep with mine in and have piercings in both ears and they dont hurt me at all 🤷🏻‍♀️ i think it depends on your ears

I use them everyday for work, music, gym etc and while they’re amazing when they work, I’ve also had some bad experiences and have gone through like four pairs between the OG AirPods and the gen 1 pros. I’ve been trying to decide whether to snag these since my left pod is making a terrible noise, or wait it out for pro 3’s later this year.

Price (there is a ~60$ CAD difference), first and lack of silicon tips, I have the first AirPods Pro and they just don’t fit, they always fall off my ear and I just bought a pair of Sennheiser. And I pre ordered a pair of AirPods 4 to replace my girlfriend’s first gen AirPods and couldn’t justify the pro price

Its ok, i used wf 1000xm4 and airpods pro 1st gen before. For the price, i cant really complain.

I have all apple airpods, hate the pro ones. Uncomfortable af, gave it away.. using regular 3rd gen ones.

AirPods Pro…. But at times AirPods Pro Max (if I can get to carry the bulky case around)

Oh man, I'm tempted to upgrade my first gen AirPods Pro. Are the 2's that much better if my existing ones still work fine? Also, for anyone on the fence - I've used the Pros every day for the last 3 years and I love them. I use them at work for phone calls, use them at the gym for music (where the ANC is especially beneficial), and at home. They are amazing.

The Pros basically lock in to your ears. I’ve worn mine for literally hundreds of hours working out and they’ve never fallen out once. I am sure that I could do cartwheels in them and they wouldn’t budge.

I have the pros and I sometimes have them in my ears for 5+ hours straight at work and forget they’re even there.

I feel like sound quality is subjective. But I have air pods pro ($250) and they sound great. But don’t stay in my ears well. I also have Beats Fit Pro ($199) and they sound great and stay in my ears great too. I’ve had both pair for over 3 years. And they are still good to go.

The Buds Pro series actually deliver a really good sound profile (https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/samsung/galaxy-buds2-pro-true-wireless), as does the Air Pods Pro. Both have similar overall decent quality for their price ranges and can deliver a nice, punchy sound in a small package that isn't super expensive. They aren't cheap, but you know... Right in that regular consumer price range. I switch back and forth between Buds 2 Pro and some KZ Castor wired IEM's when I am exercising or outdoors. Each do things differently, mostly the lossiness of BT is very obvious over Tidal HiFi, as where the IEMs sound a bit cleaner. But when I want a pair of no-frill, good-sounding, relatively neutral buds that can deliver accurate-enough music? Buds 2 Pro. My original Buds Pro also lasted almost 3 years, but one fell off down a sewer drain. RIP.

I have Bose Quiet comfort ultra and APP2. Bose is more comfortable. but it sync to only one device. Apple Airpod pro can sync across mac ecosystem. If you want decent ANC on earphone, both will do. When I fly or long study session I just use my Bose QC35 ( more comfortable ) really good sound quality is objective... but both Bose and Apple has somewhat analytical clean sound. If youu want wireless, Get both Bose and Apple from their official website and try them out. I think both offer free return. For most people... wireless bud is all you need.

Haven’t tried those. I’ve only had the AirPods Pro and the ANC on the EarFun is definitely better than those

I'll add to other commenters and say that I've been a huge fan of the Wirecutter for a while now. Thank you for the work you and your colleagues do. The biggest issue I still have with earbuds is it seems like none I've tried can touch Apple's Airpods Pro for passthrough audio or even being smart about when to switch to passthrough automatically. Have you tried any which come close and does it seem like they're getting better? I love noise cancellation but I feel like my life is busy enough that I have to keep taking a bud out to hear someone.

I had the original AirPod Pros, and the ANC was impressive. However, I picked up the AirPods 4 ($120 USD option, which lacks the improved case, and ANC), and I’m fine with them. If you travel often, in noisy environments, and want the added features of the improved case, then go with the Pro model.

I personally think a good pair of earbuds beats over the ears. I don’t like the weight and if you are leaning one way or the other it’s not pleasant. You need a good fit, however, and I replaced my apple tips (Apple AirPods Pro) with comply foam tips that fit better than apples original equipment. Safe travels.

Bought the AirPods 4 ANC because my AirPods Pro 1 slowly stopped working. The Silikon tips in the pros never really bothered me, but they also never fit properly and started to fall out of my ear after a short period of time. The AirPods 4 fit much better and are on par with my old Pro’s. The ANC works mostly great and sound quality is good enough for me.

The airpod pros sound pretty good but it fucking hurts my ear after like 2 to 3 hours of use...

So nowadays I actually use Airpods Pro which is in-ear. But for running I put on an over ear hook that makes it stay in place and I can let it sit a bit looser so it’s not fully in my ear canal. Then I don’t hear the vibrations from running and hear more from the surroundings to get more awareness. There are other sport purpose built headphones that already have an ear hook built in. But outside running I prefer the Airpods Pro in-ear sound quality (and take off the ear hook). Thanks to using the ear hook in training the Airpods Pro is the overall winner for me and my use cases.

That thumping noise was driving me crazy and the reason why I got ear hooks in the first place. I use the same tip size and just let it not be deep in the ear. Haven’t tried smaller but I think it could work well. Any of these two ear hooks are good. I got both because I wanted to try them. - [WC hookz](https://a.co/d/cx2ZbJa) - [Elago](https://a.co/d/fJZBvJJ)

Cool. In case you find the WC hookz to not fit that well try the Elago. For my ears they fit slighty better.

i have them. The ANC version. I also have the Max and the Pro 1's. I thought forsure I would love these way more than my pro 1's, because I was such a fan of the launch/original airpods non-silicone fit/feel. However, these are slightly different than the ones I so fondly remember, and I really cannot make up my mind as to whether I should keep these ANC4 or just return them and get Pro3 (whenever those come out). I was so sure I would love these anc4 like 100000% more than my pro 1's. but strangely enough, it's not as obvious as I would've predicted, unfortunately. A cool (yet completely unnecessary) thing I do for funzies sometimes is put on either of the in-ears, and set them to transparency. Then i put the Max on over, with noise cancelation on. I share audio to both sets of headphones, and then i have a very intense surround sound effect (as long as i adjust the volume levels very meticulously)!

So I’m in the same boat as OP. I’ve tried the Arctis gamebuds (ok on Bluetooth but couldn’t get the dongle to work and had a whining sound in one earbud). Tried the Sony Inzones and they couldn’t keep the BT connection nor the 2.4ghz connection well. Tried the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Better Bluetooth connection than the others but still a noticeable delay. My existing AirPods Pro are pretty good compared to all the above but latency is noticeable. Then we come to the PrismXR Vega. Bluetooth similar to the AirPods. I think they’re more comfortable. But the killer for me is that the dongle just works with no fuss. No noticeable delay. The sound is pretty decent. And for a great price. The main downside is that the single blocks the other port off - but I’ve ordered a 90 degree USB C adaptor that should solve that.

Out of all my headsets the APP1 and 2 are the only ones I could simply forget I had them on if I had my phone muted they feel great on the ears even with ANC on and with transparency mode if its not windy you can forget you have them on , or maybe thats my ADHD forgetting i😂😂😂

“Bluetooth” doesn’t, but those specific headphones might. I’d put the Focal Bathys up against an awful lot of wired headphones. Hell, I’d put the AirPods Pro against a lot. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Meh. You can EQ the Airpods too, and they're pretty responsive. Bluetooth is a convenience that you definitely either pay for or trade of some quality though! The T10 are pretty great, though. (At least in the US, though, the Pro 2 are like ... $180 and the T10 like $70 so it's more like 2.5 x.)

Apple AirPod pro gen1, have used them on open tractors for years in major dust, used them cutting hay, shredding, running open station dozers, nothing I’ve used has had the same noise cancellation as they do. Honestly one of the best things I’ve ever bought, makes running any open station tractor 10x more bare able.

That's good to hear. I'm moving from Pro 1's to Airpods 4 after my some idiot left my Pro's behind on a cruise ship. (It was me. I'm the idiot.)

There are other buds out there that sounds good like the Bose QC and QC ultra. Sennheiser Momentum. So many out there for audiophile. If you want to stay with Apple, I can tell you that Pro 2 is night and day different from pro 1. I just upgraded to pro 2 and gave my pro 1 to my daughter. The pro 2 has much punchier bass and other cool functions. I’ve noticed that I have to keep pro 2 at 60% to have the same loudness of the pro 1 at 80%.

I am happy with some of the Jabra earbuds. Both Elite Active 75t, Elite 7 and Elite 10 have good sound and fit that for me is superior to e g AirPods Pro. 

Anyone know how they are with wind vs APP2? I use my air pod pros on my bike to make calls. Better wind reduction would be great for me.

Airpods pro 1 and 2. As my work phone and wife's phone is iphone. Works well and happy with battery capacity.

I stopped using my Bose QC35’s because my AirPod pros did just a good a job using a fraction of the space.

Do you go to the gym or do any running? Certain lifts will have the muscles in my ears contract, and the AirPod pros will fall out every time without fail. I will say, they are great when walking or just chilling with them in, but certain exercises will have them falling out every time. Yes, I’ve tried different sized tips.

Interesting. I always notice it for deadlifts and bicep curls.

Can confirm. Although your mileage may also vary with how well they stay in, despite not going very deep. But this does bring up an important point for OP - maybe models that go deep in your ear (see - IEMs) are not the way to go. So either looking at something like airpods that kinda just sit at the opening, maybe something with a behind the ear hook if the airpods don't stay in place, or maybe give up on ear buds entirely and go for over the ear designs.

I had multiple sets of AirPods Pros (thanks to the free replacement program) and they ALL made the popping noise eventually. I refuse to buy them again until there is a complete redesign.

I own the Bose quiet comfort over ear headphones and the apple AirPods Pro. I find both comfortable, but the AirPods have better noise cancelling, and they take up less space, so they are the ones I use for travel, and they are also the ones I carry out with me in the world day to day. I use the Bose only when I am at home. I couldn’t imagine bringing them on a trip.

I hate the silicone tips. My ear canal is sensitive to silicone or any ear tips I tried. Also on top of that the anc plus the blockage on the tips sometimes gives me a slight headache. I switched from the AirPods 1 pros to the AirPods 3 and have been comfortable with that shape since. I know it’s a slight downgrade but It’s just way more comfortable to use.

I stick my AirPod pros in my ears and send it… hasn’t failed me yet but, as logic predicts, it’s only a matter of time hahaha

Sir i have used cmf buds 2 pro and found them very close to apple AirPods pro 1st gen. I have been using apple AirPods for 3-4 years now, but now the battery & sound quality have degraded massively. I bought cmf buds 2 pro and i am happy to report that they have really good sound quality, clarity and warm profile like the AirPods pro and plus is that cmfs have punchy bass. Talking of call quality: they work flawless indoors. Outdoors they are just fine but get the job done. They also have app on both platforms. Well i also have used my cousins Anker liberty 4Nc and found them not so clear and differentiating in instruments like cmfs do. But ANC was so superior.

Been over 6 months now no complaints so far. Yes the ANC is not that great but works although transparency is good. One more thing that needs to be addressed is the design they’re really comfortable to wear but gets uncomfortable while lying in bed on sides as they protrude more than airpods. When it comes to sound you can turn on dirac opteo which drastically improves clarity and details in sound.

Oh most important thing use 5v 1A charger for your earbuds. Although i feel theres no point as electrical devices now can automatically adjust voltage amps according to their needs but i have been using 30W adapter for my airpods pro and i feel that somehow did affect its battery life (case’s) i started to get less charging hours. I am also charging cmf with same 30w adapter and now i am thinking to switch to 5W

Pros are better. Only reason not to go pro is if you don’t like how they fit in ear.

I have tiny ear canals, and I have AirPod pros but get memory foam replacement buds for them off amazon which come in loads of sizes. Their smallest does the trick and are really comfy.

I'm wondering how much better they can be, as my current air pods pro make any flying completely silent?

I hate the tips on my AirPod pros. They make my ears itch

Sony xm3 for virtual meetings and AirPods Pro for calls on my cell

AirPods are surprisingly great, better than the sony

I’ve had my original airpod pros since mid 2021, they’re still going strong.

Damn, that’s how I thought mine would be, honestly i’m pretty surprised they’re still going. They had a few issues of just losing charge completely randomly but it only happened a few times and I wasn’t using them much at the time

That’s a lie, my AirPods Pro to cancel more noise in the Apple Store than the AirPod max

If you want to travel light, the Airpods Pro. If you have some extra space, the Sony WH-1000XM4.

i’m sure you’ve already decided, but for anyone else viewing this thread. my airpod pros keep falling out of my ears. didn’t know i had small ears until using them😭 even tried ordering xs, xxs airpod attatchments from amazon and they’re still too big. not sure what to do

airpods are good not gonna lie, both the regular and pros. good battery life, amazing connectivity to apple stuff while retaining good functionality with non apple stuff. noise cancelling is very good apple other beat and air pod max thingies?? not so much...

Yeah try voice isolation because I have AirPods Pro and have absolutely zero issues

AirPods Pro 2, had v1 before and both are great. Change the tips for running and they never move

I run with AirPod Pros. The regular ones don’t stay in my ear. I also found out that I can download songs from Apple Music onto my watch and leave my phone at home. Game changer!

I had my AirPods Pro for long time, even though they were always falling down my ears. Not comfortable at all after a few calls/meetings. Decided to give a try on AirPods 4 ANC and not going back to AirPods Pro anymore. The only better thing on the AirPods Pro is the noise cancelling, in my opinion. But again, not for very long, otherwise starts hurting the ears.

I prefer airpods pro. They go on sale pretty often (not straight from apple tho)

I have stupid tiny ears and narrow ear canals and the only earbuds I can wear for hours on end without them hurting are Airpods (I have Pros, don't know if they're anatomically different to the regular ones)

Did you try airpods pro from apple ?

This is pretty much how I feel. Just replace the Pros 2 for the pros 1

I have Maxs and APPs, I almost never touch my maxes but they are nice to have when the option is there I mostly use the maxes on long haul flights or if I’m watching something late and don’t want to bother my s/o. Outside of that I almost always have my APPs on my person since they are so dang convenient almost all the time

I downgraded from the AirPod pros to the 2nd gen air pod because of the stupid tips. Likely just me being too used to the wired headphones that used to come with the iPhones, but the tips just didn’t feel as good. I’m hoping the 4s will resemble the same fit and feel as the 1st and 2nd gen AirPods

They aren’t the same product. One is meant for quality, the other is meant for portability. Get both. My Max’s don’t leave home. My Pro’s live in a bag or a pocket. Not the same product.

Negative. Running them through TSA, leaving them in the hotel, those things I don’t want to do. I use my Pro’s for that.

Thats interesting how ears are shaped. I had the Pro 1 and now Pro 2 and sometimes I would forget theyre in my ear.

I went through every headphone and earbud out there. Settled on Apple AirPods Pro but they break down running in down pouring rain sooner than later. I got the Shokz last year and they are a game changer. Worth every penny plus I can hear everything around me.

Just got mine. I knew the ANC wouldn't be as good as my first gen Pros, but it's a pretty big difference. I may return them and keep using my old Pros.

I also have never had any problems with AirPods, I have the pros

I switched to B&O EX from the OG AirPods Pro. I liked the sound quality, and thought the integration difference is minor but only if you only use with your phone. The multi-device aspect is still missed. Another huge difference was the connection stability, as the AirPods are way better. If I were to choose again I wouldn’t have switched.

Airpods Pro 2 are extremely hard to beat in terms of value. I own: * [Focal Utopia 2022](https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/focal-2022-utopia-how-does-it-compare-to-original) (for desk listening) * [Sennheiser HD 6XX (aka 650)](https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/sennheiser-hd650-vs-hd600-review-revisiting-classics-in-2020) (w/wireless mod for around the house) * [Sennheiser HD 560s](https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/sennheiser-hd-560s-review-better-value-than-the-hd6xx) (for gaming) * [Sennheiser IE 200](https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/sennheiser-ie200-review) (for travel listening) * Airpod Pro Gen 1 (for general use) If I could have just a *one* pair of headphones for *everything* it would be Airpod Pro 2's no question. They do everything really well, like shockingly well for the size. The bass was a little too boomy for my liking (gave them to my wife and kept my gen 1 for general use) but that can be tapered off with the bass reducer EQ presets in iOS or the EQ hacks. They are genuinely nearly perfect for what they are. They're not as detailed or spacious as over the ear open back headphones but they're miles more versatile due to being tiny, wireless, having ANC, transparency mode, etc, etc. and for such a tiny package they're pretty amazing. The fact that you can have all that in your pocket 24/7 is wild to me.

You can hear surroundings in AirPods pro too in transparency mode. Been using airpods pro and never felt anything was lacking etc. they just fit great, disappear.

I’ve historically been a massive hater of silicone tips and was excited for AirPods 4, but I just got a 15 pro and they gave me AirPods Pro for free and they completely changed my mind. They’re unmatched

Most people just don’t like the feeling of the ear tips on the pros. I got the Pro’s because anything that doesn’t “plug” my ears just falls out.

So I’m late I see. I have the AirPods Pro 1st gen.. And I really wanna try something new. I see the Bose QC ultra is recommended a lot. I like what I’ve hear about them. A question if this post is still going what’s the best when it t comes to bass and noise cancel?

So I’m late I see. I have the AirPods Pro 1st gen.. And I really wanna try something new. I see the Bose QC ultra is recommended a lot. I like what I’ve hear about them. A question if this post is still going what’s the best when it t comes to bass and noise cancel?

So I’m late I see. I have the AirPods Pro 1st gen.. And I really wanna try something new. I see the Bose QC ultra is recommended a lot. I like what I’ve hear about them. A question if this post is still going what’s the best when it t comes to bass and noise cancel?

So I’m late I see. I have the AirPods Pro 1st gen.. And I really wanna try something new. I see the Bose QC ultra is recommended a lot. I like what I’ve hear about them. A question if this post is still going what’s the best when it t comes to bass and noise cancel?

At my gaming setup I use a pair of HD 600s. I also use the 600s for some mixing, they're great headphones for both. When I'm on the go I'm usually using my AirPods Pro 1st gen. Is the quality as good as 600s? No, but the convenience factor more than makes up for it. For long trips, I'll sometimes use a pair of M50xs.

Honestly the airpod pros are pretty good. But if you want some non apple options, I recently did an analysis on reddit data on earbuds for the past year. Basically ranked them according to aggregated comments. Maybe you'll find the results helpful [https://redditrecs.com/wireless-earbuds/](https://redditrecs.com/wireless-earbuds/) You can filter by price and for comments about ANC, and get a breakdown of the good and bad people have said for each one.

Perhaps a 10/10 sound compared to the first gen airpod pros but those don’t sound all that good in the first place

AirPod pros aren’t supposed to give a popping noise.

I mean if you really don’t care then yes but the anc model brings so many more features for only like $40 more. I’m surprised how good the anc is on the 4’s, they cancel out a bunch of noise for not having a eartip. I came from the 1st gen pros and I’d say they’re about the same noise cancellation wise but the pros cancel out high frequency noises a little better.

I use 3 pairs: Airpod Pro 1 - old set mostly used when around water (supping). Airpod Pro 2 - daily drivers, can't add anything over what others say, yes airpods are expensive, they are however also very good. Ozlo Sleepbuds - as the name says, just for around sleepy time. Also very expensive especially as they are single purpose but I can't recommend them enough. So... yeah this is the expensive lifestyle. But also how you can start listening to books getting out of bed until the moment you fall asleep.

Airpods 4 anc alll the way. TBF, I haven’t used the Pro 2s but I do have the original pros. The design of the 4 anc fits in my ear way more comfortably for longer periods, and the sound quality is fantastic. Better than the OG Pros. The noise canceling works quite well, battle tested on planes and noisy areas. I’m just in love with the 4 ancs after 6 months of use. I hope you get them.

I had to get the 4s, because the silicone tips on pros were not fitting my ears correctly. One was inside nicely, but the other one was falling out everytime.

I concur. Might as wear a helmet. AirPods Pro mostly just makes people think you are on a phone call if anything

AirPods or galaxy pods 100%

Naw you dead wrong on this one boss I wear my AirPods every time I ride and the anc completely gets rid of wind noise

Have you ever used AirPods before the only way the anc can work is if the seal is correct I’m not talking about the 1st gen AirPods bro I’m talking about the pros with the rubber bit at the end they seal pretty tight that’s kinda the point go ride with AirPods on for a bit

I had a pair of JBLs (reflect mini) which lasted 7 years before the battery gave up. Unfortunately I haven’t found a decent replacement pair so I caved and got AirPods Pro. Which are good but I don’t feel justify the price tag. The sound and ANC is incredible, but I box when I workout and they just don’t stay in place. I nearly got the Senheiser momentum true wireless sport (released in 2024) but the reviews weren’t incredible, apparently the sound was mediocre but the design looked solid for robust earbuds. The price tag is the same as AirPods Pro so without stellar reviews I wasn’t going to take the plunge. That being said I’ve heard you can’t go wrong with Jabra, most of the different ranges have good reviews. There are just a few too many options in their product line, so it’s a bit overwhelming. Honestly there isn’t a good option for wireless earbuds that are robust, good for sport, and will last a decent time.

I just use AirPods. Mine are a few years old, so the battery is starting to give way, but they charge super quickly. Whenever I get up from my desk for a few minutes I put them in the case and that's generally enough to get me to late in the evening. By that point I don't mind losing them for 20 minutes for a longer charge since the office is quiet anyway.

Right there with you, these were my gym ones. I have AirPods Pro for calls and leisure, and QC ultras for travel and work. But I wanted something as comfy with the connecting wire as the soundSport for gym and workout. I like the no need for a case and letting them dangle when I take them off. Wish Bose would’ve just updated them with usb C.

I used airpods pro, but whenever I woke up at least one of them would have fallen out of my ear and I'd have to find it when the bus parked. Somehow I never lost em. The noise cancelling definitely helps you ignore all the BS happening on the bus when you're trying to fall asleep

Sorry for not answering the question really.. Seems like you have tried multiple pairs and you still want a budget pair? Why not invest in something that lasts? It could probably save you money in the long run. You already have experience with some cheap stuff, and it seems to keep breaking. I got myself airpods pro a few years ago.. mega steep price for me at the time.. but i knew id use them so much it was probably worth it. And still i very much enjoy that investment. Not saying you should get airpods.. its just really nice to have something that just works and isnt shit quality. Just my advice :) I can highly advice getting something secondhand, you could get your hands on something really great for half or less!

I have Sony WH XM5 and the noise cancellation is terrible. Have used Bose QC and Sennheiser Momentum in the past, needed new over ears and purchased these based off reviews and wanting to try something new. I regret the purchase and can’t wait to get rid of them. The ANC is straight trash and anyone recommending Sony in this thread is delusional. My wife’s AirPod Pros are far superior, I end up borrowing them all the time. I’ve even tested both on flights. The Sony ANC barely does anything to limit flight noise and the AirPods block out almost everything.

Hear me out (get it?). My pro's used to fall out ALL the time and were completely useless. For some odd reason before going into a trail I decided to swap ears. I put L in R and R in L and the tips pointing up. They look dumb BUT THEY DON'T FALL out and I use them all the time.

AirPod pro with noise cancellation on. It’s the freaking best and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. They’re admittedly pricey though.

I’m the opposite. I had the AirPod pros but they would fall out even if I’m chewing. So I tried the Bose and they fit much better.

The last point is once again ear dependent. My Pros absolutely refuse to stay securely in my ear, and is the reason I can’t use them. Tried a bunch of different tips, and they all have the same problem. Meanwhile, I can shake my head with the normal AirPods, and have no issues.

AirPods 2, 3 and Pro are fine for some use. Especially on apple devices but latency can hurt in quick games AirPods Pro 2 (and probably AirPods 4) have nonexistent latency. Even on Steam Deck or Switch

I’ve had the pros since launch, didn’t get the pro 2s cause of it. Just recently got the max since the pros are still working. I have different use cases for both, the Pros for when I’m commuting and sleeping while I use the max for when I’m home or when I’m studying at a library/cafe.

On flights I’m too scared of my pros falling out of my ears while I sleep.Happened to me with the first ever AirPods, never again. Instead I use my max to sleep cause if they fall off my head I can easily find them.

I had Bose QC (5 I think), and they were nauseating. They did sound GOOD though. I have AirPod pro, 1st gen, and they are good, but they hurt my ears after a bit. And they don’t stay in, family members say they sound like I’m speaking from space. One will randomly not work. Meh, they are a few years old. I’ve tried others. Poly Voyager Focus 2 UC Bluetooth Headset with Stand, Black, Unisex These are my favorite. Not subtle. I often put them on and forget, just walk around listening to nothing. I bought them used and ordered a new pair of headset covers. They mute when you raise the boom mic. Coworkers can’t hear my dog freaking out. Very nice. I can release one ear to hear the world and they still usually stay on. None of these are great for something like gardening though. (Although I did not try digging with the Bose. Maybe?)

I’m still on AirPods Pro 1.. my ears can’t tell the difference between pro 1 and 2 so better save myself a couple of $ and stick with what I have.

Exactly! If I’m laying in bed doom-scrolling, I’m not gonna put my AirPods Max over my head. I’ll pop in one AirPod Pro bud as to not bother my Wife who sleeps earlier than me.

I run with AirPod pros, got the large foam ear plugs and haven’t had issues with falling out. The only issue the transparency, I must have mine on quiet mode.

I’m debating this myself.  I’m planning a long flight soon, and will be traveling by train and plane a bit.  I have a pair of AirPod Pros, but I think I’m going to take my Bose QC headphones.  The noise canceling and comfort are important to me for a long flight. 

AirPods Max has better sound and better noise cancellation. AirPods Pro are better at fitting in your pocket. 

have u tried the pros/ pros 2? I used to dislike silicone eartips until I got my pros. They are so comfortable and do not feel like typical silicone eartips that usually give a pressured feeling

I'm one of them. I actually can't use the others. My ears are too small and non-Pros won't stay in my ears. I move and they fall out. I wear the smallest size on the pros and they will still fall out sometimes. Crazy how small my ear opening is.

AirPods pro has the best ANC. Sennheiser is crap.

This sub has an anti apple bias and is full of other brands shills spouting inaccurate information people here like to repeat. I speak from your personal experience, the TWS3 are terrible, puting aside sound quality which is totally meh, its design is so bulky that they fall out your ear at any physical activity, and forget about going to bed with them. The ANC is terrible too. So there is no contest between them and the airpods pro, not even close.

and the pros don't work as good as the Max's

Silicone tips don't work for a lot of people. You can try replacing them with foam tips, it conforms to your ear canal instead so it's a much better fit. Airpods pro despite how perfect i get the fit, it always gets loose and starts falling out the moment I move my jaws to drink/eat. But foam tips stay in with an iron grip.

I wear shokz outside and have had various models for a decade. No thump. I wear Sony WF100XM5 on the treadmill. No thump. AirPods pro, Powerbeats pro? Thump.

As someone firmly in the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, Airpods), they don't work well. Apple is the devil I know, and I'm convinced they go out of their way for Airpods not to work with anything else. If they do work, it is short-lived and buggy. To the parent topic, I have two sets of headphones. Shokz for running and Airpod Pros for everything else.

Apparently I was born with unlucky ears - I’ve tried regular wired earbuds, original AirPods, and AirPod pros, and they all fall out of my ears (using any size tips for the pros or using Comply foam tips). The only ones that do stay in are the Beats Pro with the silicone wings, but the wings exert a lot of pressure on my ears and makes them hot and uncomfortable after 30-40 minutes. I’m really hoping that the new 4’s shape is different enough to fit me better. I don’t even need to be able to sleep in them or go running in them, just be sturdy enough to not fall out when walking. I’m jealous of people who can put AirPods in their ears and keep them in all day.

I would vote Shokz for safety but I had two pairs of shokz die on me, they were replaced by the company within warranty and the third pair arrived dead, I just gave up. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed them. I ran with AirPod pros for a while, and they are ok but I run on a lot of roads with no sidewalk so ultimately I just switched to not listening to music when running.

I have Air Pods Pro which work well with my 12R. Had them before I switched back to Android so didn't bother replacing them. I can still connect them to my MBP for updates, etc.

It’s bizarre, I’ve had tons of earbuds in the past with in ear tips, and never had a problem. For 6 months I used the 1st gen AirPods Pro, and adored them. Then, after I had a separate issue, had Apple care replacements sent. I’m sure it is a coincidence of timing, but right around that time, I started getting major irritation in my ears from them. I tried different tip sizes, at least four different brands of alternative silicone, memory foam tips, and even attempted covers for the plastic parts of the buds. Nothing helped, except for abstaining from using them. I would go two month without them, and then try again, and if I used them (or any in ear buds in fact), now for more than 15 minutes, my inner ears get extremely itchy, sometimes including gross discharge, etc. I’ve been to an ENT, who said there was no issue with my ears themselves, simply a skin irritation in the ear canal. My presumption is that something just clicked with my extended AirPods use to trigger a mild allergy, OR, the environment inside my ear canal has changed slightly with age. Either way, I have to accept that this is likely the new normal, and my choices are either over ears, open ear buds like these, or the kind that clip to the top of the ear. I have since switched to the Max, which I love, and have always preferred over ears anyway. However, there is a convenience factor to using ear buds for phone calls, exercise, etc, that I really miss. I have used my wife’s 2nd gen AirPods, and don’t have any problem with them, except that they sound a bit dinky. The fact that these have head tracking and transparency mode has me sold to finally grab them in the near future, so that I have earbuds to grab in a pinch for convenience.

i'm on the pro 1 as well. there was a firmware update that really made the ANC worse. been having a clicking sound on the right one but won't be going back to apple for headphones. looking at liberty 4 anc.

Ever since I've flown with my Bose QC over ear headphones, it will take a lot of convincing to myself not to take them. I do a onebag + personal carryon and stuff them in there. I interchange between the over ear and airpods pro or Bose Ultra QC buds just to make things interesting. Otherwise, there's nothing like defending your ears from the awful engine hum of a long flight. Only reason I wouldn't take them is if I had a 6 hr or less flight. I found I use them a lot once at destination, esp. hotel room, beaches, walking around a city.

I HAVE HAD MY AIRPODS PRO SINCE 2019 AND THEY WONT DIE I do also have the over the ear bose quiet comfort and I love them more! Just a warning tho it takes them like 2 weeks to fix them if you break them and then you’ll have no headphones for like 2 weeks

I have an iPhone and work PC and AirPods Pro work great as my full time headphone. Pairing to the PC isn’t too hard, and once they’re paired all you have to do is click “connect” in settings and they switch over to the PC connection. I can’t speak to the over ear version, but the earbud version is worth it.

Here's my two cents - I have AirPods Pro 1. They work JUST FINE with both my Pixel and MacBook, and my windows PC and my old iPhone before I sold it. They're all the same these days...

yup, all versions, can't sleep on your side with them and the ears hurt after a few hours

I used them also and I’m not sure if the wind messed them up, but microphone is now unusable. I was riding often with a slight open visor or even with a full, with noise cancellation on. After some time the microphone just got completely messed up. Not sure if it’s that, but I can’t find any other reason.

Unfortunately I didn’t because I got the AirPods from an ex company, but when leaving it I’ve had the chance to keep them. Also the coverage expired. Maybe important information but mine are AirPods Pro gen 1. Could be there’s an improvement with gen 2.

I was comparing them to my AirPods Pro 1 (almost 5 years old now) and they sounded the same. In some instances the AirPods sounded louder and crisper.

I switched to pro (gen 1) from the gen1 when they came out. I used them for a few months (during that time I had one bud changed at a service due to something stuck in the external mic causing the transparency/anc to not work well) and hated them: it is impossible to use them for 2+ hours straight because my inner (is that the right term?) ears were sweating like hell. I couldn’t exercise while using them - again because of the sweating, they would literally pop out (I even thought I lost them once on a bike ride - they popped out in the woods on a bump and I spent a few minutes looking for them). So when I swapped out the faulty one, I immediately sold them for the exact money to buy the ‘original’ form factor gen2 with wireless charging case, and have been happy for the last 2 (3?) years. Unfortunately now my gen2 have started to misbehave (accidentally lost audio in one of them) + battery issues (1-1.5 audios, 40 minutes top for calls) so I’m looking forward to buying the ap4 but want to see reviews (unfortunately where I live I can’t try it out to see how it fits + I haven’t decided if it’s worth paying 50 extra for anc (but I was completely happy with how it worked on the ap pro gen1, so if it’s on the same level - I’d be more than happy to pay little(or not so much=) for that feature) PS:I was almost ready to buy a second pair of the gen2 a few weeks ago, but unfortunately they only have the lightning version (no wireless charging) and that’s kind of a dealbreaker for me (I’m so used to wireless charging that I wouldn’t even consider going back to lightning) PPS:no magnets/magsafe support (or whatever it’s called) in the ap4 case is just a bummer :( I’ve seen how it works on the ap pro2 + watch charger and I really liked it PPPS:plus f***ing "landscape" case I hate it sooooo much zippo-like gen1/gen2 is way better=) edit: ppps added

Running my first marathon in a few weeks and I’ve had this question too. I’m planning to stick with my AirPod Pros since that’s what I’ve been wearing through training. If you’re feeling the same, I’d recommend looking into different tips for them. I bought foam tips a few years ago that are more form fitting and I don’t have any problem with them slipping out even with a lot of sweating.

The QC Ultra shouldn’t even be mentioned. I bought two of them last week as a gift to my wife and sent them back. Bose tried to save way too much money on them. The ANC has a very high level of continuous background noise with music on pause. It’s even hearable in low volume stuff. Also. The left earbuds of all of them have these static sounds and interference constantly. It’s so bad it’s insane Bose dares to ask this much for them. Internet is FILLED with people with these issues having gotten 3 replacements all with the same issues. Unless they fix them, don’t go near them. The sound is good though. But for the rest they suck. If you want constant noise and insanely annoying static and interference go for it. My AirPods Pro 2 are WAY better (just not in the sound department. I hope Apple updates that in a next iteration). I am even thinking to buy my wife AirPods Pro to use on her android just for how good they are. ANC is super quiet, sound is good. No strange noises. No connectivity issues. Only haven’t tried Sonys. If my wife likes them I will get her those.

i’ve had beats, airpod pros, boseQC45, and XM4s (in that order) i now only have my airpods (sold/gave away the rest). nothing beats the convenience, and the in-ear noise cancellation is amazinf

AirPods Pros all day for me. Base AirPods just don't fit in my ear.

That’s a common and known problem with AirPods Pro 1. Compare the ANC with a new pair or with a pair of pro 2’s and you’ll find that the ANC has degraded.

I've got an android phone and airpods pros. I have picky ears and they fit the best that I've found. After two hours or so though my ears start to ache. I've got no issues with the phone and the airpods for regular use. I think there's some battery life data you can't see on Android.

No that’s not correct at all, they will give you some more quiet they work by producing an opposite sound wave to cancel out the ambient noises (sadly often not the frequency of voices) and this effectively removes the noise, it sounds like you’re in a very quiet room even with nothing playing on them. Different headphones will be more or less effective too so make sure you try a few, Apple airpods pro or Airpods Max seem to give me the most “quiet” feeling, I’ve tried quite a few the Seinhauser Momentum 4 was recommended to me by a few people who swear by them but didn’t provide the same “quiet” feeling to me as the Apple stuff so again make sure you try before you commit

Maybe mine is defective because my pros are soo much better at noise canceling. And both are definitely real so that was a surprise to me

Are y’all experiencing better ANC with the APM? My pros do a much better job, so much so that I reach for them if I truly want to block out loud noise

I’m on my second pair of pro 1. The first pair had one side start rattling inside, I’ve never dropped them. They were already out of Apple care, replaced them for a certain price from Apple, I forgot the price. Now my second pair, one has started giving me feedback even with noise cancelling turned off. I think I could replace it for $79 but why bother? I have a cheap pair of TaoTronics over the ear noise cancelling that work great!

in ear i use airpods pro. for over ear i use the momentum 4s. i haven’t had problems with either, sound quality is pretty good on both imo BUT ANC on the momentum 4s is not great!

Airpod pros work for me. I tried two different Samsung buds before that and they both hurt my ears a lot!

My AirPods Pro with Comply foam tips are locked in place when I work out. Running, jumping, laying down… they don’t budge. And I sweat… a lot!

I would for no silicone tips. I am sensitive to them. But something about the AirPods Pro eartips don’t mess with my ear. Also, I like not needing to buy new eartips because they always break somehow in my ear.

Nothing works better with iPhones than their own AirPods. Their Pro line have great ANC.

Thanks for the comment! Sound is important, but I’m also not exactly an audiophile or anything. I have the AirPods 2 right now and was looking for an upgrade, and love the way the AirPods are wireless buds that can connect to all my Apple devices. Is there another brand of AirPod-style phones you can recommend that have reasonably better sound quality and have the convenience of being wireless buds? (Note: nothing that goes IN my ear, I’ve tried the AirPods Pro and hated them.) Thank you!

I gave a host of cheaper alternatives a go but Airpods Pro are miles better than anything else I’ve tried. I like Cambridge Melomania and think the older gens in particular are a bargain for the sound quality, but they don’t stay in securely enough for running. I have a pair of Aftershokz (older brand name of Shokz) and they are very good, particularly for keeping track of traffic, cyclists etc while running, but I found myself having to have the volume very, very high, particularly for podcasts (poss related to my tinnitus).

Amazing they still work. My AirPod Pros died exactly 3 years after buying them. It was like programming

I’d pay extra for the Pros, i’ve heard the regular ones are bad for your ears because they let sound through and you get the urge to turn the volume up to compensate. Plus the Pros are very comfortable. ANC and audio passthrough are amazing features. At home i use “proper” headphones but when i’m writing stuff on my laptop during downtime at work, i like to just connect my Airpods for convenience. I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing the mixing/mastering with them, though it’s good to have a range of devices to see how the song sounds across different devices afterwards. One thing to note - on Ableton when you open the settings and select the Airpods, there might be 2 different Airpods options. One of them is going to sound like cell phone call quality while the other one sounds normal so don’t worry about something being broken if it sounds like demons escaping from hell when you hit play. The only difficulty is getting Airpods to connect to windows, i forgot which one but i had to change a setting a long time ago in the device manager but after that, it’s been smooth sailing. (Except it’ll start to crackle occasionally but turning bluetooth off and on fixes that)

Might not be popular advice but get a wired IEM for around $150 and a Quidelix 5K. It does get better than AirPods, trust me. I was a heavy user for 4 years.. AirPods Pro 1 and then 2

I have AirPod pros 1 and love the silicone tips, so maybe it’s one of those things that’s based on the shape of our ear..? Anyone had AirPod pro 1s and then 2s that could comment?

AirPod Pros and Sony XM5s

This. The feel of the buds can be very important. The Pros will always be better at noise cancellation because good NC needs as much outside noise to be blocked as possible, but the Airpods 4 can't make a seal. However, I imagine the Airpods 4 can still block a noticeable amount of noise. (I have an old on-the-ears Plantronics headset with NC, and it does a surprising job at NC. It's not as good as the Pros or the Max but it still works passably.) Also, if you're active/do sports, the Airpods 4 will fall out of your ears more easily. (The Pros can also fall out, but that's a bit harder.)

Also the pro 1 noise cancellation is dog water compared to the pro 2s.

AirPod pros here. Love them. If I was android the Bose but on a plane the AirPods are fantastic. I fly for a living and they’re my goto

AirPods Pro hurt my ears, tried for a month and just couldn’t get away with them. Bought multiple third party tips and nothing helped.

Apple definitely does have NNR ratings on their air pod pros with ANC https://preview.redd.it/qkhlblhgwdve1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c71b64898ed7ed034606e29afe913b611c5390c

Apple has a NNR rating too. I’m sure others do as well https://preview.redd.it/pq9m3frmwdve1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81c300a11d29638ef17687bdfe59d76d7c2f3530

I use airpods pro, works for me

APM can stop working due to sweat transfer to the speakers. Def Airpods pro since they're advertised as the sporty option

Apple functionality isn’t that much more incredible, it’s just more streamlined and seamless. I prefer the Sonys even on an iPhone. The form factor alone is a good enough reason to not get AirPods. The dangling bit is pointless and gets caught on everything.

For workouts Get the pros

Owned APP1 and currently own APM, APM>APP>AP4ANC in that order obviously but I’d say it’s about 60-80% as good depending on the type of noise. I like the APM the most but theyre the bulkiest and hate the APP since I hate the in ear silicon.

Owned APP1 and currently own APM, APM>APP>AP4ANC in that order obviously but I’d say it’s about 60-80% as good depending on the type of noise. I like the APM the most but theyre the bulkiest and hate the APP since I hate the in ear silicon.

I haven’t had any issues with my AirPods Pro 2 (or whatever the most recent version is called) with my 965. My older model of AirPods Pro really struggled with my Vivoactive 4, though. Probably the watch being old. I’m sure there are cheaper earbuds that work great, but I just wanted to share my experience!

I had a gen one. Used it for a little while then lost a pod🙄. FYI, if you're willing to try it again, as good as the ANC was on the first, the second is amazing. Barely hear any wind noise. I can hear the music clearly with the volume a lot lower than with my Cardo.

I have both. With my iPhone the airpod pros were amazing.Now that I'm on a Nothing phone, the airpods case chimes every time I pick it up, so I bought the buds 2 plus to try them out. I'm really enjoying them so far

I'd say the noise cancelling on the airpod pros is better, but the buds 2 plus aren't too far behind. I think the sound of the buds 2 plus is better, as is the mic quality. I don't know how they'll hold up in the long run, but I'd be hard pressed to buy airpods again after this

AirPods Pro noise cancelling sometimes activates tinitus in my left ear that I otherwise never have. The effects last well after I've taken them out, including sometimes making it hard to fall asleep (causes my ear to pulsate).

I also have AirPods Pro du BECAUSE I’m using an iPhone. There is no way you can recommend AirPods on android that’s just stupid.. he will only be able to listen music that’s it. No Siri, no ANC, no transparency, no spacial audio

Air Pods Pro works for me and I have little ears.

My pros fit snugly - did a 10k run with them yesterday.

I guess you have an iPhone. If so, AirPods Pro are pretty much the ones to get as the integration is absolute insane. I had them for a while and it’s just fit in the ecosyste so well.

Really wanted the Airpods Pro as I am in the Apple ecosystem, but after listening to the XM5's they are a world apart. Good quality audio is my prime driver and the Sony's have it in spades. I lose some convenience but the N/C and the audio quality are so much better.

interesting, for me the Airpods sound like Beats headphones, exagerated V equalisation. The sonys are more balanced, with a better response across the spectrum. My office speakers are PMC DB1 Golds and the Sonys are more akin to them.

AirPods Pro and Max work pretty well on Samsung phones. Especially since you have an iPhone to adjust settings

AirPods Pro work flawlessly!

Yeah I have tiny ear holes and the pros fit great (can’t speak for pro 2s though)

I used to want a full headset and then I started using my airpods and found out that works great instead. Either gen 1 or gen 2 pro’s or the airpods 4 with ANC will do the job very well. 

u ever try airpod pros? ive fallen on my side before and my airpods were still snug in my ears

No offense, but Apple products are garbage in general.

I tried apple air pods pro 1 and sony's xm5. The sony is pretty good. But when i tried Techics, it was like hearing in HD for the first time. There are no bad earbuds for 300$, so it's more subjective at that price point.

Funny enough I had the air pods pro's from like 3 years ago and loved them. I thought they were really great quality especially the NC. They started to static and I was not going to spend that much money on ear buds again so I went for the CMF ones (#21). I didn't even expect them to be on this list, but they are pretty sweet. The NC sucks so bad coming from the airpods, but they are not terrible if you've never had NC before. I'd say if the airpods are a 10 (quiet) from 1-10, these are like a 3. My airpods would silence plane cabin noise almost to 0. These most likely won't do that, but they silence the AC in my room (which is not too loud anyway lmao) Quality is pretty good for the $30 that I paid for them. I do love the airpods but with the CMF buds, I don't miss them anymore.

airpod pros. On long rides I only use in one ear at a time. Noise cancelling needs to be on to prevent very loud wind sounds. In the city I often use with two in, I find I can hear everything just fine. My eyes and situational awareness of what is coming up is really what matters there.

I tend to use my AirPods Pro for just about everything haha

Same here. Never fall out, i have had my pros gen 1 since they came out. Solid stuff

Apple AirPods Pro are my go-to. I like the adaptive options. They’re not headphones though.

Gen 1 AirPod pros are great, the noise canceling helps a lot on late night bus rides, I was able to buy a pair for around 70$

If you aren’t someone who typically has a problem with silicone ear tips on headphones go with the pro 2’s. I had the pro 1’s and just upgraded a month ago, the sound quality is amazing and they are super comfortable

Glad I found this thread so quickly. There's 2 things I dislike about the AirPods Pro: battery life and the fit is not perfect. I'm convinced there will never be a perfect fit for me. I have a big head and use the second from smallest tips. I tried them all, these are the best. But when talking or eating, anything that moves my jaw, tends to work the right bud out of my ear canal just a bit. Not where it falls out, but I have to push it back in if I'm eating. So I really wanted these because of the ear hooks! I nearly dropped my AirPod on a plane once, and it would be a nightmare trying to find it from a cramped airplane seat. So I figure the hooks would at least be a failsafe. And when I read about the battery life on these new Beats, I was considering just plain replacing my AirPod Pros. This thread has made me second guess that.

Nop - regular AirPods stayed in my ears all the time, my Pros fall out if I eat, laugh, or run.

I have both, well the AirPods 3 which have the same shape, try running with them on the treadmill, they won’t vibrate because they will simply fall off immediately, I love mine for use in the house they’re so comfortable but you can’t exercise with them, the AirPods Pro on the other hand stay in-ear no matter what

That’s how I feel about most silicone earbuds. Because I like the quality of the AirPods Pro, I bought them and used the smallest tips that they came with and it’s been great. I don’t get that shitty sensation in my ears anymore.

AirPods Pro

Good to know. Mine will need replaced soon.

I cut a little slit in the side of my airpods pro ear tips. No material removed. They fit my small ears so much better afterwards (they're always too large otherwise). I think the slit lets them kinda resize themselves in my ear. I've seen people get custom molds for theirs, and honestly I was about to look into it before I decided to just try this. It worked fantastically for one week then I lost the charging case for my airpod pro's xD

I went back to using my airpods pro 1st generation

Between these 2, APP because I prefer earbuds But I’d take xm5 earbuds over that

For bluetooth in-ears, the AirPods Pros are killers. Love the sound quality out of them, and great noise cancellation. But if OP can deal with in-ear, a good set can do enough noise cancellation without any active noise cancellation. Super cheap brand, but quality far beyond the $$$ spend is KZ. I have a pair of (wired) KZ ZSN Pros (I believe now replaced by the ZS10 Pro), about $30 on AliExpress and I use them on planes and out and about and nothing leaks in. Can also get bluetooth upgrade for them (the IEM is easily disconnected from the cable and they sell bluetooth modules)

Thanks for posting. Mine arrive later today. I had already retired my Apple airpod pros for my Google pixel Bud pro headphones mainly because of the ease of multipoint switching (I have a pixel phone and a iPad pro), but I missed the transparency of the Apple airpod Pros. Good to see this is better both from your perspective and other reviews I've read.

Used my AirPods Pro since they released bluetooth. Worked like a charm. Will do the same on the Switch 2

If you are mainly trying to discourage conversation, anything will do. So does saying, “Hi seat mate, I’m going to try to sleep (or I’ll be listening to my music/podcast/book). Have a good flight.” If you are the aisle seat, you can add, “Feel free to wake me if you need to get out” if you want to help relieve some of the anxiety people trapped in middle and window seats can have. I have AirPods Pro and the noise canceling is good. But for flights I prefer wired so I don’t worry about losing one in the seat. It also makes it more obvious that I have headphones on (or ear buds in) so people are less likely to try to strike up a conversation.

I 100% get that with my AP1 too, if I'm not listening to audio. It's so jarring when I first put them in and they go ANC and I'm like oh fuck, turn on some audio quick.

I have my AirPods Pro’s for running, general flights and such and I have (mostly) zero issues. I have a second headset (Razer Barracuda Pro) for gaming, flights, etc. Both reasonably priced (imo)

Which are best ANC, I heard Sennheiser really improved them with recent firmware. Just ordered a set to replace my dying Airpods Pro 1. I almost got the Pixel Buds Pro 2 but it was a £50 difference so I changed my mind.

This is handy. Had Airpods Pro 1 for 4 years with various Pixel phones. Never much of an issue. Only replacing as they're failing. Crackling and failed diagnostics at Apple. 😞

Used Airpods Pro 1 since launch but recently got Pixel Buds Pro 2

unpopular opinion: i use airpod pros while biking. i tape them in just to be sure. ofc its safer to not, but i don't see drivers without their radios blaring. i also typically keep my long rides to separated bike paths (100mi w/ 2 car crossings). my daily commute i don't bother since i just want to be on the road ASAP for the 30min ride - no time to fiddle with getting a playlist or podcast EDIT: to add - if wind noise already blocks most of your hearing, there isn't much difference.

I hated the AirPods Pro. How do people like those? No bass, low volume, no thanks.  I like loud buds that thump. 

My pros would fall out every single time at the 3/4 mile mark. I assumed that’s when the inside of my ears started sweating (gross I know) plus the ear insert makes my ears feel cramped after the 30 minute mark. Bose Ultra Open from here on out 😎

Love AirPods Pro noise blocking (lawn mowing and air travel), but left one is starting to go bad…would love lower cost alternatives or if I need to pony up big bucks for newest AirPods Pro model.

Wait, does it fit like the original one? The Pro doesn't fit and had to get memory foam tips.

Which true wireless earbuds with ANC will work with MS Teams? I mean - I would expect any of these to work, but apparently it's not the case. I have AirPods Pro, which have never worked properly with MS Teams on Windows. So I purchased Technics EAH-AZ60 - for a year or so these worked flawlessly (Win10, old MS Teams). With an upgrade to Win11 and new Teams, the Technics don't work either. This has not been fixed for months. Changing input/output to whatever, reinstalled Bluetooth drivers, replaced motherboard, reinstalled Windows and Teams, nothing. I am willing to buy new airbuds for about $200-300, but these HAVE TO WORK. Any tips, please? How about Sony WF-1000XM5?

Thank you for telling me your experiences with the various buds. With the pro 2 being cheaper than all it's rivals right now I think I'm going to snag them, even though my phone is android and I won't get the full audio quality. The gen 1 pros were my favorite audio devices ever even though the mic got dirt in it from biking and anc stopped working. Got some cans for that.

honestly... airpods pros are awesome and good enough for most things. also instant connectivity is super helpful. get a second pair of throwaways from gym or sauna if you do those and you should be set.

My teachers have awesome playlists so none. But I use AirPods Pro for my day to day. Try different sized tips. Most people don’t know they offer different size tips for AirPods. If not as others have mentioned try foam. I use the size small rubber ear tips on my AirPods Pro and I can do handstands/headstands without them falling out.

I apparently have tiny ears, which I didn't know before looking for earbuds... I cannot wear any of the models that have any kind of thing hanging out of the middle of the ear, they will lose balance and fall out or touch my actual ear and hurt. The only ones that fit me because the part that's actually in the ear is small enough are AirPods Pro. I hemmed and hewed and thought about it for a long time, then got them and I'm super happy with them.

The regular ones don't do noise cancelling. Otherwise, not much of a difference. I'm the same, AirPods Pro were the only ones that fit me, didn't lose balance falling out of my ear or rubbed on my ear in a hurtful way.

Oh definitely! I got them on Black Friday Sale a few years back for what I think was 180€, but honestly, I love them so much, in hindsight I would pay more if I had to. I do have an iPhone though, so using them is easy and seamless. They do work with my Windows computer, not the best but good enough. No idea how it would go with an Android phone. If you are thinking about them, I'd google if there are some apps to use them with and also ask around with your friends if somebody has them and you can try them before buying.

I have both and for me the pro 2 improves alot from the first gen thst it is kinda comparable with the max

I can’t handle the pro in my ears … they are to small and fall out or to tight. Can’t even drink some water without taken then out … I have the 3rd gen of the non pro and I can wear them over hours. I will test the new 4th for 179 as soon the are at an Apple Store near by. AND test the hearing aid test on the pro as soon the update is available as my wife has the pro 2

Yes, nur there are also people who only can use the pro, Like my Wife - my 1st and my 3rd gen Fall from her ears. The pro2 are Perfect for her. I can not use the pro … to tight or to loose.

Airpods pro is the best option for lightweight travel in my opinion. They're very small and have amazing noise cancelling. I don't bring headphones because they're bulky and take up a lot of space. They do have longer battery life though. But the amount of space they take just isn't worth it for me. I only use them at home.

Normally I use AirPods Pro. I have a set of Shokz OpenRun pro but at times they vibrate my ears too much and sound like crap. But I deal with it when I am in areas where I really need to hear my surroundings

I have all the Apple products but if I just chose one it would be the AirPods Pro

I use the pro’s 1st Gen. interested in the 2nd gen as of touch control over needing to press a button.. and well I read the sound and noise cancellation is better which would be great for public transport. If the 4th gen AirPods perform same as good on noise cancellation I probably go for them as I don’t necessary need to have AirPods with ear tips.

I like mine (before they just broke for whatever reason), but I know a lot of people say they’re incredibly overpriced

Yes! Ok I’ll look into them. AirPod pros are so uncomfortable. The tips are more comfortable than regular AirPods, but I can just feel the silicone and it’s grating

Pro v1s, and I’d def consider it I’d have to replace both tho because the mic isn’t working right in the left one either 😟

I’ve honestly just used AirPods a few times before, sound quality is far above any wired earphones. I’ve got the base ones, but you could get the pros or something.

The new beat fits are supposed to be outstanding. Fit is such a personal thing. Hard as it may be to believe looking at the design, I can literally run in my airpod pros. I can shake my head around with one ear toward the floor and they still don’t come out lol.

depends on your needs. personally I will get Airpods pro for day to day use since the weight and ergonomics is fit with my ears (especially when you're using iphone, IT JUST WORKS) and at home when you're searching sound quality. I would take headphone routes

Apple AirPods Pro when I’m traveling. At home, it’s a Rode NT-1 USB and over the ear headphones.

I have Pro 1 and Max. I love them both for different situations. Anytime I’m on the move I prefer the Pros. Anytime I’m sitting in one spot, I go with the Max. I love using them to watch movies/shows on our Apple TV at night. I probably use them most with the included wire connected to my Xbox and PS5 controllers. They are the best sounding headphones for games that I have ever owned. The noise cancellation is definitely better than the Pro 1 and the overall sound quality is better as well. Is it $300 more than the Pros better, maybe not but, I have been satisfied with them over the years.

Hopefully I upgrade from Pro 1 to 2 for Christmas. 🤞

Anything made by Apple will work best. AirPods Max and Pro work great for me. I had a pair of Sonys I returned after a couple of days, the set up is a pain, especially if you’re connecting to other devices with them. I don’t need that drama. They did sound way better than anything made by Apple Been frustrated with Bluetooth for 20 years or so and having all my Apple things talk nicely and sync without going into settings all the time.

Do you have experience with the first gen? I own them, but the ANC stopped working after I accidentally put them in the laundry. 😅 I’m curious how better they are.

I have a set of Airpod Pros (1st Gen) that I love. I also have a set of Echo Buds that work pretty solidly too. Though I think the ANC is better on the Echo Buds, but that may have been improved in the later versions of the Airpod Pros.

I had the older AirPods Pro. The Pi8 have more amplification of the surroundings, but the AirPod pros felt more natural if that makes sense.

I’m the same configuration, XM3 and APPro. I use the AirPods for going to stores, walking, etc. if I’m at my desk and don’t want to be distracted or doing critical listening - I prefer the Sonys. The WF series and most Sony buds hurt my ears regardless of tip type. The AirPods Pro are a perfect fit for my ears.

Yes, I use my AirPod Pros with my Samsung phone. However you do lose out on being able to configure their settings and you can't see their battery life without using 3rd party apps which are kind of meh.

I know they’re expensive but airpods pro are just amazing. I don’t even think they’re overpriced. The noise cancelling is very good, battery life is good, sound is good, you can track them if you have an iphone, they fit well. If you’re not someone who loses their airbuds and have €270 budget, I recommend apple airpods pro

I've used many earbuds from past few years including apple airpods pro and samsung. Airpods pro were the one which hurted my part (helicis crus) the most. I'm thinking of getting nothing ear (2024) as I've heard positive reviews about it. If anyone has any recommendation as earbuds for my issue that would be very helpful. Thanks in advance:)

Hard disagree, I’ve got these and have really small ears that are sensitive and they start hurting me pretty quickly.

Same! I have both. AirPods Pro is great for work, hand free calls, and light chores. Beats Fit Pro is for activity. The ear tip/wing doesn’t it for me.

I used to use airpod pro 1st gen on my Galaxy S20 without any issues. You might miss out on some features - worth looking up.

I have Powerbeats 2 & 3, beat fit pro, Powerbeats pro (x2), AirPod Pro 1 & 2 and an old pair of beat solo 2 I’ve spent my fair share and this doesn’t count all the versions I have given as gifts. Just got the Powerbeats Pro2 yesterday (as a gift) and as I sit here typing this I’m also thinking how can I tell my gf that they suck and I want to return and just get another pair of AirPod Pro2. It’s funny Apple states same chip but yet PBP2 have less features than AirPod Pro2. Isn’t hearing loss still important? And I’m sorry but as weird as this sounds the AirPod pro2 sounds better. The shape is not great either. The first gen fit great shape wise. They seemed to lock into the shape of my ear and they stayed put. These don’t move around (yet) but they feel loose and for some reason when playing a song they keep stopping. I’ve triple checked and my phone screen is facing outward. A quick press of the button and song picks up where it stopped but three times while playing one song. Again phone in loose shorts side pocket screen outward. I looked forward to these because I liked the thought of the heart sensor built in but very disappointed.

Yeah there are some downsides to it of course. And everyone’s audio equipment needs are different. They’re just a safe bet overall, so easy to recommend at that budget level. I’ve dropped mine probably 50 times and they still work great. My AirPod Pro 1s lasted 4 years before I finally just wanted to try the Gen 2 Pros. They really do last. And they fit just about anyone’s use case well.

Airpods pro. Currently saving up for the 2nd gen after killing the 1st gen ones. Don't grind metal with the case in your shirt pocket, kids.

i like the product nothing comes close for quality and handling bose qc u and sony xm5 and sennheiser m4 are toys comparedto it but i cannot even walk in them i hear my own footsteps bumping back when perdorming calls and going around yes-with transp mode anyone else experiencing the same? with re pro2 vs max anc for cutting out voices is weak on the pro vs the max or for ex compared to bose qc u earbud but-you can still have a call with airpodspro with anc on and your voice comes in well with the max you nees to go transparency but than office talks and kids while at home offices is not reduced with anc on the max i cannot bear talking

This is marketing and brand reach doing what it does best. There are plenty of brands doing great things in the market that aren't getting a lot of attention. JLAB's Epic Lab earbuds were fantastic; JBL, Moondrop, Nothing Ear, SoundPeats, numerous other brands tested very well against the top of my list, which consisted of the Denon Perl Pro, Technics AZ80, Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 4, Sony XM5, AirPods Pro, B&W Pi7 S2 and Pi8. I have the AZ100s on the way, and I'm sure they'll occupy one of those top spots. It's important to note, however, that many of these brands do not need to push as many units to remain successful. At the economies of scale companies like Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose are operating at, the investment into their production, distribution, customer service, and operations pipelines is immense. They are likely expecting to sell tens of thousands of units, to the thousands that other brands need to turn a profit. And while you may see those more prolific brands everywhere, don't forget the communities of people on social media platforms that regularly market and recommend the opposing brands. They're not as common, but that's to be expected and will remain that way by nature. In other words, while the popular brands may be ubiquitous, that is by design. It doesn't mean opposing manufacturers are on a downward trajectory. This was the assumption when Jabra cancelled its TWS ANC lineup, and that may have been part of the decision, but Jabra had other, more profitable interests and chose to constrain their business goals around those interests because there was more opportunity there. As someone that's tested dozens of ANC earbuds (and has a wide ranging collection of dedicated, wired IEMs), I have very few biases when it comes to competing brands. If it works well, I'll use the thing. I have no qualms recommending a pair of Soundcore VR P10s, right alongside top-tier TWS sets if I think it fits the individual's use case. Recently, I took a long flight overseas and left all the other major TWS brands behind and took a cheap pair of PortaPros and a $20 pair of Aliexpress stem-style earbuds with me. Everyone else on the plane was wearing AirPods.

Sound: Sennheiser's Momentum lineup, Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ80/AZ100, and B&W Pi8, in that order (taking into account Sound Personalization and AAT are being used). Everything else on the market, from the typical brands, falls below that line -- APP2, XM5, Bose QC Ultra, etc. Longevity, having tested dozens of these sets, the AirPods Pros are likely to outlast most of the other brands (my first and second gens are still charging well without any discernible issues). I've had battery and charging issues with the XM4s and XM5s, Sennheiser's MTW3 (MTW4 hasn't been on the market long enough to know whether there are any battery longevity issues); Denon is already showing serious battery degradation issues; Technics are in the charging issue camp as well (one or both earbuds often do not charge and need to be reseated often, similar to the Sony's); Pi8 has intermittent connectivity issues. The list goes on. There are outliers like the JLAB Epic Lab Edition, which have excellent battery life and seem to hold up well over time. Surprisingly, these are some of the best sounding and longest lasting buds on the market, for sometimes half the price of competitors. It can't compete with the top brands on tuning, but it gets damn close for the price. At some point, chasing sound quality (and longevity) begs the question, should you just sacrifice wireless connectivity and choose a traditional IEM? Despite owning most of the current premium earbud lineup, I find myself recommending and often daily driving the Epic Labs -- just due to the convenience of the battery life alone. And if that battery starts to degrade, there's enough overhead where I could still potentially get a good amount of time out of them before the issues are untenable.

Apple AirPods Pro are near the bottom of my list for sound quality. Their value is in feature set and ecosystem integration. It no longer owns the top spot in ANC, which goes to the Bose QC Ultra. If you want the best earbuds for sound quality and balance of features, Denon Perl Pro with AAT, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 with Sound Personalization, Technics AZ100, Technics AZ80, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Pi7 S2, and the Sony WF-1000XM5. In that order. If you need a cheaper option, the JLab Epic Lab Edition is a great “budget” option. I don’t own the JBL sets, but I’ve heard good things. Which buds you choose should be based on personal preference. If I preferred a more neutral tuning, the Pi8 would probably be higher on my list. I prefer JM-1 or V-shaped tunings, with strong low frequency emphasis, and bright, clear treble. The best overall performer if you places ANC and sound quality on the same scale would be either the AZ100 or MTW4. Both have solid ANC, with the AZ100 coming out ahead, but the MTW4 beating the Technics in tuning due to the AZ100s strange upper mid/treble timbre. Anything below the JLab, you’d need to reassess your expectations. Some sets have decent enough sound quality, but below a certain budget you’d might as well shoot for a dedicated IEM and something like a Qudelix 5k for your wireless connection.

They’re surprisingly uncomfortable for an Apple product and the price point they’re sold at. I’d wait for a gen 2, especially now. AirPods Pro all the way though!

I love noise cancelling. I just hate them on earbuds. Somehow they give a very strange and discomforting feeling. Feels like I'm submerged. Using AirPods Pro 1 primarily. Perhaps they've improved upon it.

My App1 are degrading bad. As of recently, they die when they still have 30% charge. I want to stick out until the app3. Unsure when that will come considering no update in the last keynote. Maybe that's only a sign the app3 will come more quickly. However, there is little to improve I believe.. Oh well. Well see.

This I have a pair of AirPod pros that lived through INTENSE use for years and even got chewed on by my dog and dropped in a turtle tank and still worked for over 5 years since launch. They are only finally starting to kick the bucket because I work in manual labor and have beaten them to hell. Pros if treated well will last a long time

I wear an older version of the Beats Powerbeats Pro for a couple of reasons. First, they are sweat resistant which is a huge plus if you get sweaty when you run/workout like I do. Also, they do not fall out like my AirPods Pro have when I worked out with them. They are totally secure.

Because Pros don’t stay in my fucking ear. Tried everything. Even the Airpods 3 didnt stay in my ear

If you’re an iPhone user, AirPods Pro. That’s it.

I keep hearing how great the sound quality is on the Sony xm5 but I have also read that if you have smaller ears that they are uncomfortable due to their size. Can anyone comment on this? With my Apple AirPod pro first gen I have to use the size small tips otherwise they are uncomfortable, do the Sony ones come with multiple size tips to choose from in the box?

I’ve been just using my AirPods Pro and they’ve been great

I haven’t noticed any

Pro 2, no contest. I’ve tried others. No contest. Way better than every other AirPods and WAY better than Pro 1.

I get a reaction to the plastic of the Pros that causes an infection since they extend into the more sensitive skin in the ear cannel. It is not the tips, but the hard plastic. I had a lot of ear problems till I figured it out. Even experimented some with new tips and even without tips. I don't have any issues with the standard models.

During the summer months I drive a semi truck where the 53’ long trailer is a commercial grade kitchen that serves ~200 people on tour 4 meals per day for a non-profit youth organization (Drum Corps International / DCI). Anyway, I’m the type who can’t handle a rattle in my own car, so you can imagine my tension with the incredible amount of rattles that happen in the cab of a semi truck. I have two sets of Apple AirPods Pro’s that I alternate between so I have a pair in my ears while the other pair is charging, etc. and the amount of rattles and noise that it mutes to a level that I can handle is priceless. If you’re under the impression that ANC is just “White Noise” to help overpower the sounds around you, then that is a misnomer. It plays an inverse amplitude that it detects from the microphones on the outside of the earpiece and compares it against the sound detected by the microphones on the inside where your ears, and constantly targets the opposite sine of the wavelength to Automatically Cancel the Noise, aka: ANC Out of my own curiosity I’ve played around with stacking a full-cover headphones 🎧 with ANC on top of the AirPods with ANC active, and boy that works really well. It gave me the sensation that my ears had been disconnected and my brain wasn’t picking up any signal at all. But just the AirPods with ANC active are amazing for sound like the hum of a machine or road noise or an air purifier fan running. The sounds are reduced by quite a lot. I’d say about 3/4 of it just vanishes. I use mine in silence far more than to listen to music with them.

AirPods Pro have served me well. Music sounds great and they stay in. Wear all year round (today under a really warm hat as it’s 0F here). Thought about Shokz but reviews suggest the audio is very disappointing compared to the AirPods Pro so I’ll stick with these.

My AirPod pro are amazing for running. Been using for 4.5 years and love them.

I love my AirPods Pro. Tried Shokz at a running expo because the concept was interesting and they were so inferior compared to AirPods.

Sorry this is an old thread, but this convinced me not to upgrade my Pro Gen 1’s, which actually replaced my dying AirPod Pro Gen 1’s for gym/productivity. I guess I might just look back into other IEM’s like Kiwi’s Orchestra Lites.

I like them well enough, price for price I prefer the AirPods Pro but I got a good deal on these and they are fine. I find they have a weird ANC pop/breakthrough during pressure pulses like on a train or very loud things like a leaf shredder, something the AirPods Pro never do, but they are good enough for quiet sit-down stuff.

I absolutely hate the silicone tips on my pros. I bought comply tips and they are heaps better. But I still just prefer the fit and feel of regular AirPods. It’s my ear canals they are weird. So narrow and nothing ever fits properly. I hate it.

Regrettably had to switch to OTE because I developed an inner ear rash from prolonged use of my AirPods Pro’s. Now all in-ear headphones give me an issue to some degree. I really miss the size difference because it stinks to lug around full headphones.

Airpods pro. I’ve looked around specifically for mic quality and Apple always uses good mics, even in their wired buds.

Honestly, the AirPod Pros work amazingly well on a plane. I have a pair of the Bose quiet comfort but I don't bring them any more because they are so bulky for very little gain compared to the AirPods.

I use the first gen Pros - Work fine. I use the Pro 2s otherwise and both would be fine

Yes, this! I’d bought AirPod pros for a different reason but the ANC is fantastic for planes and shorter trips where taking my over ears are just too much.

Never use any AirPods that didn't have the eartips, so those are the AirPods pros, but I love that the ear tips exist. The ones without the ear tips honestly don't even fit in my ears properly. I'd say as an upgrade to your existing AirPods the Pro 2 are definitely a great upgrade.

Ive been using airpod pros for way too long Tryna change things up

How is this an engineering miracle? I've had ANC earbuds for a decade (Bose QC15 and AirPods Pro 1&2). And noise canceling does nothing without a proper seal to provide some sound isolation to begin with.

I run with AirPod pros 1st gen and it’s the best experience I’ve ever had. Sometimes with a winter hat on I need to readjust them from time to time but nothing major.

I think ear fit would be the deciding factor here. The base AirPods fall out of my ears. I can't use them. The Pros with the tips, I slip in the Comply Foam ones, seals up nicely and stay in 99% of the time.

I’ve had Shokz but the sound quality is no where near normal earphones. My AirPods Pro only last three hours now, and have fallen out a couple of times in the wet, so I recently got the Beats Fit Pro and it ticks all the boxes so far (although sometimes in the wind the music pauses for a split second)

The pros have, what I like to term, a very 'invasive' ear fit. Having silicone tips that need to be pressed into your ear canal is a sensation many people really aren't a fan of, myself included. Among other things I personally find the pressure build-up over time to be pretty uncomfortable. Additionally if I truly want a noise cancelling experience I use my over-ear headphones. In no realistic setting would I ever have preferred having the pros, over my standard AirPods or over-ears.

Airpod Pros with [these aftermarket foam tips](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088KQKYSC?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1) are by a huge margin the best running headphones I have ever used. I actually can't believe how seamlessly well they work, every day, without fail. I have tried other bluetooth ear buds (fall out of your ears and always have connectivity issues), I have tried shokz (they look dorky and music sounds like shit), I remember the days of wired headphones. Airpod Pros are the best.

Air Pod pros with [these aftermarket foam tips.](https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/pop?orderId=112-0750548-2524251&shipmentId=BWhTgcDfw&lineItemId=jhsoowqppjowtops&packageId=1&asin=B088KQKYSC&ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_mob_b_pop_2) are crazy good running earbuds. Genuinely grab and go, work great, never have to think about them.

Apple gets a bad rep sometimes but their AirPods Pro are legit. I’ve had my pair since 2021 and the battery life is solid and they are super resilient. I don’t think I would like that as much without an iPhone and I wouldn’t recommend the base model.

Airpods pro or Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4. Airpods pro is a safe choice, while Sennheiser may have slightly better audio quality on your laptop. if you're feeling adventurous, translate and read this page: [https://kajetblog.com/sound-quality-ranking-2024/](https://kajetblog.com/sound-quality-ranking-2024/)

The Bose QC Ultra blows the Airpod Pros out of the water Both in terms of sound quality and noise canceling I like it's version of a pause button better as well - it's almost the same thing but you don't need two fingers to do it

For those saying they don’t like the tips…why not just remove the tips. I have AirPods gen 1, AirPod Pro gen 1, AirPod Pro gen 2. I frequently just take the tips off if i am on long calls and they feel just like the pods without the tips. Still sound great, and still have the pro features. Just does not cancel noise out as much without the tips. Guessing airpod 4 also will not cancel out as much due to not being a sealed system.

When I travel I prefer small headphones (in ears) , I have used the two generations of AirPods Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM4. I am a user of Apple and its ecosystem, but I found the Sony’s to be excellent. Plus the 4 would now fit your price since they were replaced by the 5 and are now well priced. If you prefer a headset model WH-1000XM4 could be perfect, in my opinion sound better than the new WH-1000XM5 Tell you that on planes I have used even without music, in silence. And the engine noise disappears. A miracle

I've been using these since Christmas! I love them. They replace my headset for all use cases on my PC except for competitive games. Games sound great, videos sound great, music quality is great, but spatial noise is not. So, anytime I'm playing Valorant I put my Arctis nova 7 headset on, otherwise I use these. For literally everything except for competitive games, these are my go-to over my headset. I don't know much about the microphone, however, because I always use a standalone mic.  Great device. I have AirPods as well and I generally use my Arctis gamebuds when home, and AirPods when I'm out. No particular reason, it just feels right that my gamebuds stay at my desk. The battery life is awesome with the gamebuds as well. The gamebuds sound just as good as my AirPods Pro (maybe better?), and last 4x longer. The case for the gamebuds is a bit big compared to the AirPods, but again, the gamebuds and their case stay at my desk all day so that's not a factor for me.

tiny electronics with tiny batteries are basically consumables. far from BIFL. try a sub for headphones or the like for better guidance. personally, i have a pair of Airpods and rec getting the $30 AppleCare because they will almost certainly develop issues within the two year warranty period. i just had mine replaced with refurbished ones and hope they last another couple years. if you complain enough to AppleCare, they will replace them.

Sounds - Sennheisser Longevity- Sony Best overall- Apple AirPod pros.

AirPods (2nd Gen) Fantastic for general use. My 1st Gen AirPods Pros used to be great but became defective and are now only saved for flights so the plain AirPods go everywhere instead

I use AirPods Pros and they fit in my ears well. They come with XS tips. Someone else here said they have small and sensitive ears and they hurt for them, I have the same type of ears and no issues for me. I wear them literally all the time, sometimes while sleeping too and they’re perfect for me. I genuinely couldn’t live without them lol. It very much can depend on the person though, I hope you find some that work for you!

I’ll just wait for the new pros. Still rocking my original pros since release.

There's a significant difference between the XM5 and AirPods Pro 1 (haven't tried the 2) regarding microphone quality as well, if OP cares about that. At least that's the feedback I get when I'm in meetings and making calls from noisy locations.

I’ve only used mine for phone calls twice. The experience was not as seamless as with my Apple AirPods Pro. I forget the reason, but there might have been a delay in either the outgoing or incoming conversation.

Between my wife and I, we have Airpods Pro, Perl Pros, Status Audio, Bose QuietComfort, and Sony XM4 earbuds. All of them are good at SOMETHING it just depends on what priorities are. My favorite ones for travel are the Sony (Bose for my wife) -- their ANC seems to work the best. Airpod Pro are great for general usage, features, usability, but ANC isn't as good IMO. My daily drivers are the Denon Perl Pro which I got for half price as a trade show special. Incredible sound quality, decent ANC (But worse passthrough than others).

I use them as well but the sound quality is so bad when streaming on my AirPod pro …

I impulsively got airpods, the Pulse look really good though and I really regret my decision now but only have 2 usb ports on laptop and I use them often.

Haha I’ve been looking at Airpods so more reason to buy.

Damn, got impulsive and went and got the Pro’s after everyone’s comments. Don’t want to wait around and I took It as a sign to consume… Or Apple is commenting on my posts under fake accounts and manipulating me to purchase their product. Those headphones were more expensive than the Pro’s at my local store so you got a good deal for $100!

So glad you left AirPods Pro off the list! I have tried 98 different pairs of earbuds and I would pick all of them over the APP.

I have 1st gen AirPods and purchased the 1st gen pro AirPods for noise cancellation on planes and for exercising but I found the silicon slipped out of my ears during exercise no matter which size i tried. I’ve gone back to 1st gen AirPods for exercise and use Sony over ear WH 1000XM4 for plane travel… I’ll be keen to try the AirPods 4 with ANC for exercise now that they do without the silicon ear pieces…

I'm on my second pair. Pixels and now airpod pros. The airpods have better ANC, but the pixels batteries last longer. If you also get some ANC over ears you can combine them and it's lovely.

I use airPods Pro and BTE HAs at the same time. I stream to my airpods and hear with my hearing aids. It works quite well.

No problem. The HA is behind my ear and the airPods fit in my ear over the dome. It works fine.

I use my AirPods Pro for all running and biking without issue. I do use a radar on my bike to help pay attention but transparency works well.

My AirPods Pro are mostly fine, but have fallen out once or twice. I used to own some PowerBeats Pro, and those are the most secure ones that I've ever owned (although I think Apple has stopped manufacturing them?). Shokz will get a lot of votes here as well. I don't like them myself - I find don't care for the sound quality. But they are a great choice if sound quality is not a primary concern.

Everybody has different ears, sizes so it’s a personal preference thing. I got the pros since I had a lot of buds before and they would simply fall out. These hold a grip hopefully.

So far I’ve tried AirPod pros which just hurt my inner ear so switched to studio beats which fit perfectly but don’t sound great especially with heavier metal n rock music as it jus sorta becomes muddy regardless of how I adjust the EQ. This is for everyday use with Samsung phone, Mac n iPad, also needs a decent enough ipx rating as I live in Scotland where it rains 99% of the time.

AirPods sound amazing, don't listen to these people saying they sound "decent", they're one of the best sounding headphones for the price, I have the sennheiser momentum 4 and yes they are better but I keep coming back to the AirPods Pro because they are one of the best small form factor headphones

The tips are removable on the pros. Just get the pros.

They look slightly different cuz there’s a black part where the tips snap on but they function the same. I’d get the pros, plus people sell custom tips if you wanna explore other options

I’m by no means an expert in audio or an expert in running, but I’ve never had any issues with my AirPod pros.

I bought the AirPods Pro (Gen 1) a while back and had to send them back after a few days of use: for some reason, they were unbearable and hurt my ears. Even though I've used tons of in-ears with silicon tips, including IEMs, etc. For a pair of earphones that costs 200 bucks, they were quite disappointing, so I would understand people going for the more "traditional" shape of the non-Pro AirPods.

Honestly had I stuck with them the pain would have probably gone away, but I couldn’t be bothered (mainly due to the price & the fact that I was worried about my ears). 

I have the airpods pro and want to ditch. Everyone says they cant hear me on a call

My AirPod pros hurt my ears so bad. Not the silicone part, but the plastic part digs into my ear and makes it SO sore.

The ear detection feature isn't that important tho. Especially on the Pixel 9 Pro my Airpods Pro 1st gen work perfectly fine and even resync by themselves once in a while. (Didn't work properly with my Huawei before)

Well, there are a few apps (like Andropods) that have reverse engineered it and so it should be working fine. (Not sure about battery usage tho). I myself thought it would be an issue, but it's not if you use the buttons on the airpods before taking them out

No haha. I've tried XM5s and Samsung's buds pro 3s and prefer the airpod pro gen 1s, so I assume the 2s are slightly better. I felt the same way as you, but regret it. I'm on android fwiw.

I vouch for Airpods and Airpods Pro

I vouch for Airpods and Airpods Pro

AirPods Pro for the seamless integration and handoff between other Apple devices. Could go from iPhone to iPad to Apple Watch to my Mac without a problem. The audio is good as well, if this is just for everyday use.

Because the Pros are better, and these shits are for a niche set of users. They slip out of the ear like nothing.

Yeah agreed. I do not like them at all. They are terrible. I don’t even like in ear buds but my Pros fit better than the Gen 3s

Not you’re offended by a “bad word” lol. All I’m saying is that Apple is a company that calls adding a camera button to the side of a phone “revolutionary”. I take what they say at events with a grain of salt and you should too. The Gen 4s are the same form as the Gen 3s. It was said numerous times amongst users. They don’t fit me. It’s cool. I use the Pros and like them better.

AirPod Pro. I do it every week. Never an issue

The day I bought AirPod Pros, I sold my over ear Bose Quiet Comforts. And I’ve never looked bag… especially since I love minimal travel, I would never go back to carrying huge over ears. I also think AirPod Pros are a million times more comfortable so it’s a no brainer for me.

i have been rocking them since there release however I have always had terrible experience with the microphone, sound quality is good for ear buds for sure but nothing out of the world, a 60$ noise cancelling over the ear headphone easily outperforms airpods, but can not give you the portability and the apple experience.

yeah that’s been my experience :), i wont generalize though, but i am also a headphones enthusiast with like 6 pairs of headphones for different occasions and purposes

The volume adjustment is limited to the Pro models since it has a capacitive slider (think the Camera Capture on the iPhone 16).

I’ve been using AirPods (both Pro and Max) with Teams for years without issues. Both on a MacBook Pro and on a company HP.

Air pods pros are your choice if you want a Bluetooth, with a good use for everything, if it's within your price range. Although I hate apple I must admit this.

I cried tears of joy when I put air pod pros in for the first time if that tells you anything!! 🥹

AirPods Pro for commuting/out and about and Sennheiser 650s when I’m at my workstation.

so since i get wet earwax should i go with the 4 instead of the pros? i had the pros before and yes it would slip right out of my ear and it would feel wet afterwards. i have never used the airpods 4 before. i do have a pair of beats solo buds and its literally so perfect! which airpods would be most similar to the beats solo buds in shape and size?

I use Airpods Pros with the transparency setting on. I also use the Garmin Varia to alert me of cars, which is still audible with the Airpods in.

I have the bose ultra open earbuds and love them for the design, ease of use and sound quality. I had previously used beats powerbeats pro, samsung earbuds fe and airpods pro and realized running isolated with noise cancelling has a lot of risks but there is nothing better than the bose in the market that lets you be sound aware as well as enjoy the music. Got good deal during BF so that helped

As someone who has killed many pairs of headphones. I have now switched to Shokz. Power beat pro worked for me in the past ( until I forget them on an airplane 🙃) I recommend staying away from AirPod pro’s. I’ve killed pairs with my sweat!

Air pod pro. When my ears sweat a lot they do tend to slip but I wear a headband over my ears and it holds them in place.

AirPods Pro and AirPods Max for casual listening. I used to use Shure SE215s for earbuds but the convenience of Apple stuff is just so nice and they do sound nice.

maybe it is for me because the Pulses literally are for playing Playstation games solo, I use AirPods (Pro and Max) for regular listening. I don't even play multiplayer w/ voice on PS5. I have the money but it does seem egregious still.

I had to move to small tips and seems better. Huge improvement over original, those were so uncomfortable. I used it yesterday with phone and pixel tablet and switching worked decently but handoff not the best. Can manually tap notification. To me airpods pro still more comfortable. Idk left ear usually feels off for me. It's better than galaxy buds 2 pro

I don’t see how having an android disqualifies the AirPod Pros. They’re the best in general for any device unless there’s some specific feature you’re looking for.

I did test a lot of in-ears. Here is my findings: AirPods Pro are kings for phone calls. Sennheiser Momentum are really great all-around. Like, they are pushing really high in each category Bose for noice cancelation MontBlanc if you want the most amazing sound (nothing else gets even close to them, imo). I ended up with MTB, even though they lack in many other areas. Otherwise I cant say anything bad about sennheisers, such a complete product

AirPod pros. Ran with them in Chicago and Berlin last year without a problem (~5hr marathon time). I use them for podcasts/music and to tell me my pace / current distance (I train in km so seeing mile markers is confusing and I don’t have a gps watch). I wear a running vest to carry gels, Kleenex, and an inhaler so I just pop the case inside. Tons of people around me were wearing headphones.

The audio quality is mediocre, at best, but Shokz work well for races so you can hear the other runners. I also find them safer for road running compared to my AirPods Pro in transparency mode. But I only use mine while running. The audio quality isn't close to what you get with even basic AirPods for normal use.

Not saying you’re wrong or anything but typically the noise isolation part is very important in noise cancellation. Without a seal of some sort, the outside noise will bleed around the earbuds, so even when the headphones are essentially playing an opposite noise in the earbud in order to cancel the background noise, some background noise will still get though. Now you can probably over compensate with a higher volume but that’s not ideal, nor healthy. All of this being said, I HOPE these work pretty well. I personally find the AirPod Pros uncomfortable for long periods and my ear shape just doesn’t let them stay in very well. But I have a feeling the performance on these is going to vary significantly by ear shape. I’d imagine if they are comfortable they will probably work well, if not they probably wont. Just a guess.

Airpod pros, Ive had the airpods and they would fall out, never had an issue with the pros and the rubber seal.

I have owned AirPods 2, Pro and Pro 2. The Pro 2 blew every other pair of earbuds out of the water. The ANC alone is so good it’s kinda crazy. In terms of comfort, I prefer the structure of the Pros to the regulars but that’s just me and can vary. But if audio quality or ANC are major factors for you, it should be a no-brainer to pick the Pro 2. One tiny thing - I’ve heard rumors that Pro 3 might be coming out sometime this year.

I hate the gummy thing the AirPods Pro use. It makes me want to puke.

I wanted to love the Bose QC Ultra earbuds but didn’t. Can’t get a proper fit; couldn’t get the seal to stay on no matter which combo eartip and stabilizer I used. The earbuds also shift in my ears until they fall out. Same thing happened with AirPods Pro but not having a problem with AirPods 4 with ANC. ANC on AirPods 4 is no where near Bose earbuds or AirPods Pro but I guess earbuds with eartips aren’t for me.

I own several pairs for different activities. BOSE Quiet Comfort: Air / train / bus travel, focus and quiet times, phone calls, music, podcasts. BEATS by Dre Studio Pro: Gym workouts, outdoor exercise, yard work, occasional phone call, music. Loudest of all my headphones. Apple Air Pod Pro: Podcasts, phone calls, music, shopping or when I don’t want to wear over the ear headphones and want something light.

Not sure if it’s just me, but my AirPods Pro right earbud always tends to fall out during pressing movements on the bench, like dumbbell chest presses or skull crushers. Planning to upgrade to over-ear headphones.

My boyfriend used to get on me for “still” using wired earbuds (“WHY do you use those!?!” / “I’m gonna buy you Bluetooth earbuds!” Etc.) Despite mentioning it a million times, eventually I had to bust out the AirPod Pro’s I have in my nightstand to prove to him I *do* have wireless earbuds, I just *don’t* like them as much. Lmao like it’s just a preference

I have/had several earbuds with silicon or foam tips: AirPods Pro 1&2, various Galaxy Buds, Pixel Buds Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM5. Some of theses are fantastic (especially the Sony XM5). But they all fall out and bother my ear canal. I've tried different sizes tips, Comply and other 3rd party tips nothing works. I wanted higher quality sound, but the AirPods 1 and 2 are the only ones that fit, didn't fall out and bother me. I never tried the AirPods 3, I'll try the 4s and hopefully they work like generations 1/2 did.

I bought myself Bluetooth adapter to pair with my AirPods Pro. Best investment I’ve ever made. Made a whole lot easier to put on and take of the headset without the earbuds in your ear. Not to mention sounds so much better with the AirPods Pro.

APP has been my daily for years. I’m on Sony XM5 earbuds right now to evaluate. They have slightly better sound quality and battery life, but slightly worse everything else. I give APP the slight edge over the XM5 in ANC and in mic quality for calls. And APP has the significant edge in connectivity (pairing with iPhone/macbook), and in comfort. I’ll go back to APP as soon as the APP3 drops later this year.

I have the Shocks with the band and AirPods Pro. I use both. I prefer the AirPods with noise cancellation if I’m running at the gym, and I use the shockz for outdoor runs for safety. I personally don’t notice the band on them at all when I’m running.

AirPod Pros just for the convenience’s sake… They also sound decent though…

I use Airpod Pros, which I bought for Atmos mixing, and they're fine. The noise cancellation stuff is pretty wierd but otherwise they're fine. For more critical listening I use a pair of Master and Dynamic wired headphones.

AirPod pros work fine for me. I’ve never had them fall out. Battery life is decent and you can carry the case with you for more charge

I use the AirPod pros that Apple makes. Their noise cancelling is amazing. I imagine AirPods Pro 2 would be even better. Honestly, these make being in a crowded environment so much easier

I have Airpod Pros, and Bose QC Ultras which are headphones. They both have their perks. First off if your an iphone user airpods are a no brainer for every day use. Airpods are great for numbing the sound of traffic or an airplane. They aren't perfect but they do the trick for most cases. The battery on the AirPods are pretty good, they will last for 3-4 hours with noise cancellation on. And you get the charging case that charges them up pretty quick. The QC Ultras are a bit of a beast. I wear them cutting my lawn and they drown out the lawnmower sound with no issues. If they weren't so bulky they would be a great everyday headphone. The battery in the ultras is vary good too. Never have an issue with them dying while using them on full noise cancelation for the day. When they do die there is no fast solution for charging like the AirPods unfortunately. Those are my top two picks. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but they work well as a combo!

The Max have amazing sound quality and have really good noise cancelation I have them and they're more harder to take care of and the mesh starts becoming more loose if you use them in the sun and wouldn't be recommended to using for exercise. The Pro's are better if you like portability or using one earphone only or like taking them outside and using to exercise the sound is good on them too and have good noise cancelation and are under half the price.

no, they’re 2 different products for 2 different purposes. i use APP2 at work and in public, they’re discrete and portable, and the adaptive is better tbh. i also live in an area where the Max would be snatched right off my head 😭 pods stay hidden under my hair. though i’ll occasionally wear them out if i’m with my boyfriend, never by myself. i also find the microphone to be better than the Max’s mic, so i’ll switch them out and use Pros for a phone call at home. i have the USB-C Max, they’re my house headphones. they’re the only ones i’ve found that don’t crush my piercings! helix, industrial, conch hoop, tragus.. as soon as i tried my friends pair on i added to cart. i put them on as soon as i get home from work to just calm down. i get overstimulated very easily especially from my job. the noise cancellation is top tier, and i live in a cheap apartment complex with the typical cheap apartment neighborhood sounds, so this is very important. i also get a lot more tasks done that i need to, it helps with focus especially on weekends. the battery life is AMAZING. i can wear them for hours and hours.

I have had AirPods Pro's but sold them because I switched back to Android and all iPhone users around me would get a notification lol. I'm telling you, if I knew about the earfuns before purchasing the AirPods Pro, I would've definitely saved myself €200, the AirPods are better, yes, but not 5x better so I would happily choose the Earfun Air Pro 4 over any €100+ earbuds. I got mine for just €52,79

I stared traveling extensively in 2000 and AA had Bose in first class on international flights. I bought some and never looked back. I have had 4 pairs since then. I now carry my Bose Quiet Comfort and my Air Pods Pro and travel weekly for work and I do t check a bag. A month ago I tried to get by with just my AirPods Pro and that was a huge mistake. They started hurting my ears after 2 hours. Now I never leave home without them. The Bose Quiet Comfort fold into a pretty small case. You will not be disappointed.

I use both AirPod Pros and Bose QC, I can’t wear the AirPods too long as they start to hurt my ears. The Bose I can wear for hours with no issue.

I bought mine on November 2020, so almost 4 years now. It's showing its age, but it's still going. I thought battery would be fucked by now, but it's actually pretty good. I don't use it a lot, but the times i pick them up and it's dead are rare. The only issue is that the few times that I dropped them seems to have affected them. Every time I use ANC or Transparency, I hear a faint rattling sound inside the buds, like something is loose. So at this point I just use ANC/Transparency if I know I'm going to be completely still.

I just use my AirPods Pro and they’re pretty sweet

AirPod max or AirPods Pro , sometimes the wired Apple OG ones too if I’m going to or from work since I use them for work too

Unfortunately, I am this exact market. I owned multiple iterations of AirPods and love them. When the AirPods Pro came out. I jumped on them right away, but quickly found out something about my ear Anatomy does not work with in-ear headphones, even sitting completely still at a desk they would routinely fall out. It felt like every 30 seconds to a minute I was pushing them back in my ear to seal them. This quickly got annoying and I went back to normal Airpods (Giving my pros to my wife who doesn’t seem to have this problem) but I did miss the ANC feature especially working in a data center occasionally. Even though I’m fully aware the ANC capabilities will never match the Pros since these are open ear, just having something is better than nothing and I’m pumped to get these.

100% agree for long runs. Every time I use my AirPods Pro I regret it. I just got the Open Run 2s and they are night and day better than the previous version.

Airpods Pro. (They connect better than they do on my iPhone 😅)

I have AirPods Pro and am quite happy with them.

Having used Sony for ANC for the past 5 years I just got AirPods Pro and I think the ANC is poor in comparison. I’d suggest any of the Sony xm series. The connectivity is okay with the iPhone. The only downside is Apple doesn’t support LDAC which is a big shame because the Sonys are superb on any other device. Sound quality still surpasses AirPods even without ldac though. I have both. The AirPods for ease of use - their functionality just works seamlessly with iPhone (obviously) and they are very versatile - good for everything. Sony for higher quality audio and for travelling on plane or train.

I have both 😆 They are both great but the AirPods are better for the gym and audiobooks and phonecalls and just general versatility and functionality. The Sony I much prefer for travelling

I use AirPods Pro

Airpods Pro don't work well for riding. They get dislodged when putting the helmet on, they get stuck when taking it off, and the wind noise overwhelms the ANC so they end up not doing a very good job of hearing protection and whatever you're listening to sounds like shit. I love my airpods pro for almost everything else. But not for riding.

I could never make the AirPods work for me in the gym as they were constantly slipping. I have been using the AirPods Pro in the gym and they are perfect. Never once had them slip out or cause a problem.

AirPods Pro are the only ones that work with my dumb cauliflower ears. I only use one at a time. Not being able to hear freaks me out.

I prefer just one. I’m always listening to an audiobook anyway. I don’t need great sound or stereo.

Those things fall out of my ears in 10 seconds. Years of grappling and boxing got my ears pretty hammered.

I have Anker Soundcore Space One and Airpod Pros which both have excellent noise cancellation and audio quality. However the over-ear headphones fall off when doing bench or skullscrushers so I usually only use the Soundcores on leg day.

Another vote for AirPods Pro!

I use my AirPod pros to block out sound but not listen to any music or anything. Why can’t they make earplugs with the same effect? Do they? Why isn’t noise cancelling easy to compare specs between products?

AirPod pro with noise cancelling

Sony warranty is 1 year and the xm5 seem possibly unrepairable earbud batteries. Xm4 i guess has some firmware and pairing issues but maybe have good quality overall. Airpod pros you get two years and can prolly get one replacement swap before that's up, but then they don't let you extend warranty. Sennheiser and bose I haven't been able to find much info on (which are their a tier buds?) Jabra seems to be discontinuing their a tier bud and I can't find info either. Also curious on axil xcor and anything else good with good AnC and possibly memory foam tips, tho im aware those are sometimes available third party like for airpods. Any good insurance companies that will replace burnt out batteries or swap earbuds for reasonable battery wear and tear or even water damage etc. Also I use samsung s23. And airpod pros don't support bluetooth LE which is a bit of a turnoff or the newer audio codecs. But 2 years seems reasonable warranty wise, extending eith insurance would be even better. Doesn't need to be SUPER a tier but cheaper ones I feel have pairing issues

I had airpod pros but they ended up donking out. If you are looking for a good inexpensive alternative. I would look into jbl vibe beams... I have a fold 5, and they sound amazing.

Confused between one plus buds pro and airpods 4th gen, I find air pods pro to be very overpriced here

Too much misinformation. Samsung sound drivers are shit compared to Apple

They do, I used it yesterday only

Agree if you are already in the Apple ecosystem AirPod Pros are just hard to beat. IEM’s don’t really fit me well without custom molds being made so I can’t really use anything that goes in deep into the ear canal. Which is why for the music quality you get to me The AirPods pros are amazing. I will say I also had a lot of success with the Beyerdynamic DT series. They don’t go in that deeply, but sound amazing. The trade-off being obviously they have to be plugged in. So to answer your question, it’s all gonna depend on what your ear canals fit. If you already have an apple phone or device, trying out a pair of AirPod pros would be a good starting point.

AirPod pros… but they cause my ear canals to itch and the sound isn’t and never was that great. 

I use the same tactic. My Pros last 3+ hours and one at a time they’ll last all day.

All buds are basically throwaway products unfortunately, just the base airpods ive seen are always gunked up with earwax which is the cause of the volume decrease in my experience. The AirPods pro's I've had (Both gen 1 and gen 2) were great and long lasting products, they have filters over the eartips so its harder for wax to become an issue too. If that's too much or you want to try another brand, I've moved to OnePlus Buds 3 and Pro 3 and they have been excellent for much less money too

After having tried a LOT of different brands/models, AirPods Pro work perfectly for me

AirPods Pro for traveling or anything when I’m not at home, Audeze LCD-X when I am at home but 95% of the time I listen to music to my control room so… but AirPods Pro/Max are pretty good !

airpod pros. They sound fine. I don't want them to sound "great." I want to accept that the quality if just fine and actually focus on enjoying the music rather than analyzing it. If I'm actually listening for pleasure.

Me too. Probably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made

Oh those, I sold my AirPod pros right away. They’re not AirPod pro sound quality, but they’re still good. Problem with the early stuff is they are REALLY sensitive to all the settings on iPhone and Apple CRANKS everything out of the box. I had to let them update, find and turn off every single feature, redo all my assistive hearing, personalized Spatial Audio, just redo it all from the ground up and slowly turn on the settings that worked for me. They work great now. But it was a pain to get started on them. Good for working out and the ANC is still quite good. Again, not APP2 good, but still plenty for me. They sound awful out of the box, but they update and tweak nicely after a day or two.

Mind you, I’d keep the AirPod pros for sound if it wasn’t for the abysmal fit.

LG Free DT90Q bought them for 80 € and they are somehow better than my Airpods pro

The case is ok, just get used to it, its just a matter of habit. I had all airpods models and buds pro2 and buds 3 (sometimes I like to go out or make zoom calls without rubber in ears)) I will put buds pro 2 on the first place in usability but they say buds pro 3 have better sound. buds 3 don't position well in ears, I like airpods nonPro more. The last place go to Airpods pro which I gave to one younger relative and he was happy.

Used to use AirPod Pros, but am now using the Bose QC Earbud IIs. The sound quality and noise cancelation on the Bose earbuds are better than that of the AirPod Pros, however they’re a total pain in the ass when switching between devices/audio sources (iPhone 15 Pro and Windows Surface Laptop).

i js use airpod pros occasionally cuz obv i aint sleeping with xm5s on LMFAOAOA

Air pods Pros are hard to beat and I have tried everything over the years. Get apple car or warranty. File a case when the batteries start to go.

Also the max or pro is going to be better overall than any branded headphones like bose as they have dolby atmos as well

So with the 3’s, you just rest them in your ear and they stay? I the Pros (1st and 2nd) but my 2nd got stolen and just been without but decided to try the 4’s. I guess it’s hard to remember how the first gen AirPods were without tips. For some reason, I don’t remember much about that experience.

Comfort - the regular 2s and 3s are my favourite earbuds ever because they don’t even feel like I’m wearing earbuds at all, with the trade off of being able to hear everything around me. The silicone tips of the pros never fit me well and I don’t like feeling them in my ear.

i had pros if you don’t like a silicone buds 4 is ideal choice!! if you are still confused go to any apple store and ask then you need to try both and decide! I found quality and ANC much better on 4 . i returned pros and bought 4ANC on sale

Bought the first pro's, took them directly out of the box and into my ear. Perfect fit. Same for Pro 2. If I have my head a bit downwards when training, like hyperextensions, they will drop out. But anything else where I'm somewhat level, and it's no problem

Yeah, they are best upright. Agree.

Yes, it easily ruins a set. So those exercises will have to be without the airpods in. But at least it doesnt happen with squat, deadlift, bench, press or rows :)

Since I got my Airpods Pro I haven't looked back. So much space saved and impressive NR performance. For reference long time ago I used to carry HD25s and a portable amplifier so I've come a long way.

That is suspected, but at the same time disappointing. I have the Pros and I don’t think the ANC is that good. And it’s gotten worse with time.

Wireless? Airpods pros. If not, check the iem subreddit there are SO MANY GOOD WIRED IEMs out there lol

AirPod pros are worth every penny. I use them everyday. The transparency mode is amazing and I can actually hear better with them. The noise cancelling is great! I love them!

I don’t think AirPod Pros can be beaten. But honestly bone conduction headphones + foam earplugs is an unmatched combo for loud environments. My work doesn’t allow earbuds because we have to wear earplugs so I’ve had to rely on this combo. Sound quality is like you’re in a dumpster under water but a little music makes the work day go by a lot faster.

Weird question, but do you have **wet/runny earwax** or **solid/dry earwax**?…It’s a genetic trait *(kinda like hanging vs attached earlobes)*. Anyways, I experience the same thing you described with AirPod Pros falling out. Here’s why: I have the genome for wet/runny earwax lol—what happens while wearing the tips is it entirely plugs your ear canal, which traps in heat and eventually melts your earwax enough to become more wet/runny. So, the newly melted earwax now acts as a lubricant for the silicone tip lol. So that’s why that’s why our Pros fall out after just 1-2 hours of wearing them. It’s annoying. EDIT: I just wanted to add that you can find out if you have the have wet or dry earwax gene if you have a 23&Me.

I’ve lifted with both (and still do from time to time). It depends on the headphones and earbuds. Headphones I’ve had success with using Bose over ear headphones because they are lighter and don’t slide around. My AirPod max are terrible because they are so heavy and slide when my head is horizontal to the ground. Earbud wise: Regular AirPods fall out of my ears, AirPod pros are my bread and butter, Bose QC2 earbuds will stay in place but protrude a bit more than AirPods, and Beats Pros were my favorite (best fit and comfort) but they crapped out just after my apple care on them expired so I refused to buy another pair.

You might want to think about either picking up an older iphone to use just for the hearing test/aid feature and get some air pod pros which would still be much cheaper than $800 otc HA. I agree with the people who say they work great! Much better for music/podcast streaming in the car, than my regular HA's. I'll use them at home at times too for TV.

Not old, just in sales and make a lot of calls. The mics on AirPods Pro and my Beats Pro fit were just not cutting it, and battery life wasn’t good enough to make it through the day of prospecting calls. Did the research and found the best of the best is the Sony WH-1000xm5

AirPod pros for listening on shit and checking mixes since everybody uses them. For living room I have a decent thrift store setup: quad with those Polk bookshelves for the front, some random Bose for the back, high up because I like entertaining and ppl being able to talk with music a bit cranked. A random huge sub that I found on the street. In kitchen I have two flat styrofoam panels on the ceiling that I put exciters on so some of that sweet musica is in there while I’m cooking.

airpod pros are already amongst the best though. be prepared to pay a lot more if you want the absolute best (which is likely to be Sony)

AirPod pros

I’ve noticed the call quality is much worse when walking. You kinda have to sit still which isn’t ideal. I mostly talk with my mother

Pros never stuck in my ears plus are uncomfortable for my liking. I’ve also had the 3rd gen which I’ve always liked the fit of so much more. I went with the AirPod 4s and am really happy w it. The audio is very clear and crisp compared to the 3s. Obviously these are just not going to be up to par if you are a real sound wizard but if you are just a casual user of AirPods, I highly recommend the 4s. I am happy with my purchase.

If I really had to choose, considering all the situations, gym (sweat), possibly hot summer days... and a little more comfort due to their smaller size and ease of carrying in your pocket... Airpods Pro. I myself have the Sony XM4 together with the Airpods 4 ANC, I use both during the day, when I want a better quality sound and good bass, XM4. When I want more freedom of use mainly due to the interaction with iOS, immediate device switching between my iPhone and iPad (the XM4 can also do it), and still have quality sound and bass, Airpods 4 ANC. With a slight adjustment in the bass on Spotify + spatial sound, the Airpods fly! The bass and quality of the Airpods almost reach the same level as the XM4! I replaced my Airpods 3 with 4 and it was an absurd change!

I use Airpod Pros- anything over the ear are too hot. I paid $30 for extended insurance— and used it three times. Best ‘rip off’ insurance ever!

I have no issues with AirPod pros but it's 100% ear dependent. Because the normal AirPods never stayed in my ears

I have no issues with AirPod pros but it's 100% ear dependent. Because the normal AirPods never stayed in my ears

Get the ones with animal ears and glows to the beat of your music that only you can hear. Nothing screams “leave me alone so I can get jam on” like an adult with glowing cat ears on a plane. But yeah, AirPods Pro are my go to.

AirPods Pro just cannot be beat, tiny, solid sound quality, and destroys engine sounds

I have a few AirPods Pro are nice for all the reasons everyone already said I have Poly Voyager 6200 which are for business voice with teams and stuff so they are EQ’d specifically for human voice. They are collarbone style with dangling ear buds. I like this cause I can wear them all day and pop them in and out easy when I stop for a book break. I do that often so this is important for me. The battery lasts 8+ hours and they have ANC. Also they are good for phone calls. I also have the 8200 over the ear and the 5200 single ear mobile set. Same tech different hardware I have spare wired buds for Sony they were like $10 and they sound great

AirPods Pro due to noise cancelling function if I just want a small earbud. But I love using my JBL over-the-ear headphones for most of my listening. They really block everything out and the stereo sound is amazing.

RP4P, I use AirPod Pros. No complaints. Pull down the menu, enable Bluetooth and they connect. They are really great for transitioning between devices because I have an iMac, iPad, iPhone and they detect and swap between those devices if you have them out while a device is playing audio. I just disable BT on the handheld until I need them to prevent any Android hiccups.

I paired them with it once, and they pair whenever I prompt them to now. I’m usually only using my apple device or the handheld, so maybe that’s less complicating for them? They work fine, and I just turn the device BT off when I’m not using them and I have had zero issues since I got the RP4P (pre5, maybe 6-8 months ago). Ninja edit: I see how my previous comment is confusing. I don’t try to swap between devices while gaming. I just talk up that feature because every other pair of BT headphones I have ever had was a pain to swap between devices.

Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro is magical

Tozo NC2 earbuds off Amazon. A cheapo AirPods knockoff. I've owned AirPods Pro in the past, and they're great, but I lose them or break them, and would rather replace a $40 set five times than a $250 set once. They are roughly 75% as good, in terms of sound quality and ANC, which is more than fine for listening to audiobooks or podcasts.

Not to my experience. Firmware updates forced the ANC of my APP to the bare minimum. Even warranty will not help you with that, because Apple says it's normal. I had it with versions 1 and 2. So I should advise OP to buy another brand.

I use my air pod pros with my pixel. Easy to connect but I haven't found a way to yet turn noise cancelling and transparency mode off once they are on. edit:unsure why I'm being downvoted. Simply answered the question

Love my AirPod Pros but the noise cancelling and comfort doesn’t compare my old Bose 35e

Every ear is different. But ive been running with earbuds for years. More recently a pair of Airpod Pros and then never cause discomfort or fall out.

I've been enjoying my JBL Tune Buds. My Airpod Pros were nothing but trouble for the two years I had them and at their price point that annoyed me a good amount. These have been problem free since September and even quite affordable.

It's pretty cool. Whatever motivation I had to get the AirPod Pros went out the window. What's not pretty cool is the lack of attention given to the AirPods Max. Only USB C as the differentiator for a product that was released 3 years ago?

Airpod pros for casual listening whilst commuting, cleaning etc. Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered for more ‘active’ listening/working.

AirPods Pro, been using them for years, no issues whatsoever, really love them

Airpods Pro. They’re uh… just decent in general

Airpods pro are the best headphones i've ever had.

AirPods Pro. Just because Apple doesn’t allow other earbuds to work well with iPhones.

Airpods pro, been with me since it came out 2019. Just been switching a lot of tips through out the years. I think i need to buy a new one.

I think and have heard the ANC is still better than those. I tried the op buds 3 and the ANC was not very impressive. However, if you're talking about the air pods pro then those are gonna be a better choice.

Also bought them…. They sound really good, and so cmf to wear. Ditched my airpods pro in a drawer since i have them

AirPods Pro are solid tbh. Though I’m not normally an in ear person I got them for running mainly. Plus being able to have them as IEMs or buds is a nice option

I don’t know why AirPod support posts are getting downvoted. First, get a quality helmet. I ride with a Schuberth that is quiet by itself. Combined with the AirPods in noise cancellation, I almost can’t hear the sound of the bike engine when riding and wind noise is fairly low. As others have stated, it can be tricky putting the helmet on and taking it off and your ears will probably hurt a little bit as you acclimate your body to them but eventually you will develop tolerance to it and the pain will go away. I bought a Sena and it has been collecting dust since switching to my AirPods. Some cons - They can be used to receive calls, but I find getting calls/text messages super distracting. Siri doesn’t tend to recognize my voice when I’m driving above 10mph and I refuse to interact with my phone with my hands while moving, so usually I use my phone on my mount with do not disturb on and it’s only used for navigation and to play music. You’re probably not going to have quite the same experience you’re imagining in your head in terms of interaction with your phone. Also, and this should be fairly obvious, if you do talk on the phone at highway speed it is going to be kind of difficult for people to hear you, but again you really don’t need that kind of distraction while you’re on a bike.

Put them on before you put on your helmet.

Airpod Pro and Beats by dre. Love them both for their noise cancelling abilities

Soundcore P3 are fucking amazing on flights. Air pod pro sounds better but okay.

My AirPods Pro broke after 1.5 years and my Anker pair were $40 and sound better. I don’t think I’ll convince myself to my them again even though they were nice while they functioned. 

Anyone using AirPods/Airpods pro? I like them. 

I use cheap Sony C500 - good sound, 10hours out of buds, classic earbuds with no transparency nor noise cancelling, never paid attention to the wind with them. Also I started using AirPods Pro - better sound than Sony, they can reduce wind noise, you can use noise cancelling with one bud.  Worth mentioning I never ride with both buds in ears, I found that I lose concentration on road. 

AP Pros were too good with the ANC/silicon tips. For me it was very disorienting to wear them. Went back to my AP 3. Will probably get the AP 4 w/o ANC just because I don’t care about that enough to pay the extra $50 for that and the wireless charging.

I love my Airpod Pro's for casual listening when cycling and on planes etc. I think they sound great for the money. I also spend a lot of time casually listening to my Audeze LCD-X when working on other things such as photo editing/ day job tasks. For monitors I've got Neumann KH120 MKII which are calibrated using the MA1 microphone.

Apple AirPod Pro. I love how quiet it gets and how good it sounds. You can get a cable to plug it into the headset.

Airpods pro smallest tip with aftermarket wingtips to hold them in. Since the wingtips are aftermarket you can find ones that work for you and you aren't limited by the OEM design. Decent range of options. I got a random set on Amazon and they do not budge anymore.

I’ve tried both AirPods Pro and Alpine MotoSafe earplugs. AirPods do decent noise cancellation, almost like good foam plugs, and add music/calls - sweet bonus! But they don’t fit under all helmets and ain’t as protective as custom earplugs. Stick with MotoSafe for safety, tbh.

The question I would ask is what do you use headphones for when you travel? For me, I don’t listen to music on the plane. I’m either listening to an audio book or watching something on my iPad. If I’m going to try and sleep (yeah, right!), I don’t keep my earbuds or headphones on. I have the Bose Sleepbuds (version 2) and they are extremely comfortable for their one use and do a great job masking noise for me (both on the plane and in hotel). Interestingly, I never had over the ear headphones for travel and only used earbuds. I travel a lot - both flying and driving - and decided before my last trip (which included a couple of long flights) to purchase the Bose Ultra QC. Yes, they took up room in my backpack but I didn’t have to sacrifice anything to make room. I workout with earbuds when on the road, so I kept my AirPods Pro. The noise canceling and comfort while watching movies and listening to my book was worth it for me. Also, because I travel so much, for me it’s worth it - even if I end up not using the QCs much once I’m at my destination.

I use AirPods Pro now and they do sometimes slip. But my previous non-pro AirPods stayed put and were much more snug.

You can use the AndroPods app to get use out of AirPods. Since I also came from an iPhone I just keep using my AirPods Pro for now & active the AndroPods service in the app to get those extra fratures. Whenever they die I'll look at something else; maybe some Sennheiser buds. 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

Noise cancelling works on android, buttons work to play pause and answer calls, everything else dont I also use it on my s24 ultra

That sounds interesting. I don’t wear my AirPods Pro when running because of a thumping noise that I hear with each step, along with wind noise if there is any. Using smaller tips helps, but then they are at risk of falling out. Where did you pick up your ear hooks from then? And do you use a smaller tip than usual when running, or just keep your usual AirPods tips and don’t have them in your ear all the way?

Air pods pro for gym and walking the streets. Xm5 for working from home and office

I can’t get mine to stay in my ear, despite trying every combination of silicon thing Meanwhile my AirPods Pro are perfect fitting All the reviews I’ve seen are the opposite of my experience Otherwise NC and sound is as good as QC35/45 but less comfortable in ear

Try the accessories tips from Bose store Try the smallest inner part and largest widest part Does the job for me at the gym, but will keep the AirPods Pro for running

Nice review. I've tried most earbuds (including these) and I think (at the end of the day) fit is going to be the deciding factor. They can be the best on the market at this or that, but if they don't fit well, it's a moot point. Example. The AZ-100's are very good, yes... but the fit was terrible for me (so I returned them). I've always had issues, though, with getting something to fit right (AirPods Pro, Sony's, etc.). For some reason... Bose fits me perfectly (I returned the QC Ultra's, however, since my QC 2's were as good; the immersion thing didn't impress me and Apple's spatial is better)... even though the sound quality is a bit lackluster. Like someone else mentioned, the Pi8's are fantastic (and if you use their case trick, it skyrockets to #1 as far as great audio). I'm heavily wedded to Apple's ecosystem, so I use AirPods Pro for most things... but if I'm trying to block out noise (which I'm sensitive to)... Bose all the way. Always. Every time. I haven't tried the super pricey ones (Devialet Gemini, B&O Beoplay, etc.), but I'm not spending $500+ on earbuds. While I know everyone hates them, the AirPod Pro's do the trick most of the time (for me).

AirPods Pro or Bose sound sport (wired version). My personal favourite are the AirPods Pro though

AirPods Pro, hands-down. Nothing else even comes remotely close.

People will say Shox. They’re good. Personally little quiet for me when listening to podcasts or audiobooks, even with the pro 2 I have they can be drowned out quite easily by a little traffic. But I love them in races (as they never allow in ear) Generally speaking though I run with a single AirPod Pro

AirPod pros work fine for me

One thing that gets asked a lot in the motorcycle subs is … do noise cancelling in-ear headphones offer protection against the noises that riders wear earplugs for? My assumption has been that my AirPods Pro offer the same protection as ear plugs when NR is turned on, but lots of people disagree, saying it doesn’t offer any real protection. I have not yet found a definitive proof for this either way, in spite of hearing figures like -27dB bandied about.

I use AirPods Pro for that for the convenience - they fit right in my pocket and the microphone is good for calls. I have Bose QC25s that sound better at home and cancel noise even better on a plane, but don't want to carry those around all the time.

Tbh i like the regular more. Currently have the pro but will prob switch back for my next pair

This can’t be said enough. They really are amazing. I’ve got 10-15 pairs of various (good) sets of headphones and I go back to my AirPods Pro all the time. Since I have a bit of hearing loss in my high frequencies, the audiogram compensates automatically. I’m considering getting the AirPods Pro Max for the same reason.

AirPod Pros. I tried wearing my Sony XM5’s and they would fall down my head when I laid down to do bench press which got very annoying. Whatever you get, I’d recommend buds over cans.

I definitely have hearing problems bc when I put the AirPods in transparency I can’t understand people I have to turn the music off 😭

Oh boy do these suck ass bro. Got them cuz why not, get a pair of AirPods pro for less. These have the sound quality of a $30 pair or less

Same. I went to Pro’s after the gen 1’s. I loved them, but the tips bother me sometimes, so I ordered 4’s.

Both, at home chilling on my macbook I will use the 4, on airplane, they gym definitely the pros

AirPod and now the AirPod pros. Link up quick and easy, no latency and great sound. So impressed with how easy it works.

The thing is, they never really offered that much noise cancellation compared to AirPods. I put on those things and I swear I feel like I’m on an airplane lifting up. It’s like I’m *literally* blocking out the atmosphere around my ears, it’s almost uncanny. AP Pro were the first real noise cancelling devices I experienced.

AirPod pros because moisture. Or the new Beats Pro too is the direction you want to go. I have all three but I don’t use the APM in the gym for sweat and moisture prevention. I enjoy the new beats heart rate capability but my ears are weird they don’t stay as inserted as I like. But the bass is great in comparison to APP2

I'm on Barefoots at the studio. At home, it's either AirPod Pros or Sonos! I actually like the sort of flattering "haze" of nicer consumer headphones/speakers when I'm not at work.

I used to use my AirPod pros and now I’m using AirPod max.

AirPods Pro unless I'm using some computer tool and then just the ThinkPad mic. Works fine.

If you're looking for headphones, I'd recommend Sony WH-1000XM4 or XM5. The XM5 are lighter and a bit more comfortable than the XM4 but they don't have as much Base. Sony's LDAC codec can deliver a higher bandwidth and therefore better Sound quality when listening to any High-Res music. When you're a Spotify Guy that doesn't matter as Spotify still doesn't over a CD-Quality audio. Sony's App is also one of the better ones among the headphones, the Bose app kinda sucks and ol'mate Senni also isn't quite the industry standard regarding the App situation. If you're looking for good, reliable headphones with an awesome ANC you can't go wrong with Sony. If that still doesn't fit you and you want to try some earbuds again, you could try the Air Pods Pro. I'm not an Apple fanboy but I have to say, that the Air Pods Pro are really good for regular listening and stuff. And as you're on an Android phone, you can use Wavelet to fully optimize your headphones sound to your liking.

YouTube is about the same as Spotify as far as Sound quality goes, a bit worse. My current setup is the XM4's and AirPods Pro and I'm really happy with both of them. But as you're looking for headphones, the XM4's and XM5's are both good options and they both sound great, you'll be happy with either of them and it probably depends on which one fits the amount of money you want to spend Another guy here pointed out, that he wasn't that happy with the XM5's built quality. I was only able to use them for about a week so I can't say that much about those. I have worn my XM4's for more than 2000+ hours and just now have to change the ear pads and yeah.

I have my airpods pro since 2021 and it still works great. I only use them for an hour maximum though so I can’t really say that the batteries are nearing its life. As for the WH-XM5s, almost a year in with 5 hours of work every day with no problems.

I'll actually try to be helpful. I know you said that you had issues with how earbuds fit in your ear. If you need to hear whats going on around you I would really give airpods 4, or airpods pro a try. Airpods 4 dont have those ear tips that can bother people and if you have issues with them falling out, you can buy ear hooks for them (just google airpods ear hooks). You can turn on transparency mode to so you can hear whats going on (Like with the bone conductors), or what I use all the time, noise cancellation, so I can get peace and quiet wherever I am. (these features will work on android too) I would seriously recommend returning the bone conductors, they are understood to be really niche, and not a great all rounder.

Done 4 marathons with them. I run with one ear in normally anyway. If it were to die, swap for the one that was charging.

I'm really shocked at how good they sound. Also transparency mode is black magic.

Beats fit pro for ear buds; then Shokz for bone conduction when I do not feel like ear buds — I switch between the two quite a bit. Air pod pros, were good for sign, but I lost one bud of TWO pairs due to the case on my keychain being so prone to open up — expensive mistake on my part, the, Beats Pro are better.

I used to use both. Now I just use the local speaker and mic when I’m sitting there for a long time and AirPod Pros when I need to walk around, do laundry, get lunch etc. when the family is home AirPod pros.

Well both is better on the xm5… but comfort, fit, controls and integration in the apple eco system are way better with the AirPods Pro. That what lets me grab them before any other earbuds most of the time.

At that point just get the pros

I use AirPods and they are fine. I assume individual ear shape might have an impact.

I use the my Max’s when taking public transportation or flying. The noise cancellation is unreal. However they can be a bit overkill and look out of place in quieter settings like coffee shops, libraries and the like. For those situations I prefer the Pros. For exercising the all metal Max are a just too heavy and move around too much even when doing less ballistic exercises like powerlifting movements. If you like that over ear sound quality and noise cancellation the Beats Studio Pros are pretty light and work if you’re not changing directions abruptly. Think squats, bench press, power walking. For running and explosive movements like the Olympic lifts the Beats Powerbeat Pros with the ear hooks have never fallen out. I’ve had both the AirPod Pros and even the Beats Fit Pros with the mini ear hooks fall out on a run or doing power cleans or overhead snatches several times.

I tried the Beats Studio buds those are not compatible with Apple phones Siri doesn't work so I went back to my AirPods Pro I will never purchase no other brands it just works

AirPods Pro have great sound, but I could never get them to stay in my ears. I switched to Beats Fit Pros, and they have been amazing. Better secure fit, same H1 chip as AirPods Pro, and excellent noise cancellation.

I had the same aversion before with the “blocking” and pressure in my earl canal. But that’s why I like the pros because they have the best transparency mode in wireless buds. It feels so natural that I don’t notice the pressure or “blocking”.

Just my opinion but I always shell out a little more for pro’s they sound better and fit on my ears perfectly love the bass and sound they come with like 3 different sizes tips so you can change if it’s not fitting

Gona go with AirPods Pro. They don’t fall out and o run with them. The regular AirPods actually work amazing if you add the little silicone arms to them

I have AirPods 2, AirPods Pro and Max. AirPod pros get the most use and work really well for just about everything. Super quiet and comfortable.

if you're ok with silicone ear tip poking into your ear then pro will be better. else ap4 will be for you. the anc will also work slightly better on the pro because it prevent further noise leaking into your ear too

My AirPod Pros work great. I don’t have any issue switching between all my devices.

Mine follow whatever options I have set from my phone. You can also configure the gestures to change audio modes (transparency, noise cancellation, etc)

I’ve been rotating between airpods pro, Beats Studio, and the Xbox wireless headset. Of these 3, I feel like I got the best audio from the Xbox wireless. Not sure if it was due to the atmos plugin built into software combined with windows.

I have airpod pros with an android and they connect to my phone like normal Bluetooth headphones. I'm sure I'm missing out on seeing the battery life or something but I was never interested in that.

Hello fellow visually impaired academician! 👋 I haven’t gone full time with listening and using speech to text, but I feel you with the eye strain. I prefer to read it myself with inverted colors. But, I have started to have text to speech read as I follow along. This has helped me get used to it. As for earbuds, have you tried AirPods Pro? They have different sized ear tips and I use a memory foam ear tip for maximum comfort. These earbuds allow for conversation mode, so if you were listening to your computer or phone, they would lower the volume once you are in a conversation. They also have an adaptive mode that allows outside audio in, so you’re not fully blocking out the world. But, if you did want silence they have active noise cancellation. I use these frequently for everything. I also own the over the ear AirPods Max. They are similar in feature minus the conversation awareness. But, because it’s over the ear, people know to try harder to get your attention. With adaptive audio on, it’s extremely easy to have a conversation with them still on your ears. Bone conduction headsets are also good, but do not come with good microphones. So if you’re looking for an all in one piece, most of these types of headphones are not what you’ll want. For text to speech usage, you want a microphone that has noise cancellation. I use the HyperCloudX headset for teaching online and audio recording. It’s clear and crisp with no issues.