Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds, Up to 2X More Active Noise Cancelling, Adaptive Transparency, Personalized

7 reviews for Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds, Up to 2X More Active Noise Cancelling, Adaptive Transparency, Personalized

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Vicente – July 16, 2023

   
   I’m a self-described armchair audiophile, and this would be my first wireless set. I’ve sampled a few sets in the far flung past to demo, but have never felt compelled to keep them.Not these. I’m using them right now as I write this review on my pc desktop. Outside of really dedicated audiophile listening, or applications that demand extreme attention to detail such as audio engineering or sound production for high profile projects, they’re too versatile *not* to use for the vast majority of daily scenarios, with very decent sound quality to boot.To start, I don’t have to reach for my phone to operate them (remember, this is the first wireless set I’ve logged more than a few hours on). The closest I had before was volume and playback controls integrated into the wire at the joint on wired sets. Very serviceable, but also finicky in certain situations. If you were, say, leaning over or had your body twisted a certain way, reaching for the controls would pose various difficulties. Worse if you had happened to tuck the wire into your jacket. Having a bunch of different gesture and pinch commands at the stem by your earlobe has been a joy to operate.The automation is also nice. You can set it so that if one or both buds are taken out of your ears, it automatically pauses content. It auto resumes when the bud(s) go back in. You can long pinch to swap between Transparency Mode and ANC (active noise cancelling), because they correctly predicted that just ANC-off (thereby functioning like $15 earbuds with no tech built into how they handle an external sound environment) is useless.The ANC is astonishing, but Transparency mode even more so. It’s scarily good now that I’ve spent a good week using these at work. I’m in a position (mechanical engineer working in industrial power delivery) where it’s safety critical that I can hear my surroundings, and at the same time I’m sometimes exposed to loud machinery for short (less than a couple minutes), medium (5-15 minutes), and extended (hour+) durations. For environments involving loud machines, ANC performs extremely well, cancelling out the vast majority of noise so that it’s well within safe levels for my ears, while still letting me hold conversations with shocking ease. I’ve had colleagues remark at my ability to converse fluidly, without asking them to repeat themselves in deafening environments, whereas they have trouble hearing me shouting into their ears (while they’re taking a moment to lift off their earmuffs). I let one of our machine operators demo these and he immediately bought his own pair. That’s how good they are. How he’ll get around the prying eyes of his supervisor (since we’re still in medieval times where seeing earbuds in ears can be misconstrued as a productivity issue) remains to be seen.Outside of that admittedly niche environment, Transparency Mode has been amazing for regular office use. I literally can’t tell (for non-obvious content like podcasts and talking head YouTube videos) if they’re in. I kept anxiously double checking the other morning that James Hoffman wasn’t actually lecturing our entire office about coffee flavor notes out of the phone speakers. I leave these in throughout the day and, frankly, forget that they’re in. The environmental reproduction is unparalleled.So that’s the big thing about the raw sound quality that the marketing hasn’t quite articulated: the soundstage is extremely natural. It’s like open backed headphones, but better (literally like not wearing anything), and they’re shockingly good at integrating media content with your surroundings to the point that unless you’re listening to something that would make it obvious (like loud or highlight/bass heavy music), it’s legitimately hard to tell if the sound is coming out the buds plugged straight inside your ears.So wearable audio gear comes in 3 broad categories: neutral/open, noise isolating, and noise canceling – the latter being a relatively very recent addition to the list. The 2nd category, noise isolating, relies on mechanical design to prevent external sound from entering the stage. It’s good if you’re, say, an audio engineer and really need to nitpick and correct intricate details, but isn’t the best for normal listening. The classic design puzzle here is that the better the mechanical isolation, the more obvious or cumbersome (read: uncomfortable) it is to use the wearable. I usually personally favor the 1st category because those headsets tend to be lighter and easier to wear for longer periods and the natural soundstage just sounds better to me in the vast majority of scenarios.It’s the 1st and 3rd categories that are more interesting – higher end models occupying the 1st category tend to be “open backed” headphones, typically these big cans you wear on your head that are surprisingly lightweight and have a gentle, natural soundstage. They don’t have software processing, so any sound produced is natural and unpolluted from the headset. But besides being bulky and wired, they’re also infamous for leaking out sound to your external environment, so they’re best for personal use cases and aren’t appropriate for public or office use.The 3rd category, ANC, uses realtime processing to negate leakage getting *into* your wearable audio gear by canceling any external sounds before you can hear them – basically the “software version” of the hardware-based 2nd category. The challenge here has classically been execution – working with sound involves a lot of advanced mathematics. Remember sine, cosine, and wave characteristics including frequency and amplitude? And how everyone hated them? Well, I’ve worked with them (still do sometimes), and I can confirm they’re the worst. Fourier transforms, ugh, kill me now. ANC is based on these really complicated mathematics, and you have to combine the math – hopefully with very high precision and with no errors – with good software logic, and ON TOP of that you need good hardware like a fast processing chip and responsive speaker design to achieve results with as little time lag as possible. There’s a lot that has to come together, and historically the execution/implementation side has been lacking, resulting in random and omnipresent inconsistencies like weird lowkey “hissy” noises you’ll catch here and there. At worst, at least for self-described armchair audiophiles such as myself, there’s the real concern that poor execution damages the raw sound quality of what you’re listening to. ANC has been known to interfere not just the external environment (which is its intended use), but also with the desired audio produced by the wearable (which is really bad), undercutting bass frequencies in headsets that are already poorly optimized for low frequencies in the first place, or negating and partially muting the sparkle of higher registers.The Airpod Pro 2s are the 1st and 3rd categories simultaneously and insanely good at both. Like, unprecedentedly good at both. And this starts with their frankly astonishing implementation of practically flawless ANC. This has allowed them to get around the design challenge of the first category (the aforementioned leakage issue) by leveraging their superior ANC *in reverse* to also be the 1st category: the Airpod Pro 2s are extremely good at reproducing your sound environment in a way that feels indistinguishable from not wearing them. This opens up a huge amount of usage options – such as walking around the office with zero fear of missing cues from colleagues, or, in my current scenario, using these to play music while writing this review so that I don’t bother my sleeping cats with loud music, while still being assured I can hear them if they need to get my attention for anything. On top of that, I don’t have to swap away from this window and ruin my rhythm if I need to change tracks or adjust volume.Another thing – iPhone users have the option to modify Transparency mode to enhance vocals, or boost certain frequency ranges, making them function as very good entry-level hearing aids. This can be done by heading into your iPhone Settings, selecting Accessibility, selecting Airpods, heading into Audio Accessibility Settings, and tapping into Headphone Accomodations. From there you can literally upload an audiogram and from there select “tune audio for audiogram” and voila – Transparency mode is now tuned for your specific hearing shape. Besides that, a good amount of basic control (not having to upload anything and just tweaking menu knobs) is available, from focusing on enhancing vocals and specifying how softly or strongly softer sounds are enhanced. It’s very likely I’ll be purchasing these for my parents in the near future.On top of that, as a default feature, they actively monitor your environment for harshly loud sounds and protect you against them in realtime. Drop a pot? Well, sucks for the pot, but it won’t be as harsh on your ears. You’re walking along and a dog comes barking at you over the fence out of nowhere? Well, you may or may not get jump scared practically out of your socks, but at least the sudden barking will be at the level of, you know, a reasonable conversation.One nitpick – the stock silicone tips are prone to fall out if you’re on the move. They’re fine for normal walking and definitely sitting, but I definitely wouldn’t trust these to stay in while riding a bike or taking a jog. There are 3rd party options that help with this (I’m currently using a silicone/memory foam tips that already feel much more secure), but be aware I don’t really use these outside daily office use and walking between the different production cells at our manufacturing facility.Quite frankly, these things have been a joy to use for hours every day. I only wish I’d gotten them sooner. Besides being extremely versatile and natural sounding earbuds with cutting edge realtime processing, it’s amazing to me that we have commercial access to essentially non-surgical ear enhancements. You know what that sounds like. The future. And you can shove it straight in your ears today.

   
2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   sofi – August 15, 2023

   
   AirPods Pro REVIEW 4 months laterNoise canceling:This is a review more with noise cancelling in mind rather than audio quality. I work in a noisy environment with machinery, chatter, & tools being used, anywhere from 8-10 hours per day. While earplugs are available at work, the noise is still discomforting for me. The AirPods Pro 2 gen on the other hand cancel out more noise while erasing most of the discomfort.The AirPods Pro are not going to mute the world around you(unless you’re in a quiet place), but they will either reduce the lesser noise to being almost non-existent, or make most of the louder noise manageable/more comforting. The noises that are still annoying are any higher pitched ones. Btw, you can still hear people speaking to you if you’re up close.I have removed my AirPods Pro while at work & the noise around me does blast my ears & reveal how well the AirPods are canceling noise around me.Briefly speaking about the noise canceling while at home & around my neighborhood. At home in my room, they do a really great job in making everything quiet, even for the neighbors blasting music during summer parties. They were ok for fireworks this recent 4th of July though.One small quirk I discovered is that they don’t really work well in noise canceling mode when laying down in bed for loud noises. I don’t know if it’s some acoustic physics, but when the neighbors are blasting music through summer nights, the AirPods Pro can’t really cancel the noise when I’m laying in bed trying to sleep. Like it’s weird I’m laying in bed with loud music blasting my ears, but if I sit upright, the music mostly disappears, I lay back down, & bam!I’m not sure if maybe another of the earbud sizes will work better. Like I did switch out the earbuds that originally came on the AirPods Pro to the “small” size(I’m not sure if I ever did try out the “XS” & “L” sizes but the small does fit me well), I think the ones I removed are considered the medium size.This terrible quirk made me start to research for better noise canceling headphones for use at home, I’m debating getting the Bose quietcomfort earbuds II or the Bose quietcomfort 45.When I’m walking around in the neighborhood in the morning, I turn on noise cancelling mode & listen to music or some twitch stream, & the world does go quiet. If any cars pass by they are audible up close but the noise quickly lessen as they leave. Again, machinery(i.e. people mowing their lawns/construction workers fixing roads) is still audible but reduced to comfort levels. Even birds, grasshoppers, & cicadas are still audible with their higher pitch noises but they’re not annoying. Also, walking near any busy street with cars passing by on all directions does make the noise more comforting, like enough to regularly pass through those streets.When I’m bike riding I switch to transparency mode to hear for vehicles behind or nearby. I want to be safe while riding my bicycle on the streets so I don’t really use noise canceling since they do reduce car noises, especially quieter ones, & might put me in danger. Using transparency mode while riding my bike outside does require me to raise my volume a bit higher to hear any music I’m listening to or any twitch/YouTube streamer I’m watching. Passing cars are not as annoying during these times, since noise does get a little drown out with music or twitch/YouTube streamers. When I get stuck in any intersection waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, I quickly switch to noise canceling mode & the noise levels become comforting, only trucks are still kinda loud. The one negative during these times is that holding the airpod’s stem to switch to noise canceling mode does take about 3 seconds activate & silence traffic.Random fyi:when you turn off both transparency & noise canceling mode the regular earbud mode does also block out some noise, but not anywhere near with noise canceling mode on. Also, if you’re not listening to anything with noise canceling on, you can hear like white noise, I think maybe it’s the microphones that usually cancel out the noise?Quirky android observations:These are still usable on android phones, I have an s23 ultra that I usually take with me to work(while my iPhone 13 pro max & 13 mini are for personal use). As many others have mentioned, you can’t:use google assist,see your battery levels(apparently there’s an app you can download which does show battery levels, if I remember correctly) ,use them with both transparency & noise canceling off, I believe.CLEANLINESS:(TMI, sorry)They do get dirty while working, so earwax builds up, but they’re easily cleanable, both the earplugs and the charging case.AUDIO QULAITY:I use my sennheiser hd 560s with the dac dongle for lossless quality on Apple Music, but I still like the AirPods Pro 2 & are also better than my regular AirPods 2. The sennheiser’s have more detail, but the AirPods Pro are still good. I actually use my AirPods Pro 2 more than my sennheisers since earbuds are just more convenient than using over the ears headphones with a like 6ft wire.CHARGING:Lastly, since I work for 8-10 hrs, I recharge my AirPods Pro 2 while I’m on break. I get a couple 15 & 20 minute breaks & the charging case is pretty fast & will keep them charged throughout the day. But if I do end up working 10hrs I’ll get the low battery warning, I think when they hit 20% & 10% respectively.Also the battery case holds enough charge to keep the AirPods charged for two back to back days working about 8-10 hours a day before you need to charge the case itself.I’ve had them for about 4 months now & the AirPods battery have hold up well despite working like 4 days per week and charging them a couple times per week and draining the AirPods regularly. I was also worry about the constant noise work ruining the noise canceling of the AirPods but they still seem to block out noise since like day one.I did buy AppleCare+ for two years to probably replace them if either the AirPod’s battery or the charging case battery deteriorate in the long run.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   C. Dworsky – August 26, 2023

   Very happy with this music upgrade
   I was on the fence for a long time about getting these. The price was definitely a scare factor. However I recently bought an Apple Watch and the headphones compliment the watch perfectly. Especially for exercise. The AirPods Pro sound very good for their size. Battery life is acceptable and I can easily connect them to my Apple TV, Watch, iPhone etc…They stay in place (I’m a commuter cyclist) with no issues and have never fallen out at the gym either. I will say the volume control on mine is quite finicky but I don’t know if that’s an isolated issue with mine. I love how loud these get as well as the ability to bring the charging case to ‘top up’ the AirPod Pros on the go. If using with an iPhone, you can wander a fair distance away before any connection issues happen. Which is great. Cleaning them is a breeze too. By far my favourite feature is the noise cancelling option. Pretty much worth the price of admission by its self.

4. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   elivano – August 21, 2023

   Tout ça pour ça.
   Entendons-nous bien. Chez moi tout ce qui est écran, sauf la télévision bien entendu, est Apple et tout ce qui est audio est Bose.Côté positif, les évents qui vous donnent moins de pression que les autres écouteurs et le fait qu’ils ne sont pas intrusifs et ne me causent aucune douleur et tiennent parfaitement bien dans mes oreilles ce qui est plutôt rare pour ce genre d’écouteurs.Un autre côté positif. Le fait que les commandes tactiles sont sur la branche, ce qui fait que si vous mettez votre tête légèrement sur le côté quand vous vous reposez ou mettez votre main par erreur sur vos écouteurs ça ne coupe pas le son.Mais alors là, il faut m’expliquer ce qu’ont de si extraordinaire les AirPods Pro 2ème génération. Je n’en reviens pas des supposés sites spécialisés qui nous donnent des critiques dithyrambiques à propos de ces écouteurs. Quand je lis sur leur site que ces écouteurs sont bluffants, c’est moi qui suis bluffée de leur manque de professionnalisme.Est-ce le nom « Apple » qui sonne bien aux oreilles ??? Je me pose sincèrement la question.Gros problème, il n’y a pas d’égalisateur, ce qui fait que peu importe ce que vous écoutez, il vous faut supporter ce que Apple vous donne. Même des écouteurs moins chers ont cette fonction.Amateurs de livre audio, les AirPods Pro 2ème génération ne sont pas pour vous. Quand j’écoute les narrateurs, j’ai la nette impression que leur voix est étouffée comme s’ils mettaient leurs mains en coquille devant leur bouche.Annulation activation du bruit…??? Tout dépendamment de ce que l’on attend de cette fonction.Quand au test d’isolation, préparez vos oreilles à un bruit-test avec un son qui risque de vous vriller les oreilles. À moins d’être dans un endroit bruyant le test est supportable.Je crois que bien des gens n’ont jamais écouté quoi que ce soit avec des écouteurs Bose. Pour ma part, le son Bose n’est pas prêt d’être détrôné.Dans le domaine des écouteurs, Apple a encore bien du chemin à faire.Sans compter le prix excessif pour de simples écouteurs.Résultat, je les ai renvoyé.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kyrel Young – August 7, 2023

   I can’t live without my airpod pros
   The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) have completely exceeded my expectations! These wireless earbuds deliver a premium audio experience like no other.The sound quality is exceptional, with clear vocals, rich bass, and well-balanced highs and mids. The active noise cancellation feature is a game-changer, immersing me in my favorite music and blocking out unwanted background noise. The transparency mode is equally impressive, allowing me to stay aware of my surroundings when needed.The fit is comfortable and secure, thanks to the customizable ear tips that come in different sizes. I can wear them for hours without any discomfort, making them perfect for long listening sessions or workouts.Battery life is excellent, providing hours of playback on a single charge. The included wireless charging case is a great bonus, keeping my AirPods Pro protected and always ready to go.In conclusion, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) are worth every penny. Their exceptional audio quality, noise cancellation, comfort, and seamless integration make them the ultimate wireless earbuds. If you’re looking for top-notch performance and an unparalleled audio experience, these AirPods Pro are the way to go

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Paolo C – August 25, 2023

   Great AirPods
   To be honest, when I originally received the AirPods it was clearly not new. You could tell that the box was opened and someone tried repackaging it. I contacted Amazon and to their credit, they processed the return and replacement without giving me any hassle. I really appreciated that Amazon took care of this issue quickly and once I got the new shipment, it was a brand new and they work perfectly.

7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Jack Anderson – January 28, 2023

   AirPods Pro (2nd generation) living up to the hype!
   After watching many reviews and waiting for sales, I finally decided it was time to buy some AirPods Pro (2nd generation) for myself. I am not disappointed, the pairing experience was seamless out of the box with my iPhone, and the sound quality is excellent. Noise cancellation is very good, perfectly eliminating any engine noise or humming, and heavily muffling voices. It clearly does a better job at eliminating the low end, as most leaking noise is more higher-pitched. With music at any volume, this does not matter, as all sound is drowned out. Transparency mode is impressive, very natural feeling. I always have it on when I’m not using noise cancelling-even with one bud in-it feels more natural, my ears feel less plugged and I keep the outside world tuned in. Battery life is also exceptional, the buds have yet to fully die, they charge fast in the case, and both have significant battery life.I do recommend spending the extra 40 dollars on Apple Care +, whether or not I’ll use it, for devices so small and fragile I’ve already learned this is more than a good idea.Finally, some nitpicks, not enough to deduct stars, but enough to note:1. The case lid can slightly shift side to side with little force, although the hinge and assembly are very high quality and have no signs of wear or weak points, this is notable.2. The firmware/AirPods settings interface is pretty buggy at times, the case chimes toggle is sometimes inaccessible, and the whole submenu of iOS Settings dedicated to AirPods management is a bit jankier and less smooth than the rest of the experience. In addition to this, the Batteries widget also is slightly jankier than expected, only showing full stats when both buds are in.3. This is surely the least important, but occasionally there’ll be a noticeable (5 second +) delay between inserting the buds, and the in-ear sound playing, or audio going from mono to stereo.In conclusion, they’re well worth it, I purchased them on sale at 299.99, and buying Apple Care + basically brought it back to MSRP.