AirPods Pro 2

I feel like producing at such a massive scale results in sometimes selling some subpar units. I bought the AirPods Pro 2 in October of 2022 shortly after they were released, and even with quite a few drops and constant use I have not experienced any issues. I have heard of people with similar experiences as you and your friend though so it’s certainly not entirely uncommon.

My AirPods Pro (2nd gen) are just about 3 years old, still going strong, used daily for anywhere from 30-minutes to a few hours. [...] The noise cancellation works great for something like that. [...]

I still have the pros 1 that I got 3 years ago for 150 on sale, still has good noise cancellation, and gives me about 4 hours playback with noise cancellation on, so I’m just gonna wait till the pro 3 to upgrade.

[...] The mic doesn’t work well enough for making calls, but the noise cancellation is so good that it basically eliminates wind noise at highway speeds. [...] They are still holding up well over a year later and help preserve what hearing I have left after the military.

[...] One was loud static and totally unusable so I got the AirPods Pro 2. No issues with them since I got them a few years ago other than the battery life. [...]

Ditto. I loved my Airpods Pro 2 but it was really clear Apple did not want me as a customer of their headphones. In a practical sense, the recent open source work would have mitigated most (all if it supports software updates) of my issues, but I still won't be buying any more Apple audio products out of principle.

I don't usually defend Apple products, but my AirPods Pro 2nd gen have been rock solid and taken insane abuse. I use them working on cars, runs, hiking, rain, shine, sauna. [...] I use them a lot and if not love /really/ like them and nothing else has come close to the frictionless experience of them. [...]

The sony earbuds are about the best I’ve had for sound quality and noise cancellation. [...] I find AirPods Pro 2 to be “good enough” where I gave away my set of XMs to someone who will actually use them. Call (mic) quality in AirPods is better as well, if that matters at all to you. [...]

[...] apple airpods pro 2nd gen 'just don't work' with say samsung phones (s24 in our case) - constant disconnections, pairing fails maybe 50% of the time. [...] Over effin' bluetooth that chinese plugs for 10 bucks have figured out better. Wake me up when I can go on filesystem and copy to my computer any damn file I want from the device running unix kernel that I supposedly own, like photos and videos I took, over open standard usb.

[...] Your integration story is nice, but same company does this actively: If you have airpods pro (2nd gen in this case) that kept working fine with apple phone, but then you got tired/annoyed/disgusted by their OS and ecosystem and migrated to Samsung S24 (my wife' story), those plugs effectively stop working via bluetooth. Disconnects, no good ANC, pairing is beyond miserable. [...] Now somebody could claim apple engineers are so incompetent they can't implement basic bluetooth connection that plugs from china for 10 bucks can do better but I have problem believing that. [...] Open standards and competition forces companies to behave nicely and ie buy bluetooth plugs without worry if any source device will work with it, not some wishful thinking. [...]

No wireless lossless audio means these are a hard pass for me. I really expected Apple of all folks to figure that out since they engineer their entire stack, hardware to software, but they’re still just pushing the same bluetooth audio that my Airpods Pro 2’s consume (which are half the price and incredibly excellent). Sony’s LDAC is niche, but sounds objectively better to my ears than the AAC used on Apple’s kit when I opt to use my Walkman+XM4s. [...] My XM4s sound okay wired in, and at home I’ve got critical-listening kit already. Adding a USB-C cable to the Max is not appealing given that 3.5mm already exists, USB-C cables are heavier than analog audio wires, and more corps block USB ports in general or mess with them in ways that corrupts the audio stack. Give me wireless CD-quality audio and I’ll be a happy dinosaur. [...]

I compared the mic quality of Airpods Pro 2, Airpods 4 ANC (similar), and freebie Apple 3.5mm wired earbuds. The earbuds won. My limited research suggested either 1) compression and transmission take a lot of power, so the Airpods don't do as good of a job as something with a bigger battery can afford to, 2) the mic position is worse, or 3) Bluetooth doesn't have enough bi-directional bandwidth for two good signals.

[...] I use my wired Sundara (which have dropped in price greatly since I got them years ago!) at my desk with DAC/AMP all the time, of course, and have a very nice set of Etymotic IEMs with a USB-C dongle permanently attached (once I stopped using it for my PC). For use with my phone I haven’t actually reached for those Etys over my AirPods Pro 2 in years as the latter are significantly more convenient. They also work fine with Windows 11 (which supports AAC over Bluetooth, as can Linux IIRC) if I want to use them there for whatever reason. Maybe I’m blessed in that I don’t require my phone to be a critical listening device? If you have hissing/interference/etc when plugging headphones into your PC, the Apple USB-C dongle is very good and only 9 USD.

Seconding the other user saying that I also use AirPods Pro (2nd gen) in Teams at least twice a day, on macOS, iOS, and Windows (and had used them on android before, as well). Absolutely no issue whatsoever, and everyone mentions I usually have by far the best audio out of anyone else in the call. [...]

I can’t get my Airpods Pro 2 to connect to Mavericks at all for any length of time, this has been driving me nuts for years! They’ll connect and play audio for a few seconds, then cut out, and I’ll have to re-pair to get any audio again. Did you have to do anything special?

This excellent.. there needs to be a macos version as well. Using Mavericks I was unable to adjust any settings on my airpods pro 2

[...] And I think for me the AirPods Pro 2 are just the most versatile.

[...] How people are manage to run with noise cancelation? [...] I run with my AirPods Pro 2 and have no issues. I have some other in-ear buds where fit is also no issue but thumping sounds while running make them unusable.

And another headline making me not regret my purchase of the AirPods Pro 2 from a couple months ago.

I can reproduce this by covering one of the exterior mics used for ANC when there is a decent amount of background noise in the environment. [...] The AirPods Pro 2 don’t have this same issue. [...]

[...] I wonder how safe that sound is bc its pretty uncomfortable. The seal also changes with any significant jaw movement (which I also do a lot in-flight normally) — noticeable degradation of noise cancellation, which then goes away (not sure if its the foam or anc adjusting). Tried to use my AirPods Pro 2 earhooks, which partially solved it - although at the cost of that crispy sound. [...]

I'm going back to the Airpods Pro 2. Pro 3 is a step backwards, there are these ANC noise issues not only on flights but also during heal-strikes when running down a hill, a staticky thump rather than high-pitched. [...]

The Airpods Pro 2 are probably the "best" headphones I've owned when you weigh sound quality, ease of use, convenience, etc. I've owned many, many sets of headphones over the years. The AirPods Pro 2 got the most use by far.

The fact that I rightfully qualify Apple products as overpriced don’t magically make the discussion about saving money. Sony headphones sounds noticeably better than AirPods Pro 2 by the way and their EQ is better. AirPods have great noise cancellation but their sound quality is not that great. [...] How do I disable noise cancellation and pass through? Where do I setup the level of noise cancellation? [...]

I have both a pair of the over ear Sony XM4’s and AirPods Pro 2 and I’m not sure I’d characterize the Sony’s sound as “better”, even when using lossless audio. They sound good but the sound profile is mostly just different, with the Sony’s leaning more bassy and the AirPods more balanced. The noise cancellation are neck and neck but the AirPods had much less of that “pressure” sensation when using it. [...] Comfort for long use sessions is better on the Sony’s. Mic is better on the AirPods.

[...] foam-assisted tips I had a set of foam-integrated silicone tips on my Airpods Pro 2 and I LOVED them. [...] Wish they'd release first-party versions for the Airpods Pro 2, cause that's the only change I'd really like. Single charge battery usage and ANC are great, but I get by just fine with the AP2 (ANC is already excellent, so I'm really curious what the AP3s sound like in comparison).

AirPods Pro 2 are now FDA approved to act as hearing aids, and during the setup, you will take a hearing test that generates an audiogram (essentially a personalized EQ adjustment). [...]

I explored similar solutions but recently switched from AirPods Pro to AirPods Pro 2. I was genuinely surprised by how much better the noise canceling was for my needs, such as working in the office and doing yard work. [...]

Yep. Good chance it's clogged up with earwax or something. I have similar issues with mine (a high-pitched whine on when in any of the ANC modes on my current AirPods Pro 2's right AirPod, and a lower-pitched rumbling in my old AirPods Pro 1's as well).

[...] And before anyone comments about accuracy, I've measure both of the above against very expensive, high quality air quality monitors we have at work, and they all give the same readings over months. More: - AirPods Pro 2. They are a significant upgrade over my 1st generation in terms of both sound quality and noise cancellation. [...] Cheap and useful. [...] Will stay charged for months, unlike the USB charging flashlights. [...] These go on sale a lot so don't pay full price. You can supposedly use these to charge your electronic devices as well. [...] Charges via USB-C. I ordered this randomly on a good sale and the day after it was delivered, I had my car battery randomly die at a gas station and I used it to jump start me. [...]

I have AirPods 2 Pro and sure, they sound nice. [...] Airpods Pro 2 are actually decent headphones worth the amount of money they are. [...]

[...] I've used the AirPods Pro 2 as hearing protection for some stuff before, it works fine. Is it just due to the words ("Hearing Protection") which they are only allowed to use only in America or is it actually better than regular Pro 2 noise-cancelling?

I don't have hearing loss, but I wear 2 pairs of AirPods Pro 2 over the course of a 10 hour day. The reason I have 2 pairs is because 1 pair only gets 5-6 hours of battery life, and I need to swap them while they recharge in the case. Comfort? To me, very comfortable. I just leave them in there with Active Noise Canceling on all the time. I may be showing my age, but if you remember "Get Smart", AirPods Pro 2 are like a Cone of Silence -- except they actually work.

I haven't used the professional ones since they are prohibitively priced in India and hence very hard to compare. [...] Airpods Pro 2 work well for me and have made aware of many rich sounds around me and made conversations with family and cab drivers better. [...]

[...] AirPods Pro 2 cost $250, about a 95% reduction in price. [...] Also, I'm really looking forward to being able to manage things like audio curves myself, vs having to go through an audiologist for every adjustment. The only thing I'm waiting for here before making a switch is better battery life, really want 18/24hours there.

Looks great! Unfortunately I don't see the option anywhere in macOS with my AirPods Pro 2 connected. I guess it unfortunately can only be configured with an iPhone (and I don't have one).

[...] I bought a pair of AirPods Pro 2 (thanks, @backmarketofficial.bsky.social!), and it's like I'm listening to my music with new ears. [...]

As an android user, I ended up getting a pair of airpods pro 2 after the 3s came out and they were on sale. By far the best wireless earbuds I've used All the other android focused options would have some major flaw to them

Looks like work is ditching the physical phones for Zoom Workplace. Actually excited about this update, I can now use my AirPods Pro 2 as a headset, all while swapping incoming calls between my iPad and iPhone. Pretty cool, not tied to a wired Ethernet cable anymore <3

i haven't used my airpods pro 2 to listen to music in ages (i use them daily, but for listening to podcasts/tv/youtube or for calling) and it's crazy how crappy they sound to me now omfg. digging my maxes back out immediately

[...] My left earbud on my AirPods Pro 2 buzzes while I talk in transparency mode, and it is basically unusable like that. Replacement is $85. But at that point, I could save up and spend it on the newer ones for $250 BUT repairing my laptop battery is also $250... [...]

i never had an issue with any of these tbh, but my use case of earbuds is thing to use with my vr headset / outside / when im in bed, on my pc i have my headphones... for constant use i can see how it would be bad but my airpods pro 2 never let me down tbh

For like walking/every day stuff I really haven’t found anything more convenient than the AirPods Pro 2 since the transparency mode is so good. (Haven’t tried 3) I’ve been using Moondrop Robins for like my steam deck but they have some pretty noticeable delay for video.They have a low latency mode

I bought the AirPods Pro 3. I'm giving my AirPods Pro 2 to my mom for her birthday.

The iPod was and is a near perfect device. AirPods Pro 2 are magic. 15 years later Shazam still blows my mind.

For the £200 can’t beat them, I’ve tried them all beats, jbl ect ect the pro 2’s seem pretty much the best I’ve had. Old gen AirPods where inferior for the price but these are well worth it in my opinion

I just got mine a few days ago, and when I put them in my ears the first time I thought my AC had shut off. Crazy how good the noise cancelling works!!

I just got them last week and its so much better than my old earpuds, my old one case lost all its battery once it charge my earbuds for few min.

I have pro Lightning. One of them sounds like having a short. Will see if I can pickup another pair of Pros on Prime day.

I absolutely love my Pro 2s and my original Pros. I ended up giving my Pro 1s to my mom and getting the Pro 2s so I could finally switch everything to USB-C. I use them almost every day and just never get tired of them.