I’m on my second set of AirPods, this time the Pro 2, and they’ve given good service, mostly for podcasts and audiobooks. However, when it comes to music, they suffer from the same problem that I’ve had with in-ears since God was a boy. A lack of bass. I can hear the bass but it’s not bassy. It’s trebley. It doesn’t rattle my fillings.
I thought it might be my hearing going but my over-ear AKG’s are still the puppies privates.
So, what does anyone else use?
I’m running them from an iPhone 14 Plus but without any extra sound wrangling, just the limited EQ built into the phone.
I’ve just replaced my Airpods Pro 2s with 3s, because one of the 2s wasn’t charging properly and they kept cutting out.
I seem to remember the 3s promised better bass, and I certainly have no complaints. Currently listening to Pulp’s Spike Island on my iPhone 15 Pro, and the bass is thunderous. Plenty for my purposes. Of course ears come into the equation too – I have some age-related hearing loss, which manifests itself in an inability to hear what Mrs thep is saying to me from the other end of the house rather than listening to music. Your mileage may vary.
Of course it’s always possible that no earbuds will give you the bass you’re after.
How are you finding the Pro 3s Mike? I’ve heard that the tuning is not as good for music as the Pro 2s. I’d be interested to read what you make of them.
Well I use them for music, audiobooks and Apple TV, and I have no complaints. It seems to me that the sound is fuller and richer for all uses. I was always slightly dissatisfied with how the 2s handled audiobooks, a bit too trebly, but perfectly happy now. Of course I don’t have platinum eardrums like some of you guys, but I’d recommend.
Thanks Mike. I thought the views I’d heard about them were possibly a little wide of the mark. Your real world hands on experience supports that.
I made do with cheap earphones for a longtime, but recently got some AirPods 4. They sound very good to me. I did a test with my Apple TV to imitate a 5.1 audio setup and I could hear the subwoofer effect in them
Bass with in-ears relies on a good seal with your ear canal, and everybody’s got a slightly different size and shape. This is why the bass always improves when you push your IEMs in with a fingertip. A set of squidgy ‘donuts’ in a variety of sizes is key.
The trouble is well-sealed IEMs don’t let any ambient sound in (or out) so be careful when outdoors not to get run over by a bus. I assume all the Apple pods have the tiny microphones in them.
There’s a transparency setting for when you’re out and about, and the noise cancelling is off.
I have a pair of Sony wf-1000xm5. A good ear seal is essential with iems or indeed any headphone if you want to enjoy accurate bottom end. Try pulling down on your earlobe when inserting the iem, that action opens the ear canal a little more which helps to position the iem a little deeper. Don’t over do it though! Alternatively if at all possible with Airpods consider buying and trying some aftermarket ear tips until you find some that give you a better fit. I use either Spin Fit or Azla silicone tips with my Sony and with the various wired Iems I own. They give me a far better fit and are considerably more comfortable.
As for EQ I use the Wavelet app. It comes with an enormous library of presets covering virtually every make and model of iem and headphone. I’m an Android user so I’m not sure if there is an iPhone equivalent but you never know.
I have some cheapo Sony WI-C100 buds and they’re ok. Not brilliant but ok and excellent for the money. As Pencil says the key thing is the fit and these fit my ears just fine.
I tweak the EQ with the equaliser in Spotify.
Can I suggest trying Comply Foam tips for Airpods Pro in lieu of the tips that come supplied with the Airpods?
I had the Airpods Pro 2 and now have the Airpods Pro 3 and on each of them the Large size tips that Apple supplied with them did not create a sufficient seal to provide good bass for my ears.
The Comply Foam tips (Large size) that I bought sorted the problem.
Cross-posting jinx!
I use Sennheiser Momentum 4’s for portable listening and use spongy earbuds from Comply that mold to your ears when they’ve warmed up. This was a suggestion from @leedsboy IIRC. The sound esp. the bass is transformative compared to the ones that come with the phones.
I have sprung for a pair of Airpods Pro 3 and they are excellent but I struggled a bit with the fit. I bit the bullet and ordered the Comply foams for them and similarly transformative – in terms of comfort (all day wearing is easy), fit (they don’t move) and sound (bass and isolation both markedly improved).
@niallb – it is worth trying the Comply tips out on the Airpods. It defintely improves the bass (but it won’t make it over ear levels of good). I love how integrated Airpods are with the iPhone and, with the Comply tips, they are easily the best inear’s I have used.
I do have some B&W over ear wireless headphones and they are really good. But they constitute luggage when I am commuting into London and the ability to put my AirPods in my pocket and just go is very hard to ignore.
You probably need both 🙂
I’ve had to give up on earbuds of any shape or make. I’ve yet to find a make/model which doesn’t eventually hurt my ears. So I’m using either over-ears or bone conduction, depending upon weather/need for a hat. I appreciate this does not help the OP, so I’ll get me coat…
I bought some bone conduction things for when I’m cycling, but my brain couldn’t cope.
I’ve never tried them but my eldest niece wears them when she’s out running and swears by them but she likes Duran Duran so I feel it safe to ignore her enthusiasm.
In what way?
I have a probably unreasonable dislike of Duran Duran. I have a few possibly unreasonable dislikes now I come to think of it. I am unapologetic. I don’t trust the judgement of people who claim to like everything.
I stopped listening after Rio. Well, I was one of the buyers who propelled Is There Something I Should Know? straight to number one, but Union of the Snake made me bail – what a bleedin’ racket! You can hear the blizzard of coke in the studio.
But much later they released their best song – Ordinary World. I saw them live in 1980 supporting Hazel O’Connor before they had a record out, don’t remember too well, but then I also saw them on the original line-up reunion tour in 2005 (my then girlfriend was a fan) and they were really good actually
Yeah, I bought the wedding album on CD cheap for that one song. Come Undone is alright, Femme Fatale is atrocious. But not as atrocious as White Lines (Don’t Do It) from the next album.
That’s very interesting, Mr P – but I was trying to elicit from @fentonsteve why his brain couldn’t cope with bone conduction headphones and how it manifested.
Sorry I misunderstood. Ignore me.
I only bought them for cycling as they’d keep my lugholes free for hearing ambient noise, etc. But I didn’t like being distracted by what was playing, while trying to stay upright on two wheels and in one piece (an occupational hazard of cycling through rush hour traffic).
Wearing earbuds or cans whilst cycling around town would be like signing your own death warrant.
My BIL has the bone ones and swears by them – he’s a keen mountain biker.
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Save A Prayer aside, lifes to short to listen to DD.
The Comply tips make a lot of difference to comfort for inears.
I have pair of Shokz bone conductors that I bought for cycling. Like the idea of being able to hear ambient noise as well as music.
They do work really well for that but bass is very much absent however. I almost never use them for music but use them a lot for conducting long phone calls. They enable me to do other tasks at the same time. Great for podcasts while walking the dog too.
If I lost them today , I’d buy another pair tomorrow.
I’m coming to realise that I might just as well go out with over-ear headphones, even expensive wireless ones that make you look like a Cyberman. Nobody is looking at you anyway, preoccupied with their own lives and/or phones.
I’m a big fan of B&O H95 (over ear) and Beoplay Eleven (in ear) but they cost a lot. The upside is that you get actual customer service if there’s any issues.
I bought a set of Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 just before Christmas which are pretty low profile for over ears. They sound superb for wireless headphones when using the Aptx Lossless codec. I’ve been using them for my early morning walks as I slowly get my leg strength back after having my hip replaced and I highly recommend them. Pricey but you get what you pay for, very comfortable and a premium build.
Just looked them up – very classy. Bit out of my price range for “outdoor” use – sadly.
They are properly lush.
I have the Px7 S2. Marvellous so I imagine the Px8 S2 are even better. Beautiful to look at in an understated way.
I shouldn’t imagine they will sound dramatically different. I bought them as a Christmas present to myself and just thought sod it I’ll go all in.
I need to learn how to go all in….
I’d like to find ones that are comfortable no matter how I rest my head on the pillow.
I use the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra earbuds. I really like them although they must be quite fussy about how you put them in the case as they don’t always charge.
Anyway they are currently on sale at about £199 and this is the what hifi review:
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/bose-quietcomfort-ultra-earbuds
I have a air of Sony XM6 over ear phones for indoor use and a cheaper pair of Sony c710 buds for anything else.
I tried the expensive Sony earbuds and the Air pods Pro 2s before going back to over ears as I always have the same problem getting buds to stay in. The best solution I’ve found so far is from Sonicfoam – they are less expensive than the Comply tips but are designed to be used for relatively short periods before you swap them for a new pair. I think I’ll try the Comply ones.
https://amzn.eu/d/iSt3qor
This thread has reminded me of how impressed I was with the Dolby Atmos skills of the AirPod Pro 3’a. I was walking the dog listening to a Hercule Poirot audiobook play type thing and I started looking behind me trying to find the cuckoo I could hear. Took me a full minute to realise it was in the audio so convincing was its positioning. I was impressed (and slightly spooked).
Thanks all. I’ve decided to upgrade my Pro 2’s to 3’s and invest in the Comfy tips. There’s a few of you who’ve become my go-to’s for audio advice – @Leedsboy, @Pencilsqueezer, @mikethep and @fentonsteve, in particular, so thanks to you all.
I shall report back.
Slightly startled to find myself in such august audiophile company, but I wish you joy of them. I’m going Comply too once I’ve come to terms with the cost…
I have tried cheaper versions and they don’t do the job quite as well (but some are decent) and they don’t last as long.
No valves, tho’…
@Leedsboy @mikethep I’m over the moon with the Pro 3s and Comply tips. The bass is the best I’ve ever had and the tips are really comfortable. Thanks, Lee.🙏
I am so glad they worked for you as well. The Comply tips made such a difference. Enjoy – I recommend Dolby Atmos audio books for the full what was that noise behind me feeling as well.
Glad it worked out Niall – I’ve just committed.
Which Comply tips did you get Niall? I want to get some too