Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) ​​​​​​​

I have found AirPods the most ergonomic of the earbud offerings and use them for phone (extensively), audiobook and music. There is a lot of emphasis across all kit on display quality for eyes but sound quality can be overlooked. The value of privacy and not disturbing other people means that comfort when used for long periods is also important.I moved up from AirPods to AirPod Pro after finding that the former tended to fall out when walking (regardless of cup fitting) and the greater sound quality was an incidental benefit.The first generation of the Pro have been excellent and I would probably not have upgraded but the holder and pods inside did not survive a cotton hot wash when left in a jeans pocket (don’t try this at home). I tried drying them by putting them in a bowl of rice but no luck.Generation 2 was imminent and I made do with a different make for a month. Although not inexpensive, the stand ins fell well short of AirPods in terms of comfort, staying in the ear, weight and simplicity of use. I had to refer to a manual because the design was not intuitive.AirPod 2 prompted an upgrade to my Iphone OS for full functionality (you can proceed without but don’t benefit from all the enhancements). Once done, pairing completed in seconds and a brief tour popped up explaining ‘on stalk’ controls.There are all sorts of jargon reviews about spatial sound field depth and so on. All I know is that, from recollection after a month’s gap, the sound quality and immersive sense was better. This could be partly the stand ins but I used them far less because they were not up to AirPod user friendliness. I used the pro 1 for a long time and I can identify a material improvement to an already good sound stage. Phone calls and audiobooks are not much of a challenge and to put the new generation through its paces I chose a few tracks that would test out bass, high notes, quiet and wall of sound music. To my ear, these very light earbuds are high quality hi fi and on a par with a Bose unit we use. The difference with the Pro 2 seems to be a sense of openness - more akin to listening to 3D sound versus an enclosed headphone experience.Noise cancellation - good in generation 1, it is dramatic for its ability to negate external sounds in the new incarnation. It also seems to be less artificial. Rather than a cotton wool effect, it is more as if external sounds are removed and that the degree of cancellation in some way takes account of the level of ambient noise rather than a blanket effect.There is no noticeable difference in size, weight or mass of the kit and the stalk seems to be much the same. One change is a further ear cup size, accommodating to a wider range of fitting needs.Most controls (volume, pause, skip) are available on the stalks. I have always found it easier to operate these from the phone and it took a degree of practice to test out ‘stalk control’. It works and may be useful for the gym and running.I think generation 1 AirPods were waterproof but not the charging case. Both are now certified water (rather than splash) proof. I wouldn’t risk them in a long boil wash again but a waterproof case reduces the need to safeguard it when out and about. Not tried them in the shower or swimming and will leave this to anyone prepared to risk new kit in the interests of reviewing.Charging is, as per previously, possible using a charging mat and the spec states markedly improved usage per charge - 6 hours listening/4.5 talk time for the AirPods and 30/24 for the case. Slightly less with spatial audio and head tracking (?! - think ‘cinema surround sound’).Important to note - AirPods can be used with non Mac devices but some of the advanced features are not available, requiring Mac OS.The one phenomenon that I will need to wait and see to know if it has been eliminated is ‘fade’. On all AirPods I have noticed after a while that phone callers report that my voice is fading out (random occurrence) for no accountable reason. I only notice this on calls, not listening and it seemed to be a function of the microphone and software because I could hear the caller fine. It was the only (and intermittent) issue I had with previous versions. I kept software up to date and the only other cause I have read up is ‘too many apps in use). iPhones don’t close apps and I have to periodically swipe and clear a dozen or so. Could be the issue and I have only discovered this as the possible culprit when looking for problems reported on line with generation 2. The only claimed problem was an apparently continued one - connectivity between multiple devices. I haven’t noticed this but I haven’t experienced a problem when switching between my Mac, IPad and phone or a Bluetooth enabled land line phone.And finally. All told I have probably spent 3 hours over the years searching for the case, which can easily get lost in pockets (thus the washing machine incident). The number of times I have been delayed going out or forced to take a call because I had misplaced them is legion. This has been solved by being able to ask the AirPod case to emit a ping to reveal where it is in hiding.Overall. I would have hesitated to buy these if I had not machine washed version 1 and then taken a backward step with another make. However, my subjective impression is that these are a significant step forward for an already good piece of kit. If you use AirPods on a daily basis for a fair while I consider that you will find these worthwhile the upgrade. Plenty are prepared to change smart phones at each launch (I usually wait three years) but to use an analogy, better tyres can improve driving experience for far less outlay than changing a car. AirPods support quite a lot of high end kit and the outlay enhances the overall utility of that ecosphere.

**Amazing Sound & Comfort!**The **AirPods Pro 2** are absolutely worth it! The **active noise cancellation** is incredible—it blocks out distractions while keeping music and calls crystal clear. The **transparency mode** is perfect for staying aware of surroundings when needed. The **battery life** is impressive, and the **wireless charging** is a great bonus. Plus, the **fit is super comfortable**, even during long listening sessions. If you're looking for premium wireless earbuds, these are a top choice! 🎧✨ **Highly recommend!**

It would be difficult to improve upon the ergonomics and sheer ease of use of Apple’s Airpods Pro – and providing they are being used within the Apple eco-system they offer no-hassle connectivity with class-leading active noise cancellation and adaptive transparency.Despite being unobtrusive and exceptionally comfortable (in my ears at least) what makes or breaks these in-ears for me is the sound quality. I’ve upgraded from the 2019 (Gen 1) Airpod Pros, which I’ve had for a couple of years and I’m pleased that I did.Before you read on I should offer a caveat, I’m 61 and although I have good hearing for my age it doesn’t compare to that of someone in their 20’s or 30’s, so you may a different audio experience.Sonically I felt the 2019 Airpod Pros weren’t terribly engaging. I own FiiO FD7’s and Shure SE846’s which are engaging and musical, albeit at roughly 2x and 4x the price. To draw an analogy, feeding all three in-ears with the same source material over Bluetooth, the FiiO’s deliver a musical performance akin to viewing a famous painting in an art gallery; the Shure’s offer a full-on ‘Fake or Fortune?’ experience and the Airpod Pros Gen 1’s offer a ‘looking at art through a shop window’ experience. Enter the 2022 Airpod Pro Gen 2’s. They offer a noticeably better audio experience out of the box. Not night & day, but enough - the base is tighter and more extended and there is slightly more resolution and ‘air’ around the instruments. For me however there is not enough high-end ‘sparkle‘ and the sound is still slightly sterile.I don’t use Apple Music for my audio feeds, preferring Onkyo’s HF Player app to listen to music I’ve ripped and Qobuz for streaming. The Onkyo app offers custom audio profiles and applying a small lift to the base and a more extended lift above 4 KHz I found music through the Airpod Pros (Gen 2) came alive. For anybody using Apples’ music player or a player with a built-in equaliser and listening through just one set of in-ears then I think the Airpod Pro (Gen 2’s) are a 5-star buy.Qobuz does not offer an in-app graphic equaliser on the iOS platform and Apple’s slider-switch approach to sound shaping doesn’t appeal to me - It’s generic and inconvenient when swapping between headphones with their own sound profiles. As such this was going to be a 4-star review, but I’ve found a workaround in iOS which modifies the sound profile of Airpods (and some Beats headphones), but not other brands. For anybody in the same position here’s how: the Accessibility option under Settings includes Audio/Visual controls. Turn Headphone Accommodations ‘on’ and apply the Custom Setup, selecting Audiogram. To force manual adjustments I suggest photographing an EQ curve and trying to apply this profile though the photos option. It won’t be recognised, but the software then allows the user to add a profile manually using fixed points between 125 Hz and 8 kHz. It’s clumsy but it works and I now have go-to in-ears that offer an engaging audio performance when out and about with the convenience of no-hassle connectivity and brilliant noise cancelling/transparency options.