Apple AirPods Pro

 You'll feel your music, not your headphones. 

Autumn 2019 saw the release of Apples 3rd generation of Airpods. There are some pretty revolutionary changes to the design and tech alike so let's dive right in and see what they wanted to improve on. 

The Look​

You won't mistake these for the AirPods 1 and 2. These are much shorter and have a rubber ear inserts that come in 3 sizes.

Active Noise Cancelation 

Now this is not the regular noise cancelation that you might have heard about before. There are 2 flavours on and off called Active Noise Cancelation and Transparency Mode. You can chose to shut our the world with Active and hear just your source music or you can have a setting (Transparency Mode) that allows outside sounds in. For this to work there is a fit test that you do so you can select the correct insert sizes.

How Apple Active Noise Cancellation Works in Air Pod Pro

It works by using 2 microphones feeding back to the sophisticated electronics- one forward facing and one backward facing. 200 times per second ANTI NOISE is created to nullify the unwanted noise- yes it sounds crazy!

3 Sizes Of Changeable Ear Inserts

It did seem quite naive that apple thought they could design a 'fit' for everyone with the first and second generation Airpods. With the original Airpods (1 and 2) 3rd party rubber 'wings' were invented, made and sold that gave a tighter fit so that you could move the head without them coming loose. Without them depending on your ear size and shape the original 1 and 2's could fall out. Not at all great considering the cost. The big downside to them was you can't put them back in the case with the rubber wings attached.

For myself I am one of those people who needs a rubber insert on any kind of self holding earbud regardless of make. So this for many people is a great advancement.

The new AirPod Pro's fit me really well. One of the great things about all the AirPods earbuds is that they are lightweight 'not there' feel. It's very free- great for sport.

Shorter Design

The 'storks' are shorter in the 3rd gen pods. This is perhaps due to general advancements in technology allowing smaller outside dimensions.

The Audio

I can't put this into words so I am going to quote apple.com

A custom-built high-excursion, low-distortion driver delivers powerful bass. A super-efficient high dynamic range amplifier produces pure, incredibly clear sound while also extending battery life. And Adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to suit the shape of your ear for a rich, consistent listening experience.

by Apple.com wordsmiths!

Beyond

You can bind the listening source to another pair of AirPod Pro's so as a couple you can watch the same movie or listen to the same piece of music. This is Apple's Audio Sharing.

A 'force sensor' on the stem of the pods allows you to control certain aspects of playback and also the noise cancelation mode. Siri is available for more complex hands free fun.

The Airpod Pro's are a radical update. They are in fact a new design with some of the best aspects brought from gens 1 and 2. You can learn more about them on the official apple.com website here.

You'll feel your music, not your headphones.