Apple stops sales of third-party headphones and speakers – Sound and Vision – News

He finds they don’t sound like anything. That is his opinion. I also have an opinion about certain brands that others do not agree with, but that is separate from what reviewers think.

I took a look at those sites, but they mainly talk about how they sound better than the predecessors. Not that they sound ‘good’. Below is a bit of ‘cherry picking’ for my response, but it’s just about the general picture:

The Verge:

As for sound quality, the Pros are a noticeable step up from the standard AirPods.

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It’s easy to toss around cliche sound quality terms, but this is something that’s extremely subjective for everyone. If you like how AirPods sound already, expect even better from these. If you demand head-pounding bass, maybe stick with the Powerbeats Pro (and their marathon nine-hour battery life) or the less-expensive Amazon Echo Buds. Other earbuds like the Sennheiser True Momentums offer higher fidelity, but the Pros nail a consistent, pleasurable listening experience.

Whathifi:

Even here, though, the AirPods Pros aren’t quite able to match the sound quality of the Sony WF-1000XM3, which are that bit more dynamic and attacking. But the Pros counter with a more easy-going nature that ensures nothing sticks out unpleasantly – even the lowest quality Spotify streams sound acceptable.

Engadget:

Other companies may beat Apple in terms of noise cancellation and overall sound quality, but always-on Siri it a key advantage for AirPods (and some Beats headphones).

Sound quality is noticeably better on the AirPods Pro than the previous models. Apple employs what it calls Adaptive EQ, which automatically tunes the low- and mid-range frequencies to each user’s ear. There’s also a built-in amplifier that Apple says enhances clarity while also optimizing battery life. It’s a lot of techspeak, but the end result is much better audio quality than even the most recent AirPods can muster.

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All in all, these are not really great reviews. More is said to be better than their predecessors, but they are apparently not ‘the best’.

My personal opinion (is independent of what the rest of the world thinks, and in particular people who (should) understand sound / speakers / headphones / etc). I think the airpods I’ve heard so far sound very weak. I don’t like the sound, and therefore find the price-quality ratio very poor. I find them functionally very practical in use and nice in terms of design. I have never heard the pros, but if they are ‘only better’ than the predecessors, that doesn’t mean much to me, because in my personal opinion you don’t have to do much for that.

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