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I'm very disappointed with my Airpods, in general. I find that unless I have a need to carry a physically smaller pair of headphones, my go-to is a set of Surface headphones from 2018 that both sound better and have a better mic for other people to hear me with.
 
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As a newer AP2 owner this isn’t great to find out but mine work like I want them to at the moment. One of my personal cars has a loud exhaust so I discovered the other day I can wear my AP2’s while driving it long distances. It worked great even made phone calls and people usually hate talking to me when I am in that car but they couldn’t even tell.
I tried this this morning when driving on the interstate and it made my drive much nicer. Using Apple Watch noise measurements, my car is usually around 70 decibels without music playing and with the AirPods in they reduced it to around 35 in anc. Pretty impressive.
So, after some experimenting, I am confused. I used the ANC in the car today, and it works perfectly. I couldn't hear anything outside the car. In the store, I could hear people talking...only slightly muffled. At home I am hearing music from the speakers on my desk...only slightly muffled. Mowing the lawn, I can really hear the lawn mower. Clapping my hands I hear....wait for it...only slightly muffled. Standing at the kitchen sink, I can't hear the running water. So, some noise...anc works perfectly. Other situations...not very well.
Scratch Head.gif
 
I have APP2 with firmware 7E93, purchased in August 2023 and used daily since. The ANC seems to be as good as it ever was.
 
Well now we're talking subjective opinion. I don't think my AP 2's suck, just the anc function...which can be fixed. I don't even mind much that the anc doesn't work properly, as I don't use it often. I'd just like it to work well when I do need it. I actually love my AP 2's, the way they sound, and the way they integrate into the Apple ecosystem and work with my iPhone. So while I am not happy with the anc right now, I certainly am not of the opinion that my AP 2's suck.😉
It’s not subjective. Bose has way better ANC, these earbuds are not even in same category of performance. Bose QC Ultra is the only earbuds that can perform like my full sized headphones.

And Bose does everything the Apple AirPods 2 does with an iPhone. And it even has a superior Spatial Audio. And yes, even Siri works. But the Apple AirPods 2 doesn’t have an EQ.

And soundwise, the AirPods Pro 2 sounds more like earbuds, while Bose QC Ultra is more closer to a full-sized headphone. And the sound is also much more customizable with an EQ (pretty much everybody has an EQ nowadays except Apple).
 
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Ah, apologies. I looked at the wrong thing.

You say they do “everything” APP2 does with an iPhone. Does that include seamlessly switching from device to device, or is there an app you must interact with, like I have for my Sennheiser Momentum 4 over-ears?
 
You either got a good deal on the Bose or a bad deal on the AirPods. Bose are running $249, AirPod Pro 2's are $169.

I bought them during a sale. I never buy electronics for full price, except Apple as they never lower their prices.

My “$1100” Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2, I only paid $499 for it during a sale for more extreme cases. And yes, it is 100% brand new.

And Bose, Sony, …. , they go on sale all the time. You got be silly to pay full price for them.
 
I have a feeling the mics record the ambient noise to calculate the ANC might just deteriorate over time and thus the ANC itself is not as effective compared to new units?
I remember when i put in my Pro2 for the first time after having used the Pro1 for 1 year i was totally blown away. These days - not so much.
 
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Anybody looking for a bit of boost in ANC, I would recommend the Comply foam ear tips. They seem to be made from similar stuff as those foam earplugs you cram into your ears for hearing protection. Purely subjective here, but to me they seem to me to make the ANC feel maybe 25% stronger (again, very subjective). They also very much improve the ability of the APP to stay in place in the ears. I've noticed that I no longer tighten the APP into my ears a few times an hour (and more when I'm sweating) like I was with the stock silicone tips. Haven't had a chance to stress test them with running, but I think they'll do ok.

The one caveat with them is that, per the manufacturer, each set may only last a couple months until the foam starts to wear out. But, you get 3 pairs in the package for about $20 so it's not a terrible deal IMO.
 
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Anybody looking for a bit of boost in ANC, I would recommend the Comply foam ear tips. They seem to be made from similar stuff as those foam earplugs you cram into your ears for hearing protection. Purely subjective here, but to me they seem to me to make the ANC feel maybe 25% stronger (again, very subjective). They also very much improve the ability of the APP to stay in place in the ears. I've noticed that I no longer tighten the APP into my ears a few times an hour (and more when I'm sweating) like I was with the stock silicone tips. Haven't had a chance to stress test them with running, but I think they'll do ok.

The one caveat with them is that, per the manufacturer, each set may only last a couple months until the foam starts to wear out. But, you get 3 pairs in the package for about $20 so it's not a terrible deal IMO.
Yes, I love the memory foam ear tips. Started using them with my original APP’s. They provide a great seal and keep my APP 2’s firmly in the ear. Also improved the bass and sound quality for me.

These are the ones I use:


IMG_1634.png
 
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I feel the same way, OP. I use my AP2 while running on the treadmill....for the past couple months I can hear my feet hitting the treadmill, the treadmill noise, and everything else around me. I constantly check to see if Noise Cancellation is turned on each time and it always is.

I feel over time, the ANC on AirPods start to dwindle down and isn't as good as it used to be when they were new. Either firmware updates could be the culprit or the ear tips start to form to your ears and do not provide a good seal anymore...although I have done many ear tip fit tests and the tips I use always come back as a good fit....so that leaves it to firmware updates, IMO.
It couldn’t possibly be that the vents and mic‘s gather dirt and grime, no, it must be firmware that tells old AirPods to slowly stop working, while the same software runs on new models, too.
 
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It couldn’t possibly be that the vents and mic‘s gather dirt and grime, no, it must be firmware that tells old AirPods to slowly stop working, while the same software runs on new models, too.
While it could possibly be dirt gathering on the vents and mic's for some, it is not the problem with mine. I am a bit (ok, maybe a lot) ocd and clean mine every night after use. Same with my phone. My wife and son roll their eyes at me all the time.🤭

In my research on this (which I posted some links to above), it seems that a large amount of people started experiencing anc problems after updating iOS and/or firmware for the Airpods. So, while it is feasible that dirt is the problem for some, it's just as feasible that software is the problem for others. If you've been in the tech world for any length of time, you'd know it's a very common topic that software often plagues some people's devices, while others have no problems at all.😉

PS. No need to be smug, arrogant, or disrespectful here. We are just trying to figure out what is causing a problem with our expensive tech.😉
 
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While it could possibly be dirt gathering on the vents and mic's for some, it is not the problem with mine. I am a bit (ok, maybe a lot) ocd and clean mine every night after use. Same with my phone. My wife and son roll their eyes at me all the time.🤭

In my research on this (which I posted some links to above), it seems that a large amount of people started experiencing anc problems after updating iOS and/or firmware for the Airpods. So, while it is feasible that dirt is the problem for some, it's just as feasible that software is the problem for others. If you've been in the tech world for any length of time, you'd know it's a very common topic that software often plagues some people's devices, while others have no problems at all.😉

PS. No need to be smug, arrogant, or disrespectful here. We are just trying to figure out what is causing a problem with our expensive tech.😉
Yeah I get that. I just think it’s bold to assume a software update slowly degrades the the quality for old units while not affecting less old ones. That’s conspiratorial talk backed up by nothing. I am certain there is at least one team of people on this planet dedicated to prove that „planned obsolescence“ via forced software updates is a thing in the Apple ecosystem, yet there are zero reports about anything, „BatteryGate“, which was a sham, remains the biggest and as far as I can tell only story with some truth to it.
I am no stranger to rare or user specific software or hardware issues either, I’ve had many, many of both, almost exclusively with Apple.
I clean my AirPods every day too, I even wipe them every single time after use. That doesn’t mean that during holding the stem grime from your fingers can’t get into the mics at the bottom.
I too am still trying to figure out what to do about my malfunctioning AirPods, but for me the issues started mid January, so 2 months after the then recent firmware release.
If it’s software related, why do these posts creep up every single day on the internet and not just after a firmware release? I have read that slowly malfunctioning mics are very likely to be the culprit, something that seems far more likely, as does that people don’t clean their AirPods and have ANC problems because of that.

I understand the problem you have with my tone, but I stand by the reply to that user. I would blame dirt, grime, sweat and humidity, which are very likely in the case of that commenter, instead of defaulting to it’s the softwares fault.
 
I have enjoyed my AP2s. That said, the noise cancellation suddenly stopped a couple months ago, just out of warranty. They've the latest firmware. They've been well cleaned with the official cleaning kit. But no go. Trying to decide whether to buy another pair or another brand. Would prefer Apple but don't want to buy another with same weakness.
 
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I have enjoyed my AP2s. That said, the noise cancellation suddenly stopped a couple months ago, just out of warranty. They've the latest firmware. They've been well cleaned with the official cleaning kit. But no go. Trying to decide whether to buy another pair or another brand. Would prefer Apple but don't want to buy another with same weakness.

Sucks. I like my APP2's but I also have the Sony WF-1000XM5's and they are as good sound quality and ANC but don't have the nice integration in the Apple system.
 
Have you contacted Apple? Is there any warranty left? Do you have AppleCare +? These are fragile tiny devices and it could be anything.
 
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