7 ms·

I was among the first to receive my AirPods back in end of 2016. They are now down to <2.5hours listening on my iPhone and <2hours on my MBP (for some unknown r

by lgvln 8y ago

I was among the first to receive my AirPods back in end of 2016. They are now down to <2.5hours listening on my iPhone and <2hours on my MBP (for some unknown reason). They are great on the go but the lack of sound isolation is problematic because you really have to crank the volume up. That really isn’t ideal in the long run. I also suspect the sound quality has degraded somewhat because of the dirt etc that has accumulated behind the vents. I’m probably going to use them till the batteries are too degraded and change to BT ANC headphones afterwards.

AcerbicZero 8y ago
I actually like the Airpods lack of sound isolation. I use them when I want to be able to hear things around me still, walking/biking/etc. When I want quiet and music I switch to my Shure SE215's w/Bluetooth. Way better sound quality and with the foam earplug style earbuds they really block out the noise.
pfranz 8y ago
I think those are just the different classes of headphones. Even with wired headphones earbuds were my daily driver. I had over the ear for isolation on airplanes, but they were way too inconvenient for day to day and kind of gross if I was working out. There are a bunch of other big types, but I've never had a need for things like in-ear monitors or open air headphones. My wife was actively looking for something with active "pass thru" and tried a few headphones. I suspect (like you) she was expecting airpods to have more isolation because she's very happy with them. I imagine your MBP supports different bluetooth specs and is slightly older. Since people upgrade their phones more often they tend to get these things first. Last month I got a loaner MBP and completely forgot my mouse requires BT4 and would work. I never tried airpods, but I suspect they either wouldn't work at all or be forced to use higher-powered, older BT protocols. I also remember hearing something about the mic being on in unexpected circumstances, killing battery life.

by lgvln 8y ago

AcerbicZero 8y ago

I actually like the Airpods lack of sound isolation. I use them when I want to be able to hear things around me still, walking/biking/etc. When I want quiet and music I switch to my Shure SE215's w/Bluetooth. Way better sound quality and with the foam earplug style earbuds they really block out the noise.

pfranz 8y ago

I think those are just the different classes of headphones. Even with wired headphones earbuds were my daily driver. I had over the ear for isolation on airplanes, but they were way too inconvenient for day to day and kind of gross if I was working out. There are a bunch of other big types, but I've never had a need for things like in-ear monitors or open air headphones. My wife was actively looking for something with active "pass thru" and tried a few headphones. I suspect (like you) she was expecting airpods to have more isolation because she's very happy with them. I imagine your MBP supports different bluetooth specs and is slightly older. Since people upgrade their phones more often they tend to get these things first. Last month I got a loaner MBP and completely forgot my mouse requires BT4 and would work. I never tried airpods, but I suspect they either wouldn't work at all or be forced to use higher-powered, older BT protocols. I also remember hearing something about the mic being on in unexpected circumstances, killing battery life.