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Yesterday I was walking in downtown Los Angeles while donning AirPods Pro and talking on the phone and I remarked to the person I was talking to that it felt li
by damon_c 7y ago
Yesterday I was walking in downtown Los Angeles while donning AirPods Pro and talking on the phone and I remarked to the person I was talking to that it felt like I was walking by myself in a quiet room because of how strangely quiet it was.
I'm surprised that upon checking, I seem to have the accused firmware.
It's not that bad.
- ghaff 7y agoOT but I really have trouble with the idea of walking around cities with noise canceling earpods in. I'm even am a bit uncomfortable walking on a forest path with regular earbuds--and I mostly don't do it. I guess I just grew up without such things and it feels a bit isolating.
- cududa 7y agoFor me, the isolation is the point
- damon_c 7y agoYes it's very weird... but it's great when you're talking on the phone in a noisy place!
- ghaff 7y agoAbsolutely. When I'm in a controlled space but it's noisy, noise canceling is great. I just can't empathize with cutting myself off from my surroundings like that if I'm walking down a sidewalk in a city.
- lukifer 7y agoI think the real feature is that you're in full control: the Transparency option is basically the opposite of noise-cancelling, giving you full operational awareness in a noisy environment without taking the headphones out. It's even trivial to switch between them (pinch and hold the stem). The real use for noise-cancelling isn't city-walking, but airplanes, crowded coffee shops, etc. :)
- ghaff 7y agoFully. I have the Bose wired ones and they're great for planes. I use them even if I'm not actually playing anything.
- lilyball 7y agoTransparency mode is great. That's what I normally use, and then only switch to quiet mode when I'm in a particularly noisy environment such as on the subway.
- ogre_codes 7y agoCity streets are so loud I kind of hate riding/ walking without something to block out traffic sounds. It's particularly bad here in Oregon where they don't have SMOG/ noise regulation and idiots think running their trucks with straight pipes boosts horsepower in a meaningful way.
- olyjohn 7y agoBelieve me, they have noise regulations. The cops just love big trucks or something. Drive around a Honda with a barely noisy exhaust and watch the tickets pile up.
- ogre_codes 7y agoRice burners are about the least offensive of the noise hogs. Harleys and Mega-trucks dominate the noise landscape here. I suppose on the bright side we do seem to have a lot fewer cars with ridiculously loud stereos than when I was in California.
- pfranz 7y agoApple started recording audio exposure levels in Health. Using noise cancelling my normal dB level dropped noticeably.
- graeme 7y agoIs noise cancelling as good as an actual reduction of noise on this count? I.e. is it actually lowering ear damage. Also does transparency mode lower the decibels as well, while still letting in noise?
- pfranz 7y agoOther people have suggested noise cancelling may be a possible source of hearing damage...and I'm just some rando on the Internet, so I have no idea, but I do try and be aware of exposing myself to sustained loud noises. All I've noticed is that I tend to have the volume at a lower setting with the AirPods Pro with noise cancelling when wearing them out and about. With AirPods I would occasionally max out the volume setting and sometimes wish it would go louder. I noticed similar things with previous, wired headphones. I tend to only use passthrough when I'm in a quiet environment, like at home, and listening for/to someone. Apple Health shows audio exposure logging going back to Aug of last year. Back then I'm seeing 12-15hrs /wk of 90dB and a Loud! warning flagged (It says WHO recommends 4hrs/wk at 90dB). More recently (after buying the AirPods Pro) its logging 18-23hrs of 67-75dB (WHO recommends 40hrs at 80dB and 127hrs at 75dB). I tend to listen to podcasts. So it's talking instead of anything loud or sustained.
- _-___________-_ 7y agoAs far as I've seen, the only people who have suggested noise canceling may be a possible source of hearing damage are people who don't understand how sound works. Would love to see a single coherent explanation of how it could be the case from someone who has a clue.
- kelnos 7y agoHonestly I'd feel that walking around in a city with noise cancellation is dangerous. At night you risk mugging, and during the day you risk running into people or getting run over by a car or bicycle or something.
- humaniania 7y agoIsn't it dangerous to walk around without being able to hear car horns, people shouting, etc.?