Apple AirPods Professional 2 Evaluation: The Greatest Light-weight Earbuds You Can Purchase

It should not shock anybody that Apple’s AirPods Professional 2 ($249, £249, AU$399) are higher than the unique AirPods Professional. In spite of everything, this second-gen model took practically three years to develop, so you work Apple may in all probability pull one thing collectively which may offer you a cause to improve from the first-gen AirPods Professional or purchase them over different nice premium earbuds from Sony, Bose and different large headphone manufacturers.

The excellent news is Apple has performed simply that. And whereas placing an actual share on how a lot AirPods Professional 2 have improved over their predecessors is not really easy (that is one thing I will attempt to do on this overview), suffice to say they’ve improved sufficient to earn a CNET Editors’ Selection award, notably now that they are being discounted at a number of on-line retailers with costs dipping to as little as $200 throughout flash gross sales. 

Learn extra: Greatest Wi-fi Earbuds for 2022

Apple AirPods Professional 2 design: Small adjustments

Let’s begin with the exterior design. That is a type of conditions the place Apple hasn’t actually performed something to vary the scale and form of the buds or considerably alter their bodily look. The unique AirPods Professional had been compact and light-weight and match lots of people’s ears very well, so I can not fault that call.

Some individuals had been hoping for shorter stems and maybe some new colour choices and even higher water resistance — sure, they’re nonetheless IPX4 splash-proof. However I figured Apple would keep on with its tried-and-true design and give attention to improving the areas that had essentially the most room for enchancment, corresponding to sound high quality, noise-canceling efficiency and battery life, which is now as much as six hours from about four-and-a-half hours with noise canceling on and an additional 4 expenses within the charging case (30 hours complete). These numbers go as much as seven hours and 35 hours complete with the noise canceling off. A fast five-minute cost offers you about an hour’s price of battery life.

There are some small however noteworthy adjustments to the design, notably to the microphones placement. On the unique AirPods Professional, the skin-detection sensor and noise-canceling microphone had been mixed on the within of the bud. Now, they’re separated with the skin-detection sensor in the identical spot, however the noise-canceling microphone has been moved to the highest of the bud the place it is uncovered to the skin world and higher at selecting up and processing ambient sound. The microphone configuration is much like what you see on the AirPods 3, however the skin-detection sensor is smaller, and Apple says it is improved that sensor so it extra precisely activates and off playback and is extra vitality environment friendly. 

I must also point out that Apple now features a fourth set of additional small ear suggestions, which ought to assist these of you with actually small ear canals who had hassle getting a safe match with the originals.

However this is not just like the AirPods 3, the place Apple made large adjustments to the earbuds’ exterior design. So far as I can inform, these match my ears the identical because the originals. I personally would love Apple to incorporate a brand new extra-large ear tip, however I do get a comparatively good seal with the biggest measurement that is included. (I’m able to go the seal check within the Ear Tip Match check that is a part of the AirPods Professional’s Ear Tip companion app, however I do must typically modify how the buds sit in my ears to go the check.) I may in all probability do just a bit higher with an XL tip, and I typically use third-party foam tricks to get a safer match. They’ve a bit of extra grip, and that helps hold the buds very securely in my ears, notably after I’m working with them.

Upgraded Apple AirPods Professional 2 wi-fi charging case

The brand new MagSafe-enabled wi-fi charging case is similar measurement however now has a built-in speaker and Apple’s U1 chip, which permits it to play sounds to be used with Apple’s precision Discover My characteristic (the case primarily has an Apple AirTag constructed into it). Beforehand, the buds may play a sound by their drivers, however usually they had been within the case, so that you could not hear that sound. Now, you should use Discover My to find the case or the left or proper earbuds individually ought to one or all of them go lacking (the buds use Bluetooth Low Power or BLE for monitoring). The case additionally now has a spot for attaching a lanyard, however sadly, Apple would not embody a lanyard with the buds.

It is price noting that you would be able to’t cost the unique AirPods Professional within the AirPods Professional 2’s circumstances and vice versa. If you happen to attempt that, you will get a “mismatched AirPods” notification in your cellphone.

Whereas Apple has retained the pinch controls on the stems, which I most well-liked to the contact controls on the unique AirPods, it is now added swipe controls on the stem for adjusting the quantity. You possibly can nonetheless ask Siri to lift and decrease quantity — these do have hands-free Siri — however lots of people will respect the brand new swipe controls.

That is actually it so far as exterior design adjustments go and most of them are tied into some characteristic or efficiency enhancement.

Learn extra: Greatest Noise-Canceling True Wi-fi Earbuds for 2022

New Apple AirPods Professional 2 drivers and inside elements

As I mentioned in my preliminary first look video, the actual adjustments are on the within, the place every little thing is mainly new. The AirPods Professional 2 are powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers extra processing energy whereas being extra vitality environment friendly. To get higher sound, Apple has mixed that chip with a brand new amplifier and new low-distortion drivers together with new digital processing algorithms. The H2, new microphones and algorithms are additionally what drive the improved adaptive lively noise canceling that Apple says is twice as highly effective as its predecessor’s noise canceling. And eventually, there is a new Adaptive Transparency Mode that lets you hear the world round you in a pure, lifelike method whereas lowering loud noises which may usually shock your ears. It is an important transparency mode and you may flip the adaptive half off in order for you. 

Apple AirPods Professional 2 sound analysis

You possibly can undoubtedly hear the enhancements to each the noise canceling and sound. As for sound, you get higher readability, extra bass punch with higher definition, and simply extra all-around depth and dynamic sound. The sound simply has a bit of extra girth and dimensionality. I in contrast a couple of tracks I all the time use throughout testing, like Spoon’s Knock Knock Knock, and you may actually discover a distinction within the bass efficiency. The earbuds use Adaptive EQ, which makes use of an inward-facing microphone to observe the sound going into your ears, and the H2 chip, which optimizes the audio that you just’re listening to on the fly (there are not any handbook EQ settings). The chip’s elevated computational energy helps it course of and optimize a wider vary of frequencies, notably the highs.

One of many extra spectacular issues in regards to the buds is how loud they play. For me, I discovered they performed lots loud at about 65% to 70% quantity. I in contrast them to the brand new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. The AirPods Professional 2 sound glorious, however there’s one thing in regards to the tonal steadiness of the Bose that I appreciated a bit of higher at instances — there is a bit extra heat and naturalness to it — and the bass has a bit extra oomph. However I needed to push the quantity as much as about 85% to listen to among the finer particulars and to get the additional bass kick on the Bose. With the AirPods Professional 2 you hear extra element and get good bass even at extra average volumes.

Some individuals had been hoping that the brand new AirPods Professional would be capable to stream Apple Lossless tracks over wi-fi. They at the moment cannot try this, which will definitely disappoint some individuals. Whether or not they’ll be capable to try this sooner or later and probably get different new characteristic upgrades is anyone’s guess. However for now, they use Bluetooth 5.3 and help the AAC LC3 audio codec, which presents 16-bit 48 kilohertz bit charges in contrast with the 16-bit 24 kilohertz bit charges of AAC. Not high-resolution audio, however a bit of bump up.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Professional help 24-bit high-resolution audio. The catch is to get that 24-bit audio you want a Galaxy system outfitted with Samsung’s One UI 4.0 and a music streaming service like Qobuz, Tidal or Amazon Music that streams high-res audio tracks. On all different units, together with Android telephones and iPhones, these buds default to the AAC audio codec.

Apple AirPods Professional 2 noise canceling testing

The lively noise canceling is impacted by how tight a seal you get from the ear suggestions. If you happen to lose that tight seal, some ambient sound might leak in and you might hit the uncommon ANC hiccup because the AI shifts gears for a fraction of second to make changes (this can be a phenomenon with all adaptive noise-canceling earbuds). Nevertheless it was straightforward to sense that the noise canceling was lowering extra cabin noise throughout a cross-country flight I took and in addition muffled extra sound after I rode the subway in New York. The buds even have simply sufficient venting to keep away from that oppressive occluded feeling you typically get with ANC buds.

The noise canceling did not really feel twice as sturdy to me as I switched between the AirPods Professional 2 and the unique AirPods Professional, however by double the noise canceling energy what Apple means is that noise canceling is improved throughout all frequencies and possibly extra so with high- and mid-range frequencies which are tougher to muffle than decrease frequencies. So that you’re prone to hear extra enchancment with the muffling of individuals’s voices, for instance.

Finally, the noise canceling is without doubt one of the finest on the market proper now and only a slight step behind what I skilled with Bose’s new QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which arguably have the most effective noise canceling at this second. However I will say it once more, the noise-canceling expertise can and can differ with the match of the earbuds, so hopefully, you get match.

If you happen to occur to personal an Apple Watch, you’ll be able to fireplace up the Noise app — or complication, as Apple calls it — to get a readout of the precise decibel ranges the AirPods Professional 2 are lowering with their noise canceling (you simply must have a Watch working WatchOS 9). It might be good for those who may simply see that very same dB degree examine in your iPhone.

Apple AirPods Professional 2 Spatial Audio

I am not going to speak an excessive amount of about Apple’s Spatial Audio digital encompass mode, however it’s right here and enjoyable to mess around with — it is a good bonus characteristic, and Apple appears to do it finest in contrast with different buds which have their very own digital encompass or spatial mode with head-tracking (for instance, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Professional use 360 Audio). I choose utilizing Spatial Audio with films, however I additionally tried it with numerous music tracks, notably those who Apple designates as Made For Spatial Audio. It would not essentially make music sound higher, however it does make it sound totally different, and it is fascinating to attempt it out with tracks you realize effectively and need to hear another way.

iOS 16 brings Personalised Spatial audio to any AirPods that help Spatial Audio. Just like what you do when establishing Face ID, the customized expertise comes from taking footage of your ears, and the largest profit is the extra correct placement of dialogue instantly in entrance of you while you’re watching a film. That placement would not transfer even for those who flip your head you probably have head-tracking turned on (you can too use Spatial Audio in “fastened” setting).

Apple AirPods Professional 2 voice-calling efficiency

The unique AirPods Professional had been principally glorious for making voice calls and these are even barely higher. As I mentioned, the microphones have been upgraded, and there are two beamforming microphones for calls — one on the skin of the bud and one on the backside of the stem, each of which have some mesh overlaying them to assist scale back wind noise. Whenever you’re utilizing the buds to make a FaceTime name over Wi-Fi as an alternative of a name over a mobile voice community the place the audio will get compressed, individuals might be able to discover a much bigger distinction within the readability of your voice in contrast with what they might hear with the unique AirPods Professional. (You possibly can take heed to a check name on the Verizon mobile community in my companion video overview, on the prime of this web page.)

The one factor I seen when evaluating the AirPods Professional 2’s voice calling with that of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 is that while you’re having a dialog, the AirPods Professional 2 let extra background noise in, however your voice sounds clearer to callers. Whenever you’re not speaking, the Bose earbuds utterly silence the background noise — it solely bleeds in a bit while you begin speaking. The AirPods Professional 2 do not attempt to silence the background noise; they only scale back it to decrease ranges. There’s one thing fairly spectacular in regards to the Bose virtually utterly silencing the background noise, however the total expertise for callers (the individuals you are speaking to) appears to be higher with the AirPods Professional 2, as a result of your voice does sound clearer and so they can hear you effectively over the diminished background noise. 

I made calls with noise canceling on as effectively calls with the adaptive transparency on. Individuals you are speaking with cannot hear a distinction, however there might be an enormous distinction in your finish, notably for those who’re in a loud surroundings, the place you will need to flip the noise canceling on (there’s simply sufficient sidetone to listen to your voice within the buds with noise canceling on). In much less noisy environments, it is higher to show transparency on as a result of you’ll be able to hear your voice because it sounds and you will not discuss too loud. And the transparency does make you are feeling as for those who’re not sporting headphones, although you should still really feel them in your ears.

You should utilize one bud independently — with noise canceling on in order for you — and depart the opposite within the case to cost. It would not matter which one you employ when making calls; with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds it seems that you would be able to solely use the fitting bud for calls if you wish to use solely a single bud.

Apple AirPods Professional 2 buried options

I’ve spent most of this overview specializing in the AirPods Professional 2’s top-level options and the issues that folks care about most, corresponding to sound high quality, noise-canceling and voice-calling efficiency. However the AirPods Professional do have plenty of additional options and settings buried inside iOS 16 beneath the Accessibility setting that can help you tweak the buds, play masking sounds and even create a customized audiogram. And for individuals who have slight to average listening to loss, there is a Dialog Enhance that flip the buds into listening to amplifiers.

These options aren’t distinctive to the AirPods Professional 2 — they’re out there for all the newest AirPods. However they’re price exploring, and I believe we’ll see extra options added sooner or later. As an illustration, there was some chatter about new well being options coming to the AirPods Professional 2. These have not materialized, however you by no means know what may get added. For instance, Spatial Audio did not come to the AirPods Professional till effectively after their preliminary launch, and Apple by no means even hinted at when it initially launched the headphones. 

One other good little bonus: Along with charging through Lightning, MagSafe or customary Qi wi-fi pads, the AirPods Professional 2 may even be juiced up with an Apple Watch magnetic charger. 

Apple AirPods Professional 2 in comparison with different prime earbuds

As I mentioned firstly, it is laborious to place an actual quantity on simply how a lot better the brand new AirPods Professional 2 are than their predecessor. However I’ll go along with someplace round 40%.

The actual fact is that when the AirPods Professional got here out virtually three years in the past, it was actually their compact measurement, snug match and Apple-only options like auto switching between all of the units in your iCloud account that had been their large promoting factors. That is all right here nonetheless, however now the sound and noise canceling, which had been good however not nice earlier than, are what you’d anticipate from a $249 set of buds.

Audio high quality is subjective, and a few individuals might barely choose the sonic traits of buds just like the Bose I discussed earlier or the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wi-fi 3, all of which have equalizer choices of their companion apps. However others may very well choose the AirPods Professional 2’s sound; it actually does stack up effectively in opposition to what you get with different premium earbuds on this value vary.

Remaining tackle Apple AirPods Professional 2

Whereas the AirPods Professional 2 will pair with Android units, you do lose loads of their particular options, together with Spatial Audio, so Android customers are higher off with buds like Google’s superb Pixel Buds Professional, Samsung’s glorious Galaxy Buds 2 Professional or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 that I discussed earlier. And you might discover that different buds just like the Bose and even Apple’s personal Beats Match Professional, which do not sound fairly pretty much as good or supply pretty much as good noise canceling or voice calling efficiency, might suit your ears extra securely, which is a crucial issue when shopping for wi-fi earbuds.

I am amongst those that want Apple had made the AirPods Professional 2 look a bit of totally different than the originals. (I actually do need them to return in additional colour choices.) However for those who’re an Apple consumer, they’re laborious to beat as long as they suit your ears. Whereas they could not fairly be excellent, they really feel like a way more absolutely advanced, refined product that packs not solely a powerful set of options however top-notch efficiency in a really small design.

Editors’ word: This overview was initially printed on Sept. 22, 2022 and up to date in December to reaffirm our continued optimistic expertise with the headphones and add an Editors’ Selection designation.