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AirPods Pro

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251–260 of 391 posts

Re: AirPods Pro

#251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there some type of battery technology out there that would be better? The batteries are half the product.

> Is there some type of battery technology out there that would be better? I think the argument is yes, there is - end user replaceable battery.

And since most of the mass of the AirPod + case is the battery, how is it really helping with the environment if the battery is the most toxic part?

Re: AirPods Pro

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're really concerned about noise reduction, I personally recommend headphones that block noise, not counter it. An example would be the Shure IEM line, which acts like an earplug, and which provide a flat 25db attenuation of sound. So, your 85db environment becomes a 60 db environment, and your music can be 65 db. Boise 2 headphones with ANR, in comparison, reduce about 13db of noise at 85db. http://www.hearing…

I'm interested in this, so looked the Shure line up. The cheapest IEM model is SE425CL at $269. Simple wires, no mic. Anyone have experience with them? https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/earphones/se425cl

If you want inexpensive, SE 215 is what you're looking for, for $99.

I have the 535's, which are a step up in drivers, and I love them. They aren't reference quality (which I recommend Etymotics for, and you can buy the isolating sleves for them), and are a bit on the warm side. The 425s are fairly similar, but the 535s are a bit clearer in the high-mids.

Any Shure headphones will have better sound quality than Apple, Beats, or Boise at similar price ranges, since they're built for listening, not fashion.

Re: AirPods Pro

#253
Bummer that this requires Catalina on the Mac. I'm not ready to take that plunge, so I guess I won't be getting Airpods Pro soon either!

Re: AirPods Pro

#254
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sooo going to buy them the moment they are available; convenience is totally worth it for me, even if they have to be replaced every year

even if they have to be replaced every year These are undeniably really nice products for the target audience, but the direction we as a humanity are going with disposable products has been and still is problematic and products like this do not help, on the contrary. Everyone is free to ignore that, but I personally cannot justify it. Especially knowing that just adding a wire buys me a better sounding product which…

I'm sure buying 1 airpods per year (per month even) is less waste than buying plastic-packed groceries every day (i.e. what we need to survive). I too oppose this, but to pretend AirPods are the real issue is just FUD. We need to have laws / taxes against this, but they need to be fair - not people e.g. promoting anti-AirPods policies but supporting /ignoring plastic-wrapped veggies, or promoting anti-meat policies but tolerating non-electric cars. Institute taxes that accurately account for the actual environmental impact of a product, and let (1) the people, and (2) the market sort it out (by reducing waste, improving recycling, deciding whether they want to spend more on meat or on petrol, etc.)

Re: AirPods Pro

#255
post #3

I will personally love to see someone justify spending $250 on wireless earphones whose batteries cannot be replaced. I'm a year and a half into my normal airpods and they already need new batteries.

What about all the people who are just going to chuck these in a landfill instead of properly recycling them? Apple can get all chuffed about acting like they're green, but they have to know these are landfill fodder.

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Re: AirPods Pro

#256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think I own 100 items that use batteries. I mean, I'm curious, and I'll make a list, but I'm definitely not replacing things every year. I've got a MacBook that's a few years old, an iPhone that's two years old, and AirPods that are less than a year old, and... my Apple TV remote is many years old and still only needs charging every couple of months. My Kindle is many years old and only needs charging every c…

I'm speaking more generally, not just about battery replacement. I cannot be in the mindset of disposable merchandise because I would be thinking about this stuff all the time.

Perhaps using numbers that are an order-of-magnitude out of line aren't helpful to your main point? If you're talking about replacing 100 items per year in a world where even ardent consumers of electronics own less than one-tenth that an replace, on average, none, that seems like a hard case to make.

I think there's a trend toward seeing electronics as consumable that bothers me, and I try to think carefully about my purchases, and yet somehow I've still ended up with at least eight items that use non-replaceable batteries, and maybe others that are "disposable" for other reasons.

Still, for each item I own, I've considered the "disposable" nature and yet bought it anyway.

Re: AirPods Pro

#257

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You don't really mention why? Why are they better than wireless earbuds by Sennheiser, Amazon, Google etc?

Microphone quality on most of the other offerings is atrocious. That said I wish these things didn't have a microphone. People tend to shout into them.

The microphone in Airpods is pretty bad too. One of my colleagues uses them paired to his Mac (maybe that's the issue?) and it sounds like the built in microphone on cheap laptops.

Re: AirPods Pro

#258

I love AirPods. I wear then 10+hrs a day (cycling between two due to charge). It isnt fair to judge before I've tried this, but I've never quite felt comfortable with the rubber seals 1. It feels like you are underwater 2. I want ambient sound coming thru, esp when i'm walking outside/etc.

I'm exactly the opposite. I've never enjoyed a pair of Apple earbuds in my life because of the hard, uncomfortable plastic. Rubber earbuds are mandatory for me.

These will probably be the first Apple headphones I'll buy, and use.

Re: AirPods Pro

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've demoed my $25 Anker or mpow earbuds (the Airpod-likes) to many coworkers sporting Airpods and they're universally astounded by the quality of the cheaper buds. I've converted quite a few people who lost their Airpods. The chead buds don't sound quite as good as Airpods, but they're 85% of the way there, fit better, can actually handle the rain and sweat without breaking down, can be used during exercise without…

and, Anker allows 18 hours of continuous usage. That's the biggest draw for me.

Do you often spend 18 hours with your headphones in? Even on a long day I’ll have 5 minutes to charge them while talking to someone, using the bathroom or getting lunch.

Re: AirPods Pro

#260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think I own 100 items that use batteries. I mean, I'm curious, and I'll make a list, but I'm definitely not replacing things every year. I've got a MacBook that's a few years old, an iPhone that's two years old, and AirPods that are less than a year old, and... my Apple TV remote is many years old and still only needs charging every couple of months. My Kindle is many years old and only needs charging every c…

I'm speaking more generally, not just about battery replacement. I cannot be in the mindset of disposable merchandise because I would be thinking about this stuff all the time.

To put this into perspective, you produce more waste with a grocery trip or a takeout order than you do with owning AirPods.

So let's start with the more impactful stuff before we get down to headphones that are used several hours a day every single day for a couple years.

Not to mention Apple has an extensive recycling program for most of their products.

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