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The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

basicappleguy.com

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Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#211

Post by falkensmaize »

austhrow743 wrote: post #202
falkensmaize wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not an ad, just personal experience, but I went through two pairs of AirPod Pro 2s in the last couple of years and both developed problems outside of warranty. I bought a pair of Earfuns from Amazon and they’re honestly pretty great. 95% of the sound quality and functionality of AirPod pros for about 25% of the price.

>and functionality of AirPod pros Is the automatic connection and switching between devices equivalent?

Yes actually. That was one of my biggest annoyances with non-Apple earbuds in the past, but these actually do seamlessly connect to all my Apple devices and switch quickly and reliably to the active device.

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#212

Post by austhrow743 »

falkensmaize wrote: post #211
austhrow743 wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and functionality of AirPod pros Is the automatic connection and switching between devices equivalent?

Yes actually. That was one of my biggest annoyances with non-Apple earbuds in the past, but these actually do seamlessly connect to all my Apple devices and switch quickly and reliably to the active device.

Thanks and same, the ones I'd tried previously were very annoying to get and stay connected when I wanted them to and not when I didn't want them to.

I actually ordered the airpod pro 3s the day before seeing this thread. If they don't blow me away I'll be returning them and getting these.

Although I don't know how I'm going to test the flight problem. I don't have any coming up in the next couple weeks. Might have to return even if they do blow me away :/

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#213

Post by Lucian6 »

I've run into similar interference issues when building real-time audio processing systems. The AirPods Pro's use of Bluetooth 5.3 in the 2.4GHz band makes them particularly susceptible to Wi-Fi interference, especially on planes where you have dozens of devices competing in a metal tube.

One mitigation strategy we found effective was implementing dynamic frequency hopping with adaptive channel selection. By monitoring RSSI levels and packet loss rates across different channels (typically seeing -85 to -95 dBm on crowded channels vs -65 to -75 dBm on clear ones), we could proactively switch to less congested frequencies. This reduced dropout rates by about 70% in high-interference environments.

The real challenge is balancing frequency agility with audio latency - each hop adds ~2-3ms of overhead. Has anyone experimented with using the 5GHz band for wireless audio? The higher frequency would mean more attenuation but potentially much less interference.

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#214

Post by hopelite »

el_benhameen wrote: post #62

I have this happen outside of flights. Cupping your finger over the ANC mic is enough to trigger it. The new tips (that’s my guess, at least) also transmit vibrations into your ears much more than the old tips or third party memory foam tips. This results in a popping noise when walking or moving around, and a horrible thumping sound when running with them in. I think the latter is partially caused by the “reduce lou…

I find it interesting you describe the issue like that. I had my airpod pro 1st gens go out on me in a way that was very similar to that, with the popping noises as you walk and move around. I figured out that when I put them in “normal mode” i.e., totally disabling the noise cancellation microphone, it mostly went away. I just figured something had happened to/with the external microphones and/or the noise cancellation processing was not happening correctly. It was basically impossible to test this theory I had, but I wondered if it was an update that introduced a bug.

I can’t recall now at this point, but I do recall the feeling that the different ways I played with and tested to understand the cause and symptoms of the noise, left me with a feeling that it was not a physical/hardware issue.

I suspect Apple even knows, with as many problems they’ve had with the AirPod pros; but that’s another story… when they had to replace mine one bud at a time, about 6 complete sets, i.e., over about 10 replacements or so… during the pandemic nonsense.

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#216

Post by djtango »

el_benhameen wrote: post #117
laborcontract wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The horrible thumping is purely a fit issue. The solution to the thumping when running is to either size down the tips or to slightly dislodge the tips from your ear. It’s not ideal, I’ll grant you that. While we may have some overlap in issues, I would say that the Airpods Pro 3 are incredible. I’ve ditched my Airpods Max entirely. The noise cancellation works too well, the sleep detection is a godsend, and the batt…

I’ve tried with every set of tips except for the xs, same thumping with all of them. Zero issues running almost daily with the second gens for several years. I think it’s more than fit—either oversensitive ANC or something with the composition of the tips themselves. Oddly enough, it’s not present in both ears every time. Sometimes both, sometimes just one, rarely neither. I’ve stopped gathering data because I switch…

Personal preference ofc but I'll never understand how people run with in-ear buds...

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#217

Post by Ostrogoth »

I’ve experiencing this same issue on every flight now using APP3, and considering returning. Tried multiple different ear tip sizes. Reset and re-paired. It’s not just pressure changes, as it occurs at steady altitude in addition to ascending and descending. I’m very surprised Apple didn’t catch this issue by testing the ANC on aircraft more extensively during product testing, since that is an extremely common use case for ANC headphones. They also generate weird popping/thumping noises while running, or tinny echoes sometimes while scratching my head. Hopefully there is a software fix. AP1 ANC worked just fine (until case failed to charge left earbud).

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#218

Post by plexicle »

vessenes wrote: post #19

Interesting. I have roughly 50,000 flight miles on the new AirPods Pro 3, and while I do prefer them to the 2s, I too have some annoyances with the left AirPod. In my case it never feels like it fits my ear canal quite right, to the point that I thought I might want different size tips - after trying all the tips, that's not it. The seal is in fact good, but the different feel is noticeable. The noise cancellation al…

Exact same issues here with my APP3s. (Except it's my right ear)

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#219

Post by [deleted] »

spot5010 wrote: post #27

A wild guess as to what is happening. I haven’t actually tested this hypothesis so I could be completely wrong. In feedback systems, the gain is a function of frequency, and typically decreases when going from low frequency to high frequency. This is often accompanied by a phase delay. So if the overall gain of the system is high enough, there will be some high frequency where the gain is 1, and the phase is 180 degr…

[deleted]

Re: The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

#220

Post by austhrow743 »

falkensmaize wrote: post #211
austhrow743 wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and functionality of AirPod pros Is the automatic connection and switching between devices equivalent?

Yes actually. That was one of my biggest annoyances with non-Apple earbuds in the past, but these actually do seamlessly connect to all my Apple devices and switch quickly and reliably to the active device.

Which model did you get btw?
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