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AirPods don't “just work”

philip.design

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Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#391

Post by powersurge360 »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #100
dt2m wrote: post #63

All valid annoyances, but I really think OP should try using another brand of Bluetooth headphones for a week just to get some perspective of how well AirPods "just work" compared to the competition. Manually having to re-pair once in every blue moon, one earbud playing while the other isn't, no automatic device switching without having to go through the Settings app everytime, A/V desync, dodgy mic quality, earbuds…

Y’know what headphones really did “just work” though? Wired headphones, circa 2017. Their battery life was infinite. You could “pair” them in seconds to any device with a headphone jack, aka any device, because we’re in 2017. Oh, and they were cheaper and better for the environment. Courage, indeed. And this is why I’m currently typing my comment on an iPhone 6S...

You can do both tbh. Wireless headphones are great because if you charge them relatively frequently, they're a light, painless pack. I'm pretty into high fidelity audio, but I'm not going to be walking around w/ my DT 990 pros. But if I'm out running errands, being able to break out the AirPods is amazing.

And realistically, it's not that significant to just buy an adapter and keep it permanently affixed to your headphones. Will be better if/when apple fully moves off of lightning to usb-c but I have found that when I want a high fidelity experience w/ music I'm more likely to be sitting and plugged in anyways.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#392

Post by lucian1900 »

geoduck14 wrote: post #78
StevePerkins wrote: post #55

I have a $200-250 pair of AirPod Pros, and a $40 pair of Tozo NC7's that I bought for a backup. The Tozo's get way more use, to the point where I regret buying the AirPods. Your ears may vary, but "dot" style earbuds are WAY more comfortable (and likely to stay put in my ears) than the "stem" style buds. The spatial audio thing turned out to be a pointless novelty that wore off quickly, and isn't even supported on ha…

I have a pair of fancy Bose over-the-ear headphones. They have the "connect to 2 devices" feature you mentioned. And it inconvenient. It will connect to my cell phone and computer at the same time. I'll be on a zoom call (computer) and something will make it decide to disconnect and reconnect from my phone - so I'll get a 10 second interruption notifying me of this glitch. Also, if someone calls me, I haven't figured…

You can pull the power button to switch between devices the headphones are paired to.

I've instead found it useful to disable the voice prompts. The connects/disconnects become a short beep that doesn't drown out anything else.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#393

Post by tomrod »

easton wrote: post #61

The "low audio quality after/during conference" problem as I understand it is because of the SCO codec used for Bluetooth microphone stuff (which is lower bandwidth but allows you to speak and listen at the same time). It takes a few seconds for the AirPods to switch back to their usual codec. Is there a way to fix this without ditching Bluetooth?

I have the same issue with Samsung earbuds on Linux. My solution was to get a nice webcam with a solid camera, or to use an external mic. Win-win -- good quality sound, video, and mic.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#394

Post by VadimPR »

jensensbutton wrote: post #211
dt2m wrote: post #63

All valid annoyances, but I really think OP should try using another brand of Bluetooth headphones for a week just to get some perspective of how well AirPods "just work" compared to the competition. Manually having to re-pair once in every blue moon, one earbud playing while the other isn't, no automatic device switching without having to go through the Settings app everytime, A/V desync, dodgy mic quality, earbuds…

Get some jabra 75Ts. Problems solved.

Agreed, Jabras work great without the issues listed here.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#395

Post by lucian1900 »

StevePerkins wrote: post #55

I have a $200-250 pair of AirPod Pros, and a $40 pair of Tozo NC7's that I bought for a backup. The Tozo's get way more use, to the point where I regret buying the AirPods. Your ears may vary, but "dot" style earbuds are WAY more comfortable (and likely to stay put in my ears) than the "stem" style buds. The spatial audio thing turned out to be a pointless novelty that wore off quickly, and isn't even supported on ha…

It does depend on ears, for sure. Most in-ear headphones are painful for me, including the "dot" ones. Stem ones tend to be far more comfortable, with the Apple ones the most comfortable. I've also never had AirPods fall out of my hears even when exercising. They seem to be made for my ears.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#396

Post by LeonenTheDK »

rattray wrote: post #261
toyg wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but the awkward "omg an airpod fell off after bumping into something/someone" is also a real thing. They should have an optional cord between the pair.

Aftershokz Aeropex, silly name aside, is a decent product that gets you a Bluetooth device you can wear all day without losing

I've got these, bluetooth on them works great, and the bone conduction is really interesting. It's really nice being able to hear your surroundings while having some kind of audio playing. Or if you don't want the surrounding sound, they come ear plugs. Really comfortable to have on too, I barely even notice them (if at all) when I'm wearing them.

Should be mentioned though, for the price the music quality is worse than what you'd get with other devices. It reminds me of a higher quality phone speaker. Definitely not bad compared to some headphones I've used, but it's not amazing. Hasn't been an issue for me though, I happily use them when working. Voice audio sounds perfectly fine. IMO you get them for the other benefits, not because they're the best sounding thing on the market.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#397

Post by thereddaikon »

dt2m wrote: post #63

All valid annoyances, but I really think OP should try using another brand of Bluetooth headphones for a week just to get some perspective of how well AirPods "just work" compared to the competition. Manually having to re-pair once in every blue moon, one earbud playing while the other isn't, no automatic device switching without having to go through the Settings app everytime, A/V desync, dodgy mic quality, earbuds…

I actually don't have any of those problems with galaxy buds live but absolutely hate the touch controls. They are so inconsistent. Sometimes it registers a touch. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it does but doesn't actually perform the action to I have so do it again.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#398

Post by colinmhayes »

jeffwass wrote: post #297
neutronicus wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, and Bluetooth phones / buds are much better for running. I used to jerk my wired earbuds out of the jack all the time.

Do you wear a headband or something else to secure them? I haven’t tried running with my AirPods yet, as I feared they would eventually fall out.

I can shake my head around like crazy and my airpod pros don't fall out. Never had them fall out running which I try to do 3 times a week either.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#399

Post by brirec »

gumby wrote: post #376
toyg wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but the awkward "omg an airpod fell off after bumping into something/someone" is also a real thing. They should have an optional cord between the pair.

An eyeglass strap works great for this. Put the loops around the airpod stems instead of the eyeglass arms.

I’ve thought about this, but y’know they won’t fit into the charging pod anymore with something (anything, really) on them.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#400

Post by falcolas »

ashtonkem wrote: post #328
falcolas wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> not nearly as reliable as the (albeit annoying) ethernet cable. I keep one plugged into an inexpensive USB-C "dock" at my desk, and it's wonderful. That and wired headphones mean I always sound decent, don't break up when the microwave's in use, and never have to play the "can you hear me now" game.

Opposite for me. The wifi in my office beats out my USB C adapter by a factor of 4. Wifi is great, consumer grade routers are not though.

Beats... how? Bandwidth? Packet loss? Latency?

One, that wifi bandwidth is being shared by everyone around you. Ideally, you'll only have about 4 peers for your given hotspot, but most companies are a bit more... frugal... than that. Two, that WiFi is going through those same routers. Just sayin'.

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