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AirPods don't “just work”

philip.design

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Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#481

Post by windexh8er »

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 recently switched to a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones as I don't like the too-neutral AirPods Pro EQ curve, and while they sound excellent, the UX really leaves a bit to be desired.

I, personally, don't understand this. I'm a bit of a stickler for making sure my audio quality is good. I validate the products I'm using sound good using local device recording as well as HD echo test numbers before I use them during real life meetings. I'm on the phone at least a couple hours a day and it's baffling how many people assume that their AirPods sound good. The TL;DR of it is - they don't.

But with respect to the "UX" side of the house, I'm curious what you really need? I own a number of Jabra and Sony products that I can - pull out of their cases on any day at any point in time and they will work with no input from me. Do people fiddle with EQ and other settings often? The only thing I really do once I get the audio setup is make sure the firmware is up to date from time to time.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#482

Post by karmakaze »

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...

Sound quality via wired audio is also much better, unless your particular phone doesn't have decent DAC/analogue circuitry. I can't bring myself to listen to music on wireless. I don't even know that Apple takes advantage of their walled garden to do better than the usual Bluetooth protocols.

> From https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/30/apple-airpods-bluetooth-limit...

> One of the most notable comments in the interview came from Geaves when asked whether Bluetooth could be “holding back” the AirPods hardware and “stifling sound quality. In his response, Geaves danced around criticizing Bluetooth directly, but acknowledged that Apple would really like a wireless standard that allows for more bandwidth.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#483

Post by heleninboodler »

foogazi wrote: post #455
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

> And this is why I’m currently typing my comment on an iPhone 6S... You can get aux adapters for newer iphones for around $10 - great for when you can’t find your airpods

I thought this was a pretty reasonable compromise, except that whenever I need mine I can't find it. Today, I know exactly where it is, but that's 15 miles away. The funny thing about this problem is that the experience only suffers on Apple devices when I can't find the dongle. I can use my nice fancy favorite headphones everywhere else with no problem. Apple is not about to convince me to toss my favorite headphones just because they are stubborn about headphone jacks; sorry.

Note that it also causes a problem that bugs me daily, which is that I can't use my headset when my power is low and I need to plug my phone in. They make those little "splitter" dongles that allegedly allow you to do both, but in my experience, they only work about 50% of the time, and while you're on your call, your phone secretly stops charging and goes dead, or sometimes the moment you plug it in, it puts up an alert that says "unsupported device" and neither the power nor the headset work at all. I've tried three or four different brands on three different iPhones and they're all so flaky I've stopped even trying. I wish Apple would just make one and stand behind the quality and make me pay $10 for it. I'd be grumpy about it, but at least it would work.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#484

Post by rgreasons »

mattnewton wrote: post #463
chii wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be like you. Then i tried, for real, a pair of bluetooth headphones. The disadvantages of the bluetooth is by far outweighed by the wireless advantage. The mobility, flexibility and convenience of no tangles and accidental wire pulling and causing phone to drop - all worth it. And wireless UX is only going to get better. Wired is dead.

I am still like OP. I have tried three pairs of airpods and currently use a Bose Bluetooth headphones with an optional attachable wire. Airpods are very painful for more than two devices, get lost, go through the wash, forget the charging cable, etc etc. The problem for me is that apple removed the headphone jack even as an option, and many other phone manufacturers copied that on all but their budget models.

If one of your concerns is that you end up washing your headphones, you’re right - I don’t think you’re ready for wireless earbuds.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#485

Post by ktc1 »

jdpedrie wrote: post #284
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.

From a sibling comment: > Aftershokz Aeropex, silly name aside, is a decent product that gets you a Bluetooth device you can wear all day without losing Make sure if you get bone induction headphones that you test them out in louder environments before running or getting them dirty. For me, I had to turn them up so high when outside with normal street noise that they gave me a pretty terrible headache.

>I had to turn them up so high when outside with normal street noise that they gave me a pretty terrible headache.

You have to be really careful doing that. It's very easy to screw up your ears with bone conduction headphones if you try to drown out background noise by increasing the volume.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#486

Post by INTPenis »

It's nice for someone like me who left the Apple ecosystem many years ago to see that an image for producing fancy gadgets does not mean you can eliminate common software issues.

Because this sounds just like any pair of BT headphones I've used in the last 2 years. Since I finally gave in and started using BT headphones

All in all I love them, I love being able to clean with headphones on and not snag on anything. I love being able to bike with them and not be tied to my phone.

But the BT issues are horrendous. After a year of just accepting that BT sucked someone finally said "install the app" so I did and the firmware update that resulted in solved most of the common issues actually.

So what's left now is weird stuff and quirks of Android. Like Android has a default setting to reconnect to connected speakers as soon as it sees them. Just like in OPs post this is supposed to be convenient but 99% of the time it's just annoying to me. Because I haven't even put my bike away coming home and already the speaker is blaring my audiobook in the kitchen, where I can't hear it.

The other issues are the slow connection when you get a call but that's a bit over demanding imho. Since it wasn't connected and you connect as you get the call so it's a bit short notice.

And then there are the rare unexplained issues like once a month I just disconnect and reboot everything because apps are playing, but no sound is coming out on BT.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#487

Post by dont__panic »

soylentcola wrote: post #466
ziml77 wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best cables still break when they're moving a lot. The important thing is for the headphones to have replaceable cables. But only the high-end headphones and earbuds have that feature.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I've been using the same set of wired KZ ZSN in-ear-monitors for the past few years. They're nothing ground-breaking, but they cost under $25. The wires loop back behind my ears so they don't get pulled out easily, the wires have yet to short out, and they are replaceable in case I ever want or need to replace them. I almost always use them with my phone, so the USB-C-to-3…

Replaceable cables are a game changer in this space. The buds will last for years and years, and make up the bulk of the cost of a set. The cable could get ruined by one unlucky event... but if you have a couple of backup cables like me, it doesn't really matter. You can buy replacement cables off of Aliexpress for <$10.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#488

Post by easton »

windexh8er wrote: post #481
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 recently switched to a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones as I don't like the too-neutral AirPods Pro EQ curve, and while they sound excellent, the UX really leaves a bit to be desired. I, personally, don't understand this. I'm a bit of a stickler for making sure my audio quality is good. I validate the products I'm using sound good using local device recording as well as HD echo test numbers before I use them dur…

How many devices do you use your wireless headphones with? If it's >1 (or maybe 2), the experience is horrid in my experience even with the AirPods unless (in the AirPods case) they are all Apple devices with logic in the OS for handing off the connection.

I could not use my AirPods with my old Windows laptop because everytime it got in range it would steal them away from any device, even sometimes when in sleep (the Surface Pro's crappy sleep mode may have had something to do with it).

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#489

Post by dont__panic »

toxik wrote: post #275
deltarholamda wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as people hate wires, I have to say that I much appreciate the "just works" aspect of it. Even wifi, while it has improved an awful lot over the years, is not nearly as reliable as the (albeit annoying) ethernet cable. I have the same issue with wireless keyboards and mice. The idea that I have to charge or put batteries into my mouse is infuriating.

Don't mind me over here with a Ethernet dongle that randomly disconnects intermittently.

> dongle

There's your problem. Dongles = cheap hardware to patch missing pieces of your expensive hardware. It's hard to find good ones even if you want to. One of the big reasons so many of us hated the TouchBar era of Macbooks was the reliance on dongles, which inevitably flake out at the worst times possible and cause weird bugs when you're trying to concentrate.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#490

Post by karaterobot »

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...

I own a pair of Airpods for work, and they're fine for a couple hours of Zoom calls every day. For non-work, I have a pair of headphones with a lightning input. It's still annoying, because I can't charge my phone or transfer data while listening to music, and I still disagree with Apple's courageous decision to remove the 3.5mm jack, but it's an okay solution.
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