CT scans of AirPods evolution • Hacker News Board

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#81

Post by desiarnezjr » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:34 PM UTC

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

They sound better to me than the standard issue Apple wired earphones, but not remarkably better. The Pros sound much better, but don't stay in my ears so I've repurchased the original design (v2).

The game changer for me is how convenient the UX is. Whichever Apple device that you're near can connect, or automatically connects to the right device most of the time and it's pretty seamless. Any other wireless headphones I've used (including the recent Beats Studio buds) are frustrating in comparison.

I definitely won't go into longer calls without them.

I'm no audiophile (but I do have standards) but the real appeal is they mostly "just work".

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#82

Post by spenczar5 » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:34 PM UTC

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

I like them for cases where wired headphones wouldn't work, like when I'm doing the dishes, listening to a podcast, but don't want it to be on speakers because it'll wake up the baby.

In fact, on reflection, I almost only listen to podcasts on mine, so I don't really care about sound quality.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#83

Post by post-it » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:35 PM UTC

AshamedCaptain wrote: post #79

> Apple was not the first company to develop wireless earbuds, but they’ve defined the category since introducing AirPods in 2016. Sigh.

It's true. If unconnected wireless earbuds existed before AirPods, I certainly never saw any.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#84

Post by errantspark » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:35 PM UTC

This is such cool content but the way it's presented is so fucking frustrating to me. I wish the narrative wasn't so intrinsically tied to the actual data. I hate that I can't blow up and rotate the models side by side, the whole thing feels so shallow. Now to be clear in an absolute sense this is a good article, this is cool content and the scrolling as something other than scrolling works better than in most instances.

My criticism is that the format does a disservice to the data, it's not the best way to present something this cool.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#85

Post by desiarnezjr » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:36 PM UTC

lawkwok wrote: post #78

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

There’s a huge value in not having to untangle wires every time you use headphones even if there is a hit to sound quality. Also having the ability to use one earbud without having the weight of the cable tugging at your ear is underrated.

Yes! Never thought about that, but it is. Especially for calls!

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#86

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:37 PM UTC

1f60c wrote: post #44

From a Google search[0], it looks like they've put two LEGO sets under the scanner before, but I can't find them. It would have been cool to see an archive... [0]: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Ascanofthemonth.com

[deleted]

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#87

Post by wyager » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:38 PM UTC

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

I can only comment on the pros. There's not a ton you can do to compete with something with much larger drivers and a good crossover circuit. They certainly sound acceptable, but the real upside is that they don't have wires and they have shockingly good sound cancellation. You can even use them as lightweight hearing protection - I'd estimate they give a good 15-20dB of noise reduction against small explosions, so they're sufficient for things like nail guns or .22 fire.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#88

Post by nabla9 » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:40 PM UTC

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

The sound quality is really good, but now worth the high price. It's all about the convince of not having wires.

I have had Pro's for a year and I'm still not convinced that they are worth of the money. Cleaning ears & pods every day makes them usable but they still drop from the ears sometimes.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#89

Post by technobabbler » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:41 PM UTC

vlunkr wrote: post #73

So do airpods actually sound better than the standard wired headphones? If they don't, this is a lot of fancy engineering for some pretty bad headphones. Maybe they just didn't fit my ears or something, but I've always hated them.

I think the Pros sound amazing. I used to have the Sony WH-XM1000 v3 and v4 noise-canceling headphones, but sold both after using the Airpod Pros for a few days and never went back.

The Airpod Pro sound quality is maybe 90% as good as the Sonys, but the form factor is INCREDIBLY convenient. No more sweating and constantly adjusting the earcups and headbands... just plop them in and they fit my ears perfectly and never fall out. The noise canceling works VERY well, as good as any other I've tried, whether at home, at work, or on a plane.

I also love that they work so seamlessly with some Apple devices, like being able to wirelessly watch the same movie from my iPad to two sets of Airpods. Apple has their own proprietary wireless chipset and protocol, so the interconnect between Apple stuff and Airpods works a LOT better than using them with Android or Windows hardware (sadly). Bluetooth works but is far less reliable.

That was the first Apple product I've ever purchased, and it has since become my favorite-ever piece of technology. I honestly adore them so much it makes me gush (and blush) when I talk about them... egads. The Sonys were always a love-hate relationship, with great sound quality but terrible comfort. The Airpods have both in equal measure.

Re: CT scans of AirPods evolution

#90

Post by Tagbert » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 11:41 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #80

tw600040 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does. But it's not about that. It's about being able to get rid of wires and associated mess.

Are wires a mess? Looking at the Zoom calls I've been on, I've never heard "oh sorry I'm all tangled up in my wires", but have seen "my batteries are dead" or "my headphones won't pair with my computer", etc. (I say "seen" because you don't hear much from people debugging their "magic" wireless headphones.) This has added up to many person-hours of delays, while the wires just keep working.

If you go outside and try to do anything with wired headphones, the wires are a constant struggle. When my left AirPods Pro had to be replaced, I had to use some wired EarPods on my commute. The cable was always catching on something. I was so relieved to get the replacement and be able to get rid of the wires again.