The author's Experience with Sony's XM 3 and Apple's AirPods Pro

Before the release of Apple's AirPods Pro, the author was using Sony's WF 1000 XM 3, a wireless active noise-cancelling earbud that they considered to be very well reviewed and respected in its category. The author thought that when Apple launched the AirPods Pro, it would be difficult for them to compare favorably with the Sony's, as both products were from different manufacturers and were designed to offer similar features.

However, the author was pleasantly surprised by how well the AirPods Pro performed compared to their expectations. They noted that the Sony's did sound better, with a stronger base, cleaner highs, and noticeably better instrument separation. The active noise-cancelling on the Sony's also seemed to be more effective, particularly in handling loud environmental noises.

On the other hand, the author found that the AirPods Pro had some advantages that made them consider it to be the better product overall. One of these was the comfort and fit of the earbuds, which were super comfortable for the author. The tips on the AirPods Pro also had a mesh at the base of the silicon tip, which prevented dirt and gunk from accumulating on the actual earbud itself. This was a small but welcome feature that made the author appreciate the attention to detail that Apple had put into their design.

Another feature that impressed the author was the pressure vent in the AirPods Pro, which equalized the air pressure around the ear, eliminating the sensation of pressure build-up when they were inserted. The author also appreciated the transparency mode on the AirPods Pro, which allowed them to hear important sounds around them even while wearing the earbuds. This feature was particularly useful in situations where they needed to be aware of their surroundings.

The Author's Experience with the AirPods Pro

In terms of sound quality, the author found that both the Sony's and the AirPods Pro were good but different. The Sony's had a slightly better sound overall, with cleaner highs and a stronger base. However, the author noted that the AirPods Pro had a more consistent sound, while the Sony's seemed to have some dips in their bass response.

One thing that the author didn't like about the AirPods Pro was the lack of volume control. They felt that this was a feature that they should be able to adjust themselves, rather than relying on Siri voice commands or reaching into their pocket to pull out their phone. The author also noted that the battery life of the AirPods Pro was not as long-lasting as some other earbuds they had used.

The Author's Takeaway

In the end, the author concluded that while both products were well-designed and performed well in certain areas, the Apple AirPods Pro seemed to have a more polished and refined overall package. The author appreciated the attention to detail that Apple had put into their design, including the comfort of the earbuds and the features like transparency mode. They also noted that the AirPods Pro reminded them why Apple is such a successful and beloved company.

A Comparison with Android Devices

The author also tested the AirPods Pro with an Android device, specifically a Samsung 1 + 7 Pro phone. To their surprise, the AirPods Pro connected seamlessly to the phone, offering all of its features like transparency mode and active noise-cancellation. The author was impressed by how well the AirPods Pro worked with the Android device.

The Final Verdict

In conclusion, the author's experience with Apple's AirPods Pro was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated the comfort, fit, and attention to detail that Apple had put into their design. While the Sony's did have some advantages in terms of sound quality, the AirPods Pro seemed to offer a more refined and polished overall package. The author's take is that this is a product that shows why Apple is such a successful company - they can build something that is both well-designed and user-friendly.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enokay the air pods Pro apples professional air plasm before they came out I was using this Sony's XM 3 their WF 1000 XM 3 a terribly long name but a very well reviewed and well-respected set of wireless active noise-cancelling earbuds which is the same product category as these the air pods Pro when Apple launched this product a few days ago I thought to myself there's no way that they sound better than this and there's no way that the active noise-cancelling is better than what sony offers because this thing is good this thing is like audio files enjoy this and the active noise-cancelling in this thing is very powerful and I was right the sony sounds so much better stronger base cleaner maids much cleaner highs the instrument separation is noticeably better to me and the Sony's have better active noise cancellation but I consider Apple's air pods Pro to be the better product by a longshot and it's because of user experience now the tips on the air pods Pro are super comfortable and it's really important to nail the fit of these tips in your ears to provide the best possible sound isolation because the entire thing like the entire active noise cancellation depends on a good seal from the tip regardless of which company you go with and the way that Apple handles it is quite good it's not intimidating that got this app to kind of guide you through it and it's not like this app is super helpful but for a lot of people that have never experienced in ear earbuds before it's nice to have guidance and another thing the actual tips themselves when you pop them off there's a mesh at the base of this silicon tip so oftentimes when you wear earbuds your ear gunk is gonna go into the mesh covering the actual earbud itself and they've put another layer of mesh on these silicone tips just to prevent that gunk from building up on the actual device and just to keep it on the replaceable tip it's like a it's a small detail and I've seen this from other devices as well but most companies don't do this now another thing I like is that pressure vent so normally when you stick an in-ear earbud into your ear canal there's this buildup of pressure when you stick it in and it's just from the you know you're compressing the airspace in there but jamming something in there but apples put this pressure valve in here so that just equalizes the air pressure around you so when you put it in you don't feel that sensation of pressure build-up it's something so simple but so smart like I love I don't know maybe I'm particularly sensitive to that type of sensation I've never liked it but I don't get that at all with the Apple earpods Pro it has decent water resistance a great sounding mic way better than Sony's and even better than the older air buds and actually got five hours of battery life with active noise cancellation on that's actually more than what they advertised there's also a transparency mode which allows the mic to pick up voices or kind of important sounds around you so when you have it in your ear and you have transparency mode enabled it'll pipe the important sounds into your audio so you can kind of be aware of what's going around you so you can hear people call your name or if you're on a bus like and your stop goes by you'll hear that your stop is going by so you can just be more aware of what's going on it's a nice feature really simple again but done well in terms of the active noise cancellation the air pods pro do it good but the Sony's do it way better the difference I would say is not in how it sounds like they both sound similar and how they treat environmental noise it's that the Sony's can handle way louder environmental noise like I feel like it's double what the Apple earpods pro can do so as an example let's say you're running and you run by a construction site and you pass a very loud rumbling idling truck if you're right beside that truck the Sony's will still be able to block that out that truck sound will go through and you'll be able to hear it on the Apple earpods Pro not that these are bad like this is way better than what the original ear pods offered there is a decent degree of active noise cancellation but Sony does it better now if you're wondering what the active noise cancellation actually sounds like in the air pods Pro this tech is best at reducing the volume of kind of thumpy rumbly lower frequency sounds higher frequency still gets reduced to a certain degree but not as effectively as like the deep bassy stuff so depending on the environment and your in it's gonna sound a little bit different in terms of how that cancellation works but if you're in a subway it's gonna go from this to something like this and then if you're an airplane it's gonna go from this to something like this now there are some things I don't like but the air post Pro first is the lack of volume control now maybe just maybe Apple wants us to use like Siri voice commands more often so they'll be like hey Siri turn it up and it'll crank up the volume but there are times when you just don't want to be saying things or reach into your pocket to pull out your phone I feel like they should have just given users like touch based volume controls but on its third iteration we still don't have that now the last thing I think this is the most important kind of complaint to have about this device the fact that the batteries can't be removed so air pod one ear pod - both of these have like maybe half the battery life that they started off with because I use them pretty frequently and it's gonna happen to this as well now it becomes a consumable product when the battery is not replaceable like this is Ashley right it's a disposable / consumable product and it sucks knowing that in two years time this thing will be in perfect condition still like the drivers will be great all the electronics will be in great condition but the battery will run out and I'll have to toss them like it's just it's weird to me now I realize and I recognize the fact that this is a very small device it's super comfortable in the ear and the fact that it is so small is probably why they had to build it like this with this irreplaceable battery but it still sucks now if you're an Android user and you're wandering does this thing connect to this thing or any kind of Android phone this is a 1 + 7 Pro it works not everything is going to be there but all the important functionality is there so you get transparency mode you get active noise cancellation the good stuff okay here's my final take on this this is like the perfect well-built a product like this thing when I use it reminds me of what Apple can do when they build something just right it honestly reminds me of why Apple is in the position they are today to be this super popular super loved company by a lot of people it's big once in a mildly dropped something like this they're not the best sound quality and they're not the best active noise cancellation while I see air but it's like these guys do it better but in terms of the overall package air pods Pro they nailed this one okay hope you guys enjoy this video thumbs we liked it subs we've loved it see you guys next time\n"