History of AirPods

I’ve been using AirPods since they were first released, and I can say I love them! I have owned almost every version of them. The only ones that I have skipped so far are the AirPods 4.

When the first pair were released in Dec. of 2016, I immediately ordered a pair. Before that, I had spent 100s of dollars on various wired and bluetooth headsets from companies like Bose, Sennheiser, and Jabra.

I had been worried that the initial AirPods would fall out of my ears, like the EarPods did. But by removing the wire, Apple had fixed that issue. And I’ve never looked back.

AirPods Max

I also picked up the AirPods Max a few years back, they were the perfect replacement for my Bose Quiet Comfort over the ears headphones. But this isn’t about them.

Are the AirPods Pro 3 worth it

I could easily write a one word review – YES! But, let’s break it down.

Fit – I’ve bought multiple third-party foam based ear tips to improve the fit of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2, but ultimately I always went back to the default tips. The default tips, tend to wear out on my ears, and none of them really fit perfectly. After a few weeks, the fit test would always show one ear having problems with fit. Part of this is because I have non-standard ear canals, i.e. one is larger than the other. The medium tips fit well in the right, and the small fits in the left. Also, we all have oils that build up in the ear which will break down the rubber tips. Right now, after almost non-stop usage, they are still fitting perfectly with the same tip in each ear.

Noise Cancelling – You can’t beat the sound isolation of a good set of over the ear headsets like the AirPods Max or Bose Quiet Comfort line, BUT the AirPods Pro 3, with the good fit from above, have finally fixed that for me. The improved sound quality and fit get’s rid of bubble head. If you’ve used over the ear headset, you know what I mean. That feeling that the world is somewhat too isolated and you are floating around in a sound proof bubble. I also have noticed that over the last few days when I am in Adaptive mode, I can turn the sound down a lot lower than before and still have excellent sound levels, as well as noise cancelling. It’s perfect for listening while I am out taking a walk.

Battery Life – while you can’t really test battery life when you get new tech, my test on Saturday was 8-10 hours with no problem in transparency (or as I like to call it – hearing aid mode). That’s an amazing feat. Over the years, I’ve been around way to much loud noise, but I can tell you the exact point in my life when my hearing started messing up. I was at Prince’s Musicology Tour on April 23rd, 2004. What an incredible show! There was someone behind me to the left, who screamed at the top of their lungs the entire show. For two weeks after that show, I had ringing in that ear. Since that show I have tenitus and drop outs in my audio spectrum. So, what does this have to do with battery life? My AirPods Pro 2 have about 4-5 hours of transparency mode, and so getting thru an entire day with AirPods Pro 3 in transparency mode, is a game changer.

Verdict

I may have to but two more pair to replace my two pair of AirPods Pro 2 that I keep with me when traveling. Currently, I am rotating thru all three pair across the days.