I lost my wired apple earphones so decided to try the wireless airpods. This was after getting a free pair of beats solo3’s, hating the sound, and giving them to my daughter. However, I did like the wireless part and saw some potential there.
To provide context, I own a nice audiophile system (Schiit, Sennheiser HD800S, Marantz, B&W, etc.) and am pretty picky about headphones (I own a few). I must say that I am pretty happy with the airpods. I can actually use my iPhone 7 plus as an audio device on the road, be completely wireless, and listen to my FLAC lossless recorded CDs through VOX (primarily using the stock rock eq).
Do they sound as good as my much more expensive headphones? No, not even close. Do they sound better than the beats I owned? Night and day - there are actually highs (treble) and the bass does not overwhelm the music.
They sound a little better than the wired earpods, but no quantum leap there either. However, the wireless convenience is very nice. I was all prepared to try these and send them back, but I’ll be keeping them for a while.
I love the AirPods. I never considered how much of a tax that cord was. These things are so comfortable I occasionally forget I’m wearing them. If they had an active noise canceling version, I would never use anything else.
Man, it’s a hard thing to believe for me. The audio on Apple earbuds has traditionally been worse than their comfort, so much that I’ve hated every prior version.
I’m not specifically saying I don’t believe you @Chris_Johnson, but that there is nothing in their earbud history that gave me reason to suspect they would improve so much.
Like I said, these are not going to cause me to give up my other headphones. Not even close. But I can turn on my iPhone and walk around listening to decent audio without the wire tether. Maybe the beats lowered my expectations so much that I am overcompensating, but they are staying in my ears (especially on the road or working out).
For jogging/running/treadmill, get the Powerbeats 3’s and Comply Sports foam tips instead. In every other respect, the AirPods are excellent, but for the gym? Nope.
I workout in gyms or take walks and they work for that. I’d just be worried if I ran with them that if they did fall out, I might lose them in a bush, etc. But they do fit pretty snuggly in my ears.
I find that I can run comfortably with them without worrying they will fall out. The fact that there are no cords dangling down, pulling slightly all the time, helps. I’m not particularly fast, though. YMMV.
I will say that never having to untangle cords when pulling these out of my pocket is something that still adds delight to my day, each and every day.
I swear that AirPods is perhaps the best Apple product since the iPhones. They are expensive but it is a price of convenience. I use it to take teleconference from work and the ability to just walk up for a drink while these long boring calls are going on, and yet able to answer when my name is called, are priceless!
I tried them out, shared earwax with my buddy and so on… and they sound great. Never underestimate exaggerated Apple hate. Apple chose a non-sealed design for many good reasons, including that as a mass market product lots of people drive, ride bikes, and jaywalk with them. They’re good.
They work with my 6, I can’t remember if they go back further than that in compatibility, but I think they’d work with a 5S as well. You can pair them with the Apple Watch directly, yes.
And to earlier questions about suitability for exercise, everyone’s ears are different, but if they fit comfortably in normal activity, I think they’ll stay put for excercise as well. Mine stay in during (my very infrequent) runs and cycling on the road and bike paths. I don’t know if they’d stay put if I was doing something more high-intensity like mountain biking.
