Is Apple Making its Noise Cancelling Worse?
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- There have been a bunch of rumors lately about Apple making the active noise cancelling on its headphones worse via software updates. In this one, Ellis, Andrew, David, and Marques try to figure out what exactly people think is happening.
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I have definitely noticed the ANC on my pros getting worse. My mom got a pair when they were new, and it’s like the entire world disappeared. Using mine feels not even close. I’ll deep clean mine and we will see.
Let me know what you get after deep cleaning.
@@jennyfrank1912 i’ll admit it seems better, but it still doesn’t create that vacuum effect it did when they were new. I can still hear my fridge in my kitchen when i wasn’t able to before :(
When you deep clean, what did you use?
@@blurryface2309 bleach
@@blurryface2309 I used a q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol for the outer ANC/Transparency microphone. For the Inner Adaptive EQ microphone I used a thumbtack and carefully went around the outer edge, and used the q-tip again for the mesh part. Cleaned up pretty nicely.
The quality is far worse. I had my original Pros replaced through the quality program Apple provides. I noticed immediately but never imagined the issue was so far reaching.
This
Something that you guys missed is that Apple actually admitted that there are problems with noise cancelation on AirPods Pro produced before oct. 2020 and they extended the warranty to 3 years. I think Apple is laying low because, if they point this out, everyone would run to there nearest Apple store to let them get checked. If people don't know for sure, they don't want a repair.
Has it been nerfed even further? It’s been a week or that my APP2 almost block no sound anymore. It’s noticeably worse than when this video was made.
Totally true! I noticed it a while ago, i work on loud environments and rely on my AirPods pro a lot, so any changes are really apparent to me, im so attuned with my environment that i can detect the slightest change.
first when i got the air pod pro 2, it was the best noise cancellation earbuds that i have ever had, but since October, things have become so weird and shit
Yea same, feel like i can hear midrange frequencies way more, and the treble basically isn’t with ANC
I bought a new pair of pros 2nd gen a week ago. When I unboxed them I was stunned how well the ANC worked. I hear nothing.
Over the night they auto-updated and the ANC definitely got worse. Now I can hear much more.
So I can tell that there is a downgrade of ANC!
Same for me bought mine 2 weeks ago and since the update its worse but tbf its still great for me just not as good as before
My experience: I thought the cancellation on my airpod pros were getting worse. Deep cleaned them; ran some blue tack over the grates. good as new.
Tried the same and it did not work for me :(
@@cutejustice 😢
what is blue track?
Bought a new pair... so no
How do you even "deep clean"?
I’ve noticed a decline in the noise cancellation in my AirPod Pro 2s from when I first got them & thought I was crazy until I started seeing it online and then I decided to start checking my volume stats. Before I used to be able to keep my volume at 64 decibels with noise cancellation active but now in the exact same environments my average volume has increased to 78 decibels so I definitely think that the noise cancellation has gotten worse
Could be your hearing getting worse or the microphones getting dirty (the external or internal microphones) as mentioned in the video. Have you ever once cleaned them? Could also be the ear pads getting old and not creating as good of a seal around your ears or blocking out as much sound. Have you tried replacing them? I’d try all of this before concluding the noise canceling has gotten worse because (and I’m assuming that you’re implying this) Apple has decided to make it worse.
@@Archchill That is kinda what I was thinking at first when I thought it might just be me. My hearing’s good as I check the decibel levels to make sure I’m not listening to music over 80 db (where it can damage after longer periods of time). I also do audio engineering for a living so I gotta make sure my hearing is good. I still cleaned them even though they were only about a couple weeks old & still noticed me having to raise the volume past previous amounts & the ear pads wouldn’t really wear out after a couple weeks so it couldn’t have been that. I even thought it might have been the size too so I checked that with the fit test on all the buds and I had the right fit. So that’s why I was thinking the noise canceling got worse. Might not even be intentional by Apple. Could just be a bug that made it past the beta but at least if enough people acknowledge it, Apple might take a look at it like how they changed the battery percentage symbol to not display a full battery all the time now. Not a deal breaker but if it does end up getting improved, it’ll just make that little bit better
I think the noise cancelling has downgraded
@@jeetdeshmukh Yea that’s what I’m thinking too. I’ve tried everything to see if it was just through everyday use but I’ve only had mine for a short time so for it to be be worse through everyday use couldn’t be the case. Something in the software has to be reducing the amount of noise canceling. I really do hope this issue gains more traction bc whether it’s true or not, if it gains enough traction, they would have to acknowledge it or prove why it’s not reduced (if it isn’t actually being reduced)
Yep, I can confirm this happened with mine as well. I tried cleaning it and even replacing the ear rubbers with apple proprietary ones and third party ones and none of them fixed it. I don’t bother using stupid noise cancellation anymore cuz that that weird static thing is annoying.
TLDR; don’t bother with AirPods for the full price. Microphone is shit anyway.
YES! I legit upgraded to the new AIrPods Pro 2nd gen and within 6 days after the update rolled out it is NOT canceling much background at all. Like I kept rechecking my phone settings to see if transparency mode wasn't accidently activated.
Same thing. I keep checking all the time if I didn’t turn on transparency on accident. They’ve become absolutely crap (APP2 too)
My AirPods Pro started making this clicking sound with every step I took and I took them to the Apple Store. They told me that apple had released a firmware update to reduce the amount of noise cancelling due to European safety regulations. They replaced the AirPods free of charge even though they were 4 years old because they recognize it was their fault.
I just got the 2nd gens a few weeks ago and mine did that right out the box😂😂
I have the maxes, and I distinctly know what the ANC should sound like. With this new update, I hear a very low volume background hiss that, prior to this firmware update, was either gone entirely, or was so low in volume that my brain was able to just completely silence it. With the new update though, that background hiss is just on the threshold where its audible but also can be ignored if you dont pay attention to it. For someone who only recently got into Airpod Maxes or Pros, they likely won't notice this. But for someone like me who uses them very often and knows the sound signature as well as how the ANC is supposed to perform there is definitely a difference. Whether or not the difference is THAT significant to you, depends on how sensitive you are to those slight changes in the ANC perfomance. For me, I know its there, and I can hear it, and I do wish it was improved, but I'm able to silence it when listening to anything. You only notice it the most when you're not playing anything. As for the actual cancellation of outside sound though, the APMs are already great, so I havent really noticed much of a difference there.
ive had this problem for a while now and i thought i was the only one! its way worse. sometimes i try to enable NC but it turn out it has been on the whole time
I find myself doing this almost daily! At this point I’d barely call it noise cancellation
I def noticed ANC on airpods pro getting worse, its just not as deep as it was, tough to describe but you can feel the difference if you used them before the latest software update...
have you noticed transparency mode is also way less transparent now?
@@definingslawek4731 yes
Good video. I, too looked up the rtings page and found the screenshot (there is a link in the ANC section) of their test prior to the new firmware. Overall attenuation was 1.4 dB worse than their original test. Bass: 4.39 dB worse. Mids: 1.1 dB worse. Treble: 0.45 dB better. And they do have the disclaimer: "There is a difference in non-ANC measurements that indicates that these results are not directly comparable". I think we have the proverbial 'tempest in a teapot'.
I wonder what the margin of error is on their equipment/results
You do realise that even 1dB is considerably worse given how decibels work, right? No, of course you don’t, or you wouldn’t have made this comment.
i just got the pro 2 and i might be crazy cause it’s been a year and half since i used my originals but i am fairly confident the ANC doesn’t work as well. we know the hardware hasn’t gotten worse so they can fix this over the air and i expect them to do so
I was thinking this recently! I was so confused when I could hear people talking around me. I never felt that for 2 years before
Ive noticed this on my AirPods Pro. I dont have any data to back it up, but i just feel like its worse
Same, just booked appointment at genius bar to get free replacement smh
My AAP2’s have definitely become worse since I got them a month ago, so much so that ai thought maybe they weren’t fitting properly and tried a bunch of other tips. I have noticed weird cyclical cancellation of humming frequencies after the 2nd firmware update which is gone now but the overall amount is much reduced. I remember when I first got them thinking “Wow” and now it’s just meh.
Disappointing
Absolutely agree. When I got them at first it was almost painful to have them NC with no audio playing. Now I have to double check I’m not in transparency
@@Sylas6540 WDYM by "almost painful"? are you referring to the pressure sensation from the ANC by any chance? I noticed those are very strong in my new APP2 out of the box - more noticeable than in my APP1. However, I have not updated the firmware, for fear of nerfing the ANC performance.
@@blasborg yeah the initial pressure sensation
First I’m hearing about this, but I noticed recently that I couldn’t tell if my pros were on noise cancellation or transparency mode when walking around town…
Me too! I thought I was crazy and kept turning ANC off just to see if it was on. I hadn’t heard about this “controversy” until now. For me, my AirPods Pro (1st gen) are definitely getting worse at cancelling noise.
I also thought I was alone in this! I keep finding myself testing it to try and guess, but I can only know for sure once I pull out my phone. I feel bad for the shocking large population of AirPods users with androids
Definitely is, would use it in the mornings for Gardners using the leaf blowers, now it dosnt cancel it out as it use too
Had the Pros, upgraded to the Pro 2 and they were amazing until last week. Definitely Noticeable ! ANC sucks now. I'm returning them...
this is not happening on Gen 2 Pros, as they are not part of the planned obsolescence ... yet
@@blackstormer95 they are though
HUH? The 2nd generation pros also have this issue? Damn i was considering buying them too 🥲
i had the previous generation of pros as well. Definitely noticed a difference in all the quality after a month of having them (i got them in june of 2021) It wasn’t as loud as it originally was when i first got it. Noise canceling and transparency mode sucked and never returned to how it originally was.
First gen is still fine. I would wait on that purchase. See what happens.
I noticed the difference with ANC with AirPods Max before I even read or heard about it so this is not a placebo effect for me.
I thought mine were not working right. I have a fan running and I use to not hear it with my AirPods Max but now I do.
I have the firmware update. Now, I have to use my Bose NC 700 or Sony MX4 headphones to drown it out so I can watch tv.
Noticed my beats fit pro noise cancellation just dropped off the side of the earth. Transparency works perfectly so the mic is definitely hearing the surroundings well but I can’t get why the noise cancellation is giving out.
You've got two transparency mode's now! Regular and lite
Why not give the option to adjust the ANC level like Donner does with their earbuds, that's a much better solution
Apple giving its users choices? No way, they know better!
On the APP2 with the new firmware the only difference I noticed is that the music is more crisp and sounds slightly better and with a 2Khz spike has improved vocals with female voices especially. The noise canceling was improved for blocking mid range and low frequency noises than before, and the phone calls I don't notice a difference. Overall not much of change, but they do connect much faster on devices though. As far as Airpods Max idk
Hello there, how are your airpods doing now?
I looked on RUclips for video like yours, because now I can hear the traffic from outside, which I usually don’t. That was not like that when I had the crappy update
When I first got my original pros the noise canceling was amazing. I walk to the truck popped them in I couldn’t hear anything. So much so I tried to start the engine and ground the starter not realizing I had already cranked it and it was running. With the pros 2 it’s not nearly as good.
exactly!
it definitely has. i had the air poid pros when they first came out and you could literally hear nothing from the outside world when you have noise control on. then a few weeks later after an update i started hearing some back ground sounds while other sounds were filtered out.
me too, i bought the airpods pro gen 1 when they came out and ANC was mindblowing, till they started the updates and got worse every update, i have the gen 2 now and its not closer to what gen 1 sounded with the original firmware... 269 € down the drain :/
I distinctly knew when my AirPods noise cancellation fell off, before any of this was big and only started to google to check if others were experiencing this issue after that.
my gen 1 pros anc is nowhere near what it was when i bought them, i could tell the moment they updated because i suddenly could hear sounds that were properly blocked before, I even called apple support because i thought they were broken or something
I’ve had my pros 2 for three months now, and noise cancelling is not just worse, it almost disappeared.
Actually I have an issue most aren't reporting across multiple airpods. I work in IT and I must have interference or a strange sound pitch at work near a server room. I get random static noise on and off but only from a specific location. After switching to multiple different airpods and different version I have determined it isn't an hardware issue, it has to be a software problem.
Interesting, thanks for bringing it up.
I've been using my airpods pro with my pixel phones so they haven't been updated. I think it would be a good test to try a non updated vs updated set
dont update them
im on pixel as well and i just ordered my airpods, do you think the firmware will be updated straight from the factory?
Surprisingly my AirPod pro 2’s have had worse noise cancellation than the original AirPod pro’s I had
I just found this video because I was googling the same problem. Version 6A300's noise cancellation feels so much weaker
I have noticed that when I used to wear my airpods max all day my ears would be in pain by the end, at some point that became less of an issue. I can't actually say I noticed anything with the noise cancelling though.
My A.Max are on service for 2nd time for the same problem of disconnect and reconnect but my complaints are about the sound.. I miss that good bass they have when I got them. I’m back to my old B&O Hx and they sound way better now.
I noticed the weird pressure feeling the AirPods Pro 2 is worse than the AirPods Pro 1
Bought my air pod max 2 weeks ago couldn’t hear frying pan sizzling. I can easily hear it now right after return window. Leaving apple for good come January with s23 ultra and their ray tracing graphics.
I don't know what they've done with those Airpods Pro 2s, but my 1s decreased in quality earlier this year. I bought the 2s a week ago and returned them today for a refund. I'm sorry, but I don't find the quality nearly as good as when Pro 1s came out.
i just bought some airpods pro 2nd gen and i’ve noticed whenever i switch from noise cancelling to transparency or vice versa one of the airpods (varies each time) seems to take a second or two to switch to noise cancelling or transparency (airpods firmware is at its latest and so is my iphone iOS) i bought another pair and problem still persisted, anyone else getting this problem too??
Comparing 'THz bandwidth' for the eyes to just 20k bandwidth for the ears shows having absolutely no knowledge
I have the AirPods Pro 1 almost since they were released and the first 2 or maybe 3 firmwares were ok on the ANC which was great but after that it is much worse, it's not a debate, it's a fact and i noticed it instantly. It is a shame i can't downgrade the version of the firmware to test the difference again.
We could be adapting to the technology as well. If you use the ANC long enough you stop feeling the side effects of minimal sound.
The Andrew lip-bite thumbnail is hysterical
My first pair of Airpods Max got worse BUT they had issues with condensation behind the earcup. With the replacement pair I have made sure to remove and dry the earcups etc during long sessions, haven't noticed any difference
I daily the max in nyc and I have noticed I can hear the trains a bit more than I used to but it’s not anything crazy, It’s usually with really loud noises.
I just bought a pair of pros after borrowing a friend’s for a few weeks. To me, the ANC is working very well - drowning out most everything below 85dB. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple pulled some stupid crap like this.
I have the airpods max and yes the noise cancellation has gotten worse. I ride the subway everyday and I can even hear the announcements and train noises more than I could before. Sometimes i am not even sure if i have ANC on.
True! My airpods pro 2nd gen ANC isn't working at all. Took it to the apple store and they run some software to check it and said there isn't any problem. Literally, there isn't any difference between transparency mode and ANC. Waste of money, didn't even last for a year.
I have AirPods Max, updated to the current firmware, and hear absolutely no difference in the noise cancellation. And I use them all the time in noisy environments, so I'd be able to tell if it had gotten worse.
I also noticed it on the beats fit pro, I was thinking about replacing them cause I thought the noise cancelling stopped working
Apple definitely did it to previous Pros. I unpaired my Pro 2 from my iPad and use them only with Android. But it isn't a long term solution :) I love the level of NC on the new Pros! I don't want it to get worse. Apple, let us change the NC level ourselves. If someone needs less of it, they will lower it. Don't decide for everyone!
Is your noise canceling still good?
@@trexzee4351 It's much worse now. I think Apple made it worse with software updates. Same thing happened to my Pro 1 gen. Gen 2 was so good at the beginning. They ruined it again.
Hey.
To get away from your problem of it going to ultra low energy mode try and find a magnet.. there is a magnet specifically on the earcups. Exactly where the apple made case closes… just stick a magent on your fav case and it goes into ultra low energy mode
I printed a stand from Thingiverse and made a magnet bracket. So even if the Airpods are out of the case and on the stand it will go into ultra low energy mode.
That other guy's defending Apple as if he's gonna get fired from Apple otherwise lmao. Snatch the mic away from him.
14:09 Ellis has too much power LMAO
Does this also apply to the pro 2 and not just the max? Just bought the pro 2
Did for me
@@joek292 same i feel like ANC is worse
Honestly the worsening of the ANC in many people’s case is dirt in the grills, I know it was for me.
This needs to be said more. My 1st Gens transparency mode doesn't even work anymore because the mics are so clogged. Got 2nd Gens now though and they're fantastic. Going to use the 1st Gens at work to avoid the same issue happening though
I thought it was a hardware problem lol
The transparency mode also is not that good anymore
I believe mine got worse on my Pro 2s, before I saw any news about this. I searched it on RUclips, and of course there is a ton of news about this.
I notice a worse anc before reading any topic. In past it can reduce voice in train that says About stations info etc. But now i can clearly hear that voice through anc.
It’s true. Once they did the latest update I’ve noticed a difference in the ANC. They use to block out everything but now more noise is creeping in.
ANC in my AirPods Max is absolutely garbage since the previous update to the most recent update. I can hear things I could not hear before at all. The world literally used to disappear sound wise, now I can hear people’s conversations and even light noises.
bruh i just got the 2nd gen pros and the noise cancellation isn't as good as it was when i first got them
Microphones and microphone arrays are a key part of noise cancelling. They measure the noise that needs to be canceled.
Noise cancelling is NOT noise blocking. It measures the noise, inverts and time shifts it and adds that to your earphones to cancel the outside noise. Microphones are not optional.
bro this is so true . I noticed this week that the ANC was worse. shame apple
So I’ve been using my AirPods Pro on my android and now that I bought the 14 pro max and the noise cancelling is def lower. I couldn’t hear most things and now I can easily hear and the pressure is also gone.
I have AirPods Max, and before Linus mentioned it on his podcast I had noticed hearing more wind noise, flicking a switch for a light and even walking around. Not exactly happy about this, paid £380 for them.
Soo is there gonna be an update to fix this?! I just got the gen2 AirPods and it’s really underwhelming…
The test at 12:15 doesn't do much. The test at Rtings shows there is a reduction of NC performance in lower frequencies, not on the mid frequencies, where the frequencies of human voice are.
It got worse for me when I did the personalized spatial audio scan for my AirPods Pro A2084 in Nov 22. Cannot go back to original sound even when I turn that off. Also, I get a lot more squeaks. It’s almost to the point of not being able to use them. Walking with them also sounds weird now. Not sure if anyone has experienced that
it's not only airpods but beats products aswell
My pros sounds like anc isnt even on anymore
Whoever makes these thumbnails did my boy Andrew dirty
Noise cancellation come on… my AirPod’s pro 2 are lagging , audio delay, head tracking is so delayed, take time in connecting ( takes 2 seconds to connect after putting in the ear) .. I just hope these all fix as soon as possible.. You guys know AirPods Pro are EXPENSIVE!
I had the similar issue with my Airpods Pro and got replaced both right and left buds,now its like new
ANC is good again!!
My AirPods pro used to cancel the noise of the bus. it does not work anymore, I can't tell when it is in transparency or canceling mode.
Wrong. This isn’t a meme scandal. Everyone has the same story: “A week or two after I bought these earbuds I put them on and noticed that suddenly the ANC had become drastically worse, so I looked up online to see if it was a known issue.” AirPods Pro 1st gen didn’t have this blow up. No other headphones contrary to what is asserted here had the issue blow up this much. There will always be duds or paranoid people, but the AirPods Pro 2 specifically has this issue and people are still talking about it a year later.
This seems crazy… Mine have just recently become far worse in noise cancellation - I got them Christmas 2022 though. They were really impressive at first… I work next to my partner and ir would block them out fully when on a call… and y I can easily talk to them even with noise cancellation on and notice sounds I never could before with them on… surely you can’t just remove a key feature after selling a product!?
I have AirPods Pro. The latest update caused a constant humming echo. The hum is similar to a microphone tweaked too high and causes feedback.I’m not happy with this latest update.😒😞😒
airpods pro gen1: *very recently I noticed transparency mode specifically became a lot less transparent.* I didn't notice the anc getting worse but maybe it is different too.
No I’ve noticed my AirPods Pro noise cancellation seem like it started to get worse the month of the new AirPods Pro 2 release
Just got my airpods pro 2nd generation the other week... should I be worried?
ANC is 10 times better on AirPods Pro 1 than AirPods Pro 2, on the exact same firmware. Something with AirPods Pro 2 makes noise cancellation not work consistently and it drifts in and out of noise cancellation instead of staying in one mode. The only thing better about the 2nd generation is that “find my” actually WORKS.
Is this a re-upload? I think I've heard this before.
The case is actually nice and allows the AirPods Max to stand upright when placed on a level surface
i'd be more inclined to think that it is the tips on the pros and the cups on the max that is getting worn and losing its seal?
This reminds me of the time when Apple purposely slowed down their iPhones to make you want to buy their new model. This should be investigated and brought to court!
When I originally got my air pod pros were really good when I first brought them, but I have noticed as time as gone on it has not been as good as when I first brought them.
Do not get me wrong, software updates very well could be playing a part here but the most likely explanations are
Placebo (I'll explain below)
Dirty microphones
Getting used to ANC and desiring more from it, not remembering what it was like previously without ANC
I mention the placebo part because I've had Airpods Pro 2 since release, and honestly had no idea that their software updates automatically until last week. I never once thought ANC got noticeably better or worse in that time. Then what do you know, after finding out they get updates and them updating to version 5B58 and hearing people talk about worse ANC, I started thinking it got worse.
Chances are Apple does not have an evil conspiracy to disable features over time, and it's likely one or more of the explanations above
I agree the noise canceling is getting worse over time on my first-gen AirPods Pro.
I think the Echo Buds 2 are ANC
That Andrew soundbite got me good at the end.🤣
In a quiet room my new pro 2 have a noticeable hiss when using ANC.
Oh, I noticed a worsening in transparency mode in the AirPods Max
If EVERYBODY is listen to a worst ANC maybe its because it is the truth. In my case, i live in the crowdest area of my country and some months ago i could not hear the busses passing by with ANC on, and now i can.
Simple as that!
I have AirPods Max, Pro and Pro 2’s. Pro 2’s are better in every way but Max’s seem fine and the update reduced tunneling and pressure sensations and I can’t hear anything besides what’s playing, if I have the ANC active on those things. 🤷♂️
So I don’t really keep up with tech news. I noticed that my AirPods Pro where significantly less noise reducing with my extractor fans (which are a pretty constant white noise) I googled this independently of any online information and this came up. There is no doubt , for me at least, that they are noticeably worse. Now I’m no audiophile so take what a say with a pinch of salt but that’s my honest opinion
I thought it was just normal wear since my airpod pros are 2 years old now
oh so I am not the only one noticing that noise cancellation on my AirPods Pro is worse than it was when I bought them brand new