Ear phones - which ones?

Which AirPods would you buy at present?

  • AirPods 2nd generation - £109

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • AirPods 3rd generation - £159

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • AirPods Pro - £189

    Votes: 4 50.0%

  • Beats Studio Buds - £129

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Beats Flex Wireless - £59

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Total voters
    8
rob-nikon

rob-nikon

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After my dog decided to chewed (not joking) the cord of the lightening connector apple ear phones that came with my iPhone I’ve decided to upgrade to the wireless version but I’m unsure which to go for.

AirPods 3rd generation - £159

Apple AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case (3rd Generation) 2021

Buy Apple AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case (3rd Generation) 2021 from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com


AirPods Pro - £189

Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case 2021

Buy Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case 2021 from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com


I will be using them to listen to music, podcasts, you tube videos but also for work video calls via my iPad.

I’m wondering if it’s worth going for the AirPod pros over the 3rd generation as it’s only £30 extra at John Lewis. When comparing them on the apple website there seems to be little difference between them. Anyone able to advise potentially the best option? Is a newer version of the airpod pros expected soon?
 
rob-nikon said:
After my dog decided to chewed (not joking) the cord of the lightening connector apple ear phones that came with my iPhone I’ve decided to upgrade to the wireless version but I’m unsure which to go for.

AirPods 3rd generation - £159

Apple AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case (3rd Generation) 2021

Buy Apple AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case (3rd Generation) 2021 from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com


AirPods Pro - £189

Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case 2021

Buy Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case 2021 from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com


I will be using them to listen to music, podcasts, you tube videos but also for work video calls via my iPad.

I’m wondering if it’s worth going for the AirPod pros over the 3rd generation as it’s only £30 extra at John Lewis. When comparing them on the apple website there seems to be little difference between them. Anyone able to advise potentially the best option? Is a newer version of the airpod pros expected soon?
Click to expand...

The Pro's are better sound, have noise cancelling & transparency, and come with different size tips, the others have none have of those things.
 
I didn't like the fit of the Pro version, they irritated the inside of my ears.
The 3rd Gen on the other hand fit well, give as good a sound as I need and don't cause any irritation.
 
I’m using my 2nd Gen, perfect sound and a bargain at the moment ;)
 
I have (original version?) AirPods Pro but prefer the BeatsFlex which are only £60 and run for 16 hours and have much the same connection capability as the AirPods — also connect more readily to Android if you have mixed ecosystem.

I originally got the beatsflex because it wasn’t a problem (being joined) if they fell out unlike the AirPods. Altogether more convenient. YMMV.
 
Thanks for the replies. I’ve added a poll as I may be easier.

Ian Boichat said:
Pros have noise cancelling and a slightly different fit. I have both - pros are better
Click to expand...
G.K.Jnr. said:
The Pro's are better sound, have noise cancelling & transparency, and come with different size tips, the others have none have of those things.
Click to expand...
noise cancelling could be useful for works calls.

gramps said:
I didn't like the fit of the Pro version, they irritated the inside of my ears.
The 3rd Gen on the other hand fit well, give as good a sound as I need and don't cause any irritation.
Click to expand...

fit is a concern as ear phones aren’t exactly something you can go and try out!

Norkie said:
I’m using my 2nd Gen, perfect sound and a bargain at the moment ;)
Click to expand...
the 2nd generation AirPods could be a potential option too.
 
sphexx said:
I have (original version?) AirPods Pro but prefer the BeatsFlex which are only £60 and run for 16 hours and have much the same connection capability as the AirPods — also connect more readily to Android if you have mixed ecosystem.

I originally got the beatsflex because it wasn’t a problem (being joined) if they fell out unlike the AirPods. Altogether more convenient. YMMV.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m not 100% tied to just Apple AirPods if there’s another possible option. As long as they work with my iPhone, ipad and MacBook Pro I’d be happy. Another benefit could be they would work with my works HP laptop which would be a bonus.

having had a look at them on John Lewis they look pretty good especially for the cost. Much cheaper than the rest especially via Amazon where they are £48.
 
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rob-nikon said:
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m not 100% tied to just Apple AirPods if there’s another possible option. As long as they work with my iPhone, ipad and MacBook Pro I’d be happy. Another benefit could be they would work with my works HP laptop which would be a bonus.

having had a look at them on John Lewis they look pretty good especially for the cost. Much cheaper than the rest especially via Amazon where they are £48.
Click to expand...
Also different colours :LOL: . They have the apple chip inside which is why they join more or less seamlessly.
 
Have you thought about the Sony XM4?

ANC is better than the aippods, and they have memory foam tips, as opposed to silicone, so you get a better seal.
 
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Paulie-W said:
Have you thought about the Sony XM4?

ANC is better than the aippods, and they have memory foam tips, as opposed to silicone, so you get a better seal.
Click to expand...

Excellent recommendation, the XM’s are widely regarded as the ‘gold-standard’ in not only ANC but sound-quality in general. To be honest you could also look at the XM3’s, at the current price-point of £90 they’re a steal!

Although the XM4’s have the custom chip for hi-fidelity audio IIRC
 
I have the pro’s they are very good and clear voice with calls, I tried some others and people said I was not so clear on calls
 
Neilc28 said:
Excellent recommendation, the XM’s are widely regarded as the ‘gold-standard’ in not only ANC but sound-quality in general. To be honest you could also look at the XM3’s, at the current price-point of £90 they’re a steal!

Although the XM4’s have the custom chip for hi-fidelity audio IIRC
Click to expand...

That`s a bonkers price for the 3`s :eek:
 
I love my Airpods pro for 3 reaons
1. Noise cancelling - I fall asleep on planes trains and automobiles and my sony overears made it uncomfortable to sleep
2. Device switching - Again my Sonys are a pain to switch between devices - I hope they have fixed this in the mx5 just released
3. The silicon tips - they are just so easy to pull off and clean. Wax never ever ever gets on the speak or component itself - i didnt realise how much I valued this till I got them and more brands need to do it like this.
 
acrobatic_Citron said:
I love my Airpods pro for 3 reaons
1. Noise cancelling - I fall asleep on planes trains and automobiles and my sony overears made it uncomfortable to sleep
2. Device switching - Again my Sonys are a pain to switch between devices - I hope they have fixed this in the mx5 just released
3. The silicon tips - they are just so easy to pull off and clean. Wax never ever ever gets on the speak or component itself - i didnt realise how much I valued this till I got them and more brands need to do it like this.
Click to expand...

1. Isn’t that a general issue encountered with overear style vs in-ear?

2. Interesting to hear for sure, the only earphones I’ve had issues with switching between devices was an old set of Jaybirds, very comfortable and great for running, but the sticky-pairing issue was a pain.

3. I thought this was common from most brands to be honest, my old wired Sonys from around 2005 had silicon tips, I’ve had many brands since and have always opted for the silicon tips as I don’t find earphones comfortable without them tbh. Totally agree that they are fantastic for a comfortable fit and cleaning is sooo simple!
 
Neilc28 said:
1. Isn’t that a general issue encountered with overear style vs in-ear?

2. Interesting to hear for sure, the only earphones I’ve had issues with switching between devices was an old set of Jaybirds, very comfortable and great for running, but the sticky-pairing issue was a pain.

3. I thought this was common from most brands to be honest, my old wired Sonys from around 2005 had silicon tips, I’ve had many brands since and have always opted for the silicon tips as I don’t find earphones comfortable without them tbh. Totally agree that they are fantastic for a comfortable fit and cleaning is sooo simple!
Click to expand...
By silicon tip I mean the tip and the mesh are one piece that detach instead of just the tip so gunk can still get on the mesh permanently on standard ones

My only negative is the battery is tiny so if you use them regularly they wont last long in terms of battery capacity
 
The only "in-ear" type with which I get on are those with a short insert and a "wing". These are so much more comfortable than the sort that need to be pushed into the ear canal...

Winged earphone Ixus 70 IMG_4309.JPG
 
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I've got both the Sony WF-1000-XM4's and the Airpod's Pro.

Sound quality I prefer the Sony's and I find their noise cancelling better but the Airpods Pro just work better between my Apple devices and I find them better to use for video calls / audio conferencing over the Sonys.

Fit is a personal thing though, I quite like how the Airpods feel like they're being held on by my ear whereas I sometimes think the Sony ones feel like they're going to fall out!
 
I have the AirPods 3 - I have used them everyday for the last 6 months, mainly work work calls, but also music/podcasts. I don't miss the noice cancelling from my over ear headphones, but do appreciate the fast device switching and Find My integration - if you are getting the Pros, make sure you get the newer version which supports Find My.
 
I use Android, but I got my daughter some Air Pod Pro's and I was very impressed with them.

If they had connected to my phone then I would have bought myself a pair and I'm pretty fussy when it comes to head phones.

I use the BOSE brand mostly, but the Air Pods are better IMO.
 
Nytol said:
I use Android, but I got my daughter some Air Pod Pro's and I was very impressed with them.

If they had connected to my phone then I would have bought myself a pair and I'm pretty fussy when it comes to head phones.

I use the BOSE brand mostly, but the Air Pods are better IMO.
Click to expand...

They will connect to other phones/devices but have to be paired of course.
 
Another fan of the Air Pod Pro’s. Picked up a pair when I saw they were £189. Ideal when you don’t want to be lugging cans around. Hold well in the ears and work great across iPhone and iPad. Sounds ok and the noise cancelling is ok, but not as effective as my Soundcore q30’s over the ears, which block out everything. Spatial Audio is nice but not something I use often. If you’re in the apple system, I would definitely recommend.
 
rob-nikon said:
Thanks for all the replies. At present I’m trying to decide between the airpods 3 and the AirPod pro.
Click to expand...
amazon have helped my decision. the price of the airpods 3 have dropped to £135 so I’ve ordered them for delivery early next week. If the airpod pros had dropped in price too I would likely have gone with them but it makes more sense cost wise going with the AirPod 3’s.
 
I thought I’d update this thread. I received the airpods gen 3 and they seem to be nice. I have to say they are bigger than the wired apple earphones which is understandable once you think how much they’ve crammed in there.

I found the airpods gen 3 started to hurt my ear after 20-30 mins. My wife tried them to see if what the fuss was about and they were a good fit for her. she loves them so much that I’ve not had them back! No more walking away from the laptop on video calls and dragging the laptop after her.

I noticed Amazon had dropped the price of airpod pros too so I ordered some of them as replacement. So far with the small silicon ear piece attached they don’t seem to hurt my ears like the airpods gen 3s. I’ve worn them or about an hour a couple of times watch YouTube and they didn’t hurt so I’m hoping they will be good for me.
 
One thing I thought I’d mention in case others (like me) aren’ aware of prior to purchasing the AirPods is that the AirPods case can charge the AirPods even if the case isn’t attached to a charger cable. I wasn’t aware that the case has its own battery so you can charge the AirPods on the move. I was expecting the case to be a charger like a camera battery charger ie you have to plug it in to charge the AirPods. I was expecting the case just to act as a holder. I was pleasantly surprised by that point as I wasn’t expecting it.
 
rob-nikon said:
One thing I thought I’d mention in case others (like me) aren’ aware of prior to purchasing the AirPods is that the AirPods case can charge the AirPods even if the case isn’t attached to a charger cable. I wasn’t aware that the case has its own battery so you can charge the AirPods on the move. I was expecting the case to be a charger like a camera battery charger ie you have to plug it in to charge the AirPods. I was expecting the case just to act as a holder. I was pleasantly surprised by that point as I wasn’t expecting it.
Click to expand...
The AirPods pro (original) charges wirelessly and does so on my 3rd party (Anker) iPhone charger though it has to stand on end to make ’contact’ — it‘s the stand type)
 
Air pods Pro with Magsafe charger, works with TV, phone, in car, anything bluetooth.
 
sphexx said:
The AirPods pro (original) charges wirelessly and does so on my 3rd party (Anker) iPhone charger though it has to stand on end to make ’contact’ — it‘s the stand type)
Click to expand...
I forgot its wireless charging as I don’t have an wireless charge pads. What I mean is I was surprised you can charge the case (wired or wireless) and then transfer that charge to the airpods whilst they are in the case in your pocket whilst out and about. There was me thinking once the AirPods have run out of battery you’d need charge somewhere with some kind of fixed power supply in the car, at home etc.
 
rob-nikon said:
I forgot its wireless charging as I don’t have an wireless charge pads. What I mean is I was surprised you can charge the case (wired or wireless) and then transfer that charge to the airpods whilst they are in the case in your pocket whilst out and about. There was me thinking once the AirPods have run out of battery you’d need charge somewhere with some kind of fixed power supply in the car, at home etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, I understood what you meant, just reminding about the wireless charging because it’s not immediately obvious - as with the in-case charging too.

One other “feature” not advertised is that if you drop the case it will spring open and distribute the pods in all directions and if you drop an airpod on its own it is so designed that it will bounce under the nearest furniture :(.
 
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