Are AirPods 2 Worth It?

[ThatGuyDakotaHD]

I've found that hey siri is very convenient, and works in all exterior noise levels (like at big banger parties).

Sounds the same, Feels the same in the ear, same weight.

I've found that it doesnt pair any faster, and sometimes slower than the first, going from an iPhone 8+ to 2015 macbook 13" to Hackintosh with BT 4.2.

I've just ordered the new knockoffs that have the W1 chip in it, and I'm gonna review them on my youtube (should be friday/saturday). I'm more excited about those because, although the sound quality of the real ones are amazing, I hate not being able to change volume and skip songs, and I have no interest in an Apple Watch.

Check out my unboxing of the airpods 2, and subscribe to see the review of the knockoffs.
https://youtu.be/cGIcN6enEdY

[OtinG]

I don’t like the Apple Earpods at all. They won’t stay in my ears and are not comfortable. I assume the Airpods will be about the same size and shape. No way I would pay a king’s ransom for a pair of Airpods that would likely fall out and perhaps get lost. I think they are way over priced for what they are. Personally I don’t wear earphones/headsets very often any way, but when I do I prefer the kind that stay put and are easy to find as well as being comfortable to wear. There are Plenty of 3rd party BT earphones/headsets on the market that are terrific and less expensive too. As a general rule I turn my nose up to most of Apples over priced accessories especially when they emphasize form over function. Bleep the form, I want functionality!

[kyteflyer]

Same here, and given my propensity for losing things (can't even find my thumb splint which is HUGE) I dont think its worth bothering. My earpods have remained unsullied since the first iteration and although I got in on a group buy of Ultimate Ears (which did fit nicely) some years ago, I realised then that I dislike things being stuck in my ears anyway. Give me over-ear cans anyday.

[pwalker8]

I really like my airpods. I have no problems with them staying in my ear and they are comfortable enough to stay there for long periods of time. On the other hand, they show no signs of needing to be replaced, so I have no plans to get the airpod 2. I would imagine that eventually the battery will wear out and I'll need to replace them.

[HarryT]

I dislike devices with built-in obsolescence. Sometimes I’ll put up with it, as with the iPhone itself, but I see no reason whatsoever to do so in the case of a decent pair of headphones, which don’t need a battery in the first place!

[JSWolf]

Airpods (any version) are not worth it.

I bought a Fiio BTR3 which is worth it. It costs less then Airpods and it sounds better because it has better quality bluetooth format support. It gives quality BT to wired headphones/earphones. Plus, you can use it while charging. It's small and portable. Not every pair of headphones will work with it because they need more output (a lot of headphones have a rather high ohm rating). But you can use it with a portable headphone amp. Oh and the BTR3 lasts longer on a single charge then Airpods.

I think BT headphones/earphones are a problem because the battery is not replaceable. With the BTR3, if I ever need a new battery, I can just buy another one. I mostly use this with the TV.

[John F]

I have Airpods, and like them a lot... However, every couple of months I head to take them to the Apple store for a cleaning. I treat them pretty well, I wipe them down after every use. They look clean, but every couple of months they loose there charge in the case. For this reason I will not be purchasing them again.

I was lucky in that they fit very well, and stay in very well.

If they could make the battery/case more reliable, I would buy them again.

[tomsem]

The W1 chip is Apple’s chip. The knock-off might have something similar but if they claim it has a W1 chip, that is not true, and I would be very suspicious about their other claims (and quality).

I have AirPod v1 and love them. I don’t Hey Siri very much so my interest in v2 is very low (sound is said to be theoretically slightly better). I actually have 2 pairs of v1. The first set went through the washing machine and while the buds survived intact, the charging case did not. I waited until wireless charging case came out, and they are back in business.

Very comfortable and they never fall out unless I forget they are in my ears and I pull my shirt off or on. Much better for workouts than other headsets I’ve had. And if you have more than one Apple device, it is much switch pairing between them than 3rd party headsets, whatever their merits.

They’re not much for the car because of road noise (on freeway; local driving is fine). I have RayZ (wired) headset for that. Active noise cancelling, great for road, commuter train, airplanes, mowing grass. I soaked those too, and there was some hiss introduced by that, but they self-healed after a couple of months and are back to par again.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by John F

I have Airpods, and like them a lot... However, every couple of months I head to take them to the Apple store for a cleaning. I treat them pretty well, I wipe them down after every use. They look clean, but every couple of months they loose there charge in the case. For this reason I will not be purchasing them again.

I wipe the earbud contacts with alcohol swab every so often (or just rub them on my shirt) and that usually takes care of it. I have reached in there with a Q-tip a few times to clean case contacts but it has been a few months since doing that, so I conclude it is almost always due to oil accumulation on the buds. It is not visible, though.

I bought the wireless charging case when it came out (to replace a case that I drowned) and it is too soon to conclude it is ‘better’ at making good contact. So far so good. Physically they are nearly identical except the charge indicator is on the outside where you can see it when placing it on charging pad or plug it in.

It is annoying when in-case discharge happens; but they re-charge very quickly.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I wipe the earbud contacts with alcohol swab every so often (or just rub them on my shirt) and that usually takes care of it. I have reached in there with a Q-tip a few times to clean case contacts but it has been a few months since doing that, so I conclude it is almost always due to oil accumulation on the buds. It is not visible, though.

I bought the wireless charging case when it came out (to replace a case that I drowned) and it is too soon to conclude it is ‘better’ at making good contact. So far so good. Physically they are nearly identical except the charge indicator is on the outside where you can see it when placing it on charging pad or plug it in.

It is annoying when in-case discharge happens; but they re-charge very quickly.

Thanks for the tip. I do clean with a q-tip on occasion, and it didn't doesn't seem to help. I also tried rubbing alcohol once, but I thought I read not to use it. The Apple website doesn't mention alcohol. When I asked Apple support, they said do what the website says. I'll give alcohol another try. I'll try asking Apple again how to clean them when I take them in next time.

For me, having to clean them after every use will prevent me from buying them again.

Although they do recharge quickly, when I want to use them, I don't want to wait while they charge.

And again, I do like them.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I dislike devices with built-in obsolescence. Sometimes I’ll put up with it, as with the iPhone itself, but I see no reason whatsoever to do so in the case of a decent pair of headphones, which don’t need a battery in the first place!

I have two basic use cases for the AirPods rather than my normal wired headphones (both have batteries since they are noise canceling and thus help me to keep what little sanity I may have)

1) working out. Wired headphones are not very good for working out.
2) using for hands free phone calls. I don't have to try to keep my cats from trying to play with the wire while I'm talking on the phone.

They also come in handy in restaurants when the people at the table next to mine are not using their indoor voices.

[John F]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I have two basic use cases for the AirPods rather than my normal wired headphones (both have batteries since they are noise canceling and thus help me to keep what little sanity I may have)

1) working out. Wired headphones are not very good for working out.
2) using for hands free phone calls. I don't have to try to keep my cats from trying to play with the wire while I'm talking on the phone.

They also come in handy in restaurants when the people at the table next to mine are not using their indoor voices.

Yup. I have a bunch of wired "headphones" also. For me, it's a case of the right tool for the right job.

[JSWolf]

https://fiio.com/btr3

The Fiio BTR3 supports...





Many more formats then the Airpods and with other BT devices that use higher quality codecs, you will get better quality sound.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I really like my airpods. I have no problems with them staying in my ear and they are comfortable enough to stay there for long periods of time. On the other hand, they show no signs of needing to be replaced, so I have no plans to get the airpod 2. I would imagine that eventually the battery will wear out and I'll need to replace them.

Same here. I love my AirPods! I run in them and have no problem with them feeling loose. I’ve had them since around the time they were originally introduced, and they still hold a good charge so I see no reason to eeplce them with the new version.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by John F

For me, having to clean them after every use will prevent me from buying them again.

I don’t clean them after every use. And I don’t resort to swabbing very often, either - maybe every 3-4 weeks, if that. Only as needed and when wiping with clean cloth does not do the trick. I imagine lens/screen cleaner would work too: something that doesn’t leave any residue.