Announced during the September 7, 2022 keynote, Apple's new AirPods Pro were expected at the turn.
Tested, the new generation of headphones from the firm at the apple is distinguished by an exceptional sound reproduction and in particular the Special Audio for songs in Dolby Atmos.
At 299 euros, they are still very expensive but give us our money's worth.
Apple has sometimes been criticized for the ultimately rather relative quality of its AirPods.
Innovative (these were the first True Wireless earphones on the market), fashionable with their milky finish design and their often imitated small stem, with a very honorable sound quality, the previous AirPods had seduced us up to now, but not totally convinced.
In question, in particular, a fairly “go-anywhere” audio reproduction, flattering, of course, but without a real signature.
With the new AirPods Pro launched at 299 euros that "20 Minutes" was able to test, it seems that a new chapter is now opening.
New start
Of the in-ear type, the AirPods Pro differ from the classic 2nd and 3rd generation AirPods which are “
open fit
”.
The tips of the first (four pairs are provided) sink into the ears, while the head of the latter (which do not have silicone tips) arises just at the entrance to the ear canal.
A size difference, in particular to benefit from better physical insulation.
But Apple goes much further with its new headphones.
If the design of the youngest does not change much (even if the size of their case has increased slightly), Tim Cook's teams seem to have started from a blank page.
Better sound
For music, the AirPods Pro are equipped with a new chip called H2.
It is she who processes the sound, and who processes it well.
Very well.
As we listened, we noted not only an overall improvement in audio quality, but above all much better worked frequencies.
The bass is comfortable, fleshy, dense, without imposing or dominating.
The highs are finer, sensitive and better worked.
As for the mediums, so important for the voices of the artists, here they are warmer, with more texture.
Regret, however: the AirPods Pro still do not support
lossless
files , Apple is content with compressed SBC and AAC codecs.
Other headphones, like Sony's WF-1000XM4 (the real rivals, ultimately, of the new Apple headphones), are compatible with the uncompressed LDAC codec.
Spatial Audio, the new Holy Grail
However, this progress is particularly noticeable when listening to Spatial Audio titles on Apple Music.
What Apple calls Spatial Audio is none other than Dolby Atmos, or spatialized sound.
And there, it's stunning.
The soundstage is extremely wide.
This is obvious on recent tracks (like
M'envoler
, by Eloïse Sauvage;
Fossora
by Björk, or even
Tee
by Lomepal), but also on older tracks that we revisit in a new listening format. 360°.
Learning to Fly
by Pink Floyd,
Miss You
by the Rolling Stones or
Rebel Yell
of Billy Idol are getting quite a youthful look!
Voices of artists and instruments are no longer heard in stereo, but as if we were in the middle of a sound sphere.
Even better: the (deactivatable) “Headtracking” function offers a listening experience worth discovering.
Thanks to the gyroscope embedded in the AirPods Pro, voices and instruments remain positioned in the same place.
If you turn your head, they pass from one ear to the other, as if you were in a concert hall and moving: the music always seems to come from the same point.
Amazing noise reduction
Apple announces that the noise reduction of AirPods Pro is twice as effective as with the first generation AirPods Pro.
Impossible, however, on a scale of 1 to 100, to say that the Cupertino company doubles the bet.
Still, the H2 chip is also a goldsmith's job.
Case in point, the noise of the noisy sweeper which regularly passes under our windows (and which we measured at 80 db, anyway!), disappears almost completely.
During our tests, we realized the presence of the machine by seeing it at the window, and not by hearing it arrive from the end of the street, as always.
The noise of our coffee machine (not necessarily pleasant, except for the prospect of the good little espresso it announces), seemed to us to be muffled by around 80%.
And of the clicking of our computer keyboard, there is not much left.
We are in a padded atmosphere.
This can also be disconcerting outside if you have not activated the Transparency mode of the AirPods Pro, which automatically adapts to outside noises to give us only a tiny dose.
No equalizer or dedicated app
Controlled by their touch rods, Apple's headphones do not offer a dedicated application.
Oddly, you have to go to the Bluetooth settings of the iPhone to which they are connected (press the “i” to the right of their name) to be able to make some manual settings.
But here, no trace of a possible equalizer.
The interface that can be accessed, only on an Apple device, also allows you to check the remaining autonomy of the headphones and their storage case: up to 6 hours of listening without noise reduction, up to 5:30 with , according to Apple.
Durations that seem to correlate with our tests.
Recharging by wire (Lightning cable not supplied) or by induction, the case of the AirPods Pro can now be located from an Apple device and emits a small beep at the start and end of the charge.
Apple would have been well advised to offer the wrist strap that it can accommodate, rather than selling it as an option at 14.95 euros, an unacceptable price for this type of accessory.
There are wrist straps, sold by ten at 4.99 euros on Amazon!
Still, the AirPods Pro 2, which are IPX4, are not far from establishing themselves as the best True Wireless headphones on the market, just ahead of their rivals WF-1000XM4 from Sony.
But for how long ?
With its new QuietComfort Earbuds II, which we have not yet tested, Bose could be a very serious competitor, which is 100% compatible with iOS, but also Android.
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