Sony, Bang & Olufsen combatting Apple AirPods with new wireless earbuds

2»

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 29

    EngDev said:
    But but but — “AirPods are too expensive and have bad battery life!” Oops, yeah now they’re looking even better. 
    I can't speak for these new products, but AirPods just don't have good sound.  They're cheap earbuds that have been made wireless.
    Incorrect. The design of the AP is modified from the wired EarPods and it is noticeably better. I definitely put them in the "good" camp. And considering their primary use case for me in the gym, making work calls, and watching television at night, they are completely satisfactory. If I wanted something for my listening room (which I don't have), I'd get something more serious. You're trying to compare a sports car to a utility vehicle.
    edited September 2017 mobius
  • Reply 22 of 29
    danvmdanvm Posts: 1,400member
    danvm said:
     Im  not a samsung supporter... but give credit where it due...samsungs new wireless earpod, at least on paper beat all these including apple AirPods(with the ridiculous Qtips sticking out of ears) .....with feachers like standalone onboard music storage of 1000 tracks and full health monitoring without need for watch or phone....on top of everything else  these earpods offer ....
    I give no such credit as I see little value in those features - I don’t want to manage onboard audio libraries on my headphones, nor do I expect its activity tracking to be as good as a dedicated device’s.

    I’m fairly certain you don’t actually have AirPods because if you did you’d know they don’t look like qtips at all. They’re quite streamlined and work very well in the gym (several other folks wear them in mine now) 


    You don't need to have the AirPods to see how they look.  Personally, I think they look more to an electric toothbrush head.  

    https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-airpods-earbuds-or-hair-dryers-15-of-snarkiest-tweets/
    You do, because you don't know how they look IRL until you've worn them or see them. Case in point -- Watch looked HUGE in all the photos, so much so that I ordered the 38mm. Then I saw them in person -- realized my mistake because they were much smaller than the photos made them out, and ordered the 42mm. Same with the headphones. Especially the clickbait articles that intentionally wear them incorrectly to make them stick out in an unusual fashion.
    My opinion is based on what I saw on a friend and other people, not only in pictures.
  • Reply 23 of 29
    danvmdanvm Posts: 1,400member

    EngDev said:
    But but but — “AirPods are too expensive and have bad battery life!” Oops, yeah now they’re looking even better. 
    I can't speak for these new products, but AirPods just don't have good sound.  They're cheap earbuds that have been made wireless.
    Incorrect. The design of the AP is modified from the wired EarPods and it is noticeably better. I definitely put them in the "good" camp. And considering their primary use case for me in the gym, making work calls, and watching television at night, they are completely satisfactory. If I wanted something for my listening room (which I don't have), I'd get something more serious. You're trying to compare a sports car to a utility vehicle.
    Can you post a link with details on the audio improvements Apple did compared to EarPods?  Because I haven't found anything and most of reviews said that they sound very similar to EarPods.  
  • Reply 24 of 29
    danvm said:

    EngDev said:
    But but but — “AirPods are too expensive and have bad battery life!” Oops, yeah now they’re looking even better. 
    I can't speak for these new products, but AirPods just don't have good sound.  They're cheap earbuds that have been made wireless.
    Incorrect. The design of the AP is modified from the wired EarPods and it is noticeably better. I definitely put them in the "good" camp. And considering their primary use case for me in the gym, making work calls, and watching television at night, they are completely satisfactory. If I wanted something for my listening room (which I don't have), I'd get something more serious. You're trying to compare a sports car to a utility vehicle.
    Can you post a link with details on the audio improvements Apple did compared to EarPods?  Because I haven't found anything and most of reviews said that they sound very similar to EarPods.  
    If you haven't been paying attention to all the people online who actually own them and say the exact same thing, then I can't help you. And reviews say the same:

    "AirPods sound noticeably better than wired EarPods"
    https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/18/beatsx-powerbeats3-and-airpods-comparison/

    "The AirPods definitely sound better than the EarPods, with more bass than Bragi’s the Headphone"
    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/25/apple-airpods-review-wireless-earbuds-devices

    "The Apple AirPods sound like a better version of the EarPods."
    http://audionist.com/earbuds/apple-airpods-audiophile-review/

    "AirPods sound way better than wired EarPods."
    https://gizmodo.com/i-stuck-apples-airpods-in-my-ears-and-it-shockingly-was-1786353534

    "The AirPods sound better than the EarPods"
    https://www.macworld.com/article/3151535/iphone-ipad/airpods-review-they-sound-great-but-siri-holds-them-back.html

    ...etc. If you cannot tell the difference after trying them and comparing to EarPods, you should probably get your ears checked out. Even with your apparent bad hearing, looking at the buds will show you some of the external differences when it comes to the air intakes used to produce sound.
    edited September 2017 anantksundaram
  • Reply 25 of 29
     Im  not a samsung supporter... but give credit where it due...samsungs new wireless earpod, at least on paper beat all these including apple AirPods(with the ridiculous Qtips sticking out of ears) .....with feachers like standalone onboard music storage of 1000 tracks and full health monitoring without need for watch or phone....on top of everything else  these earpods offer ....
    I give no such credit as I see little value in those features - I don’t want to manage onboard audio libraries on my headphones, nor do I expect its activity tracking to be as good as a dedicated device’s.

    I’m fairly certain you don’t actually have AirPods because if you did you’d know they don’t look like qtips at all. They’re quite streamlined and work very well in the gym (several other folks wear them in mine now) 


    Your presumptous attitude and knoking of great features is a clear indication of a blind fanboy.( Apples biggest problem, getting praised by fanboys regardless of what they do.........ya thats exactly how Steve took Apple to its hights.. praising blindly)

    I bet you if Apple had implemented thise features  you would be expressing  nothing but praise and glory !( mark these words, and revisit )
    Onboard music so you dont  have to have a watch or phone with you when you exercise  Is a bad thing???
    Onboard health tracking so you dont have to have a watch and/or a phone on you  is a bad thing???
    really ?..wow (are you aware apple is working on thus tecnology)

    .... then you go on makeing  your call based on an assumption that "i dont think they will be good anyway" lol
    i guess if Apple does not do it.. it was a bad idea to start with ha, regardless . 

     And  no i dont have Airpods.  Actually, you know, when one is wearing the Airpods one cant see them.. so you statement of me having to own one to see how awkward they look is moot point.
    I can see others wearing them... its enough for me not to want to have them on me.
    Certainly, for me, the qtip less design is a more compact and cleaner design, add on top the added features.

    Apple will do it soon,, and i will buy........
    .......But give credit where credit is due . 

    avon b7
  • Reply 26 of 29
     Im  not a samsung supporter... but give credit where it due...samsungs new wireless earpod, at least on paper beat all these including apple AirPods(with the ridiculous Qtips sticking out of ears) .....with feachers like standalone onboard music storage of 1000 tracks and full health monitoring without need for watch or phone....on top of everything else  these earpods offer ....
    I give no such credit as I see little value in those features - I don’t want to manage onboard audio libraries on my headphones, nor do I expect its activity tracking to be as good as a dedicated device’s.

    I’m fairly certain you don’t actually have AirPods because if you did you’d know they don’t look like qtips at all. They’re quite streamlined and work very well in the gym (several other folks wear them in mine now) 


    Your presumptous attitude and knoking of great features is a clear indication of a blind fanboy.( Apples biggest problem, getting praised by fanboys regardless of what they do.........ya thats exactly how Steve took Apple to its hights.. praising blindly)

    I bet you if Apple had implemented thise features  you would be expressing  nothing but praise and glory !( mark these words, and revisit )
    Onboard music so you dont  have to have a watch or phone with you when you exercise  Is a bad thing???
    Onboard health tracking so you dont have to have a watch and/or a phone on you  is a bad thing???
    really ?..wow (are you aware apple is working on thus tecnology)

    .... then you go on makeing  your call based on an assumption that "i dont think they will be good anyway" lol
    i guess if Apple does not do it.. it was a bad idea to start with ha, regardless . 

     And  no i dont have Airpods.  Actually, you know, when one is wearing the Airpods one cant see them.. so you statement of me having to own one to see how awkward they look is moot point.
    I can see others wearing them... its enough for me not to want to have them on me.
    Certainly, for me, the qtip less design is a more compact and cleaner design, add on top the added features.

    Apple will do it soon,, and i will buy........
    .......But give credit where credit is due . 

    Congratulations on writing the most inane, incomprehensible thing I've read all day.

    If putting music on-board were a "great feature" others would be doing it. It's not. It's a stupid feature. Everyone already has a smartphone or iPod (or Apple Watch, which is a wireless iPod) and don't need to manage another place for music. As is using fitness tracking dependent on which headphones you're using. especially with such crappy battery life. Many times I don't even have my headphones when I work out.

    This doesn't make me a blind fanboy. I recognize the insane success that AirPods are, and that you refuse to, probably for troll purposes. 

    As for having AirPods -- if you don't have them, or haven't at least go to an Apple Store to try them on, then you don't really know much about them, such as what they look like in person. They only look like q-tips if you're living in a cave and don't know what q-tips look like. In fact, that's the stupidest description I've ever heard. You know what they look like? A slim, streamlined bluetooth headset. Like the lady in the picture. If you have a problem with that, the problem is between your ears.
    edited September 2017
  • Reply 27 of 29
    danvmdanvm Posts: 1,400member
    danvm said:

    EngDev said:
    But but but — “AirPods are too expensive and have bad battery life!” Oops, yeah now they’re looking even better. 
    I can't speak for these new products, but AirPods just don't have good sound.  They're cheap earbuds that have been made wireless.
    Incorrect. The design of the AP is modified from the wired EarPods and it is noticeably better. I definitely put them in the "good" camp. And considering their primary use case for me in the gym, making work calls, and watching television at night, they are completely satisfactory. If I wanted something for my listening room (which I don't have), I'd get something more serious. You're trying to compare a sports car to a utility vehicle.
    Can you post a link with details on the audio improvements Apple did compared to EarPods?  Because I haven't found anything and most of reviews said that they sound very similar to EarPods.  
    If you haven't been paying attention to all the people online who actually own them and say the exact same thing, then I can't help you. And reviews say the same:

    "AirPods sound noticeably better than wired EarPods"
    https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/18/beatsx-powerbeats3-and-airpods-comparison/

    "The AirPods definitely sound better than the EarPods, with more bass than Bragi’s the Headphone"
    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/25/apple-airpods-review-wireless-earbuds-devices

    "The Apple AirPods sound like a better version of the EarPods."
    http://audionist.com/earbuds/apple-airpods-audiophile-review/

    "AirPods sound way better than wired EarPods."
    https://gizmodo.com/i-stuck-apples-airpods-in-my-ears-and-it-shockingly-was-1786353534

    "The AirPods sound better than the EarPods"
    https://www.macworld.com/article/3151535/iphone-ipad/airpods-review-they-sound-great-but-siri-holds-them-back.html

    ...etc. If you cannot tell the difference after trying them and comparing to EarPods, you should probably get your ears checked out. Even with your apparent bad hearing, looking at the buds will show you some of the external differences when it comes to the air intakes used to produce sound.
    The thing is that I have been paying attention to some reviews. Here are some of them like for example,

    "I listen to Apple's EarPods as my main headphones most of the time. AirPods sound similar."
    https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-airpods/preview/

    "If you are, you’re better off just getting the regular earpods because they sound very, very similar. The only difference I can find between them is that the Airpods get louder and obviously they’re wireless."
    http://www.soundguys.com/apple-airpods-review-good-11072/

    "The oddest thing about the AirPods isn’t how they look; it’s that Apple’s evidently not all that concerned with how they sound. Your $159 doesn’t buy you any better audio than you’ll get from the EarPods that come free in the box with your iPhone."
    https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-apple-airpods/

    Still, the audio quality wasn't much better than what Apple's wired EarPods offer, which come included with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus for no extra charge. 
    http://time.com/4608030/apple-airpods-review-2016/

    "In terms of sound quality, the AirPods are nearly identical to the EarPods you get free with the purchase of an iPhone."
    https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/apple-airpods-review/

    Now we're getting to the meaty part: How do these things actually sound? Not bad, but ultimately not much better than the EarPods we know and love.
    https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/13/apple-airpods-review/

    And this article mentions that Apple expect AirPods sound very similar to EarPods considering they have nearly the same components,

    Let's talk about audio quality: since Apple says the AirPods have nearly the same components as EarPods do, they should sound similar. They do.
    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/02/battle-of-the-buds-how-apple-airpods-stack-up-against-other-wireless-earbuds/

    The article mention that bass is stronger because of the large openings.  But a part from that, is the same.  I didn't like EarPods sound quality.  So I don't think AirPods will do any better for me.  Maybe what people like of AirPods is the convenience, and don't care for the sound quality, and are OK with "good enough".  
    gatorguyavon b7
  • Reply 28 of 29
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    dewme said:
    I know style is a personal thing, but these Sony wireless buds are, surprisingly, even less attractive than the AirPods. The AirPods at least conform to the design aestetic from the EarPods, sans wires of course. But they still look like headphones. The Sony buds remind me of hearing aids from the 1960s, except they're black. I can see people shouting at wearers of these things, assuming the wearer is hard of hearing. Maybe the model in the video has a smallish head, but they definitely stick out on the front and sides in a franken-freakish sort of way. (Freeze the video at about the 1:01 mark)
    Oh geeze. Yes, style is a personal thing. I've had AirPods for the last six months and enjoy them a lot. People whined (and still do) about how ugly they think the AirPods are. I say 'fuck 'em'. They work and their 'looks' are not a priority. If that were the case, I might give the nod to Sony. Yes, they stick out a little, but so what. 

    These are probably the same people who whined when all the Plantronics-type cellphone headsets came out. You know what? People got used to them pretty quick. All but the most ardent whiners moved on to something else to get their panties twisted.

    Further, I've never seen anybody, ever, yelling at somebody wearing a functioning hearing aid. Ever. I have no idea what you're on about. If there's any loud talking, it's done by a lot of people wearing 'buds, most often when making a phone call. This is most likely due to the lack if side tone or side talk. Or people who think that someone who doesn't speak their language is deaf and that talking louder will somehow help. 

    Why do people insist on making up the most unlikely scenarios that ultimately prove nothing. smh.  Fuck people who worry and whine about how other people 'look'. They need to get over themselves.


  • Reply 29 of 29
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    danvm said:
    The thing is that I have been paying attention to some reviews. Here are some of them like for example...



    The article mention that bass is stronger because of the large openings.  But a part from that, is the same.  I didn't like EarPods sound quality.  So I don't think AirPods will do any better for me.  Maybe what people like of AirPods is the convenience, and don't care for the sound quality, and are OK with "good enough".  
    I've had AirPods for some time now and do like them a lot. And yes, the sound is similar to EarPods, but it is superior. Significantly so, no. But definitely noticeably better. The real test for me was not A/B listening, but long term listening to the AirPods then going back to the EarPods. That is where the difference is heard. Part of this is because the AirPods are a slightly different shape and fit my ears better than EarPods.

    In places where the ambient noise floor is somewhat high, I can't tell the difference. That's because both APs and EPs provide next to no sound isolation.

    I've tried several brands of earbuds and those that provide good isolation (and don't hurt my ears) generally sound better than Apple buds, as long as their not Skully-types with ridiculously boosted bass. For critical listening, I use Shure 530s with their memory foam tips. I haven't heard a better sounding set of buds or even any that come close in detail, smoothness and balanced frequency response. And they memory foam tips are comfortable for hours.

    But they weren't cheap, though I did catch them on a close-out sale. And because they have fixed cables I don't take them 'outside' because if I snagged a cable, they'd be costly to repair. (I'm looking for a deal on 535s.)  By comparison the APs fit well, sound good better than enough when out and about, and are extremely comfortable. In short order I'm not aware of wearing them. The detail and imaging is good enough (!) that when I hear certain sounds I look around to see where their coming from. Watching TV shows that use iPhones frequently has me checking my phone.

    So it's a matter of having what I need when I want it. I'd like to try the Sonys, but the cost vs the battery life puts me off. And I will say that onboard music storage doesn't appeal to me. I have a lot of music on my phone, and put some on my Watch and have yet to use it much for music. My phone is almost always with me and the Watch's battery life is hit pretty good. watchOS 4 will bring multiple playlists and that may make a difference. Like any product, you have to find the balance of features and price that work for you.
Sign In or Register to comment.