I’m convinced the AirPods Max active noise cancellation has gotten worse – The Verge

level 1

Websites like rtings take actual measurements of ANC sound reduction. These don’t correlate perfectly to how we perceive the ANC (because human brains are more sensitive to certain types of sounds), but it should be detectable if something has truly changed.

level 2

That site doesn’t seem to have a way to compare before and after the new firmware.

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This is starting to smell like a class action. My Pros have gotten the ANC nerfed a few times, to the point where I can hardly tell when it is on.

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Users thinking ANC is weakened after a firmware update isn’t limited to the APM and the Bose set.

The author mentions considering the Sony XM5. Same allegations came up with the last update for my XM3. There’s even a GitHub repo with a way to proxy the Sony Headphones app to get the older firmware for a downgrade.

I haven’t noticed the ANC weakening, although I don’t use the XM3 as much for commuting.

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Would you mind sharing the XM3 Github please ? I would really appreciate as the ANC truly is shit now

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Funnily enough the xm5 have gotten noticeably better after the recent update. Gonna be interesting if rtings retests them and get a better result this time because that first test seems like an anomaly with that massive dip in low frequency anc.

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I haven’t looked at it but I feel like the pros I got a few years ago were initially very good at noise cancellation. Then firmware for updated and its 100% worse. I can’t prove it, but I’ve complained to my wife about it.

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My air pods pro were so silent in the beginning i would snap my fingers gently and if anc was on i couldn’t hear the snapping. Now i hear snapping no matter what mode I’m in.

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💯I bought the AirPod Pros 1st gen the morning they released however many years back. The ANC was phenomenal. I remember the whole experience: putting them in at the store, toggling it on and off while walking along a busy downtown street, and especially in the metro; the ANC was so good you could have had your back turned to the approaching metro and you’d have to think twice about whether you heard the metro pulling into the station. This glorious experience lasted about ten days, and then they released the first post-launch firmware, and the ANC has been far less effective ever since. You’re not crazy.

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This has been proven to be true. I believe the reason was because it was wearing out the drivers too fast?

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I feel like that with all my Apple products. Maybe it’s because I’m more intimate with their performance than when I first got them but every issue annoys me more and more. Even when they fix something, something new pops up.

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Probably new version is coming. I’ve seen it happen with different Apple products – some older airpods are randomly disconnecting (left or right earbud), after resetting everything is back to normal.

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Same with bass on AirPods Pro. It’s only good when using noise cancellation for some reason and it’s been like that for months 😤

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They definitely got worse on the APPs. The APMs have seemed consistent though. The initial APP had stupid good ANC

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Every pair I’ve replaced has had problems with crackling every time there was external sound and this starts up within a couple months.

I’ve got three separate pairs, but the ones I’ve given to my mom are my first ones and I bought them without AppleCare two years ago. Would I even be able to still get those fixed under warranty?

level 2

Wax getting into the mechanism?