I became the owner AirPods Pro two years ago and I can’t imagine my day without these headphones. Absolutely everything suits me in them: from appearance to sound quality. It is thanks to them that I no longer perceive TWS headphones without Active Noise Canceling and a transparency mode that lets you hear everything around you and enjoy the music at the same time. Even switching to Android, I did not change them for something from other manufacturers. So I got hooked on them.
I have never had any complaints about the sound quality, although many say that it is very far from the standard. But as it turns out, it can be improved. And this is done in accordance with the characteristics of your hearing. Let’s see how to do it.
Audiogram for AirPods
In order to determine the susceptibility of your hearing to the volume of sound at different frequencies, you need to do individual audiogram. It is with the help of it that it will be possible to understand the sound picture of your world. Simply put, when compiling an audiogram, sounds will be played at different frequencies and at different volumes. And you need to note whether you hear them or not.
Unfortunately, the audiogram can not be applied to all headphones. The complete list looks like this:
- AirPods Max.
- AirPods Pro.
- AirPods (2nd generation).
- AirPods (3rd generation).
- earpods.
- Powerbeat Pro.
- Beats Solo Pro.
- Sennheiser HDA 200.
- Sennheiser HDA300.
If your headphones are on this list, then you can proceed to the next step. You must select an application for compiling an audiogram. Many advise to use the program Mimi Hearing Testbut I didn’t like it. I suggest you use an application called Hearing Test. It is quite easy to use and allows you to create a high-quality audiogram in a few minutes.
- Download the HearingTest app from the App Store.
- Connect your headphones to your smartphone and find some quiet place without extraneous noise.
- If you have AirPods ProI advise you to turn on the noise reduction as well.
- Launch the app and allow it to access the microphone and record audiograms in health app.
- Select age and gender.
- Set the volume to 100%.
- Start listening to sounds at different frequencies and at different volumes and notice if you hear them or not.
- After listening to eight different sounds, the app will plot each ear and save the audiogram to the Health app.
Keep in mind that audiogram recorded on smartphone is not a diagnosis. An iPhone paired with headphones is not professional equipment. If there are any deviations during the recording, you should consult a doctor.
Sound settings – AirPods
After these steps, you need reconfigure headphones to reproduce sound according to your hearing. To do this, do the following:
- Open settings.
- Go to the “Universal Access” section.
- Select “Audio Visualization”.
- Click on “Headphone Adaptation” and turn it on.
- In this section, open the “Custom Audio Setting” item and follow the on-screen instructions.
- On the corresponding page, select a recently recorded audiogram.
- If you’re using AirPods Pro or Max, then you’ll have a transparency mode setting where you can set it to such a level that you won’t even notice you’re wearing headphones.
- Click “Done” and you can start listening to your favorite music.
After I did all these steps, AirPods Pro opened up for me in a completely different way. The sound became much deeper, and there was a feeling of complete immersion. To say that I was very surprised is to say nothing. It seemed to me that the potential of these headphones had already been completely exhausted. As it turns out, I was completely wrong.
It is very interesting to hear how after such settings they will sound AirPods 2 or 3. These headphones do not have active noise cancellation, and they need some kind of pumping much more. The audiogram probably won’t help much. AirPods Max. The sound in them and without it is at a fairly high level. Plus, these are not plugs, but large overhead “ears” that, even without these settings, immerse the user in music much more than conventional TWS.
AT iOS 16 Apple, in addition to this feature, has also added personalized spatial audio. We talked about it in a separate article. If you combine sound tuning using an audiogram with this innovation, you will achieve an absolutely amazing result. Cupertino is trying to give its users the opportunity to customize the sound in the headphones for themselves as much as technology allows at the current time. Let’s hope Apple does not stop and will continue to delight us with such opportunities.
