The AirPods from Apple are headphones of superlatives even two years after their release: The white “sticks” went millions of times over the counter, and no other headphones shape the street scene as strongly and inspire the younger generation to buy as the AirPods.
This “want-to-have factor” is also why this inconspicuous accessory has quickly become the most successful and therefore the top-selling accessory of the Californians. No wonder: No headphones work so smoothly with the other (Apple) devices. A fact that we praised almost two and a half years ago in our test of the first AirPods generation. But: there were some criticisms, such as the touch controls, which didn't go far enough, or the sound, which wasn't as magical as Apple wanted to sell us. The first generation AirPods don't sound bad, but we would have liked an even finer resolution. Speaking of sound: In this specific case, it doesn't seem to us users to be as important, as a recent survey by Counterpoint Research has shown. Sound quality was only critical for 41% of buyers, while 68% bought it primarily for its comfort. Interesting side note: 72% of respondents see sound as the most important purchase criterion for Bose headphones.
So you can only take your hat off to Apple, because in 2018 an impressive 75% of all worldwide sales of wireless headphones were accounted for by the American tech giant - and not because of their sound. For us headphone nerds, this is certainly an easy prick, which puts us there, because headphones have never been as technically sophisticated as they are today, because a really high-quality sound would be far more than the icing on the cake!
But Apple has responded. Not only with the release of the new AirPods, but also with some firmware updates for the first generation. The touch assignment has been made (somewhat) more flexible and the sound has been digitally improved. And now the manufacturer promises us a "simply more magical" successor, because they should deliver "high-quality, rich sound". We want to check that first.
This is what the new AirPods sound like First I start our full Spotify playlist "Music for your headphones" and listen to the tracks that I focused on when testing the AirPods 1st Gen. How do the major orchestral numbers perform? How do the new AirPods behave on intimate acoustic tracks? In both cases, it can be said very clearly: better, but not as significantly better than one or the other might have expected. Yes, the stereo stage is wider and deeper, "Portraits of Cuba" by Paquito D’Rivera sounds a bit more lively (in direct comparison with the predecessors), the location of the individual instruments on the stage is now easier. In my opinion, Amber Rubarth's “Strive” nicely shows the differences between the two Apple generations: the cajon percussions sound a bit more precise, and the transients are processed more quickly in the new model. It continues in the electronica area: Moderate bass monster "Bad Kingdom" spreads out more beautifully than its predecessor, especially in the lower frequency range, while the lower mids are still given enough space so that instruments located there are not excessively masked. Vocals no longer sound as muffled and therefore more direct. Sometimes, however, the ear buds in the middle area tend to get a little harsh, which may be due to the fact that the AirPods are not just pure music listeners, but also want to be recommended for linguistic communication. Let's climb a few steps higher in the frequency staircase: As with the predecessor, I miss a certain brilliance up here, the hissing of the hi-hats doesn't go far enough up here, although I also have to say that this is the sound assessment of an early forties, whose sound aesthetics is quite different from that of a younger one.
The new H1 chip - for faster connections and less latency While the specially developed W1 chip was used in the old AirPods, Apple is giving the second generation an upgrade and is now calling this chip H1. This should ensure an even faster and more stable connection and be up to twice as fast when you switch between active devices, for example between iPhone and iPad. In addition, the new chip allows direct access to the in-house voice assistant Siri and - important for all gamers - lower latency when playing, i.e. ideally there is no audible offset between sound and image. So much for theory.
And in practice? Let's check it out: the range is great! Over https://tinyurl.com/i12tws2020 and no dropouts, I have never experienced this with any Bluetooth headphones. Switching between two devices? Also a snap, it takes a maximum of three seconds for the AirPods to separate from an iPhone and connect to an iPad. Also in terms of latency, the ear buds do not show any weakness, because neither Netflix nor YouTube or my games selection showed any abnormalities. Only with GarageBand do you notice a slight delay when plucking strings quickly or when pounding on a drum set.
Wireless charging case The form factor of the headphones and the charging case is, by the way, identical to the first generation of AirPods, so I save myself from extensive descriptions and refer to the test of the first model.
However, if you want to buy the new AirPods, you have to decide: Do you want them in the classic way with a charging case that can be charged via USB via a Lightning cable, or then the variant with wireless charging bowls that simply fits onto a Qi-compatible charging mat is placed. While the former has a suggested retail price of 179 euros, the wireless version costs 229 euros. AirPods 1st Gen Owner can, by the way, retrofit the Qi charging case, 89 euros and a firmware update to version 6.3.2 are due for this.
Is it worth upgrading for AirPods 1 owners? If you already have AirPods and have not had any problems with a dwindling battery life, you do not necessarily have to change. The new ones do a lot (a little) better, but not so that you definitely have to upgrade. However, if you lost one of the two handsets or have a defective battery, you should consider whether a new purchase would not be worthwhile, because with 75 euros per handset, 65 euros for the charging case in the event of loss, and 75 euros for a battery service , you get away cheaper with a new purchase. Incidentally, there are also 11.90 euros shipping costs - only marginally.
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