The new Adaptive Transparency mode, a significant feature of Apple’s new AirPods Pro 2, helps place them near the top of our ranking of the finest true wireless earbuds. Apple enhanced its Transparency function for the newest AirPods model to shield users’ ears from loud machinery, honking cars, and other common urban noise sources. To do this, Apple used the H2 chip’s processing power, which has a billion transistors.
Adaptive Transparency was created with concerts and other performances in mind, and the same function meant to screen your ears from adjacent power tools could also protect them from the sonic assault, I learnt at a briefing I had with the firm after the AirPods 2 release.
I felt as though I should put this to the test.
I had high hopes for Adaptive Transparency ever since Apple surprised everyone by revealing the AirPods Pro 2 in the first week of September. Furthermore, even while the version included with Apple’s most recent earbuds is simpler than I had imagined, it’s still a really useful function, especially considering how it controls loud noises when the AirPods 2 are in Transparency mode.
Decibels (dB) are units of measurement for sound, with background noise like conversation often measuring approximately 60 dB. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic exposure to noise that is around 80–85 dB, or what you would hear from a lawnmower or leaf blower, can lead to hearing loss. As little as 5 minutes of exposure to louder sounds, such as those from an incoming train (100 dB) or a sporting event or concert (105-110 dB), can harm you.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve routinely attended live music performances, and over a large portion of that time, I never gave hearing protection at concerts any thought. I didn’t realise I should be taking preventative measures to stop hearing loss until I started reviewing audio equipment for a living. I largely did this by using foam earplugs.
Foam earplugs, however, have the drawback of blocking out too much sound; while they protect you from decibel levels that can cause hearing loss, they also exclude the high and low frequencies that give music its depth and intrigue.
I eventually moved to utilising a pair of Hearos High Fidelity earplugs, a cheap fix that offers 20 dB of sound suppression without drastically changing the music’s sound balance. Hearos ‘plugs, however, poke out of your ears and have an odd appearance due to their stem-like construction, and their level of protection never felt adequate for loud performances at smaller venues.
Pro 2 AirPods! You’re ready to ROCK, right?
Osees is a garage-rock group from Los Angeles that has been making creative, loud music since the early 2000s. When I first saw them perform live, they were known as Thee Oh Sees, and I became a fan right away thanks to their high energy and occasional forays into Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett era-level psychedelic abstraction.
Due to my very serious concern with preventing hearing loss, I’ve turned down several invitations to attend Osees concerts as well as those of many other bands over the years. Osees hired a second drummer in the interim, potentially double the danger of their sound.
But after learning that the AirPods Pro 2 design process entailed multiple trips to musical concerts to evaluate the efficacy of Adaptive Transparency, I made the decision to return to the pit after the Apple briefing.
I didn’t look good when I arrived at the show with my AirPods 2 plugged in, but I was prepared to put up with that humiliation for the sake of my reporting. As soon as things started, I opened the Decibel X app on my iPhone, which informed me that the noise level in the hall was 110 dB on average and reached 114.7 dB peaks at times, which is diesel truck territory (someone shouting directly into your ear).
The sound had a raw and alluring intensity without the AirPods Pro 2, but it was too much. Even though I was the goofiest guy in the room, I far enjoyed the sound quality of listening with the Apple ‘buds in my ears and Adaptive Transparency turned on.
All sound above 85 dB is completely attenuated when Adaptive Transparency is turned on. During the performance, this produced a level that was pleasant to listen to while maintaining bass power and allowing treble elements like shimmering cymbals, screeching guitars, and sharp crowd whistles to come through. It was not so horrible that I was considering turning it off or unplugging totally, but there was occasionally a feeling of volume pumping, most likely caused by Adaptive Transparency tracking the quick and frequent changes in level and dynamics that go along with a musical performance.
On the contrary, I’ll definitely have a pair of AirPods Pro 2 hanging out of my ears the next time I go to a concert. And be careful not to make fun of me because I can hear you because Adaptive Transparency is turned on.
