WAY LONG REVIEW, BUT ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT, SO…
TL;DR: Apple AirPods Pro 2s actually help “turn down the volume” of my life-long tinnitus. YMMV…
So, for those of us crusty old codgers with beat up ears, here's an interesting discovery I made today:
I (unsurprisingly) listen to a lot of stuff while working out in my shop. And as a DOACA ("Dude of a Certain Age") who worked as a roadie & stage tech in the age of Grunge, I have pretty pronounced tinnitus, so I'm doubly careful about my hearing when using some of my larger shop tools, like my cabinet saw, mill, etc, which means I'm often putting hearing protection on, and taking it off repeatedly. I have a decent "bone conduction" headset that allows for environmental awareness, but the protectors don't work with those on. I have tried a few wireless earbuds (most recently the well reviewed certain-Lab “Mini”s) but there was some problem or other with all of them (the Minis sound great, but have terrible connectivity).
So I finally sucked it up and got a set of Apple AirPod Pro 2s (yeah, mostly after hearing Adam Savage rave about them in a recent video you can easily find.) An interesting thing about them is that Apple actually worked with the US FDA (for those of you not in America, that's the federal agency that regulates medical devices here in the States—you need to be certified by them to make any medical claims about a product or device) and got these to be certified as Class II hearing aids in the US and Canada. And in addition to a clinical-grade hearing test feature included that runs in the app, the Hearing Aid feature is easy to employ, and actually useful. But that's not what has me so jazzed about these.
Aside from the Bluetooth being rather astounding (my wife took my phone to the other end of the house about 40' away, with our chimney stack between us, and stuck it in her sock drawer—totally fine), the noise cancellation is *shockingly* good. And this is where things get interesting, and where we get back around to my tinnitus.
Putting these in my ears this morning while sitting in my dining area, next to our furnace closet with the HVAC running, the ANC immediately kicked in. And even with no music or sound playing, the furnace noise (I'd guess about ~50dB) just... *disappeared*. I literally had to take them out and put them back in a few times to see if I was going a bit bonkers. But not only did that sound disappear, but my tinnitus—a group of between five and seven tones of various frequencies between 4kHz - 8/9kHz that has a perceived volume of about 40dB all the time—suddenly had its volume "turned down" by about 10-15dB.
It was rather startling.
I've heard those tones from the age of 17 on (I'm now 57). Incessantly. Unforgivingly. Perpetually.
For them to get quieter was pretty amazing.
I suspect that the Active Noise Cancellation is at play here. If you're not aware, AirPods have microphones built into them. The main, obvious ones, are the little sticks that come off them outside your ears that listen to the environment around them. But there is a second set of microphones that detect the sounds *inside your ear canal when the buds are in them* that are likely the heroes here. The buds take both of those sound profiles (technically, it's *four* sound signatures—two for each ear) and then uses machine learning combined with Apple's H2 chip to create "anti-noise."
Now, anti-noise is nothing new: I mean, *that's how ANC works*. It's also nothing new to tinnitus sufferers, either. "Noise generators" have been around for decades. There are even apps available that allow you to pump white, gray, pink, brown, or other noise "colors," or other environmental sounds (ocean waves, rain, fireplace crackling, etc) into your ears -via- buds throughout the day to "mask" tinnitus. Many people have decent luck with this kind of tinnitus self-treatment—I never have.
I suspect that it's the inner microphones (Apple is one of a handful of current makers that have this) that are really helping to effectively mask the sound that gets past the bud seals, combined with (love 'em or hate 'em) Apple's crazy level of R&D that gets these buds to analyze not only the environmental noise profile *outside* the buds, but the sound that *gets past the buds*. This winds up being a broader noise profile, so the buds generate a broader palate of anti-noise, and then puts it *right in your ear*.
Now to be clear, I can still hear my tinnitus tones. They're just less present in the... what? *"auditory mix"* in my head. But boy oh boy is the change noticeable. At least for now. It may be that in time my ears get used to the trick. But as of right now? I'm fine with being fooled.
It may be that other buds with ANC also do this, but I can't speak to any other solutions except the comparison to my -Labs. I get nothing if you buy these or any other buds. This is just my experience, but as someone who's lived with this affliction for so long, ANY positive change is important enough for me to take time, write down, and share my experience. YMMV.
If you have tinnitus, or hearing problems (or suspect you might) these are a serious consideration.
| Model Name | AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, 2023) |
|---|---|
| Connectivity Technology | Wireless, Bluetooth, Apple H2 Chip |
| Wireless Communication Technology | Bluetooth, NFC, Apple H2 Chip |
| Included Components | Cable, Wireless Charging Case |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Material | Plastic |
| Specific Uses For Product | Music, Sport, Gaming |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Calling, Running, Recording, Exercising, Gaming |
| Compatible Devices | Cellphones, Tablets, Gaming Consoles, Laptops, Desktops |
| Control Type | Call Control, Volume Control, Media Control, App Control, Voice Control, Noise Control, Siri |
| Cable Feature | With USB-C Cable |
| Item Weight | 0.1 Pounds |
| Water Resistance Level | Water Resistant |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Style | Without AppleCare+ |
| Control Method | Voice |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Controller Type | Siri |
| Battery Life | 6 Hours |
| Earpiece Shape | Oval |
| UPC | 195949704529 |
| Manufacturer | Apple |
| Product Dimensions | 0.94 x 0.86 x 1.22 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.6 ounces |
| ASIN | B0D1XD1ZV3 |
| Item model number | MTJV3LL/A |
| Batteries | 3 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Date First Available | April 23, 2024 |
