Digital Nomads

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I am tone-deaf. You only have to listen to me attempt to sing to realise that pitch and tone are not my thing. Therefore, good quality speakers and headphones have never really held much value for me. They all sound the same to me. That was until, I got my birthday present this week, a set of Apple AirPods Pro 2. My birthday is not actually for a couple of months, but my old Sony wireless earphones were falling apart and I have been listening to podcasts while renovating so Brett decided to give me my present early.

Disclosure: I am not getting paid for this post, but I was so impressed with my present and all the features, I thought I’d let others know about these amazing headphones.

These wireless earbuds are all the hype online and now I know why. I won’t spend too much time on the usual features such as excellent sound quality, active noise cancellation and seamless integration with Apple devices. I want to tell you about the cool lesser-known gems I have discovered which enhance your experience using them. Some of these features may also be available for other earphones through the Apple iOS so check them out and see if they can work for you.

Spatial Audio

While spatial audio is not exclusive to the AirPods Pro 2, it is undoubtedly a game-changer. This feature uses dynamic head tracking to create an immersive 3D sound experience, making it feel like the audio is coming from all around you. When I first turned it on, I seriously thought that the sound was coming from my phone as it sounded further away, yet closer and yet all around you. It was a weird experience. Brett then found a 3D Spotify playlist and OMG….. it was spectacular!

Transparency Mode

While many are familiar with the Active Noise Cancellation feature of the AirPods Pro 2, the Transparency mode often goes unnoticed. This mode utilises the built-in microphones to capture external sounds and lets them pass through, giving you the ability to hear and interact with your surroundings without removing the earbuds. It’s particularly useful in situations where you need to stay aware of your environment, such as renovating or having a conversation. Or in my case, when Brett is asking me a question and I don’t hear him, and he gets frustrated with me. Now I can hear him as well as my podcast. Again, this was a weird experience at first, knowing the voice is coming from in front of me, but hearing it through the earbuds. I can attest, both the transparency and noise controls definitely work. Brett had been asking me questions and I could hear him and then he started listening to music, and it was distracting me from my podcast, so I put the noise cancellation on. I was looking at Brett moving his mouth and I didn’t hear a word he was saying! I had to actually take them out and ask him if he was talking to me.

Adaptive EQ

The AirPods Pro 2 also come equipped with an Adaptive EQ feature that automatically tunes the audio to suit the shape of your ear. By analysing the sound signal in real-time, the earbuds adjust the low and mid-frequencies to deliver a personalized and balanced listening experience. This ensures that you’re getting the best sound possible, tailored specifically for your ears. Crazy right? Tailored especially for me.

Find My AirPods

I’m used to having my earbuds joined by a cable so I’m worried about losing them out of my ear and losing one of them, but Apple has a Find My AirPods feature. Using the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, you can locate your misplaced earbud on a map, play a sound to help you find it, or even put it in Lost Mode to protect your privacy.

Background Sounds

This feature plays background sounds masks unwanted environmental noise and minimised distractions. This can help you stay on focus, keep calm or rest. The sounds include Balanced Noise, Bright Noise, Dark Noise, Ocean, Rain, and Stream. So if you just need to take some time out, put in your earphones and take a few minutes to listen and relax.

For the hearing impaired, there are some other features including personalised audio tuning, amplification of soft sounds, customisable frequency adjustment and background noise reduction. These settings can be tuned to the user to enhance their ability to hear better.

Beyond the already impressive features that make the AirPods Pro 2 stand out, these lesser-known gems add further value and convenience to the user experience. From the immersive Spatial Audio to the Transparency Mode, Adaptive EQ, and Find My AirPods feature, Apple has packed a lot of functionality into these tiny earbuds. Exploring and making the most of these hidden features will undoubtedly enhance your enjoyment and make you appreciate the AirPods Pro 2 even more. So, if you own an iPhone and are considering purchasing headphones, I’d definitely recommend checking these out. I will admit that the price had turned me off, but now that I have used them, I absolutely love them.