AirPods 4 ANC vs non-ANC Review - The Hidden Difference... 🤔
Much have already been said about the key differences between the AirPods 4 ANC version and its non-ANC sibling. The most obvious differences are the lack of the case speaker, which chimes when you’re charging it, or looking for it using Find My, the lack of wireless charging, and no active noise cancelling. But this review isn’t really about me being Mr Obvious. We want to know if there are any hidden differences between them in terms of sound quality and microphone pickup, both on firmware 7A304.
Spoiler alert: Yes, there is a difference.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps reveal one key difference. The Non-ANC version rolls off the bass frequencies below 140hz. This means on their default tuning, they won’t sound as heavy or to deliver the same LFE rumble as the ANC version.
However, if you’re talking about the richness and fullness of vocals, that won’t be affected because it does largely follow the ANC version’s tuning from the upper bass frequencies and above.
There are some differences in the higher frequencies too, for example the Non-ANC version has a little less gain in the highs, but it’s so subtle that most people won’t be able to tell. Definitely not as obvious as the difference in bass.
👉 Have a listen to the sound samples.
Microphone Pickup
When it comes to microphone pickup, there’s not much difference between them. I tested both with voice recordings made in the same quiet, then noisy and windy conditions, and they performed in a similar fashion in terms of voice clarity and background noise reduction.
So, aside from the publicised differences, the difference that is not so obvious is that the Non-ANC version has less bass. Is that a factor that will sway you aside from the cheaper price point? Let me know in the comments.
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AirPods 4 - https://amzn.to/3zDx4c4
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