AirPods Pro 2 Firmware 7A294 Affects Sound Quality 🤔 (iOS 18)
Firmware 7A294 just dropped for both the USB-C and Lightning versions of the AirPods Pro 2. There was a beta version of this update, but this is the official update now, launched in preparation for iOS18 which adds the feature to respond yes or no to Siri by nodding or shaking your head. Not more awkwardly saying out loud whether you want to take the call or not. The update also adds voice isolation, which is one step up from the usual voice isolation. I tried it on a Zoom call running iOS18 Beta, and it works very well.
Moreover, there’s personalised Spatial Audio for gaming, but this isn’t something you can turn on for all games. The Spatial Audio has to be coded into the games by developers in the first place. Nonetheless, we’re going to find out if this firmware update impacts the Pro 2’s performance such as the sound, noise cancelling and mic pickup.
Sound Quality
USB-C version
In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps are showing a small sharpening of the upper mids on the USB-C version which doesn’t impact sound quality much.
Lightning version
On the other hand, the Lightning version has a more significant shift in the overall sound which should make it sound fuller overall and less crisp.
AirPods Pro 2 version 7A294
Interestingly, if we compare the both versions on 7A294, they now sound quite similar, except for the USB-C version sounding hotter in the upper mids. Most of these changes will influence vocals, but it should be harder to distinguish between both versions rocking the new firmware.
👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples.
Microphone Test
Since iOS18 hasn’t officially launched, I’m testing their mic quality on iOS17 with a voice recording. This gives a more accurate benchmark for people who use different devices, not just from Apple. On the USB-C version, the microphone now seems to respond to noise quicker compared to the previous 6F8, where it does take a while to cut the noise. In fact, both Lightning and USB-C versions now perform in a similar fashion under both quiet and noisy conditions.
👉 Have a listen to the mic pickup samples.
(This was tested under both quiet and noisy conditions using loud cafe noise and some wind noise from a fan.)
Active Noise Cancelling
When it comes to active noise cancelling, there isn’t much difference on both models. The USB-C version did seem a little quieter in the mids, but the difference is it’s too small and hardly to tell in real world usage.
👉 Have a listen to the ANC samples.
Conclusion
In summary, the new features aside, firmware 7A294 improved mic quality on USB-C version, and brought a noticeable change in the Lightning’s sound. However, there’s not much difference in terms of noise cancelling.
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