NEW AirPods Pro 2 FIrmware 7A305 Affects Noise Cancelling? 🤔 (How to Update?)
Apple doesn't say what changed, but...
It’s been a week since the AirPods’s Pro 2’s latest update 7A305, and some users are already complaining that its noise canceling has gotten worse. Yes, people say that about every update, and sometimes it’s true, sometimes not, but what about this time? We’re going to find out in this review, and we’re also going to compare their microphone quality and sound to the previous firmware, see if there are any changes.
Full disclosure: I didn't have the lightning version when it was at firmware 7A302 because it was on loan, so we’re going to compare it to the previous one before that, 7A294.
ANC Test
In terms of noise canceling, there wasn’t any difference on the USB-C version at all. But on the lightning version, after this update, there’s just a little less noise canceling in the midrange. The difference is very small that most people won’t really be able to tell, though the mics tend to amplify the difference.
👉 Let’s listen to the ANC comparison samples.
(ANC comparison between latest and previous firmwares under really loud simulated noisy cafe conditions.)
Mic Test
Next, we tested the mic quality against the previous firmware, using a voice recording to accurately reflect its mic performance regardless of whether you’re using an iOS or Android device.
👉 Let’s listen to the mic pickup samples.
I would argue that the USB-C version’s mic has improved. Previously on 7A302, it was used to apply too much noise gating, which cuts into my voice a lot. Now it sounds normal again. As for the lightning version, it sounds similar on 7A305 compared to firmware 7A294.
👉 Let’s listen to the mic pickup samples (Lightning).
(Mic pickup tested under both quiet and noisy conditions using the same cafe noise as before and wind noise from a fan.)
Sound Quality Comparison
In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps show that the general tuning of the USB-C version remains the same, except that there’s a bit more gain in the 900hz and a bit pulling back between 1.5 - 3khz. When you compare them side by side, the difference is so small that it’s hard to tell the difference. It’s only a bit more brightness and hotness in the midrange on the new firmware.
On the lightning version, there’s a noticeable bump in the mids above 1.5khz. Now the lightning version sounds crisper in the mids compared to when it was running the previous firmware.
When comparing them to the USB-C version, their sound signatures are pretty much aligned on this current firmware, with just a bit more crispness in the lightning’s mids.
👉 Have a listen to the samples.
Final Thoughts…
To sum it up, the biggest difference that firmware 7A305 did bring is to the Lightning AirPods Pro 2’s sound. Apart from that, there’s only very little difference, or no difference at all in terms of mic pickup or noise cancelling. If you’ve detected other changes that isn’t covered in this review, let everyone know in the comments.
