Lab Tested: AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid Feature

@Sconner said:

running water, crinkling paper, and other noises are a little too loud

This is pretty typical with all hearing aids. You’ll get used to it.

@Sconner said:

my own voice sounds big and boomy. Also, it feels like I have my fingers pushed in my ears.

This is due to the form factor. The airpods close the ear canals. You might want get used to it or you might want to move onto open fitting hearing aids.

Why did you find the AirPod Pro 2’s frustrating to set up.

I bought a pair 3 days ago and had them running in a couple of minutes? I did have to wait for them to update to the latest firmware (Apple has instructions which basically say put them in the charging case close to an iPhone/iPad with internet connectivity and they will update - which they did within 15 minutes) to enable the Hearing Assist functionality.

After running the hearing test it said I had moderate hearing loss and I was able to enable Hearing Assist. I do not have Hearing Aids (although I know I need to get some) but these are great first step and help hearing conversation in quiet and loud places. I also hear the running water, etc. My voice doesn’t bother me - it is much better then using other earbuds etc for video calls.

I do have a question about the review. It mentions a Tuned Fit with much better results. How do you achieve a Tuned Fit?

I have no other hearing aids other than the AirPods.

With them in I can hear my students at school notably better…especially female voices.

They tend to also amplify unwanted noises like our tech shop machines, running water, crinkling paper, a hand clap, etc. It’s very hard to get used too.

Also, they tend to hurt my ears after awhile…like having your fingers jammed in your ears.

Lastly, when taking or chewing the ear seal pops and they are less effective. I’m constantly fiddling with them to reseal. I’m going to try the different sized tips to see if I can get a better fit.

Overall so far it’s been an even mixture of good and bad. Possibly has nothing to do with the EarPods themselves? Maybe this is life with hearing aids?

Yes, constantly fiddling with their fit and getting used to unexpected sounds is indeed part of life with HAs…
You are lucky to benefit from the Airpod’s modest amplification!
What you get with >6,000 USD HAs is somewhat better wearing comfort, plus they can set and cap amplification by frequency, again very comfortable.

I am using IOS 17.7.1 and i won’t be updating any time soon. Too many people complaining that 18.1 has stopped them using using the Airpods. As I am based in the UK they won’t be approved for us where any time soon.

Which mode are you using? Try using adaptive if you haven’t tried it yet. It is a mixture of Transparency and Noise cancellation but it is automatic. You don’t have to set levels.

It you are using Transparency try and increase the Noise Cancelling to a higher level. Do you have Loud sound reduction switched on? What about Conversation Boost and Conversational Awareness.

@Sconner said:

They tend to also amplify unwanted noises like our tech shop machines, running water, crinkling paper, a hand clap, etc. It’s very hard to get used too.

this sounds like the effect that older analog aids had, that amplified everything in the environment equally.
Modern hearing aids are better at
–matching your hearing loss to how the aids boost sound. In other words, matching your hearing loss profile to different decibles that require different amounts of amplification
–suppressing background sounds and emphasizing speech, especially towards those directly in front of you
–comfort. many people have complained about how downright painful airpods are after several hours of use. this last may be addressed by apple going forward. But then, expect a raise in price! Modern aids have a grand variety of different rubber tips and custom molds, with venting size options for left and right as needed. Far more customizable, in other words. All of this is a crucial aspect of getting good performance from aids.
–ear seal popping–see, above. Modern aids are far better at this.

iPods falling out has been a common complaint since their beginning.

@Sconner said:

They tend to also amplify unwanted noises like our tech shop machines, running water, crinkling paper, a hand clap, etc. It’s very hard to get used too.

@jeffrey said:

this sounds like the effect that older analog aids had, that amplified everything in the environment equally.
Modern hearing aids are better at
–matching your hearing loss to how the aids boost sound. In other words, matching your hearing loss profile to different decibles that require different amounts of amplification
–suppressing background sounds and emphasizing speech, especially towards those directly in front of you
–comfort. many people have complained about how downright painful airpods are after several hours of use. this last may be addressed by apple going forward. But then, expect a raise in price! Modern aids have a grand variety of different rubber tips and custom molds, with venting size options for left and right as needed. Far more customizable, in other words. All of this is a crucial aspect of getting good performance from aids.
–ear seal popping–see, above. Modern aids are far better at this.

@jeffrey This sounds anecdotal and not actual experience with the Airpods Pro 2’s

My experience with the Airpod Pro 2’s (in case it helps others)

• I only recently started using hearing aids - but all of them I have tried including Jabra Pro 20’s, Eargo 7’s and Airpod Pro 2’s have amplified sounds like running water, crinkling paper, keyboard clicks etc. As I have used them longer I notice it less - likely because I am now hearing sounds again that I haven’t heard for a long time and my brain is adjusting to hearing them again.
• The Airpods Pro 2’s match the amplification across the frequency range to match your hearing loss profile. You can either take the Apple Hearing Test using the Airpods Pro 2’s (which great creates an Audiogram) or add an audiogram from a test done elsewhere.
• Airpods Pro 2’s have a lot of adjustments including Conversation boost, Adaptive Audio (dynamic noise filter - with adjustments) etc.
• I have worn the Airpods Pro 2’s for 4 - 5 hours on flights without any discomfort.
• Ear seal is great for me - there is an ear fit test in settings on phone (it plays a short music clip and I suspect it checks for noise leaking from the seal). You can run the test whenever you have the Airpods on and it always runs before doing the Apple Hearing Test. Airpods Pro 2’s also come with different tips in case the defaults ones don’t work (but yes no custom molds, etc)

Everyone’s mileage may vary with Airpods Pro 2’s - but I think it important to give feedback based on actual experience.

I have ended up using the Eargo 7’s for daily use (the Jabra Pro 20 were similar in speech understanding, noise performance etc) - but Eargo’s are virtually invisible. I use the Airpods Pro 2’s for music (steamed and “live”) and when I need hands free calling. Either work well for video calls etc - Eargo using computer / phone speakers or Airpods using Bluetooth.

The Airpods Pro 2’s work as well for me as hearing aids as the Eargo’s (or the Jabra’s) - but obviously the form factor is not invisible (and can be awkward if people think you on the phone, listening to music etc and not paying attention to them). However at ~$200 they are a great introduction to hearing aids and worked great for me in noisy restaurants etc while I was deciding on whether to go with the Eargo’s or Jabra’s

Before purchasing my hearing aids, I gave the AirPod Pro 2s a try. I had never worn hearing aids before and my Apple hearing test was very close to the printed one I took last year. I really wanted them to work for me for two reasons, one I have been using Apple’s products since 1986, and I’m a cheapskate. For $200 from Amazon, it was worth a try.

I had no problem upgrading my iPhone 13 to IOS 18.1, however upgrading the firmware on the AirPods took awhile.

My biggest issue was the lack of comfort wearing them for a long period of time. Also, I didn’t like the occlusion effect. And, when wearing them, listeners assumed I was listening to music rather than speaking to them. The biggest disappointment was that they didn’t improve the quality of my wife’s voice in either quiet or noisy environments. She was getting tired of me saying to her, “Can you say that again louder”, or even worse, “Why are you mumbling”. Of course, the battery life was way too short, but had they worked better, a second pair would have been cheaper than hearing aids

I returned them to Amazon and scheduled a hearing test at Costco. Although, my Jabra Enhanced Pro 20 hearing aids aren’t as inexpensive, they work much better in every category. When I told my Costco hearing aid specialist that I didn’t like the occlusion effect, she equipped my hearing aids with M&IRE, (A microphone on each in ear speaker). I have no issues at all with the Jabra hearing aids.

Hello all just want to relay my experience with AirPod Pro2 primarily for music and as a hearing aid. I have moderate to severe hearing loss so my goal was to improve my music listening experience. The results for music listening is fantastic! The hearing assist feature works incredibly well for music and close conversations. As a stand alone hearing aid the AirPods have an advantage over my Jabra Pros in close conversations but that’s about it. The Jabras for music is horrible, the dynamic range is just not there. The conversation awareness on the AirPods is nice feature. I first added my audiogram from Costco into my iPhone and was not happy with the sound. I then manually made adjustments to the audiogram to try and improve the sound without success. It wasn’t until after I took the hearing test on the iPhone that the sound quality improved dramatically. Your mileage may vary but don’t expect the AirPod Pros to completely replace your hearing aids.

Thanks for the review. If a $250 device could replace prescription hearing aids, that would be a miracle. I tried them first before getting my Jabras from Costco. Here’s the bottom line, hearing aids are designed to enhance speech while AirPods enhance music.