Hip-hop, pop, and other Apple Music-based jams are likely to be listened to by most people. Kaytranada's "Glowed Up" has been a favorite of mine for testing deep bass response, and these things smash it, providing lower oomph than I have heard from a pair of dynamic drivers.
The amount of noise reduction has been greatly improved. I swear I can't hear my dog when he's yelling for dinner because of the buds in his mouth.
The buds have an adaptive transparency mode that allows them to cut out some noises but not the whole world. It sounds like it goes against the idea of a transparency mode. You don't need to hear that ambulance screaming at full volume in this mode. The level will be adjusted so that you can still hear it, but it won't feel like you're about to explode.
If you start talking to someone with buds in your ears, it will try and improve their voice so you can hear them better without taking their buds out. It worked well for me when I like to have my ears open to hear others around me.
The microphones are among the best you can find in a pair of earbuds, and mechanically aided by the fact that elephant trunks aim right at your pie hole.
It's in the grooves.
There are some drawbacks. The included spatial audio features are pretty much the same as the last generation. I'm not convinced that spatial audio adds much to music.
Most music is created in stereo or mono, and with spatial audio turned on, you'll likely run into what I call the "upscale" problem: that is Most of this stuff sounds weird, like someone added a touch of reverb to everything, and it's bright and boomy.
As far as functional problems with the buds are concerned, WIRED reviews editor has noticed that his pair has trouble picking up the "Hey Siri" command to invoke the voice assistant when he's outdoors in New York City. I didn't have an issue with it in my studio or when I was outside in Oregon. When you say the command, the chime to tell you that it's listening is weak, so you're not always positive it's listening.
I'm having a hard time coming up with other issues with these earbuds. You can take them with you to the gym and a jog in the rain because they are water resistant. The sound, noise canceling, and microphones are some of the best in the business. They can be used to silence your screaming children and you can even turn up Taylor Swift without your phone. Is there anything else you need from a pair of headphones?
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