I have airpods pro, do I still need headphones?

[cheese9man]

Good day everyone. I have airpods pro but sometimes find that I would like to get wireless headphones when I'm at home. Do you recommend doing this or is it just redundant since I already have airpods with noise cancelling? If you have both, what instances do you use one over the other? The airpods are great for commuting but sometimes I "feel" like I need/want headphones when I'm just at home. Looking at the Sony 1000xm3/4 if ever I decide to buy one (xm4 are around 200 USD in my country). The airpods max is unfortunately too expensive for my budget.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Night Spring]

I think headphones do give you a fuller sound, and if you want that experience, and you can afford it, why not go for it. Personally, I find that I'm satisfied with just my wireless earbuds, because the sound quality is good enough for what I use it for, which is mostly watching videos, TV and movies. If I wanted to get the full nuance of, say, classical music, or a very immersive game, I might dig out my good headphones, but for other uses, I find it's not worth the effort. But it's all up to your personal preference -- what's key is whether YOU are satisfied with the sound you get from the AirPod.

 

[NoBoMac]

This is exactly what I do. Wireless for workouts, errands. Over-ear headphones for home (more comfortable, true all-day battery life).

 

[Night Spring]

This is exactly what I do. Wireless for workouts, errands. Over-ear headphones for home (more comfortable, true all-day battery life).

Huh, interesting. I find earbuds a lot more comfortable than over-ear headphones.

 

[Ubele]

Huh, interesting. I find earbuds a lot more comfortable than over-ear headphones.

It probably depends on the headphones. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 590 headphones that I bought years ago that are extremely comfortable for extended listening. I use them for serious music listening and watching video content on my iPad when I'm in bed. I have a cheap pair of Sony wired headphones that I use when I'm on the treadmill and that I don't mind sweating on. They're fine for an hour or two but then start getting uncomfortable. Yesterday, my stepson gave me a pair of AirPods Pro as a Christmas present. They sound great, and I'll definitely use them for my treadmill sessions. I'm curious to see whether I use them full time going forward or whether I alternate with my Sennheisers.

 

[Bazooka-joe]

I use my AirPods Pro when I’m out and about. They’re so convenient for that. when I am at home I always use my AirPods Max

 

[Night Spring]

It probably depends on the headphones. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 590 headphones that I bought years ago that are extremely comfortable for extended listening. I use them for serious music listening and watching video content on my iPad when I'm in bed. I have a cheap pair of Sony wired headphones that I use when I'm on the treadmill and that I don't mind sweating on. They're fine for an hour or two but then start getting uncomfortable. Yesterday, my stepson gave me a pair of AirPods Pro as a Christmas present. They sound great, and I'll definitely use them for my treadmill sessions. I'm curious to see whether I use them full time going forward or whether I alternate with my Sennheisers.

I've had some headphones that were very comfortable, but it's still something big on top of my head. Earbuds can be uncomfortable if they don't fit properly, but if they do fit properly, you forget you have them on. If you could have earbuds that sounded as good as headphones (and admittedly earbuds aren't quite there yet) and fitted you properly, would anyone prefer headphones?

 

[FriendlyMackle]

Good day everyone. I have airpods pro but sometimes find that I would like to get wireless headphones when I'm at home. Do you recommend doing this or is it just redundant since I already have airpods with noise cancelling? If you have both, what instances do you use one over the other? The airpods are great for commuting but sometimes I "feel" like I need/want headphones when I'm just at home. Looking at the Sony 1000xm3/4 if ever I decide to buy one (xm4 are around 200 USD in my country). The airpods max is unfortunately too expensive for my budget.

Thanks in advance!

That has been key for me, I have the Beats Fit Pros—and they’re excellent. I really like the sound, the noise cancelling is decent, and they have very good battery life (for true wireless earbuds). Plus they stay in my ears while exercising. They’re also great for out-and-about, since they’re so small and light.

So, when movement or convenience or sweat is a factor, I wear the BFP. When I just want to listen to music, or watch a video on my iPad or Mac, I use my Bang & Olufsen H9 3rd Gen (over ear) headphones. Truly excellent noise-cancelling, lovely clean sound profile, with an App where you can adjust the sound to your preferences, and around 22-24 hours battery life per charge. I have actually never run them down below 60 or 70%. They’re very comfortable and light for what they are—metal, magnets, leather, & plastic. I can wear them comfortably for several hours.

And—I can really hear a difference in the complexity and nuance of music with these vs my earbuds (Beats Fit Pros [or B&O e8’s]). And that’s not a knock on the BFP’s! Right now, I just don’t think it is technically possible for something in this price range to sound better than over-ears. Before anyone jumps on me—I said I’m not aware, not that such an IEM product doesn’t exist at a similar price level as the Apple product!

As to Sony, many of their headphones get great reviews in terms of quality. I don’t have experience with any Sony audio, I’ve always used Etymotic, Sennheisher, Bang & Olufsen, and long ago, Jaybird (primarily for exercise).
A good place to find very professionally conducted reviews of headphones and video/tv equipment is RTNGS (add .com).

 

[Ubele]

I've had some headphones that were very comfortable, but it's still something big on top of my head. Earbuds can be uncomfortable if they don't fit properly, but if they do fit properly, you forget you have them on. If you could have earbuds that sounded as good as headphones (and admittedly earbuds aren't quite there yet) and fitted you properly, would anyone prefer headphones?

Last night, I did some A/B comparisons between my Sennheiser headphones and my AirPods Pro, listening to songs in my Apple Music library that I'm intimately familiar with. I have to say that I couldn't detect any appreciable difference. Granted, the Sennheisers were "only" $160 when I bought them about 15 years ago, and I've never heard a pair of $549 AirPods Max. I wonder if my 63-year-old ears could tell the difference. Part of me doesn't want to try them, because I'm afraid that I will be able to tell the difference and want a pair. For now, I'm quite satisfied with the AirPods Pro, and I suspect I won't be using the Sennheisers much anymore.

 

[Htsi]

Two different products.
If your routine involves a lot of movement and or water nearby, the AirPods win with size, water resistance, and weight. Super portable.
But headphones are great for music and comfort. I love my Airpod max and barely use my airpod pro / momemtum true wireless.
I don’t need to worry about portability as i have space to keep them in the car or desk.
Chose over ear type of headphones for comfort, on ear are bad.

 

[Night Spring]

Chose over ear type of headphones for comfort, on ear are bad.

Depends on your head shape. I've found that a lot of over ear headphones squeeze my ear lobes. The most comfortable headphones I've ever used was an on-ear that fit perfectly on top of my ears.

 

[Thomas_55]

I use headphones and airpods....
Listening 10 hours per day podcasts, so I need to exchange them for charging lol