The AirPods Pro 3 flight problem

At 39,000 feet, Apple’s latest noise-cancelling earbuds expose an issue you’d never notice on the ground.

With incredible noise cancelling, a range of remarkable hearing health features, terrific sound quality and great battery life, the AirPods Pro have long been my goto pair of headphones from Apple. So when Apple announced the AirPods Pro 3 at their September event, I was ecstatic! Apple touted that the AirPods Pro 3 featured even better noise cancellation, fit, and sound quality over its predecessor, and added additional health features with the addition of heart rate monitoring.

Serendipitously, I happened to be boarding a flight the night of their release, and what better way to stress-test the new AirPods Pro 3 than with a transatlantic flight? Air travel is where the AirPods Pro have really shone; their compact size, noise-cancellation, comfort, battery life, and sound quality make them a perfect package for the noisy, cramped cabins of economy class.

Prior to the flight, I measured my fit and wore them around the house for an hour; everything seemed great. I will add that these new foam tips do take some getting used to, as they feel noticeably dense, and I’ve seen some bloggers and podcasters say the new fit is less comfortable compared to the Pro 2's softer silicone. Personally, I don’t share this complaint.

My trouble came at 39,000 feet when I first noticed a high-pitched whine coming from my left AirPod. The issue was that the AirPod’s ear seal kept loosening, leading to a noise-cancellation feedback loop and a painfully loud piercing screech from the AirPod. Attempts to readjust worsened the feedback, especially if I accidentally covered the external microphone with my finger. This happened multiple times, making the experience so unpleasant that I eventually switched to my spare EarPods for the remainder of the flight. While disappointed, I wasn’t ready to condemn the headphones yet; perhaps the medium seal worked fine on terra firma, but on flig

Source: HackerNews (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45733329)