The third-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max headphones have great spatial audio features that enhance TV audio.
Passthrough on AirPods Pro and Max sounds natural and is convenient for TV and movie audio. Noise cancellation delivers a cinematic, isolated audio experience that enhances movies and shows.
When I watch TV alone, I turn off my soundbar and put on my AirPods instead. While headphones are often a compromise compared to big old speakers, in this case, they could be even better. This is why.
The step is perfect
I love pass-through headphones because they allow me to hear what’s going on around me without taking them off or pausing the audio. However, I can’t leave this mode on most headphones I’ve tested with this feature. It just sounds tinny and unnatural, so it’s best to turn it on when you want to check what’s going on around you and then turn it off again.
With my AirPods Max or even AirPods Pro (which aren’t as good in this department), the “transparency” mode is good enough that you can forget you’re wearing headphones. This means I can be a part of what’s going on around me, but my family doesn’t have to be subjected to the sounds of explosions or heavy metal music while they go about their business. It’s really like having your audio bubble.
Spatial audio is a great feature for television – AirPods
I use my AirPods paired with an Apple TV, which allows us to use Apple’s Spatial Audio feature. This gives you virtualized surround sound or spatialized stereo, depending on the audio source.
It works much better than it should and sounds much better than virtualized surround sound on a stereo soundbar.
I also really enjoy the spatialized stereo, as it makes it seem like the audio is still coming from the TV, rather than the normal audio from headphones.
This is much less tiring and offers a comfortable soundstage. The closest thing to this experience is listening to sound in a large cinema.
I can hear everything now
Modern sound mixes are notoriously bad if you want to hear what the characters are saying, which is a source of endless frustration for me. However, when using my AirPods Max to watch TV, this problem practically disappears. I can even make out about 50% of the dialogue in Tenet.
It’s not just dialogue either. The fine details of the audio, which would require too much volume from my soundbar than my neighbors could tolerate to play, are now laid bare to my ears. The level of immersion, dynamics, and vibrancy of it all is a “chef’s kiss,” as the kids often say these days. I’m discovering new elements in movie soundtracks that I’ve seen in many different formats over the years, and it’s a source of pure joy for me.
Noise cancellation improves the experience
While I love the flexibility of transparency mode, when I’m alone and don’t need to hear what’s going on around me, my preferred way to watch is with active noise cancellation on. This seriously improves the soundbar experience in several ways.
First of all, it offers total immersion. I can only hear what the creators of the movie wanted me to hear. There is no noise pollution.
This is one of the reasons why the soundscape of a movie or show becomes so detailed because the irrelevant sound is removed using those magical anti-sound algorithms.
Second, it prevents distractions, and I’ve even found that I rarely reach for my phone to see what a notification is about while watching a movie with my AirPods on.
Dogs barking, kids screaming, or audio from my neighbors’ TV coming through the wall disappear with the press of a button. It’s all the benefit of an empty movie theater, without sticky floors or stale popcorn.
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