I have breakfast most mornings at a local diner which can be a little noisy. Shouted orders, bussing tables, lots of conversation. What you’d expect from a busy diner.

As I do every morning, I inserted my AirPods to listen/watch a video… and the room became dead silent. I don’t know how else to describe it. For a split second I thought something might be wrong with my hearing but when I removed my AirPods all the normal sounds came flooding back.

Let’s jump back a couple of weeks to when I got my new AirPods 4 (with Adaptive Noise feature). I played with that for a minute or two then turned it off with the intention of experimenting later.

Apple pushed an update to iOS a couple of days ago and I’m guessing the “noise control” feature got reset. Here are the four settings:

1. Off: This disables any noise control, meaning you won’t get any additional noise isolation or transparency. You hear everything around you naturally.

2. Transparency: This setting allows external sounds to pass through so you can hear what’s happening around you while still listening to audio. It’s useful for staying aware of your environment.

3. Adaptive: This new setting automatically adjusts the level of noise cancellation and transparency in response to your surroundings. It tailors the experience based on the noise levels and movements around you.

4. Noise Cancellation: This mode blocks out external sounds by using microphones to pick up ambient noise and counter it with anti-noise signals. It’s great for immersive listening in noisy environments.

I wear ear protectors when I shooting a gun, and I’ve stuck little rubber plugs in my ears when trying to sleep in a noisy hotel room. And I’ve recently started wearing big over-the-ears protectors when driving the Land Rover. But I’ve experienced this kind of near-silence. Almost eerie.

I developed an appreciation for good audio headphones during my time at KBOA back in the ’70s. Not so much for the music as much as wanting/needing to hear my voice as the listener was hearing it. Too close to the microphone? Too far away? Popping my “P’s?” I’ve purchased a lot of headphones over the years, always searching for the perfect set.

I used Apple’s wired earbuds during the iPod days and thought the music sounded fine. I never purchased another set of “cans.” I purchased my first set of Apple AirPods in 2016 and have been using them ever since. They fit my ears perfectly. So well, in fact, that I forget I have them in. Unfortunately, that means I don’t notice if one falls out which happened last week. The Find My app on my phone told me where I last had the AirPod but I never found it.

When I got my new AirPods my buddy George asked if i had configured them to take advantage of Personalized Spatial Audio. I vaguely recalled reading about this feature but don’t think I ever used it. As good as I thought the AirPods were before, this bit of tech magic was impressive.

(Perplexity) It uses the TrueDepth camera on newer iPhones to scan your face and ears. This captures data about the geometry and contours of your head and ear position. This personalized profile is then used to optimize how spatial audio is rendered through your AirPods or Beats headphones. It adjusts the sound to account for your ear shape and head size, providing a more immersive 3D audio experience tailored specifically to your anatomy.

Songs I’ve listened to a thousand times sound fresh and new. So, yeah, I’ve become one of those people walking around with tiny white things in my ears. More and more I’m using Siri to schedule reminders, send messages, check the weather, jot down a note… you get the idea. My phone stays in my bag more these days and when at home, I leave it on the table and interact via AirPods (as long as phone and pods are on same wifi network.

This will get even more interesting this fall when I take the Apple Watch (with cellular) plunge.

When Apple introduced AirPods (September 2016) they got the usual ration of shit. Look funny; over-priced; uncomfortable; etc. This year Apple will sell 50 million of these. About $8 billion in revenue. In the last couple of years I’ve seen more and more of these sprouting from ears. People who never tried Bluetooth “headphones” are taking to AirPods. I spotted this gentleman in the supermarket. He said he leaves one in all the time. Forgets it’s there.

Everyone’s familiar with stories of someone regaining their sight after years of blindness… or getting their hearing back after a lifetime of silence. That’s what came to mind as I started watching movies and series on my iPhone with AirPods (ver 2).

It’s like I’ve been listening with cotton stuffed in my ears. Hard to overstate how getting all of the sound changes the viewing experience.

Halfway through season one of Deadwood and I’m right there in the muddy street, engulfed in the sounds of the camp. Horses breathing, a distant hammering, the full range of Ian McShane’s mellifluous voice.

I’m ruined. I can’t go back to listening to what passes for sound coming from the TV across the room.

Walked into the living room a couple of days ago and discovered Riley chewing on something. One of my AirPods. Just crunched it a little but that was enough so I had my excuse to order the new AirPods 2 (not sure what they call this second generation). I’d read and heard the sound was even better. From a Reddit  user:

First of all, the new AirPods are loud. When comparing the new and old AirPods at the same volume, the new AirPods clearly sound louder. Along with an increase in power, there is an improvement in the overall sound space.

Try listening to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The old AirPods provide a familiar well-balanced sound, but with the new AirPods, you can feel in an instant the rich chorus work and expressive power of the music. Freddie Mercury’s vocals have a high resolution such that you can feel the breath that remains after he speaks. After listening to this, the sound of the old AirPods seems flat.

I listened to the song this morning and have to say it sounded damned good. And I can now summon Siri without tapping one of the pods. (Siri responds with “Uh huh?”)