Apple intends to continue using the AAC codec in the future to connect earphones such as the AirPods Pro to its devices via Bluetooth. In an interview, an engineer from Apple's acoustics team revealed that there is still potential in the technology. At the same time, he provided insights into the way Apple's signature sound is defined and what has led to acoustic improvements in the second generation AirPods Pro.
The secret to better sound is in the airflow, Esge Andersen told What Hifi magazine . The engineer has been with Apple for eleven years and has thus been involved in the development of the wireless headphones division, which began in 2016 with the AirPods . The goal with the second-generation AirPods Pro was to miniaturize the sound quality of the AirPods Max over-ear headphones from 2020. In fact, many reviewers have attested audio improvements to the new AirPods Pro, released in September 2022 .
air upward
In order to positively influence the airflow, the ventilation slots on the AirPods Pro have been repositioned. Instead of two openings, one at the front and one at the back, there is only one at the back. As a result of the change, higher tones and bass have been improved, he says.
Andersen also provides insight into how Apple determined the sound typical of its headphones. There is a body of "experts" that decides on the sound. It is by no means the decision of an individual. In addition, there is not "the" sound, but the earphones are individually optimized for each application and each device in the Apple ecosystem.
One hope audio fans have that hasn't materialized with the 2022 AirPods Pro is Lossless Audio support . Apple offers the lossless sound in millions of songs in its music streaming service Apple Music. So far, however, no wireless headphones from Apple's range support lossless playback. Andersen explained that the reliability of the sound transmission is a priority for Apple. At the same time, the Bluetooth AAC codec used to date is still making great strides in audio quality. A change to another codec would not be necessary.
