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Here’s how Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing assistance stacks up to professional results
- Apple's AirPods Pro 2, when combined with iOS 18.1, can be used as OTC hearing aids, offering the same benefits as $1,500 hearing aids for just $249. The author assessed how good the AirPods are as OTC hearing aids by looking at two performance criteria: the accuracy of Apple’s software-driven hearing test and their ability to provide speech enhancement. The article compares the author’s hearing test done by Apple against their audiologist, where there was a slight overestimation of loss. HearAdvisor, an independent hearing aid testing company, lab-tested a variety of OTC and prescription models, including the AirPods. The article reports that the AirPods received a B grade and that the tuning undercuts the potential of the AirPods to deliver the best hearing enhancement.
- HearAdvisor has given the AirPods Pro 2 a B grade, placing them in the second tier of its rankings. The tests show a substantial difference between initial and tuned results of 111% in speech in quiet and 225% in noise. Andrew Sabin, HearAdvisor scientific adviser, suggests Apple may do this because new hearing aid users often prefer less-than-prescribed gain to preserve naturalness. While Sony’s CRE-E10 receives an A grade from HearAdvisor's tests and a perfect 5/5 overall score, it sells for between $898 and $1199 and does not deliver similarly large increases in performance. The CRE-E10 is 18.4% better than the AirPods Pro 2 in speech in quiet and 73% better in speech in noise. The article suggests the AirPods Pro 2 is a great way to experiment with hearing enhancement and a good set of wireless noise-canceling earbuds for music and phone calls.
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