Lab – How does the noise reduction of the AirPods 4 compare to the AirPods Pro 2?

Active noise reduction has completely changed our relationship with portable music, and the Apple company has understood this well. For the first time, it has decided to integrate this technology into its headphones open-fit next generation.

This new design is a risky bet, because the semi-open design of the AirPods 4 poses natural limits in terms of isolation. For their part, equipped with an in-ear architecture, whose silicone tips penetrate the ear canal, the AirPods Pro 2 have already honored noise reduction for several years. They also set the bar very high in this area compared to many competitors.

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Apple, however, remains very clear in separating its two product lines. The AirPods Pro 2 offer “2x better active noise reduction compared to AirPods (first generation) and AirPods 4 with ANC”. While this statement seems entirely logical, we wanted to verify this for ourselves during a quick hands-on before a full test.

Amazing noise reduction but room for improvement

Despite their open format, the AirPods 4 offer quite astonishing noise reduction. Indeed, they manage to admirably attenuate a good part of the midrange (low component of voices, urban background noise, etc.). However, while the noise reduction is notable, the AirPods 4 are far from reaching the performance of the majority of in-ear headphones, some of which almost manage to eliminate certain noise pollution.

The relatively good isolation of the midrange unfortunately makes the bass and treble components of the surrounding sounds bounce back. Human voices, although more tinny, remain entirely perceptible and understandable. The same goes for the clicking of a bunch of keys, tapping on a keyboard and other creaking doors.

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While the sounds of urban traffic are relatively well attenuated, the roar of a truck engine, a train or the subway continues to disturb us. We can experience a continuous rumbling in our ears, accompanied by significant low-frequency waves during pressure changes caused by the closing of automatic doors. Another strange sensation: the vibrations of the engine of a stationary bus are directly felt in the ear canal, which can be quite unpleasant.

Among the good points, we still note a fairly effective reduction of wind noise. Even if the high and low sounds of everyday life always compromise our tranquility, the AirPods 4 remain quite surprising despite their semi-open design and offer better musical immersion when noise reduction is activated.

Half as good as AirPods Pro 2?

According to Apple, the noise reduction of the AirPods 4 would be half as efficient as that of the AirPods Pro 2. This is true in two very specific frequency ranges: the low midrange (from 150 Hz to 350 Hz) and the high range (from 3 kHz to 20 kHz). This comparison is a little less true when it comes to very low sounds and midrange, but the noise reduction of the AirPods Pro 2 remains much more efficient than that of the AirPods 4 across the board.

The measurements therefore confirm our feelings. The bass sounds are too little reduced, where the AirPods Pro 2 excel. Things also get complicated in the treble, particularly highlighted. If these frequencies are also the weak point of the AirPods Pro 2, especially compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5, the AirPods 4 let them infiltrate to a much greater extent.

An impressive transparency mode

Since the AirPods 4 are semi-open, one might have thought that it was useless to equip them with a transparency mode. However, this brings a slight gain in presence in the treble which allows for better ventilation and therefore better intelligibility of what is happening around. One would almost forget that one has headphones placed on the ear when the transparency mode is effective.

You might also think that the semi-open format of the AirPods 4 would allow them to surpass the Transparent mode performance of the AirPods Pro 2. According to our measurements and our feelings, the AirPods 4 “only” manage to match their big brothers. So we take our hats off to the AirPods Pro 2 which, despite their in-ear format, offer us a faithful representation of surrounding sounds.

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