I was at a wedding recently and the band was way too loud. I forgot to bring earplugs, so I figured I could use the noise-canceling feature on my AirPods Pro… Not only did the noise-cancelation not work, the thumping bass made the AirPods buzz and crackle.
As soon as I realized that it wasn’t working as intended I took them out of my ears, but it was too late. Now, whenever I am wearing both AirPods, certain types of environmental sounds make the right side buzz – this includes when I talk while wearing them.
FWIW, it happens in both “noise-cancelation” mode and “transparency” mode, but not in “off” mode. Unfortunately for me, I never use “off” mode.
One of my Gen 2 APs started crackling and Apple replaced both of them (in 2022?). I would contact them about your problem. It might not be the same problem I had, but it couldn’t hurt to check.
That sucks no question, hope somehow you can find a resolution. I’ve replaced a few individual AirPods that have gone through the watching machine a few times (once or twice seems to be ok).
Like you I would be very surprised if the AirPods were able to generate a ANC counter frequency of the strength to cause damage to the AirPod speaker itself. I would book a genius appointment just to see what they recommend, and you never know sometimes Apple do indeed go above and beyond in ways you don’t expect.
I now have a spare pare of AirPods in my life, as I just can’t live without them for any extended period of time (one of my use cases is listening to audio books at night, without annoying my wife, helps me get to sleep in minutes rather than hours).
If you are looking for earbuds that provide hearing protection: Although active noise cancellation reduces lower-frequency sounds, it isn’t effective enough to provide adequate protection during very loud activities like mowing the lawn or operating a jackhammer. For that, consider the Elgin Rebel true wireless earbuds, which are NRR-rated and OSHA-compliant, and will keep your ears safe when worn properly. These are the first protective earbuds we’ve tested that are comfortable, sound good, and easy enough to use that most people should be able to find an effective (and safe) fit.
Twelve hours of battery life per charge should get you through a full workday, and the IP65 dust- and water-resistant rating means you can work up a sweat without worry. The microphone works well for taking calls (though you’ll need to do so in a quieter environment), and the charging case doubles as a flashlight. Elgin includes several pairs of tips; however, the standard black pair is not protective and only for day-to-day activities—be sure to use the yellow triple-flange or foam tips when on the job.
The only flaw is that the Rebel lacks a hear-through function, which would be really helpful for job-site conversations. But considering there literally isn’t anything else available that comes close to the Rebel’s performance, we will just have to hope it’s included in the next version.
