Apple's AirPods Pro 2: Not a replacement for a hearing aid, but...

At the beginning of November, Apple added a hearing aid function for the AirPods Pro 2 with a major software update. We tested them.

On its website, Apple promises quite a lot: “The AirPods Pro 2 offer clinical-level hearing aid functionality to compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,” it says there. The author of these lines has a congenital moderate hearing loss on the left side and has been a hearing aid wearer for many years. And therefore the perfect test candidate. So let’s get straight to the point.

For the following tests we worked with the Berlin acoustic specialist Flemming & Klingbeil (to the website) worked together. We would like to express our thanks at this point for your cooperation and help.

Disruptives Potential der AirPods Pro 2?

If hearing loss is diagnosed, health insurance companies pay 680 euros per hearing aid, but for this price point you only get the simplest models. A hearing aid in the mid-range price range costs around 1,500 euros. So if you want a decent model with audio streaming via smartphone, with a rechargeable battery instead of button cells and with other finesses, you have to pay extra.

The AirPods Pro 2 look like a bargain at 279 euros. But only at first glance. Because to use them you need an iPhone and, as we all know, they aren’t cheap. The price is put into perspective right from the start, at least for everyone who doesn’t yet use an iPhone.

The industry doesn’t have to worry about that

But the hearing aid industry doesn’t have to worry for other reasons either. A hearing aid has advantages over in-ears that result from the specialization in one function and the design:

Battery life: Hearing aids (with rechargeable battery) are designed so that the battery lasts about 15-20 hours. The runtime naturally decreases over the years, but even with a capacity of 80 percent it is still better than the AirPods Pro 2.
special ear pieces: Anyone who gets a hearing aid will also have individual earmolds made that fit exactly into the ear canal and close it. A ventilation channel is embedded in these fittings to ventilate the ear canal, which is important for hygienic reasons and also avoids an unpleasant occlusion effect. The AirPods, with their simple silicone fittings, cannot close the ear canal as cleanly. The result: occlusion, but above all feedback, which is stronger the higher the volume.
inconspicuous design: Modern hearing aids are barely visible; the main part containing the electronics is elegantly hidden behind the ear. The AirPods, on the other hand, stick out clearly from the ear and unsettle the person you are talking to. You constantly ask yourself: Is he or she listening to me or is there music or a podcast playing in the background?

Airpods as hearing aids: In the measuring room — With the Airpods Pro 2 and a hearing aid from Phonak in one of the acoustically isolated measuring rooms of the hearing aid specialist Flemming & Klingbeil from Berlin: connect editor Andreas Seeger (left) together with the acoustician Richard Klette.

Listening test with the Airpods Pro 2

Nevertheless, the AirPods Pro 2 have some interesting functions and they significantly expand the functionality of in-ears. In our eyes, the first priority is the hearing test, which reaches a very high level. You can actually diagnose hearing loss almost as precisely as with a professional hearing test from an acoustician. Here are the two noise diagrams in comparison

Apple AirPods Pro 2 listening test — On the left are the results of the acoustician’s hearing test, and on the right are the results with the AirPods Pro 2. So Apple is pretty close to the professional level. In our specific case, Apple is too positive and always moves 5 to 10 dB above the acoustician’s results. The hearing loss on the left side is clearly visible and averages 15 dB. This doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but it is crucial for speech understanding, especially in a noisy environment or when the speaker is further away. Basically, the range between 250 Hz and 4 KHz is crucial for speech understanding. That’s why the pronounced drop in the right ear from 4 KHz is relatively unproblematic.

But the same applies here: Apple can provide information about hearing loss, but it cannot replace a full diagnosis from an acoustician. The hearing test consists of several individual tests, of which only the most important one is replicated with the AirPods: General hearing is checked by playing sounds at different frequencies. An audiogram is created from this like the image above.

The second test measures the speech recognition level by playing individual words at a defined volume. Other components include checking bone conduction in order to understand where exactly the hearing loss occurs (middle ear or inner ear) and determining the discomfort threshold – i.e. the decibel threshold above which a sound is perceived as unpleasant. The data obtained is incorporated into the calibration of the hearing aid. By the way, the discomfort threshold is marked in the acoustician’s audiogram at the top left – these are the two lines with the “U” in the lower area.

Are the AirPods Pro 2 suitable as a short-term replacement for a hearing aid?

The question of whether Apple’s in-ears replace a hearing aid does not arise at all for the reasons mentioned. But a short-term hearing aid can also be practical, for example to ensure intelligibility when you are sitting further away from the person you are talking to and are disturbed by a loud environment. When you listen to a lecture at university and sit way back. There are many scenarios. Can Apple deliver here? After all, they promise a clinical level when it comes to compensating for hearing loss.

To check this, we tested the acoustician’s speech comprehension. We tested without a hearing aid, with a hearing aid and with the AirPods Pro 2 in our ears. The sensitivity of the microphones was always set to default, i.e. the manufacturer’s standard settings. The results surprised us, because the Airpods significantly improve speech comprehension. They don’t reach the quality of a hearing aid, but we didn’t expect that either. Here are the results in detail.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 hearing test voice recognition — The recognition rate for monosyllabic words that radiate towards the left ear at a volume of 65 dB at a distance of approx. 1 meter is compared: without a hearing aid, with a hearing aid and with the AirPods Pro 2. We carried out the hearing test twice : Once in the standard procedure described above and in a second test setup with a noise that was played from a second loudspeaker that was about 1 meter away in the direction of the right ear, which resulted in the following Test setup: The person is in the middle, on the left is a loudspeaker with the words, on the right is a loudspeaker with noise. The two black curves on the left mark the ideal language comprehension for polysyllabic words (left black curve) and for monosyllabic words (right black curve).

Here are a few more subjective impressions apart from the technical results: The hearing amplification of the AirPods is set very bright, so that higher frequencies are amplified disproportionately. Result: A gas heater that normally hums gently in the background sounds twice as loud and over-present with the AirPods. You can reduce the high frequencies using the sound slider, but even then the AirPods still sound too bright.

With a real hearing aid you have an equalizer for this, but above all you have the support of the acoustician: During the initial calibration in the listening room, precisely these fine-tunings are made in order to achieve a natural sound. Because hearing is individual: every person hears differently, every person perceives their environment acoustically differently.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid screenshots — Apple markets the hearing aid function very aggressively – too aggressively for our taste. Especially since the setting options are limited compared to a real hearing aid.

Phonak Audeo P30 Screenshots — With our Phonak Audeo P30 you can adjust the sound and focus of the microphones in many ways. The following applies: the more expensive the hearing aid, the more settings there are.

Conclusion: occasional hearing aid for the young generation

The AirPods Pro 2 are not competition for the hearing aid industry, on the contrary: With its hearing aid function, Apple is helping to pull hearing aids a little further out of the seniors’ corner. Because many people associate a hearing aid with some kind of clunky device that grandma or grandpa can only understand half of it. The devices are now tiny and ultra-modern. In addition, hearing loss is completely normal as we age and should definitely be treated. It has been proven that untreated hearing loss contributes to degenerative brain diseases. The AirPods Pro 2 raise awareness of this issue among a wide audience. And by doing a really good job as an occasional hearing aid, they can provide the decisive impetus for going to an acoustician.