New Apple AirPods

Have had mine for 2 weeks. Hats off to Apple. Period.

— If the original EarPods were fairly decent sounding, the AirPods are better still, particularly in the low registers.
— Pairing is instant, the BT connection is very solid, and both earpieces are in perfect sync.
— Battery life is impressive, a total of 24 hrs for a truly 100% wireless phone.
— Comfort will vary amongst people, naturally, but the AirPods, in my case, feel more secure than the older (wired) EarPods. No matter how much I move my head (including some serious head-banging for testing purposes), they stay firmly in place. Shocking, actually.
— They’re so comfortable that there have been a couple of occasions where I’ve forgotten I had them on (while listening to some podcasts) thinking for a moment I was listening to the radio instead. It's no joke or exaggeration when I say you literally forget you have them in your ears within a couple of minutes.
— The carrying case, which is also the AirPods' charging unit, is really very small and fits anywhere, really — absolutely top notch design here.

** NOTE: These are canal phones (ie earbuds) so do not expect IEM-type isolation.

 

Do we know what DAC chip they use?

 

@a44100Hz

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPods+Teardown/75578

 

Talking in the first person is a nice change.

 

It would be nice if someone (Tyll?) posted measurements to compare these to the Earpods.

I wonder if the sound differences are due to a different driver, or just due to active EQ in the Airpods.