Forget ANC, Adding Transparency Mode Was The Real Challenge in AirPods 4

Apple’s latest AirPods 4 add active noise cancellation (ANC) in an open-ear design, which we all thought would’ve been a real challenge as it was the first time ANC had been added to an open-ear design by Apple (Samsung did the same a few months ago with their Galaxy Buds 3). However, implementing Transparency mode in the new AirPods 4 was an even greater hurdle for the tech giant’s engineers.

Eric Treski, Apple’s AirPods marketing director, revealed that creating an effective Transparency mode for the open-design AirPods 4 was “arguably even harder” than mastering ANC. The challenge lies in blending ambient sounds captured by the microphones with the natural sound entering through the unplugged ears.

“There’s a perfect mix that will seem real to your brain, but it also has to all be done with extremely low latency so the automatic adjustments don’t lead to any delays in what comes through the AirPods,” Treski explained.

The AirPods 4 uses quite a few different techniques to achieve this feat. The H2 Chip is a powerful processor that can enable real-time management of both Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and audio quality. The AirPods 4 has microphones borrowed from the AirPods Pro 2. These microphones are adept at continuously monitoring environmental noise and actively adjusting to the surroundings. 

The device also has the third-generation Adaptive EQ technology, which constantly adjusts the equalizer regardless of external conditions. 

Not just this, the AirPods 4, which comes without a USB C charging cable, underwent design changes to adjust these new features like it has a New “Snorkel” Design. The front end of the earbuds was redesigned to optimize driver placement and acoustic performance, and the speakers now point down the ear canal to prevent sound reflection on the internal microphone.

Kate Bergeron, Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering, emphasized the collaborative effort between mechanical and acoustic engineers to achieve the perfect balance of fit and function.

More here.