AirPods Pro/Max: Loud bass & hum with ANC
AirPods Pro 3: Loud bass & engine-like hum when ANC is on (also affects my Pro 2 & Max).
Device(s):
- AirPods Pro 3
- AirPods Pro 2
- AirPods Max
Issue description:
- My AirPods Pro 3 have an issue when I enable Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). With ANC turned on, the bass becomes unusually loud and the audio sounds distorted. This problem occurs across all three of my AirPods Pro devices (AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Max, and AirPods Pro 3). I’m not sure whether a recent firmware update caused it. Even when no music is playing, a low-frequency, engine-like hum persists, which is extremely annoying. The distortion disappears completely as soon as I disable ANC.
Things I’ve already tried
- Tested all three devices (Pro 2, Pro 3, Max) accross different devices
- Toggled between ANC / Transparency / Off → issue only happens in ANC
- Turned off Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume, Conversation Awareness
- Turned off Headphone Accommodations / audio personalization
- Cleaned the ear tips, speaker meshes, and microphone/vent holes
- Ran the Ear Tip Fit / Acoustic Seal test
- Reset and re-paired the AirPods with my iPhone
- Confirmed firmware is up to date on all three