# 🎵 How does the sound quality on AirPods Pro 3 compare to AirPods Pro 2?

*Published: 2026-01-19 | Updated: 2026-01-19 | Source: https://shopsavvy.com/answers/how-does-the-sound-quality-on-airpods-pro-3-compare-to-airpods-pro-2*

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## Product: AirPods Pro 3
**Brand:** Apple

Let me give you the honest breakdown on how the [AirPods Pro 3](https://shopsavvy.com/products/kN6SsYyhYtu4qA) actually sound compared to the Pro 2.

## The Short Version

The Pro 3 sound a bit better - more bass, wider stereo image, more "spacious." But it's not a night-and-day difference. If you close your eyes, you might not immediately know which is which.

## What's Actually Different

**More bass.** Apple redesigned the acoustic chamber and it shows. Bass hits harder, especially noticeable on hip-hop and electronic music.

**Wider soundstage.** Music feels a bit more spread out, less "in your head." Spatial Audio content benefits from this too.

**Better detail.** You might notice more texture in reverb and room sounds. Subtle, but there.

## The Weird Volume Thing

Apple uses something called Loudness-Dependent EQ. Translation: the sound profile changes based on how loud you're listening.

At low volumes, they boost bass and treble. If you're a low-volume listener (like listening while falling asleep), you might actually find the Pro 3 sound weird at first - too bass-heavy compared to what you're used to.

## What's Still Missing

**No EQ controls.** In 2025. On $249 earbuds. Seriously, Apple?

Some $30 earbuds let you adjust bass and treble. AirPods? Nope. You get what Apple decided you should hear.

**No high-res audio.** Still stuck on AAC. No LDAC, no aptX HD, nothing fancy. Your lossless Apple Music files aren't actually playing losslessly on these.

## Who Should Care?

**You'll probably notice the difference if:**
- You listen to a lot of bass-heavy music
- You use Spatial Audio frequently
- You're sensitive to soundstage width

**You probably won't notice if:**
- You mostly listen to podcasts
- You had no complaints about Pro 2 sound
- Music is background noise for you

## Bottom Line

Better? Yes. Worth upgrading just for sound? Probably not. The improvements are real but subtle. The AirPods Pro 2 sound excellent, and the Pro 3 sound... also excellent, just slightly more so.

## Current Prices

| Retailer | Price | Availability |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Amazon | $219.99  | Check |

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*Where this comes from: This answer is based on ShopSavvy's product database, real-time pricing from thousands of retailers, and analysis of user reviews to give you a well-rounded picture.*