I’m a stickler for sound when it comes to streaming movies on my Apple TV 4K. Whenever possible, I prefer piping the Apple TV’s audio to my 5.1.2-channel speaker setup—if speakers aren’t an option, I’d crack open my Sony MDR-V6 studio monitors or (begrudgingly) my AirPods Max. But earbuds? Until recently, that was a hard “no” for me.
That changed after I tested Apple’s soon-to-arrive AirPods Pro 3, the successor to my frequently used AirPods Pro 2. Don’t get me wrong—I still prefer the Sony cans for late-night Apple TV streaming sessions. (I’ll discuss my issues with the AirPods Max in a moment.) But if I’m hankering for a midnight movie and I don’t want to deal with the MDR-V6’s cumbersome coiled cord, the surprisingly powerful AirPods Pro 3 are making me rethink my “no earbuds” policy when it comes to streaming.
Slated to go on sale Friday for $249 and packed with features like heart rate sensors, better water resistance (IP57, versus IP54 for the AirPods Pro 2), Live Translation (a feature that also works on other AirPods models), and up to eight hours of battery life on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation enabled, the AirPods Pro 3 arrive with a revamped multiport acoustic architecture that promises pumped-up bass and a wider, more immersive soundstage. Other audio improvements include ear tips rotated inward for a better fit, as well as foam-infused microspheres that dial up the ANC.
Boiling it all down, the AirPods Pro 3 sound both bigger and deeper than their predecessors, and it’s the “bigger” aspect that makes all the difference.
While the AirPods Pro 2 have long been essential companions for on-the-go listening or streaming movies on my iPhone, pairing them with my Apple TV 4K has generally been an underwhelming experience. The AirPods Pro 2 certainly deliver impressive bass response, but they’ve always sounded a distractingly small when streaming, say, Dune on the 55-inch LG C9 OLED that’s connected to my Apple TV. For private listening, the Pro 2’s just couldn’t match the over-ear ambiance of the Sony MDR-V6 (which are, strictly speaking, on-ear headphones) or the AirPods Max.
The AirPods Pro 3 arrive with a revamped multiport acoustic architecture that promises pumped-up bass and a wider, more immersive soundstage.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
The AirPods Pro 3, on the other hand, sounded bigger and more immersive. While streaming big-screen movies like Dune, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Superman (2025) over extended periods, I found myself settling back and genuinely enjoying the experience, forgetting that I was listening over tiny little earbuds. That was quite surprising to me.
The new AirPods Pro also deliver slightly better low-frequency performance than the Pro 2, which already pack plenty of punch when it comes to bass. With the AirPods Pro 3, it feels like there’s a tad more headroom (or maybe “sub”-room would be a better term) when it comes to low frequencies, which adds up to bigger, bolder listening for cinematic streaming.
Deep bass is an area in which—for me, at least—the AirPods Max has had issues. While the AirPods Max give you the genuine over-ear experience that the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 lack, the drivers in my Max cans tend to buckle when the bass gets too deep. For the big, bassy opening of Blade Runner 2049, the AirPods Max will pop and crack when the volume is turned too high—and no, I don’t have them cranked all the way up.
The AirPods Pro 3, however, breezed through the Blade Runner 2049 credit sequence without issue; same with the opening sequence of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, where the AirPods Max struggled with the deep booms of the Russian submarine imploding.
The improved ANC with the AirPods Pro 3 has been a revelation, too. I have a trio of fans that keep the air flowing in our downstairs viewing area, and the roar of those fans can be quite distracting during quiet scenes. That’s a problem for my Sony MDR-V6 headphones, which don’t offer active noise cancellation, and even the ANC abilities of the AirPods Pro 2 can’t quite mask the din. (The AirPods Max are top-notch in terms of their ANC.) The AirPods Pro 3 cuts the whoosh of the fans to a barely detectable whir.
Before I get too carried away, I should note that I still love my MDR-V6’s for movies; they are crisp, detailed, and perfectly bassy for my taste. Even with the lack of ANC, they are my top choice for watching 4K Blu-ray, with the lossless audio from those discs piped through my Denon AVR-1600H receiver.
But if I’m planning to stream a movie on my Apple TV 4K and I don’t want to drag out the Sony cans, the diminutive AirPods Pro 3 are fast becoming my go-to option, beating out the AirPods Pro 2 and even—gasp—the vaunted AirPods Max.
Some rules were destined to be broken, I guess.
This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media streaming devices. For a thorough assessment of the AirPods Pro 3’s other features, stand by for Macworld’s full review.