Priming Revisited: It's Not Just the AirPods Pro 3 | LTT Labs

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Priming Revisited: It's Not Just the AirPods Pro 3

Utkarsh J.·Tested by DMS·

Priming Revisited: It's Not Just the AirPods Pro 3<br>Priming Revisited: It's Not Just the AirPods Pro 3

Utkarsh J.·Tested by DMS·

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In a previous article, we identified priming as one of the key variables that makes the AirPods Pro 3 particularly difficult to measure. Since then, we have done some testing on the AirPods Max 2, which have the same dynamic adaptive EQ features as the Pro 3s but affect the frequency response more subtly.<br>New Test<br>Previously, we noted that without priming (playing music-like content through the headphones before running a frequency sweep), results could come out strange and unrepresentative of typical music listening. The working theory is that Apple's content-detection system boots into a default state optimized for something other than music, likely speech, and the frequency response reflects that until it is given a reason to switch. This test will demonstrate how cleanly this effect can be isolated from other variables like headphone seal and re-seating.<br>To do that, the AirPods were seated once on the B&K 5128 rig and not moved between sweeps. Both sweeps were taken at the same playback volume to rule out the volume-dependent EQ we documented previously. The red curve was taken immediately after the AirPods woke and paired with the testing computer. Then 15 seconds of music was played through them, playback was paused, and the blue curve was taken with no re-seating and no physical changes whatsoever. The difference is purely the priming state.<br>AirPods Pro 3

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Primed and Unprimed Frequency Response

The effect on the AirPods Pro 3 is substantial. In the unprimed state, bass and lower mid-range energy is elevated by several dB, consistent with what you might expect from a speech-optimized mode. Once primed into “music mode”, the low end settles down and the treble takes on the forward, brighter character we described in the original article. The two curves converge in the mid-range around 500 Hz to 2 kHz, which appears to be the stable anchor point across states. So if one does not prime before measuring, the bass measurements are likely inflated while the treble is underrepresented.<br>AirPods Max 2

Apple AirPods Max 2 Primed and Unprimed Frequency Response

We also ran the same test while experimenting with the recently released AirPods Max 2. The effect is more subtle, but it is there. That similarity doesn't appear to be trivial. It suggests Apple may be running a consistent content-detection architecture across both product lines.<br>Does this affect an average user?<br>It is worth asking whether any of this matters outside a test rig. The AirPods Max 2 exhibit the same content-detection behavior as the AirPods Pro 3, with the unprimed and primed states producing measurably different frequency responses. The effect is more subtle than on the Pro 3, but it is there.<br>Whether the unprimed state is perceptible to a listener in practice is an open question, but it is worth noting that it very much affects how these products are measured and characterized. A reviewer who does not prime is likely capturing a response that does not reflect what a listener hears after a few seconds of playback, which can quietly skew recommendations and buying decisions downstream.

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