Because of the Mesh Density, Apple claims that the Old and New AirPods Pro Ear Tips are Incompatible

Can the audio quality truly alter with such a small modification? Apple appears to agree.

In my evaluation of the second-generation AirPods Pro, I made note of how the ear tips' inner mesh / filter differs somewhat from that of the first-generation earbuds. In fact, this is one of the reasons Apple warns against using first-generation tips on current models and vice versa. The business has added a new section to its support page for AirPods Pro ear tips that reads, "ear tips have been built exclusively for their AirPods Pro generation, to give the highest-fidelity audio experience," as MacRumors observed.

Use the ear tips that came with your AirPods Pro as a consequence. According to Apple's support website, the mesh on AirPods Pro (1st generation) ear tips is noticeably denser than on AirPods Pro (2nd generation) ear tips.

Could the sound quality actually be improved with a looser mesh pattern? If it exists, it is quite undetectable. On the most recent AirPods Pro, switching between the first- and second-generation tips, I didn't hear any instant or noticeable sound alterations. With both pairs, noise cancellation remained equally effective. Your ears will undoubtedly have a harder time detecting changes between the tips than laboratory testing equipment.

Music once more sounded regular and balanced when I switched between using an old tip in one ear and a new tip in the other, which is when acoustic variances should be the most noticeable.

Apple's decision to alter the ear tip mesh may have been for the advantage of Adaptive EQ, an always-on function that uses the AirPods Pro's built-in microphones to continuously assess the fit, seal, and sound quality. Real-time noise cancellation and audio output are optimized through adaptive EQ. It's possible that Adaptive EQ is set to anticipate the standard factory mesh density for each model of AirPods Pro.

Instead of moving completely to the new version for all replacements, Apple must believe that there is enough of a difference to warrant selling the old and new tips separately. The cost of two sets of replacement tips for any generation remains $7.99, so the corporation isn't making extra money from the new ones.

In any case, even though Apple recommends using the proper ear tips with the new AirPods Pro, switching to a backup set from your previous pair won't cause any significant problems. The replacement foam tips that some people may have bought for the original AirPods Pro also fit nicely. Even though the most recent AirPods have many new and enhanced features, the ear tip connectivity remains the same.