As you can see in the results above, any claim that the AirPods Pro’s adaptive transparency (hear-through) mode limits sound to 85 dB did not prove true in our testing. The earbuds did bring the 105 dB sound down to 95 dB, which is a big improvement over using no hearing protection at all.

The Hearing Review, in testing the AirPods Pro 2, found that they reduced low frequency noise by up to 35 dB (2 dB better than Hearos Xtreme foam ear plugs) and 27 dB of protection on average across frequency ranges (the same as custom moulded ear plugs). 35 dB of protection reduces internal helmet noise to 60 dB, the volume of a typical conversation, says the CDC.

Acoustic measurements showed that the newly released AirPods Pro 2 earbuds provided a significant 12 dB improvement in low-frequency noise reduction compared to the original AirPods Pro, with an overall average noise reduction of 27 dB across frequencies.

In passive mode (with the noise canceling off), the Pros reduced the noise level to a very tolerable 67 dB. Switching to full noise cancellation all but silenced the mower for me, reducing the roar of the engine to a quiet chug. However, according to the Apple Watch, it only reduced the sound pressure level to around 62 dB.