You will always find a few differently-sized tips in a new pair of AirPods Pro and other in-ear headphones, but the world of third-party aftermarket tips suggests that what comes in the box isn’t enough for everyone. That said, I’ve always considered my AirPods Pro tips “good enough” — mainly because nothing seemed inherently wrong with the fit.
Recently, I jumped at the chance to learn more when an editor asked if anyone wanted to test Comply’s foam tips. I was interested in learning what the fuss was about, because though I wasn’t ready to upgrade my earbuds, I also wasn’t satisfied with their noise-cancelling. Even better: this upgrade rings up at just $25.
Compatible with Gen 1 & Gen 2 AirPods Pro, these foam tips come in three sizes. Their design enables a stronger fit and passive noise canceling.
How I found the Comply Foam Ear Tips for AirPods Pro
Looking online, I saw that Comply sells its tips in four versions: you can either get three pairs of its small, medium or large tips, or a three-pack with one of each. I chose the latter because I don’t know my ears well enough to assume one size was best for me.
Installing Comply’s tips on the AirPods Pro was easy, at least after I removed Apple’s rubbery tips — which required a little more force than initially felt right, but came off eventually. Snapping the Comply tips on, however, was super-easy. All I had to do was line them up properly.
I tried the medium tips first, and while they felt good, they didn’t pass Apple’s built-in fit test to make sure you’re wearing them right (my guess is that it had something to do with using un-official, non-Apple tips). I tried the 2 other sizes, but neither felt right or passed the test, so I went back to the medium tips and got down to testing.
Why the Comply Foam Ear Tips for AirPods Pro are a score
I primarily use my AirPods Pro at the gym — which is often chock-full of noise I want to cancel. Sometimes that’s from loud conversations, other times it’s oddly noisy equipment. And at least once per trip it’s the music from an exercise class that doesn’t keep its door shut.? But that didn’t seem worth spending $249 to get better noise-canceling in the AirPods Pro 2.
Which is why I’m happy to note that this solution is around a tenth the price. For $25, Comply foam ear tips improve noise-canceling — and even make my music sound a little better. After squeezing the tips on the sides (so they conform to my ears correctly) and popping them in my ears, these tips were a perfect fit.
As I bobbed back and forth on the elliptical machine at my gym, and ran around town during the busy holiday season, they never wavered in their placement. My tunes sounded stronger, too, as Charli XCX’s “Beg For You” and The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” both hit harder than before.
More importantly, for me, though, the Comply tips’s extra bit of passive noise-canceling created by the foam contouring to my ears helped me block out the world at the gym. Only when my workout mix paused did I hear the dude bros chatting in the row of cycling machines in front of me, and I didn’t even think about that workout class on my right. So, while I might covet the AirPods Pro 2’s USB-C charging, these affordable tips have helped me delay that expensive upgrade.
Oh, and if your friends who don’t have AirPods Pro start asking how they can get in on the fun, let them know about the JLab Cloud Foam Earbud Tips, which fit all earbuds and are even more affordable.
