Question: Bad AirPods Quality on Mac (Solution)
This isn't a question, but a solution for anyone struggling with bad AirPods quality on Mac. Because of how Apple had to program AirPods, the AirPods must be able to function as standard bluetooth devices, and when the microphone on the AirPods is enabled/used, the sound output is reduced to a terrible 16 KHz quality (like a typical phone call). Most answers online say that choosing another device as your microphone input will fix the problem, and in some cases, that works. In others, however, you'll find yourself at a frustratingly dead end.
Thankfully, there's a super easy fix that works every time. You can manually change the output quality of your AidPods (or any audio device) by using a built-in macOS application, Audio MIDI Setup.
- Using iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube, or whatever, make sure your AirPods are playing some audio (so you'll be able to easily identify when the problem is fixed).
- Open the application "Audio MIDI Setup" (found with a quick Spotlight search, or in the "Utilities" folder of your "Applications" folder).
- Find your AirPods in the list on the left, the one with 2 outs. (Your computer technically recognizes your AirPods as two devices; one for the input, and one for the output.)
- Change the "Format" dropdown to the following option: "2 ch 32-bit Float 48.0 KHz."
- After a short blip of silence, you should notice your AirPods performing at peak quality again.
This solution works every single time, and while it may be a bit annoying, its much less annoying than enduring degraded audio. I frequently take VOIP calls on my Mac using my AirPods, so this is a daily frustration for me. At least, it was before I discovered this setting in Audio MIDI Setup.
