Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. Signia Active Pro IX

Check out our comparison of the Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Signia Active Pro IX. Listen to audio samples and see how the two hearing aids differ in terms of sound performance, features, accessories, and more.

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Apple AirPods Pro 3
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AirPods Pro 3

$239.95 per pair
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Signia Active Pro IX
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Active Pro IX

$2,348 per pair
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Product Overview

Form Factor
EarbudForm FactorNon-custom earbud style device.
Instant-Fit CanalForm FactorNon-custom device that typically sits inside the ear canal. The device will be clearly visible to the naked eye.
Expert Rating
Score
0.0
Score
0.0
User Rating
—
3.7
1 reviews
Hearing Loss LevelHearing Loss LevelThis represents HearingTracker's best guess on suitability. Please consult a licensed audiologist to confirm your own candidacy for this device.
MildModerateSevereProfound
MildModerateSevereProfound
Product Features
Hands-freeRechargeableiPhoneAndroidTelecoilIP57
Hands-freeRechargeableiPhoneAndroidTelecoilIP68

Expert Ratings

Compare comprehensive test results and expert opinions.

AirPods Pro 3
Active Pro IX
AirPods Pro 3
4.1ABOVE AVERAGE

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are wireless earbuds that offer hearing aid functionality. Our tests show they effectively amplify speech in everyday situations. While background noise can be challenging, proper tuning and reducing ambient noise reduction pushes the AirPods Pro 3 closer to being a truly competitive OTC hearing aid.

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Active Pro IX
4.5EXCELLENT

The Signia Active Pro IX offers the functionality of a high-performance hearing aid in a sleek, earbud-like design, making it ideal for those who value both modern aesthetics and advanced hearing enhancement. Lab tests showed strong performance in speech clarity and music streaming, though its instant-fit design has some limitations, such as reduced feedback handling and lack of custom-fit personalization.

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AirPods Pro 3
3.4AVERAGE

Apple AirPods Pro 3 achieved a SoundScore of 3.38/5 and a SoundGrade of B in HearAdvisor lab testing. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.47/5.

Active Pro IX
4.6EXCELLENT

Signia Active Pro IX achieved a SoundScore of 4.63/5 and a SoundGrade of A in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #3 of 35 Prescription Hearing Aid devices tested. The Prescription Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.91/5.

AirPods Pro 3
4.8EXCELLENT

The build quality is solid with a pocket-worthy portable case. AirPods 3 also have a slightly improved IP57 rating meaning they should offer better protection from debris and moisture. AirPods commonly last around 2-3 years.

Active Pro IX
4.9EXCELLENT

Active Pro IX has an IP rating of 68, meaning it has excellent protection against dust and moisture. This is consistent with my hands-on testing which suggested it is built well and will hold-up to daily use.

AirPods Pro 3
4.6EXCELLENT

Airpods Pro 3 offer around 10 hours of use per charge with their Hearing Aid feature. This is an improvement over the previous generation. While this still may not be enough for all-day use, recharge time is fast with several quick-charge options.

Active Pro IX
4.4ABOVE AVERAGE

I love the all-day rechargeable battery life of Active Pro IX. Even with 5 hours of audio streaming, you can expect around 29 hours of user per charge.

AirPods Pro 3
5.0EXCELLENT

I have found Bluetooth to work almost flawlessly on iPhones, offering a solid connection every time. I can't speak for Android devices though Apple reports they are fully compatible with other Bluetooth devices.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Signia Active Pro hearing aids are Bluetooth compatible with both iOS and Android devices, allowing for audio streaming and hands-free calling. While streamed audio quality is not the best, I did not run into any issues while testing.

AirPods Pro 3
4.0AVERAGE

AirPods Pro 3 offer impressive and useful features to aid speech clarity. I particularly like the ability to take an app based hearing test, or directly upload hearing thresholds. While the menu system is not user-friendly, you also have other options for personalizing your experience such as active noise cancellation.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Signia's hearing aid app stands out with its user-friendly interface and modern, appealing design. It includes practical features like the ability to control the focus of your hearing aids and a mask mode to enhance speech clarity. Additionally, the app offers wellness features, utilizing hearing aid motion sensors for activity tracking.

AirPods Pro 3
4.0AVERAGE

AirPods Pro 3 are generally comfortable, though my initial impressions favor the fit of the previous Gen 2. With that said, Apple claims to have improved the overall fit with improved ergonomics and new foam-infused ear tips.

Active Pro IX
4.5EXCELLENT

I found the instant-fit comfort and retention of Active Pro good. Your hearing care provider can demo various ear tips to find the best fit for your ears and hearing needs.

AirPods Pro 3
5.0EXCELLENT

AirPods Pro are unmistakably Apple with their sleek, bright white, aesthetic. You will want to look elsewhere if you are searching for a discrete hearing solution. Furthermore, earbuds are commonly associated with being distracted or disconnected and people will not know that you are using them as hearing aids to stay present and engaged in conversation.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

Active Pro IX have a modern earbud-like look, which may be desirable depending on your preferences, and you can choose among 6 colors.

AirPods Pro 3
5.0EXCELLENT

Apple AirPods Pro 3 has a value score of 5.0/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

Active Pro IX
3.6AVERAGE

Signia Active Pro IX has a value score of 3.6/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

AirPods Pro 3
4.0AVERAGE

I find Bluetooth pairing and general use exceptionally easy. However, navigating the deeper personalization features, and touch controls, could be more user friendly.

Active Pro IX
4.8EXCELLENT

I did not run into any issues while testing Active Pro IX. However, I do wish they offered ear-level controls such as buttons, or tap controls, as it would make the streaming features more user-friendly.

AirPods Pro 3
1.0BELOW AVERAGE

You can receive technical support from Apple, but no audiologic support is offered at this time. You may be able to find a hearing care provider willing to assist with programming your AirPods Pro based on your needs.

Active Pro IX
5.0EXCELLENT

You should receive quality hearing care and support from your provider. The Signia App should enhance your experience with AI assistance and user-friendly virtual appointments, given your provider offers telehealth services.

Lab Recordings

Listen to direct output recordings from our acoustic test lab.

Busy CafeBusy CafeSpeech intelligibility improvement in loud environments
Quiet OfficeQuiet OfficeSpeech intelligibility improvement in quiet and moderate environments
Streaming MusicStreaming MusicStreaming music provides a full range of bass and treble
HearingTracker partners with HearAdvisor to provide recordings and performance data from an acoustic laboratory that follows standard scientific procedures. All hearing aids are fitted and performance-tested for mild sloping to moderate hearing loss. All audio samples cutoff above 10kHz.

Hardware

AccelerometerAccelerometerThis hearing aid is capable of measuring acceleration through an embedded sensor.
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth® AudioBluetooth® AudioThis hearing aid is capable of streaming Bluetooth® audio certain phones and/or devices.
  • Bluetooth® (A2DP)
  • LC3
  • Made for iPhone (MFi)
  • Android (ASHA)
  • Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE)
GyroscopeGyroscopeThis hearing aid is able to determine orientation using embedded sensors.
Yes
No
Hands-Free CallingHands-Free CallingIt is possible to have a hands-free phone call with this hearing aid. You are not required to hold the phone up to your mouth.
  • Bluetooth® (HFP)
  • Made for iPhone (MFi)
IP RatingIP RatingIP Ratings rate sealing effectiveness of hearing aids against intrusion from foreign solid matter (dirt, dust) and moisture.
IP57
IP68
Rechargeable BatteriesRechargeable BatteriesCharge your batteries overnight in a docking station and get a full day's use (in most cases) of battery life the following day.
Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion
Tap ControlsTap ControlsThe hearing aid may be controlled by physically tapping it with your fingers.
  • Play/Pause
  • Audio passthrough on/off
  • Accept/end calls
  • Accept/end calls
Voice AssistantVoice AssistantCertain devices will allow you to interact with voice assistants using "Hey Siri", "Hey Google", "Hey Alexa", etc commands.
  • Siri
No

Software Features

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)ANC is different than typical hearing aid noise reduction in that it reduces both steady state and dynamic background noise using sound wave inversion.
Yes
No
Active occlusion cancellation (AOC)Active occlusion cancellation (AOC)A microphone measures the sound of your own voice inside your ear canal and cancels the sound using phase inversion. This reduces the boominess that often occurs with closed-canal hearing aids.
Yes
No
Adjustment BandsAdjustment BandsThese are frequency-divided sections that can be adjusted in a hearing aid in order to amplify sounds. Although there are rarely more than 10 frequencies measured in a hearing assessment, having more bands that can be adjusted may allow for improved speech understanding and user comfort.
No
20
Adjustment SynchronizationAdjustment SynchronizationThis feature allows for a more pleasant listening experience by ensuring that both hearing aids process sound the same way. If one hearing aid changes its processing in response to noise or speech, it will send a wireless signal to the other hearing aid so both process sound in the same way.
No
Yes
Direction SelectionDirection SelectionAllows the user to select one or more directions to focus their hearing aids on. For example, some hearing aids allow the listener to focus on sounds coming from in front or back, or from the right or left.
No
  • 5/5
DirectionalityDirectionalityDepending on the types and number of microphones a hearing aid has, the hearing aid may be able to boost sounds from specific directions (by reducing sounds from other directions). This can be helpful to focus on a speaker directly in front of the hearing aid user, as well as to give the user information about where different sounds are coming from.
Yes
Yes
Ear SimulationEar SimulationThe outer ear, or pinna, can have a significant effect on the frequency shape of sound arriving at your inner ear. Some hearing aids mimic the "pinna effect" when producing sound, to deliver more natural sound to the listener.
No
Yes
Echo ReductionEcho ReductionThis feature improves speech audibility by reducing the “blurring” of speech sounds that can occur in the presence of echoes.
No
Yes
Environmental AdaptationEnvironmental AdaptationThe hearing aid can detect different acoustical environments, like speech in noise, and adjust the sound of the hearing aid accordingly to drive comfort or speech understanding, etc.
No
RealTime Conversation Enhancement: 5/5
Extended bandwidthExtended bandwidthHearing aid provides amplification at frequencies (pitches) higher than the typical hearing aid.
No
12kHz
Extended Dynamic RangeExtended Dynamic RangeExtended dynamic range typically makes louder sound clearer. This may help with the reproduction of loud music or loud speech in a very noisy environment.
No
Yes
Feedback SuppressionFeedback SuppressionIf any sound amplified by the hearing aid escapes the ear canal, it may reach the hearing aid’s own microphone and cause a harsh whistling noise. Some hearing aids are able to recognize when this feedback occurs and reduce or eliminate it.
No
Yes
Listening ProgramsListening ProgramsNumber of manually accessible listening programs (using push button, remote, app, or other switching method)
No
6
Noise ReductionNoise ReductionThis feature uses modern hearing aids’ processing power to examine the incoming sound signal, determine if noise is present and reduce the volume of the troublesome sound to increase comfort.
No
SoundSmoothing™: 3
Own Voice ComfortOwn Voice ComfortAmplification is applied differently to your own voice versus the other voices around you. This allows adequate amplification of people you want to hear and no over-amplification of your own voice.
No
Yes
Processing ChannelsProcessing ChannelsThese are all the frequency-divided sections the hearing aid is able to examine at a single time. The hearing aid uses this information to determine whether the contents of each section are noise, speech, or something else and amplify the sound in each section accordingly.
No
48
Resonance NormalizationResonance NormalizationMicrophones measure sound in the ear canal in order to adjust cancel the effects of individual resonance.
Yes
No
Self-fittingSelf-fittingThis hearing aid allows you to fit yourself without professional assistance. Typically found in OTC products.
  • Tuned based on hearing test through device
  • Tuned based on audio preference selections
  • Tuned by user directly
No
Spatial AudioSpatial AudioHead tracking is performed so that audio appears to originate from a static location as your head moves.
Yes
No
Tinnitus ReliefTinnitus ReliefTinnitus, or ringing in the ears, can be addressed by hearing aids in several different ways, such as introducing a soft therapeutic signal or targeted notched noise.
No
Yes
Unique Amplification StrategyUnique Amplification StrategyHearing aids all process sounds a little bit differently. Sometimes it varies even within one model.
Yes
Yes
Wind Noise ReductionWind Noise ReductionAs wind blows against the microphones of hearing aids, unpleasant noise may be generated. Some hearing aids have the ability to recognize this wind noise and reduce its level. Such reductions may also affect the audibility of desired sounds, like speech.
No
Yes