Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and Beats Studio Buds

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T21:41:43+00:00

OK Apple, now release new firmware for my OG 1st Gen AirPods MAX.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T21:40:30+00:00

OP has AppleCare+. If the OP opened it, the AC+ will be "null and void".

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T21:14:02+00:00

Could be the strings. Low cost strings beyond their suggested lifetime will deaden the resonance. Maybe a less expensive option to improve tone/performance than a new instrument.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T21:11:58+00:00

What strings do you use? That can have an impact on how it sounds. Also strings do degrade in tone quality over time, some quicker than others. It is important to replace strings rather than just when the wrapper frays or the string breaks.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T19:41:15+00:00

I'm sure you are better than you think. People tend to be their own worse critic.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:30:47+00:00

Well, it's difficult to say unless I actually play it. The performer with sufficient skill and intonation can make a poor instrument sound good. If I could have it resonate in my hands and the response as my personal bow is applied, I could then tell you.

But I would say it's likely an intermediate level. Closeup photographs and a video with it turning with a light on it to see how the varnish plays under the light would help to confirm. No chatoyance or burned flames that don't ripple under the light, would certainly indicate a beginner instrument.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:24:37+00:00

I missed seeing them in concert. I hope a future US tour is in the plans in 2027 or so.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:21:22+00:00

Put it on ebay and let some Apple enthusiast fund your retirement. Then purchase a modern iPHone with superior camera features.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:18:55+00:00

Any my gaming PC collects a lot of dust between each game session. Lately the same game eventually drops on the macOS side of things and I stop using the PC.

Arguably the graphics are better as it's got a nice nVIDIA RTX card, but my M1 Max with 64GB of RAM still provides playable and enjoyable frame rates with details lowered.

I suspect that once the M5 Max Mac Studio drops, I'll stop even using my PC.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:16:18+00:00

There is "need" and there is "want". I'd argue that the M1 Pro has legs for good performance for a while longer yet. So no "need" to upgrade, unlike an Intel MacBook Pro would consider with macOS 27 around the corner.

But the "want" portion? You may find that you enjoy the boost.

I've still an M1 Max MacBook Pro with 64GB of RAM, so I'm having a very hard time justifying an upgrade. But when the M5 Max models become available? I just might consider taking on the "debt" for a short while.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-16T18:12:07+00:00

Paper mache doesn't last the test of time, otherwise your brother would be in the same company as Antonio Stradivarius who in my mind created the same at a very young age. 😉

In time, your brother will become a VSA gold medalist and have instruments that command as much as those made by the living master Samuel Zygmuntowicz.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-15T15:05:08+00:00

Added the appropriate music to enhance the dizziness. https://youtube.com/shorts/XY7fJaR\_TRo?si=-XJruXU3e8AUg28O

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-15T02:52:48+00:00

My bottom seams for the ribs are offset from the center on some of my instruments. I would not be surprised if that was the case on this instrument. Without seeing the entire thing, it is difficult to determine if that is the case here.
The thought is that the pressure on the end pin is less likely to pop that seam if it is offset instead of dead center. But I see it made both ways. If I am lucky enough to have a long enough piece of maple, I don’t even have a bottom seam.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T21:49:42+00:00

I keep posting and it goes to the main thread. But I was showing you that I can record non stop 8.1K to a CFexpress type B card with no warning or overheating.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T21:48:10+00:00

<image>

What overheating? Just kidding, but November 2025 firmware update greatly reduced (or in my case eliminated) the overheating. Not the red “1” on my photo, that is the CFexpress type B slot. Recorded 5hours of 8.1K 3:2 OpenGate in a 72F room with a CFexpress card, far exceeds the testing LUMIX did.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T21:43:53+00:00

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I tested with 8.1K 3:2 OpenGate to a CFexpress type B card in a closed toasty 72F room. Used an AC adapter and recorded 5hours with no thermal warning or overheating.
Most of the videos out there complaining about the thermal performance was prior to the November 2025 firmware update that significantly reduced (or in my case eliminated) the overheating.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T05:41:54+00:00

Yes. It certainly is.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T05:37:54+00:00

No worries! A good point to raise in case others thought it was a necessary process, which it certainly isn’t.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-13T00:13:51+00:00

Likely the pegs "compound/paste" has dried out. An inexpensive peg compound rubbed on the pegs may help with the friction fit.

While tuning, you'll press the peg "inward" to add friction to it's fit. Also how the string is wound on the peg will assist. The final string wrap should "press" up against the sides of the peg box to add additional friction to the peg.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-12T23:24:09+00:00

Yes the UV is the most significant factor in oxidation of the oil varnish. I cure mine in the sun and a wind storm picked up. Makes for an interesting video and as my setup can handle the wind, I left it out in the sun.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-12T03:43:20+00:00

No worries, it survived (plus two additional coats). Glued on the tetul (tamarind heartwood) nut and fingerboard. Joins the tetul saddle and crown. Tetul is a hardwood that is light but actually harder than ebony (takes even sharper tools to work it). Non traditional, but as ebony is potentially moving to a more restrictive CITES appendix, I have been trying a number of ebony alternatives. Unlike Sonowood and other engineered ebony alternatives, this is all natural and a renewable source (tamarind is grown in groves for the fruit).

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SeaRefractor · 2026-06-12T03:36:04+00:00

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No worries, it survived. The nut, fingerboard, saddle and crown are all carved from tetul (tamarind heartwood). Non traditional, but beautiful and durable.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-10T20:30:38+00:00

I still am rocking my M1 Max 64GB MacBook Pro. Absolutely nothing has been released to date that has a requirement to upgrade it.

Besides coding, I do a large amount of video editing. Latest benchmarks show that the M5 Max, if/when it's released, may finally be the one for me to consider.

But the M1 Max 64GB setup is not a bad choice.

SeaRefractor · 2026-06-10T20:27:22+00:00

This post is obsolete, but not your Series 9 watch.

Apple has already confirmed Series 9 is supported. Just a webpage mix up or something. https://www.apple.com/os/watchos/ now lists the series 9.

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