Can These Strauss & Wagner Eartips Improve Your AirPods?

Apple AirPods are one of the most popular true wireless earbuds on the market. Perfect for phone calls, Apple ecosystem integration, and a plethora of other features that make them an essential everyday accessory. So how can we help make them the best they can be? 

Strauss & Wagner is a go-to when it comes to accessories. Cables, adapters, eartips, earpads, you name it: S&W brand has something. For the Apple AirPods, you have options for eartips that are compatible with any generation. The Sonariq, made for Gen 1 and 2, and the Silenzio, made for Gen 3, have joined the lineup of eartips provided by Strauss & Wagner. At a glance, they may look unassuming, but they can actually make all the difference for your earbuds. How are the Apple AirPods affected by the Strauss & Wagner eartips? Is your sound forever changed, or are they nothing more than a backup? Lucky for us, we were able to test them out at Audio46. 

Starting with the overall look, you might not find these to be that different than the eartips that come with the Apple AirPods. The soft silicone is the same white color as the stock eartips, and they have the same locking mechanism that makes them secure on the AirPods. The Sonariq is solely a silicone eartip, made of just the white silicone. Wearing them in the ear was very similar to the stock eartips, and I found no issues with comfort or compatibility during listening. 

The Sonariq is almost identical to the stock, but the Silenzio takes the design a step further. The Silenzio eartips are soft silicone on the outside, but also have a foam insert for a better seal and accurate fit. The fit may feel a bit stiffer at first, but the moldable eartip makes the seal in your ear much better so your AirPods don't risk falling out. If you're hesitant about foam eartips but want to give them a try, these hybrid eartips are a great way to test out if its a fit style that you like. 

Depending on your earphones, the type of eartip you use can really influence the sound you get during use. Thankfully, the AirPods aren't as easily influenced. From one ear tip to the next, the Apple AirPods are fairly consistent in their sound quality. The punchy bass, clear midrange, and bright treble all remain consistent with what you would hear with the stock eartips. The differences between them are very small and subtle, but with some careful analysis, you can hear how the Strauss & Wagner eartips differ from the AirPods stock ones. I had the AirPods Gen 2 and the AirPods Gen 3 to test with, so I was able to see what the sound was like with both the Sonariq and the Silenzio eartips. 

The Sonariq eartips on the AirPods Gen 2 were a great replication of the familiar Apple sound. The details were clear and sound reproduction was exactly what you would anticipate out of the Apple AirPods. I found that the Sonariq eartips were good for revealing midrange details, and kept the entire signature fairly lightweight. Nothing felt too heavy with an overly tight seal, and the easy-to-wear style made listening smooth for hours on end. The sound itself was reliable and familiar, which is great for listeners who don't want their sound to change. 

With the Silenzio, the Gen 3 AirPods had a more noticeable change. The switch from plain silicone eartips to ones with foam will change your profile slightly, but it may not be noticeable at first. The foam eartips accentuated some of the bass, making the signature a little heavier overall. I think the passive isolation was more effective with the Silenzio's foam inserts, as it helped the AirPods mold to the inside of your ear a bit better. You could really focus in on your listening and appreciate all the finer details the more recent version had to offer. 

Photos 1 & 2: Sonariq on the AirPods Gen 2 || Photos 3 & 4: Silenzio on the AirPods Gen 3

Strauss & Wagner are not the first to create third-party replacement eartips for the Apple AirPods. Eartips from Spinfit or Azla have been popular in the past, and the Silenzio and Sonariq are just additions to this list of other options. The Spinfit Superfine are great eartips that are made of a stickier silicone, so you are guaranteed a stable fit that is secure. The Azla Xelastic are compatible with the older generations of AirPods, and are also made of a similar sticky silicone for a secure fit. If you're looking for something that is most like the stock eartips, the Silenzio or Sonariq are great options. If you find you want to try a different material, the Spinfit and Azla variations are a good alternative for the older generation of AirPods.  

The Strauss & Wagner eartips are a reliable accessory for a host of different IEMs, headphones, and equipment. Their accessories for Apple AirPods follow that trend to a tee. The Sonariq offers a familiar, reliable fit and sound that you can trust, and a lot of sizes that allow you to find the exact fit that suits you best. Those with the 3rd generation of AirPods get a bit of higher quality with the Silenzio, and it carries the same reliability. If you're looking for a way to clean up your AirPods, the Strauss & Wagner eartips offer an easy solution that saves you time and money for long-term comfort. 

You can get the S&W Sonariq and the S&W Silenzio at Audio46.