10 Audio Improvements in Apple's New AirPods Max 2

[zephonic]

There is nothing pod-like about these. They should be called AirMuffs.

 

[Johnstrass2]

i wonder if they're going with a very V shaped sound like is the trend (which is what they've done with app3)

How can I be that the iPod from 20 years ago had an equalizer function but the iPhone iPad and these AirPods don't

 

[Johnstrass2]

I have the original and never use them, they're just too heavy for any length of time

The two bars dig into my scalp once the webbing sags

 

[Corefile]

Are these better than my Airpods 2?

 

[lk400]

Same drivers?

I’ve had launch day AirPods Max and continue to use until today. They sound wonderful, and always have very Calle t noise cancelling and like magic transparency. Those are not the aspects that needed refinement.

There are design flaws, in particular the headband that sags after a few year and causes huge discomfort in many people, the condensation issue (which I don’t personally experience, but may do), the overall weight and impracticality with that terrible case.

For these reasons I bought the Sony XM6 which I use about 10x more than the AirPods Max. I still think the AirPods sound a little better, and the transparency is a little better. But they’re completely impractical for travel, and painful to wear now the headband has sagged.

I can’t imagine continuing to buy into that line of headphones with these flaws.

 

[MrRom92]

still can’t do lossless 🤡

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Why not Bluetooth 6 like the iPhone 17 Pro? Bluetooth 5.3 came out in 2021. For $600 inc. tax I expect the latest tech...

View attachment 2614173 View attachment 2614179

Because it uses the H2 chip

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Same drivers?

I’ve had launch day AirPods Max and continue to use until today. They sound wonderful, and always have very Calle t noise cancelling and like magic transparency. Those are not the aspects that needed refinement.

There are design flaws, in particular the headband that sags after a few year and causes huge discomfort in many people, the condensation issue (which I don’t personally experience, but may do), the overall weight and impracticality with that terrible case.

For these reasons I bought the Sony XM6 which I use about 10x more than the AirPods Max. I still think the AirPods sound a little better, and the transparency is a little better. But they’re completely impractical for travel, and painful to wear now the headband has sagged.

I can’t imagine continuing to buy into that line of headphones with these flaws.

Yeah at this price point especially those issues are rehdibitory

 

[darkphoenix24]

still can’t do lossless 🤡

“For the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, the new AirPods Max support 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable. Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps.”

Link

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

“For the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, the new AirPods Max support 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable. Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps.”

Link

He means over bt

 

[RakEgg]

I have spent in excess of $4K on some headphones in the past including custom IEM's (Jerry Harvey Audio Leyla's). I have V1 of the AirPods Max that I bought on launch in December 2022 and they are by far the best headphone listening experience I have enjoyed. I can not wait to buy the update and hand down my V1 to my lovely lady (she has been threatening to steal them from me for some time 🙂.

And I have been in the sound game for a long time. Forget about all the technical mumbo-jumbo from various contributors above. If a set of cans sound great to you, they are a GREAT set of cans. So when released, go test a a pair of V2 and make up your own mind.

(And by the way, the above reminds me of pointless discussions about good wine. If a wine tastes good to you, it's a GOOD wine. Who care if it's a Château Lafite Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé Bordeaux worth $850 USD when I can buy a Taylors Wines St Andrews Shiraz (Clare Valley) for about 50 bucks that tastes a whole lot better !)

 

[Mity]

Because it uses the H2 chip

The H1 chip was released in 2019 and the H2 in 2022. Many were expecting the newer AirPods to come with H3.

The H3 chip is also a possibility. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the next-generation audio chip is in development. The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ launched last year stuck with the same H2 chip from their predecessor released in 2022.

 

[groovatious]

Did they fix the saggy headband issue? That's the one thing that's stopped me picking up another pair...

 

[btrach144]

still can’t do lossless 🤡

He means over bt

No version of Bluetooth supports Lossless. Not even 6.1 or the proposed 6.2.

The H3 chip will not support this. Unless Apple develops a new communication protocol and chips to go along with it.

 

[LincolnBio]

It's good that it's finally been updated (even if the update is primarily just a chip swap), but I bought the Sonos Ace last fall because I was tired of waiting for an update to the APM, and I doubt I'm going to switch over now. I mainly bought the Ace for flights. Most of the time I use my AirPods 4 if I want listening on-the-go.

 

[JDHiro]

Ok, serious question since I'm in the market...

This or Bowers PX8 S2?

I'm audiophile leaning, but also enjoy convenience and integrated features. In a perfect world, I'd just get HD850S with a dedicated headphone amp... but wireless and a mic matter for a lot of the stuff I do daily.

 

[jole]

The only (huge) problem with my AirPods Max 1 has been that wife has pretty much taken over them... Maybe an upgrade to Max 2 would solve that. Or at least I would get my Max 1 back 🙂

 

[amaze1499]

Excuse me, whats the expected battery life of those on a cold winter day in a couple of years?

 

[ghostrockk]

This is like regular studio display update. After so many years.... Nothing.

 

[avro707]

The two bars dig into my scalp once the webbing sags

Same here, and I wonder if the new ones are any more reliable. I don’t feel confident in the turning mechanism for the earpieces. My original pair were terrible.

I just got a replacement set of black ones, feel like returning them and getting the newest ones.

 

[Taq'aix]

For $549 you can get an audio ASIC driving ANC, transparency, and audio quality that was state of the art in 2022 with a hardware design from 2020. Man. Times are tough.

It’s wild they went with a four-year-old chip. At this point, they’re not even pretending to push things forward anymore. It feels like the same path as the iPhone Pro, incremental, less exciting, and somehow less compelling to upgrade with each release.

 

[Will Co]

app2 aren't exactly flat either, but yeah, im also looking for a pair, and it's a real struggle. haven't found anything in over a month now, starting to get despeerate. as for headphones i got a pair of edifier stax spirit s3 which for 150 bucks provides a far better sound than airpods max, with 80h battery life (but no anc)

Take a look at Bowers & Wilkins.

 

[b.la]

Did they make them any lighter? I had to return them because I couldn't wear them for longer than 40 minutes without being in agony, I'm not exaggerating.

 

[rumz]

they ran out of h1 chips

I laughed but then realized this is probably true. Why else not put the H2 in the Sept 2024 USB-C refresh?

 

[loekf]

Did they also update the Max's handbag ?