AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know One Year After the High-End Headphones Launched

[szw-mapple fan]

It’s unreal you can’t even stream lossless from Apple Music with them.

They need a Wifi chip to accept any high bandwidth music data file anywhere in your home…think a Sonos One for each ear.

Yes, the absence of lossless audio support is just mystifying for premium headphones. Sure, most people can't hear the difference, but then most people aren't buying these headphones.

While using the wired connection doesn’t give you “true” lossless because of the digital to analog then analog to digital from and to 24-bit / 48 kHz conversion, it’s still close enough that I doubt even audiophiles would be tell the difference. Keep in mind that even with a regular headphone jack headphone you won’t be able to hear true hi-Res lossless from Apple Music unless you have an external DAC.

 

[bpeeps]

Yeah, nobody's paying $550 for this **** again.

Drop price to $399 or kill the product. It's clearly a dud because retailers keep slashing prices on it.

Plenty of people bought these headphones.

 

[venom600]

I'd pay $550 for another set, but it needs to have some changes. Most importantly it needs to be able to bypass the DAC so that it can be used as a regular set of headphones when you use a cable, which would enable lossless playback and use when the battery is dead. It needs a power button, and it needs a case. The Bra is not a case.

 

[marmiteturkey]

While using the wired connection doesn’t give you “true” lossless because of the analog to digital 24-bit / 48 kHz conversion the AirPods itself does, it’s still close enough that I doubt even audiophiles would be tell the difference. Keep in mind that even with a regular headphone jack headphone you won’t be able to hear true hi-Res lossless from Apple Music unless you have an external DAC.

I think this is true (though it’s really hard to ascertain because Apple don’t seem to release the necessary details), the px7 can, afaict, play lossless via usbc to Usbc from the iPad Pro and MacBook; and the lightning to 3.5 adapter also works as an external dac for the iPhone. Ready to be corrected…

 

[Ethosik]

Yeah, nobody's paying $550 for this **** again.

Drop price to $399 or kill the product. It's clearly a dud because retailers keep slashing prices on it.

I gladly will. As someone that uses exclusively headphones, these are the most comfortable ones for 8-10+ hours of constant use. I can't use earbuds because they just hurt my ears after 20 minutes. And I do not like many of the other options because they seem to have limits on how many things can pair with it. I never once reached a pairing limit on these and I have connected about 15 devices to it.

 

[Ethosik]

I love my AirPods Max but part of me think it might end up sharing the same fate as the HomePod. Amazing device but too high a price point and serving a niche group to make it mainstream.

I doubt this, AirPods Max has one advantage that HomePod does not - Bluetooth. I can connect Windows PC or Android devices to my AirPods Max and it works fine.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I think this is true (though it’s really hard to ascertain because Apple don’t seem to release the necessary details), the px7 can, afaict, play lossless via usbc to Usbc from the iPad Pro and MacBook; and the lightning to 3.5 adapter also works as an external dac for the iPhone. Ready to be corrected…

You can do lossless (24-bit/48 kHz) but not Apple Music's high-res lossless (24-bit/192 kHz) I believe. Apple says that you need an external digital-to-analog DAC for over 24-bit/48 kHz.

Also ready to be corrected since I'm not too familiar with this and my ears are probably not sensitive enough for anything over Apple Music's regular codec

 

[newphone22]

Dont talk to me about the new airpods max if there's no mention of a notch

 

[BornAgainMac]

I would like them to be lighter and more affordable on the next update.

 

[kcslc]

I still can’t believe how ugly these things are.

 

[chaospet]

Overpriced maybe but personally I found it to be much better than the XM4s. Sound is more balanced and not as bass heavy. Noise cancellation has been just a bit better. Transparency mode is miles ahead of anything I’ve tried. The build quality is much much better with no plastic squeaks and the ear cups are much more comfortable and breathable. The hardware buttons and iOS controls are also way better than the touch controls on the XM4 and Sony’s barely usable app. I wouldn’t buy it for the original price but I think it was definitely worth the $380 I paid on eBay.

Yeah I have to agree with this. Too pricey, yeah perhaps.. but the sound quality and noise canceling are definitely superior to any other bluetooth headphones I have ever tried

 

[odonnelly99]

I would buy it again directly from Apple if they improve them.

…As opposed to indirectly?

 

[odonnelly99]

Plenty of people bought these headphones.

Show me the sales numbers!

I’d love to know how well these sold.

 

[odonnelly99]

I gladly will. As someone that uses exclusively headphones, these are the most comfortable ones for 8-10+ hours of constant use. I can't use earbuds because they just hurt my ears after 20 minutes. And I do not like many of the other options because they seem to have limits on how many things can pair with it. I never once reached a pairing limit on these and I have connected about 15 devices to it.

Same with me; I much prefer over the ear headphones to pods/buds. Even the on ear headphones bother me after about 20 minutes.

My nearly three year old Beats Studio 3s are still chugging along just fine, and still sound great. I got them during a Best Buy sale around christmas 2019 for $179.

The call quality is crap, though. Is the call quality on the Airpods Max pretty good?

I’m interested to see what Apple has planned for the Studio 4s. I think the Beats Studio line serve a nice middle ground in Apple’s many headphone offerings — again, they just need updated. Like, yesterday.

 

[telo123]

I had AirPods Max for like a week before I had to return it. It was just too heavy and had such a high clamping force for my head, even when I stretched it on a box overnight.

The sound was great (tbh, even the AirPods Pro sound great — clearly not an audiophile here nor am I picky about sound), but it was just too heavy, especially when I moved my head. Am I supposed to not move at all?

The XM4s was just too hot (did Sony want our ears to be in a sauna?) and Bose QC's 35 kept having issues no matter how often Bose would send replacements (after the 2nd replacement, I’m never getting Bose again).

The fabric mesh style of the APM felt great and while it did warm my ears, it didn’t make it sweat for no matter how long I wore them.

Note: I have very sensitive ears for heat, even the QC35 would get too hot for me in 15 minutes.

I would buy a 2nd generation if it was lighter by like 100-120 grams and maybe if it costed a hundred dollars or fewer. I didn't really care for the metal design that added so much unnecessary weight.

 

[mazz0]

for the next round of airpods max i am hoping for much better sound quality. like i want it to b miles ahead of anything under $1000 i want better connectivity and i want better input of dolby atmos. also new cuter colors pls

Don’t forget more RAM!

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I love my AirPods Max but part of me think it might end up sharing the same fate as the HomePod. Amazing device but too high a price point and serving a niche group to make it mainstream.

Hmmm, I just realised I have never seen a single person ever wearing one! Not ever! AirPods are everywhere though.

 

[newyorksole]

A new AirPods Max could be every 2 years, like AirPods.

AirPods are 2 years, but at this rate— AirPods Pro & Max will be 3.

 

[bpeeps]

Show me the sales numbers!

I’d love to know how well these sold.

Apple would need to release that information first.

Hmmm, I just realised I have never seen a single person ever wearing one! Not ever! AirPods are everywhere though.

I wear my airpod pros out and about, much easier to travel with and store. Max is for use at home. With the advent of wireless earbuds, you don't really see too many large headphones in public anymore.

AirPods are 2 years, but at this rate— AirPods Pro & Max will be 3.

My Airpods Pro are updated every year, that seems to be about the length of time they work for before they start having the infamous rattling issues. ?

 

[Username: Required]

One thing I prefer B&W over Airpod Max is the built-n DAC when using USB connection.

And I like my old B&O for its user replaceable battery (too bad it's BT4 and no multi-connection) , not sure if newer models still feature that. These headphone ain't cheap and they are big enough to have a easily replaceable battery.

 

[tridley68]

Still extremely over priced a cheap pair of Sony's sound much better.

 

[Chambers McMac]

A year ago today, Apple's AirPods Max launched, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name. One year later, rumors about a successor are thin on the ground, but there have been some indications about what customers can expect from AirPods Max 2.

A report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that AirPods Max, thought at the time to be called "AirPods Studio," had suffered from several development challenges, such as problems with the headband being too tight, leading to multiple delays and scaling back of functionality.

It was initially believed that AirPods Max would offer unique customizability with interchangeable headbands and earcups, repeating the concept behind Apple Watch bands. Amid these delays and development issues, Bloomberg predicted that Apple would drop the concept of a replaceable headband to accelerate production.

Evidence of this concept can be seen in the final AirPods Max design. Users can easily remove the headband from AirPods Max without any disassembly of the headphones. To do this, users simply need to remove the magnetic ear cushions, fold the earcups flat, and insert a SIM card ejector tool into a small hole above the speaker.

Image via Prelook​

Once the earcups are removed, the spokes on either side of the headband reveal a small Lightning-style connector for transferring power, and potentially data, between the earcups. It is possible that this system for removing the headband is a remnant of the original, more modular approach to AirPods Max.

Moreover, it was believed that AirPods Max would have left and right ear detection so users could reverse the headphones' orientation, as well as touch pads on the earcups for controls. This appears to have been replaced by the Digital Crown from the Apple Watch in the final product. It seems plausible that some of these features, including greater customization, could come to the second iteration of AirPods Max.

Rumors also suggested that the AirPods Max would be available in two varieties, including a more affordable sports-oriented model. Mixed-record leaker Jon Prosser repeatedly said that AirPods Max would come in a "sport-like variant" for $350 and a "luxury variant" for $599. While Prosser's $599 was not far off the final $549 AirPods Max price tag, the cheaper $350 "sport variant" has yet to emerge. Apple could still launch this lower-end version of the AirPods Max at some time in the future.

AirPods Max in Silver, Space Gray, Pink, Green, and Blue​

The last we heard about the next-generation rything We Know One Year After the High-End Headphones Launched

 

[Chambers McMac]

I just started using them last week and I like them allot! I love that I can switch from my MacBook to my iPhone effortlessly. The sound, battery life and isolation is great! The ear cups do get a little sweaty when I wear them for to long. When I want to mix audio I switch to a wired pair or speakers and an external USB DAC.

 

[iBug2]

It's a great product. I love mine. They can make a 2nd gen if they can put wifi in it for lossless audio. Otherwise I see no point today.

 

[saudade]

We need them in darker colors, please.

U like black?