It’s not ideal but my point is Bluetooth isn’t just a portability thing. I think they should sell it with a cord but I can see a professional wanting headphones that aren’t keeping them leashes to their computer.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AirPods Max Customer Impressions: Premium Design and Competitive Sound Quality, Can Feel Heavy on Ears and Smart Case is Useless
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Joking here, but hang out by an Apple Store, and follow the people you think that bought a pair or two. I was stalked for three or four blocks by some seedy looking human after I left the Apple Store there with two iPhone Xs MAX's. They gave up, and went back to stalk people at the Apple Store I believe. Weird feeling. I caught their image several times out of the corner of my eye, and they were acting very weird. Funny, actually... So desperate, such a douche...
And I actually like the Apple remote (ducks).
Anyways, enjoy your AirPods max everyone.
The B&O ones are designed that way. They have amazing sound with ANC turned off but everything gets thinner with it on.
Come on, the case is NOT useless, it puts the headphones into a super low power state to save battery!
Instead of just ... turning them off
Instead of just ... turning them off
As soon as you graduate beyond the most basic, budget headphones, saying "better" or "worse" is pretty meaningless (not to mention revealing)...
Though it's also kind of helpful, I suppose, since it clarifies to me that I can safely ignore that reviewer going forward.
APPLE. REMOTE(app). ROCKS!!!And I actually like the Apple remote (ducks).
Anyways, enjoy your AirPods max everyone.
The physical Apple Remote?🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
But they made it basically necessary. Hmm...
Agreed. I'm really confused how MR posted such a statement. Useless is subjective based on someone's needs. The case does have a purpose so it's not useless.
OMG! Someone ripped the Bose QC's I have to shreds! I mean, microscopic shreds. Like ants wouldn't notice them on their path, he shredded them so fine.
They have lasted well over a decade, and the are just as good now as when I bought them. I grok...
“As light as air“ MacbookAir = Light Laptop, AirPods = Light Earbuds, Airpods Pro = Extraordinarily Heavy Headphones... Good branding.
AirPods -> wireless music
AirPods Pro -> better wireless music
AirPods Max -> larger? Wireless music
Sounds fair enough.
Yeah, I've noticed that Bose takes a lot of heat in some circles. I've never owned or A/B-ed any, so I can't judge. If that reviewer had something to say (during the thrashing) to explain why they weren't impressed, then at least it was a review. An opinion based on better/worse is just more crap to sift through. A good reviewer can give a reader perspective when trying to make a choice. I've never bought headphones that I didn't hear first, but if I were to do that, I'd read a ton of reviews first, and I'd most definitely ignore ones that just said "better/worse than X"... most obviously because it says nothing about X... (I mean, wtf... does it get more obvious than that???)... and even if I owned X, it would still tell me f*** all about the product...
There are good reviewers out there, but they are few and far between.
Fair that you'd want a case to protect them from scratching especially with a metal surface, but there are also all kinds of gaps that can get scratched where the case material doesn't cover them. The case looks weird and doesn't do a great job at protecting headphones or keeping the knit headband clean IMO.
I get trying to be minimalist and save space but still a very odd design choice the way they did it. Even if they at least fully covered the ear portions fully I would get behind it a bit more. Wouldn't be surprised if the next gen of these come with a better case design. At least I hope they do.
I think many are buying them to be able to brag they have them. I don’t have a problem with that as it isn’t my money they are spending. Given the forum we are on and the company of regulars we see most every day, I believe we all brag about a Apple purchase at some point. Nothing wrong with that.
I also think a lot of people will be returning the headphones after the Apple hype feeling wears off and they realize they could get much better for less.
They can be used wired. There is a lightning to 3.5mm (1.2m length) that Apple sells in both black and white for $35. When you add the headphones to cart, it's a suggested purchase. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white
While not ideal, I suppose this means the $9 lightning to 3.5mm adapter can also be used, if one already has a 3.5mm cable.
Last edited:
Yes when I was in college I took a sound engineering class. We got to wear $1500+ headphones in the class. And believe me they do sound different then the Boes, Sony, ect of the world.
I have the H95 and I honestly wish it had a semi-hard case like the XM4 instead of the aluminum which is so easy to get scratched up. Still miles better than the smart
I bought them. They are expensive. They have a lot of tech in them.
Sound quality? Music sounds really good but you won't get the full picture of what these things can do until you play a movie with these on.
Listen to Lord of the Rings or something with a lot of high end sound texture (through Apple TV 4K) and you will hear partially why these cost what they do.
In addition, the fact that they effortlessly work with and switch between my iPhone 12 Pro, my M1 Mac and my Apple TV 4k is very nice and is actually why I much prefer them vs Sonys or Bose wireless headphones.
Are they as good as comparably priced Sonys or Bose? I think so but they are a lot better than all the Beats headphones, they don't pop out of my ears easily like my AirPods Pro do (they are also a lot more comfortable over long periods than in-ear buds) and in the end I am not disappointed in the purchase. Is the "smart case" dumb? Yes. Should these have been cheaper? Meh, sure I would have preferred to pay $100 or $200 less but I'm gonna keep my pair and enjoy them.
Sound quality? Music sounds really good but you won't get the full picture of what these things can do until you play a movie with these on.
Listen to Lord of the Rings or something with a lot of high end sound texture (through Apple TV 4K) and you will hear partially why these cost what they do.
In addition, the fact that they effortlessly work with and switch between my iPhone 12 Pro, my M1 Mac and my Apple TV 4k is very nice and is actually why I much prefer them vs Sonys or Bose wireless headphones.
Are they as good as comparably priced Sonys or Bose? I think so but they are a lot better than all the Beats headphones, they don't pop out of my ears easily like my AirPods Pro do (they are also a lot more comfortable over long periods than in-ear buds) and in the end I am not disappointed in the purchase. Is the "smart case" dumb? Yes. Should these have been cheaper? Meh, sure I would have preferred to pay $100 or $200 less but I'm gonna keep my pair and enjoy them.
If by High quality you mean stainless steel and aluminum, sure. Even Apple promotes the aesthetic first before sound quality on their own website. But in regards to high fidelity, even w/ Bluetooth 5.0, these will not hold a candle to wired cans that cost just as much if not less. If you want to just have another Apple product the price is irrelevant, however for the money, these are not worth it.
Case sucks. More comfortable and sound better than my NC700. Not sure if worth the price but due to an error, I got them for free, and I like them better than my NC700 so I’m happy.
An 'influencer'? Apparently they are people that demand special treatment because they think they are something hot...
PASS...
I take the top 10%, and the bottom 10%, if there are enough reviews, and toss them in the trash. If the rest are favorable, I'll consider the product. I'll take a look at it, and see what I think. If the reviews are all 'used car salesman' dreck, I'll pass unless the product is something that I absolutely positively can't live without,a nd then I'll take a long hard look at it. It generally works pretty well. The PowerBeats Pro being one of the notable Oopses... But the second pair are pretty good, if I keep them in the charging case, and keep that plugged inn, 24X7. *groan*