Sidebar Sidebar
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

LongWayHome said:
I find it hilarious that people are defending the weight of these and the ridiculous case by saying "Well these aren't meant for travel, they are meant for home use watching movies." WTF Are you talking about? Are we seriously living in a world where Apple releases WIRELESS noise cancelling headphones and people are claiming that they aren't meant for travel? You have got to be kidding me. Having noise cancelling headphones in my home is absolutely absurd.

I want to wear noise cancelling headphones in place where I actually want to cancel the noise, like in an airport, train, etc. I have never watched a movie in my home wearing headphones. But now I guess that's the main function of AirPods Max. I use my headphones for music in croweded places for long stretches of time sometimes and that's what I expect to get out of the Airpods Max.

Jeez what's next? Apple is going to release the Apple Car and people will claim its only meant to sit in the driveway.
Click to expand...
Agree on the stupid case. It’s... just plain stupid, no way around it.

Still betting on a more reasonable SE version by next year or 2022 with more traditional power switch and case or pouch. :)
 
G5isAlive said:
I am not defending the case, agree 100% not great for traveling and I no doubt will be replacing it with a third party case made for travel. BUT. I took my Max off at one point and put it on the desk, and immediately got nervous about the aluminum cans getting scratched and instantly understood Apple's case. It was just designed for keeping the cans from being scratched during routine use. Nothing more, nothing less. Given how many people complain about their phones and watch scratching I see where Apple was coming from. I expect to be called a fan boy for not totally roasting Apple over it, but I am typing this while listening to a movie and just blown away by the soundstage, and so just don't care that much about the case. It will protect it enough sitting at home.
Click to expand...
Just to give you the satisfaction of being right: you’re a fan boy.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive and Ds6778
Two "beautifully crafted" buttons, none of them can turn the headphones off when not in use, unless you drain the battery completely.. SMH

Even a modest $299 Beats Solo Pro can be turned off, simply by folding it, why not do the same for AirPods Max? No matter how Apple twist it, stand-by mode is not completely off, and it will drain the battery much quicker.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iLLUMI
cardfan said:
But that’s the thing. I want the full picture of what they can do combined with a little apple magic and their Apple Music plan. Obviously we’re not getting it. Again very few but 600 dollar headsets to watch movies on their iPhone.
Click to expand...
Well, I do video editing, play video games, listen to music and watch movies. For all of these tasks, I am happy with the performance. But audio is one of those things where personal taste apply. These seem not to "color" the sound like the beats do, they seem more natural and clear as compared to those.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
thadoggfather said:
I hate that you have to use the 'case' for standby mode without severe battery drain

learned that from Marques Brownlee video
Click to expand...
This is the largest push-back and Apple will probably fix it in the next version. They will probably also up their game with the case design.
 
Quu said:
Having owned heavy headphones in the past I know how it can ruin the experience no matter how good they sound. If people are already reporting discomfort after only 40 minutes ... not great :(
Click to expand...
I can't use both AirPods or AirPods Pro for more than 20 minutes without my ears hurting too much. So double the time is fine with me :)
 
iSayuSay said:
Two "beautifully crafted" buttons, none of them can turn the headphones off when not in use, unless you drain the battery completely.. SMH

Even a modest $299 Beats Solo Pro can be turned off, simply by folding it, why not do the same for AirPods Max? No matter how Apple twist it, stand-by mode is not completely off, and it will drain the battery much quicker.
Click to expand...
This is widely misreported. While the case puts them to sleep, just taking them off does more or less the same thing. Multiple reviewers have said that they took theirs off, left them on a desk for 20hrs and came back with the battery % barely moving. By barely moving, they said literally 1% drop in 20hrs of sitting on their desk not in a case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jax44, G5isAlive and zhenya
Priced at $900 in Australia.
For that price I would expect a decent protective case.
 
LongWayHome said:
I find it hilarious that people are defending the weight of these and the ridiculous case by saying "Well these aren't meant for travel, they are meant for home use watching movies." WTF Are you talking about? Are we seriously living in a world where Apple releases WIRELESS noise cancelling headphones and people are claiming that they aren't meant for travel? You have got to be kidding me. Having noise cancelling headphones in my home is absolutely absurd.

I want to wear noise cancelling headphones in place where I actually want to cancel the noise, like in an airport, train, etc. I have never watched a movie in my home wearing headphones. But now I guess that's the main function of AirPods Max. I use my headphones for music in croweded places for long stretches of time sometimes and that's what I expect to get out of the Airpods Max.

Jeez what's next? Apple is going to release the Apple Car and people will claim its only meant to sit in the driveway.
Click to expand...
I love people who cannot see outside of their own narrow worldview.

You do realize that much of the world has been confined to home work and schooling for the past 9 months? In our house everyone - all 5 of us - have been wearing headphones 8 hours a day. Noise canceling is a must.

If you live with other people, or live in an apartment or condo where you share walls, watching a movie with a home theater system isn't happening at any volume that justifies having such a system. A great pair of headphones - especially these or the APP's with spatial audio now bring that experience to private listening.

Yes, I'm sure people will also use these for traveling, but it's clear from the design that it's not Apple's intended primary use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
iSayuSay said:
Two "beautifully crafted" buttons, none of them can turn the headphones off when not in use, unless you drain the battery completely.. SMH

Even a modest $299 Beats Solo Pro can be turned off, simply by folding it, why not do the same for AirPods Max? No matter how Apple twist it, stand-by mode is not completely off, and it will drain the battery much quicker.
Click to expand...
God I can't wait until people give up this tired complaint.

These headphones are FULL of sensors. They know if they are on your head or not. The sensors being powered when they are off your head use essentially zero power (BT5 which is what maintains the connection to your phone for those first two hours is in devices that get years of battery life from a coin cell battery.)

Once those are shut down, the accelerometer would be the only thing that needs to be powered in order to turn them on again - and a modern low power accelerometer makes BT5 look like a power hog.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
dba415 said:
All I hear are people justifying spending $200-$300 more for headphones than they need to. The improvements that people are citing are pretty much all niche. For the vast majority of consumers, the XM4s will make them happy.

no doubt XM4 sales will increase due to the AirPods Max announcement.
Click to expand...
Its also about the experience. Every other day I need to clear out my pairing list on my Sennheiser wireless headphones since I have so many computers, phones, tablets and Apple TVs. using my AirPods as a test, those work very well and I do not need to essentially reset them every other day like I do with my Sennheiser.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
I have yet to see any comments on the presence or lack of - any time sync problems. If you are going to be watching movies that is. Nothing bother me more (besides lack of fidelity) than being out of sync and trying to adjust a plus/minus time offset.
 
Poindexter333 said:
I have yet to see any comments on the presence or lack of - any time sync problems. If you are going to be watching movies that is. Nothing bother me more (besides lack of fidelity) than being out of sync and trying to adjust a plus/minus time offset.
Click to expand...
When used with Apple devices the existing line of AirPods have no problem with this, so no reason to believe these will be any different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive and Poindexter333
What I'm curious about and haven't seen any of is how they compare to the Drop THX Pandas. I got the Pandas because of how well they were reviewed for audio accuracy and they absolutely blow the Bose and Sony competition out of the water for sound quality. It's a nice flat curve with 55mm drivers and a frequency range of 10-50000 hz, the only complaint I have is the cushion for the headband is definitely worse than the competition but it's usable for 2-3 hours before it becomes a nuisance for me and longer if I wear them clamp style.
 
Lets be real everyone. The AirPods at $200, AirPods Pro at $250 and the AirPods Max at $550 are all priced high. Even just the AirPods. Part of the cost DOES include the ecosystem. This is why I buy Macs, iPhones and iPads mostly is the ecosystem. I am glad to pay a bit more for something that is well thought out in terms of usability. Coming from Sennheiser wireless headphones where I have way too many Apple products that the headphones can manage, I need to clear out my pairing list every other day and re-pair on each device I need to use at that time. It is quite frustrating. However, my AirPods can switch to all of these without needing to re-pair. The only problem is both AirPods and AirPods Pro hurt my ears after 20 minutes of use. I need to take one out, and have only one in an ear at a time 20 minutes in. Then I swap ears every 10/20 minutes.

This product is perfect for me. The experience is there that I prefer. Even with the Sony or Bose I would still need to clear out the pairing list from time to time. Max Tech had good things to say about these. Even if these sound as good as my $375 Sennheiser wireless headphones I purchased 5 years ago I will be happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
So, just for comparison: I have some Skullcandy Crusher wireless headphones, and I know they’re nothing like the AirPod Max Pro Max SEs or whatevs, but I love them because they actually shake with the bass! ((( 🎧)))

Skull-rattling bass is, IMO, priceless. 😄
 
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: Stridr69 and anshuvorty
dampfnudel said:
If some people are complaining about the weight/pressure on their ears after only 40-45 mins, forget about wearing them on a flight across the Atlantic or Pacific and not regret the purchase. I can already see Tim talk on stage about how they made the AirPod Max 2nd gen or Series 2 lighter after “feedback” from our customers. It’s a shame because they look nice with the case being the exception and another thing to fix with the next generation AirPods Max.
Click to expand...
Its all subjective. I absolutely CANNOT use both earbuds at the same time. Whether its the old free wired earbuds from iPhone 6 era, or the AirPods and AirPods Pro. They just hurt the inside of my ears too much. So I have been dealing with having one in and swapping ears every 10/20 minutes. Other people can use them for hours without issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
Maconplasma said:
This is comical beyond belief that you'd say this. People here criticize Apple's unreleased products that nobody has even tried or tested. They even criticize unannounced rumored Apple products, and you expect someone not to criticize some random tech blogger they've never heard of? lol
Click to expand...
Not to mention bashing/negatively on Apple does get a lot of views.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ErikGrim, G5isAlive and Unregistered 4U
SubduedTiger said:
Just to give you the satisfaction of being right: you’re a fan boy.
Click to expand...
This whole fan boy stuff needs to stop. Its very irritating when you say you like a product people say you are a fan boy. You should NEVER truly be a fanboy of ANY company. Linus from Linus Tech Tips has the right approach that being a fan boy of any company is bad.

I get called an Apple fanboy because I like Macs, yet I also have Linux and Windows systems that I use. So just because I prefer Macs I am a fanboy? Okay!
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive, coachingguy and George Dawes
tigres said:
you have seen the price on the H95's right? I own the H9's and the H9i- love them both but I passed on the H95 at that price point.
Click to expand...
Those new H95 ARE gorgeous, though! But, I just bought the 3rd Gen H9's earlier this year. I won't be splurging on any new over-ears anytime soon. Even though...this Spatial Audio does appeal. I love the H9 3rd Gen, I think they sound amazing, and have excellent battery life. I love that I can adjust the sound with the otherwise horrible App. Can you compare the sound of the H9 (Gen 3) with these AirPods Max? Very curious. And I don't see how I can go into a store and listen to them!
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back