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I’d be in the market maybe for these if I didn’t have Beats Studio Wireless 3 which I think were a Black Friday Christmas gift at $90 off when I got them 2 years ago.

But these reviews by people who have the Sony, Bose, or both and are now spending $550 plus tax on these and likely will return them or then have 2-3 pairs seems ridiculous. Screams look at me.

These do seem pricey. But the talk is actually worse than the price. And if you have the disposable money to get them and have other brands, great. But we don’t need to hear from you.
Just because someone has other headphones in addition to the new Apple Max, that doesn’t mean their comments should be discounted or not made at all. Who are we to take input from, if not the people who buy the AirMax?

If a forum member is overly biased towards AirMax and going out of his or her way to bash other products, then I move to the next forum member and assess his or work post.
 
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You had me until you started talking about watching movies on a plane and sound quality. The only, and I mean ONLY thing that matters in this situation is the ANC with regards to low frequencies and chatter. None of the current top brands is able to filter out background noise to a level that differences in sound accuracy and clarity would even remotely matter. I don't mind good gear, but your comment sounds like you are just celebrating expensive stuff.

Dude, say what? LOL. Glad to know the ONLY thing that ranks in your books is ANC, but even the MX4 does a reasonable job of that so that listening to music, watching movies, on a plane is better with ANC on than off. Or do you disagree with that? And the ANC with the Max is excellent. I tested that sitting next to a window unit air-conditioner at full blast. Not quite the low frequencies of a plane, but not a bad test. It passed with flying sounds (tried to hit a pun there but failed) So yeah, I am looking forward to the experience while traveling. No clue how you can say accuracy and clarity do not count on a plane. Sounds snobbish. Shrug. And do you even know or have experience with Spatial Audio as Apple implements it? I am guessing not, because you totally missed that point.

But you are right, I AM celebrating how much I enjoy Spatial Audio with ANC on my Max. The purchase was a bit of a gamble because I didnt have all the expert reviews in. But I took it, and am very very pleased/relieved. And I am going to enjoy these over the holidays while people who waited for the reviews wait for another 3 months to get theirs. My guess is Santa is leaving you coal though, so don't expect a miracle.
 
No. The best headphones on the market are the few types universally used by audio engineers who work in studios or location sound recording. None of these people pay $500. The industry standards tend to be $100 or less. High priced headphones are for home users who are more gullible.

You might think you need $500 headphones but the guy who mastered the recording almost certainly did not think so. Which are the "best" professional headphones? It really depends on the industry. The TV and motion picture industry uses a certain model Sony and a couple of different AKG are the most common in the music business.

Oddly, this is not the same as speakers. Pros working in a studio will be happy to outspend the average consumer when it comes to speakers by the same huge amounts
What? Audiophiles pay far more...go ask them why.
 
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Sounds like they might be worth as much as 350$ based on the reviews here and on YouTube. Very nice entry level headphones.

$350 probably would be more in line with Sony XM4s. However, still think I need some more user reviews here. I agree the smart case really isn’t all that ‘smart’, but ultimately my biggest concern isn’t necessarily the sound quality, but the comfort that others are mentioning that don’t rival the competition. (Maybe that’s partially due to weight.)
 
Always weird to see a review mention the “build quality” compared to Sony/Bose then in the same breath complain about the weight.

Like... yeah, the reason the other two don’t weigh as much is because they’re made from plastic. That’s the whole point.

Also... it’s interesting that people are comparing these $549 headphones to ones you can find for half the price instead of more premium offerings from B&O, etc.

Kind of a tell, tbh.
 
Ya but those are a different product segment. Wired and often used with an amp and I'm sure sound a lot better. It's a big jump when the best in the wireless noise cancelling segment is around half the price and more comfortable. I'm sure Apple will sell a load of them but wouldn't be surprised from this article if less die hard apple people return them based on comfort and overall value.
Apple should have included a wired option.
 
I'm just not sold on: weight, headband, polyester, crown control, no jack or cable included (yes sold separately, i know), no personal equalizer, no case, no option to turn them off, no charger, not sure if they have transparency mode?

I'm sold on: sound, magnetic cups.

So it's no only about the money. After the whole pros and cons I endup being sold only on one and a half thing compared to a dozen of cons. Will I buy it? No. Unless they change the cons to pros, I won't, even if it was $350, which is still not cheap by any means.
 
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 :(

Totally agree

The #1 thing I've learned about over-ear's, for me, is that the lowest weight possible is essentially a requirement..or I simply won't use them long term.

I've done it multiple times now over the years -- always end up selling the units that are heavier.
 
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 :(

yep, I was one of those people who reported discomfort at 40 minutes... now I have been wearing them straight for 210 minutes and find them to be comfortable. shrugs. Not sure what changed to be honest. Might be that I am just that much more into the sound experience than when I first put them on. Or maybe just got used to them being different. All I know is at first I was nervous. Now I am not.
 
I am hearing sounds (and indeed lyrics) that I didn't hear on my Sony-MX4s. Big nogging and they're a little tight, but feel comfortable enough. Noise canceling beats the MX4 for my money. Case isn't great, yeah. These are replacing my beats "sitting at the desk and working at my mac" headphones. Not disappointed at all.
Do they have Wind Noise Canceling like the Sony? Have you tried them on a windy day?
 
They do look like a premium build for sure, but that case looks absolutely dreadful! I doubt they are significantly better sound quality than my Sony WH-MX3, and comments about the weight concern me. I would sooner have them made of plastic than be uncomfortable due to their weight.
You should be concerned if you plan to use for long periods, it'll surely impact comfort. FYI some manufacturers are able to make aluminium and leather headphones much lighter, so that's not the issue, probably electronics and also the steel "mesh/polyurethane covered" headband will be more likely the cause.
 
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$350 probably would be more in line with Sony XM4s. However, still think I need some more user reviews here. I agree the smart case really isn’t all that ‘smart’, but ultimately my biggest concern isn’t necessarily the sound quality, but the comfort that others are mentioning that don’t rival the competition. (Maybe that’s partially due to weight.)

Reviews are all over the place. What matters is your review. You really won’t know til you’ve used them.
 
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Totally agree

The #1 thing I've learned about over-ear's, for me, is that the lowest weight possible is essentially a requirement..or I simply won't use them long term.

I've done it multiple times now over the years -- always end up selling the units that are heavier.
The same. Weight was the first criteria I checked when they announce these. Very disappointing.
 
You’d think for $550 they could include a case that actually protects them and isn’t an afterthought. It does look like a person high on acid drew up a case on a napkin and Timothy D Cook approved it.
I’m sure there will be real cases from 3rd parties for $99🙄
 
The same. Weight was the first criteria I checked when they announce these. Very disappointing.

Apple's only hope of getting me into a pair of these is with an "AirPods Max Air" version.

Nobody does materials like Apple, so it'd be disappointing if they don't show us the best, lightest, sexiest plastic over-ears we have ever seen.

Weight matters - a lot - for something meant to go on your head for hours at a time.
 
Audiophile and rabid Apple fanboy here to offer my 2c...I went into these expecting an over ear experience version of AirPods Pro-good enough for casual music listening and great for all day wear for podcasts, calls and the like, and easy to use. IMO they are waaaay too heavy, and the mic sensitivity is absurd-my friend could clearly hear me scratch my shoulder for example. In transparency mode, a noise like your hair rubbing against a couch cushion will be picked up and amplified. The sound is flat, but acceptable for the aforementioned tasks that AirPods Pro excel at. A third party travel case is much needed, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rare layman that purchases these recycles the case with the rest of the packing materials. I have a feeling they’ll wear extremely hot in the summertime. Again I’m a rabid Apple fan and buy basically anything they put out, and my regular headphone setup is a pair of Grado PS2000e’s with Schiit Jotunheim and Bifrost playing Tidal FLAC from an iPad Pro. I’m as close to non-price-sensitive as headphone buyers come, and in my opinion attempting to justify their pricing by pointing out that there are headphones multiples more expensive is pointless-any hobbyist headphone audiophile could name at least 5 cans that blow the AirPods Max out of the water sonically for $300 let alone 5-800+
 
The major sticking point for me with regards those that have bought the $550 APM is why? These owners have headphones that are in the $200 - $300 price bracket thus having ignored the $500 - $600 range of headphones that are out there. So why take the leap now for a $550 pair from Apple?. There are already very very good $500 - $600 headphones that have been out in the marketplace for years and years way before Apple even thought of making a pair but yet when looking for a decent pair of headphones, they opted for a $200 - $300 pair of headphones, knowing $500 priced headphones were out there. Why not spend the $500 on an already existing pair of $500 headphones? or save up for a $500 pair of headphones?.

If these APM owners wanted to spend $500 - $600 on a pair of headphones, why has it taken for Apple to build a pair for them to spend that amount of money?
 
I knew these were too heavy when even Gruber mentioned it.

I mean -- if John even hints at a true complaint about a new Apple product, you know there is some fire under the smoke.
 
Am I the only one, who just ordered the beats studio 3 wireless?

This isn’t to knock your choice of preference here, but I think beats is garbage. And I don’t necessarily mean the sound quality, I mean the construction and the overall durability. I’ve considered beats so many times and passed up on them, because of the mount of negativity that follows behind their product line. But for the money, I think they are very competitive, but I’d rather spend a little bit more money with a manufacturer that actually puts a little bit more effort into construction. (I.E. Sony, Bose, Audio-Technica)
 
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