Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

AirPods Max Launched One Year Ago Today

I got my blue AirPods Max 10 months ago and it is still very good. So far no quality issues. These headphones age well.

Overall the sound is very good. Booming bass is handled very well. If the song doesn't sound good, usually it's the song; lousy production.

I am hoping next gen AirPods Max is in the works. A cable for lossless listening should come with next gen AirPods Max...considering the price...and a better case covering the mesh part.
 
  • Love
Reactions: jprmercado
HappyDude20 said:
Definitely not worth it.

They don’t even come close to Sennheiser.
Click to expand...

Hmm - Depends on the model right?

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD880s at work for editing... and while they are fantastic... they are £1400. And for 90% of Audio the Airpod Max are comparable.

That said the Airpod Max should be about $£300 and they'd sell twice as many. they are way better than the PXC 550-II we have too.
 
I use mine every day, the quality is really good. Yes, the price is high but I love the seamless integration throughout the ecosystem which is unmatched vs other companies. Overall a great quality product with great integration
 
  • Like
Reactions: ignatius345
ChrisFa said:
I use mine every day, the quality is really good. Yes, the price is high but I love the seamless integration throughout the ecosystem which is unmatched vs other companies. Overall a great quality product with great integration
Click to expand...
Outside of the initial setup, which removes maybe 2-3 seconds from the initial pairing since you don't have to go into the bluetooth settings area, these aren't any 'easier' or 'better' integrated with iOS compared to any other modern bluetooth capable headphone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbineseaplane
I almost got one, but ultimately canceled before it shipped. I couldn't find any info if this would cause problems with those with neck issues. e.g. while I can work seated or standing, while standing, I'll often find my posture having a forward head-tilt. With these rather heavy headphones, I was worried that would to lead to more issues. Apple hasn't heard of users reporting such issues, but I decided to error on the side of caution.

I'd really love the 20 hours of battery life though. I use AirPods Pro, and on meeting-heavy days, I can run out of power. Hoping the next gen of AirPods Pro could give more battery life. Or, perhaps the next gen of the Pro Max could be lighter?
 
Kylo83 said:
They don’t even sound that good lol AirPods Pro to me sound better and don’t have that massive bulk over your head the product was dead on arrival
Click to expand...
Okay, thanks for showing you don't have AirPods Max to compare. I have both and AirPods Max have much better noise cancellation and sound compared to AirPods Pro.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dogg
mchart said:
Numerous objective tests have shown both the ANC and sound quality delivery are worse compared to pretty much every other competing set of wireless ANC headphones in the category, and all of these competing headphones are at least $200 cheaper.

I'm still dumbfounded Apple didn't use these along with their iTunes lossless upgrade to at least offer a device with true lossless over wireless. People would have been willing to swallow the $200 premium and the fact that they are less portable.
Click to expand...
These "competitors" have to be something really special because noise cancellation in AirPods Max is good. Transparency mode is also good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jprmercado
mchart said:
Numerous objective tests have shown both the ANC and sound quality delivery are worse compared to pretty much every other competing set of wireless ANC headphones in the category, and all of these competing headphones are at least $200 cheaper.
Click to expand...
And I've seen numerous objective tests that show they are significantly better in ANC and perceived sound quality over every other competing set of wireless ANC headphones, which I will _also_ not bother to link to.

mchart said:
I'm still dumbfounded Apple didn't use these along with their iTunes lossless upgrade to at least offer a device with true lossless over wireless. People would have been willing to swallow the $200 premium and the fact that they are less portable.
Click to expand...
It would help if lossless files didn't average over the amount of bandwidth that can be transmitted to the headphones wirelessly without massive battery life impacts. Maybe gen2/bluetooth 6?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Milennia, Stratus Fear, dogg and 1 other person
Definitely worth it if you can get them at a heavy discount
Be weary of potential reliability issues however, I had to get mine repaired twice, the third pair is doing fine for now (knock on wood), but the first two pair croaked after not even a month of use.
 
anthogag said:
These "competitors" have to be something really special because noise cancellation in AirPods Max is good. Transparency mode is also good.
Click to expand...
Sure, it's good. The question is why is it only on-par with Sony and Bose's offerings that are at least $200 less? Which, by the way, pack better, are lighter, offer better battery life, and come with a real case?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jwalesh96, ericwn and anthonymoody
dwaite said:
And I've seen numerous objective tests that show they are significantly better in ANC and perceived sound quality over every other competing set of wireless ANC headphones, which I will _also_ not bother to link to.


It would help if lossless files didn't average over the amount of bandwidth that can be transmitted to the headphones wirelessly without massive battery life impacts. Maybe gen2/bluetooth 6?
Click to expand...
I just can't see the point of the Apple tax here without offering a killer 'Apple Only' feature like that. Yes, i'm aware these offer the spatial audio integration, however, that ain't enough to justify the price hike. Wireless lossless would.
 
  • Like
Reactions: anthonymoody and turbineseaplane
$449 would be a better starting point for the APMs. I didn't pay full price but enjoy them - but I also swap devices a *lot*, so being able to do that seamlessly is worth a price premium over whatever fax machine designation Sony alternative.

And Bose? Some of you all need to catch up on your acronyms. ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jprmercado
mchart said:
Outside of the initial setup, which removes maybe 2-3 seconds from the initial pairing since you don't have to go into the bluetooth settings area, these aren't any 'easier' or 'better' integrated with iOS compared to any other modern bluetooth capable headphone.
Click to expand...
OP probably meant the seamless switching between devices thanks to the H1 chip.

Like, I could be playing a movie on my iPad, and when my friend sends me an Apple Music link on my iPhone, I can pause the movie then play the song, and my AirPods Max will automatically connect to my iPhone without me having to go into settings.
 
Very limiting in their use. You can pretty much only wear them at home / work / airplane. Sound bleeds in from surroundings anywhere else.
 
GMShadow said:
$449 would be a better starting point for the APMs. I didn't pay full price but enjoy them - but I also swap devices a *lot*, so being able to do that seamlessly is worth a price premium over whatever fax machine designation Sony alternative.

And Bose? Some of you all need to catch up on your acronyms. ?
Click to expand...
Oh, don't worry, Apple is absolutely achieving Bose status with these.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Milennia
mchart said:
Sure, it's good. The question is why is it only on-par with Sony and Bose's offerings that are at least $200 less? Which, by the way, pack better, are lighter, offer better battery life, and come with a real case?
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's "on par" with Sony or Bose.

Sony or Bose are plastic. AirPods Max has stainless cups and materials feel good.

AirPods Max are more streamlined on the head. Sony and Bose headphones I've seen stick-out more.
 
After a year, did anybody care? I mean it is Apple, those things will be vintage some day, maybe even the connection to non Apple devices is poor and on the other hand there are lots of great headphones out there.

Do they come with modern USB-C port or does Lightning strike again?
 
anthogag said:
I don't know if it's "on par" with Sony or Bose.

Sony or Bose are plastic. AirPods Max has stainless cups and materials feel good.

AirPods Max are more streamlined on the head. Sony and Bose headphones I've seen stick-out more.
Click to expand...
If the intent is making it portable, i'd rather have the plastic of the Sony, Bose, etc. It's not as if the metal of Max is actually making it more durable in this case. It's just all for show, adding weight, and it doesn't fold up good.
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: jwalesh96 and turbineseaplane
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