AirPods Max (Lightning) or Something Else?

[Yebubbleman]

I'm eying an AirPods Max. Beyond being over-ear headphones, the features I'm most interested in are the AirPods style of pairing to Apple Devices (which is to say automatic and via my Apple ID) and the ability to attach a cable to use them as wired headphones for any non-Apple devices that I have (which is to say, the lion's share of them since, these days, I only really use one Mac, one iPad, and one MacBook Pro, but I have a ton of other devices from other ecosystems).

I was hoping that the USB-C AirPods Max would allow for straight USB-C to USB-C wired audio. But alas, everything I've read would indicate that's not a function that the current USB-C AirPods Max allows for. Then I read that the Lightning AirPods Max DOES support this feature with Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm cable. Beyond being baffled at Apple for removing a feature that makes these $550 headphones MORE marketable, I'm now thinking that maybe I ought to look into the Lightning AirPods Max since (a) I still have plenty of Lightning cables lying around and (b) there isn't any other key differences between Lightning AirPods Max and USB-C AirPods Max.

Then again, I'm not at all familiar with the Beats line and have heard that plenty of them will still pair to Apple devices just like any AirPods model will and that some of them have the ability to be used as wired headphones just like the Lightning AirPods Max does with that Lightning cable.

If what I want is AirPods Max Apple ID-based pairing ease mixed in with the ability to also use a cable to attach to a device for wired audio, should I go with the Lightning Max or some other Beats model?

 

[dotzero123]

It's all about preference. I went to the local Best Buy where you could try all of the headphones and picked up a pair of Bose QC. For me, the sound was "meh" and I don't like pleather or whatever it is. I tried the Beats and the plastic creaking was a big turn off. They sounded really good, but I like I was wearing legos. The Max build is premium and sound really good, but they are far from the best out there. They do sound perfect to me, but I'm not an audiophile. From what I've read, there are equal or better OTE headphones at the price point. The lightning to audio cable is not true lossless, but from what I understand it sounds good. (Haven't compared for myself.). A very long preface to say.. make sure to see them and listen to them in store. You might find that you have preferences that go above and beyond the wired capabilities of the headphones you mentioned. If you really want the highest quality wired earphones, you might sacrifice the ease of the Apple products.

 

[Yebubbleman]

It's all about preference. I went to the local Best Buy where you could try all of the headphones and picked up a pair of Bose QC. For me, the sound was "meh" and I don't like pleather or whatever it is. I tried the Beats and the plastic creaking was a big turn off. They sounded really good, but I like I was wearing legos. The Max build is premium and sound really good, but they are far from the best out there. They do sound perfect to me, but I'm not an audiophile. From what I've read, there are equal or better OTE headphones at the price point. The lightning to audio cable is not true lossless, but from what I understand it sounds good. (Haven't compared for myself.). A very long preface to say.. make sure to see them and listen to them in store. You might find that you have preferences that go above and beyond the wired capabilities of the headphones you mentioned. If you really want the highest quality wired earphones, you might sacrifice the ease of the Apple products.

I'm not a huge audiophile. I want something large that I can automatically pair with my Apple stuff in the way that my first generation AirPods Pro does, but also that I can plug into something else (without the need to go through any kind of wireless pairing process) when I want to. Which is also to say that I'm cool with the lightning to 3.5mm cable not being a true lossless wired connection. I'd be more down with something that worked USB-C to USB-C (which ought to be digital to digital) or USB-C to audio. It's really disappointing that the USB-C AirPods Max don't do this. But if something Beats-branded does everything I'm looking for (and costs considerably less than Best Buy's $400 price on its remaining supply of Lightning AirPods Max or Apple's $550 MSRP on the current USB-C AirPods Max), I'll totally be fine with the material not being ideal. I'm guessing that much of the AirPods Max's high cost is in materials and comfort (which aren't necessarily measurable on a spec sheet).

 

[Phuz01]

I'm a big fan of the latest Beasts Studio Pro headphones. They have a long-lasting battery, decent noise cancellation, and (most importantly to me), the ability to connect to a device with a USB-C cable and listen to lossless audio. These cans have all the advantages of Apple-branded headphones, and even though they feel a little flimsy, I've travelled with them (and fallen asleep listening to them) and they're holding up just as well as when they were new. And right now you can get them for about $350 less than the Airpods Max. (Full discloure, I have a 3-year-old pair of Airpods Max lightning, and I still use them daily for video conferencing at work; the noise cancellation and comfort over long periods of time can't be beaten. But they just don't sound as good as the Studio Pros.)