The problem with HomePod is not the price. I’m still perfectly happy to buy at the original price. The problem is I can’t buy it because it is sold in very few countries.
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Apple Announces AirPods Max Over-Ear Headphones With Noise Cancellation, Priced at $549
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Apparently during the checkout process a lightning to 3.5mm cable is offered as an accessory purchase.
Federico Viticci asks a good question.
Ordered for one reason, Spatial Audio, it sounds great on AirPods but i just prefer over ear. The Sony XM4 sound great but i miss Spatial Audio on them.
I really don't care about the price if they sound good. My current headphones were ~1900, and they're decent at my desk when pumped through some Schitt Audio amps, but I really don't know if wireless headphones will _ever_ sound good enough to justify the prices.
If I can get quality wireless headphones, I'd probably pay near 3k.
Regardless, I just ordered a few pairs for the family and I. We'll see how they fare.
If I can get quality wireless headphones, I'd probably pay near 3k.
Regardless, I just ordered a few pairs for the family and I. We'll see how they fare.
Lightning connector in 2020. What a sad company.
I never thought they would announce these with just a press release so close to the holidays. And judging by the posts here, the vast majority are concentrating/complaining about the price. This is EXACTLY why Apple needed to announce this in an event so they can tell the story on why they're justifying the price they're asking for them.
So, this better be like the M1 chip - the claims were dubious until people tried it and became believers.
So, this better be like the M1 chip - the claims were dubious until people tried it and became believers.
Fair enough but don’t forget Beats Studio “retail” for $349 and yet they typically sell for $199 at Best Buy. Apple typically shocks the 99% at their price points but eventually the value proposition is realized ans/or prices drop. AirPods Pro, which seemed a bit shocking when released at $249 were selling for $169 recently. For bargain hunters who wait they will be picking these up for $275 a year from now...
First of all, no. Second of all, no. Third of all, no.
The Max is not comparable to Focal headphones. The Focal headphones are ACTUALLY worth $4000. They are professional, sleek, and provide uncompromising audio quality. You are paying for technology.
Disposable product with built-in batteries. And a bloody lightning port. €620. Wow!
A lot of people not understanding that the price serves two purposes:
1) Bracket in the AirPods Pro price to make that (highly overpriced) product seem more reasonably priced.
2) Serve as an option for those of whom money is not a huge concern, as that's a market to be tapped.
Additionally, I'd add that this price isn't even on the medium-high end for premium headphones. Look up offerings from other major high quality headphone makers and you'll see prices much higher than this.
All of this to say, this product is aimed at a very specific subset of the market and if your first thought is "$550 for a pair of damn headphones?!", you are not part of that subset. And before anybody says that's incredibly elitist of me to say, know that I consider myself part of the the group that wouldn't dream of paying $500+ for headphones. I just know when a product is aimed at me, and when it isn't.
1) Bracket in the AirPods Pro price to make that (highly overpriced) product seem more reasonably priced.
2) Serve as an option for those of whom money is not a huge concern, as that's a market to be tapped.
Additionally, I'd add that this price isn't even on the medium-high end for premium headphones. Look up offerings from other major high quality headphone makers and you'll see prices much higher than this.
All of this to say, this product is aimed at a very specific subset of the market and if your first thought is "$550 for a pair of damn headphones?!", you are not part of that subset. And before anybody says that's incredibly elitist of me to say, know that I consider myself part of the the group that wouldn't dream of paying $500+ for headphones. I just know when a product is aimed at me, and when it isn't.
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You're the one that brought up a pair of $2,500 Grado as if they should be mentioned in the same breath. That's basically equivalent to what Apple did comparing the Pro Display XDR to a reference monitor. Honestly the QC35s are about the level I'm expecting these to be at. If they were comparable to any studio headphones in their price range or above, I'd expect them to be priced even higher.
I bet you won’t distinguish between lossless and AAC 256 coming from the same master in a blind test with matched volume.
Also, lossless bluetooth codec doesn’t exist. The closest is Sony’s LDAC but it’s lossy as well
