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Apple Announces AirPods Max Over-Ear Headphones With Noise Cancellation, Priced at $549
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Don't count on AptX. It is Lightning. Don't know about battery or earcushions, wait for iFixit.
No they're not. Real audiophiles pairs are even more expensive. This is actually within range, if it delivers on sound quality.
And ‘audiophiles’ only ever buy expensive, audiophile products?
I’ve spent more than I could ever remember on good quality audio equipment in my time - I’m a particular fan of Arcam, among others.
But I’ll still buy a set of Bluetooth headphones, or buds, for when I’m gardening, or such. Because they’re convenient. I’d still like them to produce listenable music, of course, but I don’t expect them to perform the same as something five or ten times their price.
Not every situation calls for the absolute best in audio quality, sometimes convenience wins out.
That’s definitely not to say I’d buy these of course. If they surprised us all and produce an acceptable quality, for wireless cans, then maybe. But there’s some serious competition at that price point.
At the start of the year I was gonna get myself some Sennheiser Momentum 3 to replace my ageing Zik2.
Then came the rumour about Apple headphones so I decided to wait it out.
So now they are here... and I must say my first impression is that they don’t look like a luxury product or a studio level product. And the case, is frankly ridiculous.
As for the £550 price, we’ll have to wait for the reviews.
I suspect these will prove to be better than the Ziks that cost me £250.
I don’t think they’ll be as good from an audio quality perspective as my Etymotic Pro IEM that now cost around £400. But they are a different product type with a different audience.
I can’t see the spatial audio feature being worth much to me, sounds like that’s for people watching movies.
The auto connection to multiple devices would be useful.
Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between these and £200 headphones, just like most people can’t tell the difference between £4,000 headphones and £200 headphones.
I will have to wait for reviews... a rtings.com review will be good to read...
Then came the rumour about Apple headphones so I decided to wait it out.
So now they are here... and I must say my first impression is that they don’t look like a luxury product or a studio level product. And the case, is frankly ridiculous.
As for the £550 price, we’ll have to wait for the reviews.
I suspect these will prove to be better than the Ziks that cost me £250.
I don’t think they’ll be as good from an audio quality perspective as my Etymotic Pro IEM that now cost around £400. But they are a different product type with a different audience.
I can’t see the spatial audio feature being worth much to me, sounds like that’s for people watching movies.
The auto connection to multiple devices would be useful.
Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between these and £200 headphones, just like most people can’t tell the difference between £4,000 headphones and £200 headphones.
I will have to wait for reviews... a rtings.com review will be good to read...
I get the industry arguments, I myself have Shure SE-535’s. But I’ve had those premium expensive ear buds for over 10 years. These have a battery that will die, a chip that will be out dated, and are not meant for pro audio from what I’m seeing. They look like premium media consumption cans and while I certainly don’t fault anyone for getting a pair, 549 in this current world climate for an Apple product with a questionable lifespan makes me wanna tell Apple... read the room y’all.
I know expensive, but how do these compare to Bose and Sony for noise cancellation, comfort and sound quality? Thanks. I have QC35, OK but getting a bit old, use them every day, and the software was always the weakest link. Jump through hoops to pair with a third device. They also broke down for 4 months then miraculously sprang back to life, so def in market for a new pair. Comfort is most important. I can't wear in-ear pods.
That's greatly assuming these are anywhere near "audiophile" quality, as a) they're wireless, and b) Apple Music, which I would assume would be the music source of choice for someone plunking down $550 for Apple branded headphones, doesn't produce sound quality remotely high enough for that price—especially not with what competition they have i.e. Sony, Bose, B&O, etc. where the higher-tier of their wireless offerings are around $400 not-on-sale.
800+ comments on a thing that just got announced, I think this may be a record. I'm not surprised though, they do look eye wateringly expensive - even more pricey than the studio reference headphones I use for work. I guess if people were hoping the "xmas surprise" from Apple was going to be a cheap stocking-stuffer gift like Air Tags, this really isn't it.
Well this reaction seem very familiar, weren't folks jumping to conclusions when the Apple Silicon was first announced?
I'll be interested in seeing how these things get assessed by proper audiophiles, not YouTubers.
It feels like it's going to be the same debate as we have with the camera on a phone (and the M1 / 8Gb ram debate). Some purists will apply old term rules to new term products.
Old school enthusiasts are so caught up in arguing about the physics of light, sensor size etc that they completely ignore that handheld nightmode shots aren't possible on their $5,000 DSLR setup.
We are moving to an age where the algorithm is at least as important as the hardware. These appear to apply software enhancements to optimise sound quality. Each ear has the H1 chip, with lots of processing taking place to deliver a better sound quality, at least in principal and if you believe the marketing hype.
Whilst the price seems high, it's if the quality is exceptional then these will be reasonably priced. At the moment, we need to wait and see.
I'll be interested in seeing how these things get assessed by proper audiophiles, not YouTubers.
It feels like it's going to be the same debate as we have with the camera on a phone (and the M1 / 8Gb ram debate). Some purists will apply old term rules to new term products.
Old school enthusiasts are so caught up in arguing about the physics of light, sensor size etc that they completely ignore that handheld nightmode shots aren't possible on their $5,000 DSLR setup.
We are moving to an age where the algorithm is at least as important as the hardware. These appear to apply software enhancements to optimise sound quality. Each ear has the H1 chip, with lots of processing taking place to deliver a better sound quality, at least in principal and if you believe the marketing hype.
Whilst the price seems high, it's if the quality is exceptional then these will be reasonably priced. At the moment, we need to wait and see.
I'm sure plenty of rich non-white men will wear the heck out of them too. Athletes, celebrities, some random Apple obsessed rich people, reality tv people like the Kardashians, etc.
I've had these in my cart all morning. I just can't get over that stupid case and that they don't fold down more. These types of headphones are huge with travelers and these just seem to fail at being stuffed in a carryon. I'm gonna stick with my Sonys...decision made. I really wanted to like these, but I just can't.
In the Netherlands it’s EUR 629, which is around $761 at current exchange rates. That is including sales tax though.
I’m surprised by the lightning port. I think that might actually be a red flag for more people than Apple considers it to be, where competitors such as Bowers & Wilkins and B&O all use USB-C.
Blimey, a sensible comment. I’m taking a screenshot of this for posterity. 😂
I agree somewhat. I don’t understand why all the “Pro” stuff other than iPhones, and now even the iPad Air use USB-C but they use Lightning on these? People who can afford $550 and want them from Apple a) probably already have lightning cables and b) if they didn’t, a few is a drop in the bucket.
Hmmmm... I don’t think anyone can say whether these are good or not until rtings.com reviews them but... the AirPods and AirPod Pros have terrible sound quality and these still run on the H1 which is... adequate.
Coupled with the high price + weight I’m not sure why a normal person would buy these instead of the Sony or Bose.
Coupled with the high price + weight I’m not sure why a normal person would buy these instead of the Sony or Bose.