I have both. ANC is about the same. Battery life and comfort are much better with the Max. Pros are waterproofed and of course much smaller and more portable. Sound is similar, but better with the Max.
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Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Max
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Same. Mine have gotten me through years of pandemic, a baby, and lots and lots of work zooms -- plus a zillion hours of TV. One of the best tech purchases I've ever made.
Early tests are good with the new firmware - right cup rumbling/squelching with ANC on is all but gone. Will see how the next few days go, but so much better so far.
I really wouldn’t recommend them in general right now but especially if you have AirPods Pro 2. The Pro 2 make the Max feel outdated. Adaptive audio and conversation awareness are extremely useful features that have made all the difference for me.
Obviously, sound quality is a bit better on the Max, but it sounds too close to me to care. Noise cancellation sounds about the same to me as well. I prefer the Max for comfort for long-term use, but some people find them too heavy. The Max are less portable and more of a hassle to carry around.
The real kicker though: the AirPods Pro 2 are regularly selling for $189 while the AirPods Max go for $449 or $429 if you’re lucky. That’s an extra ~$250 for a product that’s missing features and has very little benefit over the other unless you really, really value over-ear headphones instead of earbuds.
Also, other people don’t seem to have the issues I do, but my AirPods Max have been one of the buggiest Apple products I’ve owned. I still use them everyday though.
We need to remember that in Android world they are getting new Qualcomm chips that allow losses coming out this year. We will see future Apple products support losses not just the Apple Vision Pro. Watch this years iPhone to support it, and ideally the new iPads. Airpod Max 2 should ideally come out next year but it’s Apple, so who knows, this year they might just focus on the new homepods with a screen.
unfortunately my APM stopped connecting to my devices a couple of weeks ago, and the Genius Bar said the 3 flashes of orange when I attempted to reset were the sign of death, basically. $300 for a "repair". (likely getting a refurb in place of mine). Since it happened to my son's APM as well, I am reluctant to part with $300 more for a faulty product after owning it for only 2 years. Used only in my home, and not abused. from what i have read, it is the bluetooth chip that is the likely culprit.
Considering that they're just headphones, and that there's very little chance of a major redesign, I'm not sure how much you'd miss out on buying these over a 2nd edition. Improved battery life, perhaps, and the inclusion of USB-C?
As for a comparison to the Airpods Pro 2, they're not nearly as practical in transit, but are a lot more fun if you're just sitting in one spot for an extended period, listening to a record or watching a movie, for example. Because they're overear headphones, the noise canceling is better, but overall, it really depends what you plan to use them for, so it's hard to call one better than the other. I have both, and if I had to keep one, the Airpods are great and just more versatile. But there are situations where overear headphones are nicer to have, and I never regret buying the Max when I put them on.
Using mine from the release and love them, not using the case at all, updated automatically don’t know when as always 👍🏻
Same here, exact same problem. None of the solutions offered from folks either at Apple or other users on their forum/Reddit have worked for me. I bought them at launch and treated them extremely carefully, it's a shame to have to e-waste them but unfortunately they're a brick.
The AirPods Max were our neck trainers to prepare us for the Vision Pro.
My neck is ready.
Agreed! These are truly around-the-ear cups; so if you don’t want your ear holes violated by the AirPods, then these are great comfort!
I'm in the same boat. Mine never left my home office. Still died. I've isolated my issue to the bluetooth board.
I could pay Apple the $330 for repair, or source the part myself and do it for about $160, but in either case I don't feel it's worth the money given the many hardware issues that plague these headphones.
I read posts all the time that people got a repair or replacement, but their problems returned in short order. So with only a 90 day warranty on the repair, $330 is out of the question.
What all hardware issues “plague these”? I’m genuinely curious because I’ve not had any to date thankfully.
Mine work just fine. Nothing this firmware update could improve upon.
However... remove or lessen? Probably.
However... remove or lessen? Probably.
I love my AirPods Max and have used them every day since early 2021. It was frustrating that they have been broken for a couple of weeks now. Had to reset them before each use and sometimes even erase them from my iCloud account. Seriously irritating since even when they seemed connected they didn't detect any device and were silent.
All that seems to be got with this update, they seem to be back.
All that seems to be got with this update, they seem to be back.
Do you happen to know if this is a common issue?
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And yeah, the Max really needs to be 'refreshed'. But I guess Vision Pro sucked all the juice at Apple (and that the upcoming Vision will continue to do so for a while. 10.000+ employees can only do so much — especially since the Industrial Design Team is only rumored to be around 25 people...
Same thing happened to mine. Just the other day it stopped charging too unless I fully reset them twice every day. And I had to restart them every single time I removed them from my head. I was unfortunately no longer in warranty so I just purchased a brand new pair.
Outside that issue happening twice now (I’m on my third pair but my second was a refurbished unit when my first was on AppleCare), these are the best headphones I ever used.
I have the same problem. Sometimes it still works but most of the time it doesn't. At first I thought it was only my problem, but I've learned it's a common problem. Totally unacceptable for an expensive product like this.
Can check version on Mac by going to the Bluetooth screen under settings, making sure the device is connected, then tapping the information icon to get additional information and configuration, including Version.
Apple today introduced a new firmware update for AirPods Max. The new firmware is 6A324, up from the 6A300 firmware released in September.
Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware, so it is unclear what's new. The limited release notes for the update list only "bug fixes and other improvements."
Apple also does not offer instructions on how to upgrade AirPods software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air while the AirPods are powered on and connected to an iOS device or a Mac.
You can check your AirPods Max firmware by following these steps:
If we find anything notable in the firmware release, we'll update this article.
- Connect your AirPods to your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap About.
- Tap AirPods.
- Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."
Article Link: Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Max
