THIS! I love mine for all of the reasons you listed. The Apple ecosystem is just too good and the features coupled with the design are a no brainer.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Comparison: AirPods Max vs Sony XM4, Sennheiser Momentum and Bose NC 700
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Some questions which I innocently ask..
I have the AirPods Pro after owning the standard AirPods. They are great for their purpose. However I don’t personally understand the big deal about spatial audio to where I wonder if I just don’t understand what it does. What I have noticed is that during TV shows as I turn my head it sounds louder in one ear versus the other. Why would I want or care for that? Primarily I’d just be looking head on at my screen in which case I haven’t noticed the effect?
Not trolling just wondering If I am missing something there.
The whole apple eco system thing also hasn’t made a lot of sense to me. It’s very nice to be able to connect to both iPad and iPhone at the same time. That said I haven’t had issues in the past with Bluetooth devices, they just required the extra step if using iPad/iphone to go into the bluetooth settings and click connect. Not saying it was as convenient but it also wasn’t a big deal?
I’ve ordered a pair to see for myself, unfortunately not arriving until February. One downside is that apple seems to charge at time of order and not time of shipping... meaning they are sitting on the 550 for several months until I finally get my pair
I have the AirPods Pro after owning the standard AirPods. They are great for their purpose. However I don’t personally understand the big deal about spatial audio to where I wonder if I just don’t understand what it does. What I have noticed is that during TV shows as I turn my head it sounds louder in one ear versus the other. Why would I want or care for that? Primarily I’d just be looking head on at my screen in which case I haven’t noticed the effect?
Not trolling just wondering If I am missing something there.
The whole apple eco system thing also hasn’t made a lot of sense to me. It’s very nice to be able to connect to both iPad and iPhone at the same time. That said I haven’t had issues in the past with Bluetooth devices, they just required the extra step if using iPad/iphone to go into the bluetooth settings and click connect. Not saying it was as convenient but it also wasn’t a big deal?
I’ve ordered a pair to see for myself, unfortunately not arriving until February. One downside is that apple seems to charge at time of order and not time of shipping... meaning they are sitting on the 550 for several months until I finally get my pair
Stockholm syndrome
From what I can gather, compared with their true competitors Sony XM4 and Bose 700:
sound: +1
ANC: +1
Connection features: +2or more (I would give it more but spatial audio doesn’t work with Apple TV).
Comfort: evens out, very comfy but weighs a lot
Build quality: +2
appearance: +2
weight: -1
case and travel-ability: -10,000
price: -5,000
Wear: unknown.
All up summary: buy the Sony and give Apple a great big middle finger for price and that form over function wankery of a case.
Its like Apple didn’t learn its lesson from the HomePod market positioning, and did exactly the same thing again.
From what I can gather, compared with their true competitors Sony XM4 and Bose 700:
sound: +1
ANC: +1
Connection features: +2or more (I would give it more but spatial audio doesn’t work with Apple TV).
Comfort: evens out, very comfy but weighs a lot
Build quality: +2
appearance: +2
weight: -1
case and travel-ability: -10,000
price: -5,000
Wear: unknown.
All up summary: buy the Sony and give Apple a great big middle finger for price and that form over function wankery of a case.
Its like Apple didn’t learn its lesson from the HomePod market positioning, and did exactly the same thing again.
Spatial Audio works with iPads with A10 or newer processor AND Bluetooth 5.0. For iPhones, Bluetooth requirement is relaxed to 4.2 but A10 processor requirement stands. I don't understand the discrepancy.
Apple TV 4K has both A10X and Bluetooth 5.0 but with one glaring limitation. Dynamic head tracking also requires 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer. Siri Remote has that, but measuring accelerometer data from the remote doesn't make any sense. Apple has 3 options for implementing Spatial Audio for Apple TV:
- Disable dynamic head tracking: I think almost all of us just want Dolby surround and fine with this.
- Future AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV with U1: U1 can be used to approximate where each device is facing.
- Calibration: Before watching Apple TV, calibrate AirPod's gyroscope and accelerometer against the TV.
Seems that not everyone is as enamored as you. Guess it ain't just haters hatin'.
According to DS6778 you're wrong.
I guess I should have known we would get into semantics. I’ll clarify **most** people who have these love them. I didn’t think it needed clarification but I suppose it does. Congratulations on finding the edge case though!
If you think how much material and technology these Airpods Max got, and then think about how little the regular Airpods are, then you'll also realise that it's these last to be incredibly over-priced. I mean, they are 1/7th of the weight (1/30th without their case!!) and probably - and I'm being extra generous - 1/3rd of the audio quality and power, and yet they cost half of the Max's price.
Insane!
Insane!
Apple didn’t force me to buy these so I am not sure how “Stockholm Syndrome” fits in here. Everyone is obviously entitled to their opinion. I am pointing out the fact that people are actively hating on a new Apple product they have not even tried. I am sure the fact that they are sold out everywhere means it’s a flop /s.
Lmao I love how you literally negated the whole paragraph in the second last sentence. If you change EQ in Spotify, that will alter the sound that goes to the AirPods, resulting in them adjusting the audio to correct for the biases. Aaaand now we know why the EQ should ideally happen at the headphone software layer
Am I the only one who thinks these are kind of ugly? They're commonly called "cans" but these actually look like cans. I think the Sony is the sleekest design, even though it's plastic.
Too bad jimsreviewroom isn't doing audio headset reviews anymore. He was a legit reviewer with the right equipment.
Those Bose Headphones really are from the dark side of the planet ugly. I wouldn't buy them if they sounded like God. Yes I am that superficial.
I bought the Bose QC35 a few years ago after trying out multiple headphones (Sennheiser, Sony, JBL) and found those were the only ones that I found truly comfortable and that I could wear for hours.
As of right now I won't be getting the AirPods Max (they are $700+ in Canada) since my QC35 are doing its job. But maybe when these break down the road. Im also no audiophile and only listen to Spotify, Youtube, and Sports Talk radio...so I am probably not even the target audience for them haha. But they do look nice!
As of right now I won't be getting the AirPods Max (they are $700+ in Canada) since my QC35 are doing its job. But maybe when these break down the road. Im also no audiophile and only listen to Spotify, Youtube, and Sports Talk radio...so I am probably not even the target audience for them haha. But they do look nice!
Shocking. Mac Rumors prefers an apple product over competitive devices!
I'm really (negatively) surprised at the cheap, plastic-y, wiggly buttons on the Sennheisers. I expected better from them. I have an older pair of the Sonys -- the 900 series -- and it does a brilliant job of noise cancellation on flights. The "Headphones" app from Sony does adjust the EQ and does firmware updates on the headphones, but is really flaky. I hope they improved it for the 1000XM4, but I doubt it. I also have a Sony bluetooth speaker and, with the "Music" app that works similarly to the "Headphones" app, it is also very flaky.
So even by your calculations, if one can afford them and doesn’t care about the case, the better sound is worth it.
I was really looking forward to this comparison but it actually ended up making me more uncertain having read it.
My situation is I have Momentum 3s. I auditioned the XM3s, Bose 700, Bose QC35 and the Momentum 3s at an airport (which was handy because I could try out the ANC in a very noisy environment. Having listened my findings were:
Bose - Good ANC, didn't like the sound much
Sony - Great ANC (was pretty much silent and step up from Bose), Sound was good. Didn't like the plastic which I was sure I'd crack in a few weeks
Momentums - Just ok ANC, sound quality amazing, build quality very strong
So almost the opposite on the sound quality front (I can't comment on APMs as I've not tried yet). But then this is entirely subjective, based on the listener and the type of music they like. In actual fact it makes a good point. At this price point I always listen to a few side by side before parting with cash. You'll know when you hear the pair that works for you. And it doesn't matter who says its good or bad. Audiophiles can put data behind it, but audio is something very personal. Some people love beats. I hate them. Easiest thing is to listen and buy the ones you love.
When its safe to do so and I can walk into a store and spend some time listening I might buy these. The price does seem high, but if it blows me away on the listening I could live with it. But I don't want to pay that amount and find I prefer listening to something else
Problems for me:
1. I don't listen on headphones every day especially since working from home is now more a thing. And when I do at home its quiet, so the Oppo PM-3s, comfy and high quality planers are just too immense and bluetooth/ANC adds nothing. Therefore no power button worries me. I like Apples idea, but I'd really like a choice. Not sure if its a deal breaker, but all other things equal the momentums fold down to turn off. If I want to leave them on so I can pick them up at any time I just leave them unfolded. Unfolding also turns them back on quickly. It's almost the what I'd have expected of an Apple headphone design
2. The bra. Style is subjective but that cover is a killer for me. I throw my headphones in a bag with lots of other junk. Plus, it looks like a bra to me
3. People go on about the style being better than anything else out there. I'm not a huge fan (beauty in the eye of the beholder or something like that). I don't like the way the headband comes out. I'd have preferred a more graduated separation and I think the cups just look a bit strange, maybe it'll grow on me. But there again, when they are on my head I don't see them, so if sound is perfect I won't care
4. I hate lightning cables. I've broken so many so easily and they are not cheap to replace where as USB C cables are a few quid on amazon. I really wish Apple would scrap it altogether
5. I want to listen before I commit to buying. Bloody pandemic
My situation is I have Momentum 3s. I auditioned the XM3s, Bose 700, Bose QC35 and the Momentum 3s at an airport (which was handy because I could try out the ANC in a very noisy environment. Having listened my findings were:
Bose - Good ANC, didn't like the sound much
Sony - Great ANC (was pretty much silent and step up from Bose), Sound was good. Didn't like the plastic which I was sure I'd crack in a few weeks
Momentums - Just ok ANC, sound quality amazing, build quality very strong
So almost the opposite on the sound quality front (I can't comment on APMs as I've not tried yet). But then this is entirely subjective, based on the listener and the type of music they like. In actual fact it makes a good point. At this price point I always listen to a few side by side before parting with cash. You'll know when you hear the pair that works for you. And it doesn't matter who says its good or bad. Audiophiles can put data behind it, but audio is something very personal. Some people love beats. I hate them. Easiest thing is to listen and buy the ones you love.
When its safe to do so and I can walk into a store and spend some time listening I might buy these. The price does seem high, but if it blows me away on the listening I could live with it. But I don't want to pay that amount and find I prefer listening to something else
Problems for me:
1. I don't listen on headphones every day especially since working from home is now more a thing. And when I do at home its quiet, so the Oppo PM-3s, comfy and high quality planers are just too immense and bluetooth/ANC adds nothing. Therefore no power button worries me. I like Apples idea, but I'd really like a choice. Not sure if its a deal breaker, but all other things equal the momentums fold down to turn off. If I want to leave them on so I can pick them up at any time I just leave them unfolded. Unfolding also turns them back on quickly. It's almost the what I'd have expected of an Apple headphone design
2. The bra. Style is subjective but that cover is a killer for me. I throw my headphones in a bag with lots of other junk. Plus, it looks like a bra to me
3. People go on about the style being better than anything else out there. I'm not a huge fan (beauty in the eye of the beholder or something like that). I don't like the way the headband comes out. I'd have preferred a more graduated separation and I think the cups just look a bit strange, maybe it'll grow on me. But there again, when they are on my head I don't see them, so if sound is perfect I won't care
4. I hate lightning cables. I've broken so many so easily and they are not cheap to replace where as USB C cables are a few quid on amazon. I really wish Apple would scrap it altogether
5. I want to listen before I commit to buying. Bloody pandemic
Last edited:
As usual, blanket statements like yours are wrong. I waited for these to come out for years, bought them the second they were announced, was super hyped to get them, got them, and returned them the same afternoon. And I'm not a person who returns stuff often—this is the first Apple product I've ever returned, in fact, in 25 years of purchases. They were supremely uncomfortable for me. The weight caused them to shift with minor movements, which would press them against the edge of my ears if not constantly adjusted, and the weight was very noticeable on the headband. $550 is too much to spend if I'm going to be uncomfortable wearing them. Many aspects, such as design, sound, and ANC, I loved. Couldn't care less about the case. But they are too damn heavy and the design did not do what was a needed to mitigate the weight, for me.
Attachments
XM4 has almost no lag on my 8+ / iPad Air 2 but horrible lag on my Samsung T80 TV (even when the AI to boost the sound quality is turned off).
“Sony has always been the best at noise cancellation”
Nope. That would be Bose until the relatively recent Sony line came out. Bose had the patents and the secret sauce for years and charged dearly for them. You can dislike Bose, but they were the gold standard for MANY, MANY years.
Nope. That would be Bose until the relatively recent Sony line came out. Bose had the patents and the secret sauce for years and charged dearly for them. You can dislike Bose, but they were the gold standard for MANY, MANY years.
That's not how the adaptive equalization works.
The EQ mapping you set is the target/goal. The sound being produced in the ear is sampled using the interior microphones. If that does not match the target/goal EQ mapping, it modifies the actual EQ settings on the fly to try to match the target/goal.
When you get your APMs listen to this for spatial audio:
I can't say anything about the Airpods Max because I don't have them, don't have them on order either. What I can say is the Bose 700's work for me. Comfortable for sure and as far as noise cancellation goes. I put them to a very good test several weeks ago when a road crew was sawing the road, jackhammering, using a backhoe and other heavy equipment. Put them on, put the cancellation at max level and heard literally nothing but music, not even at an obnoxious level. Mind you, the foundation of this old house was shaking at times while all of the above was going on. That's a good enough test for me. Airpods sure do look nice, congrats to those who got them.
No... it’s not. The overall review is heavily biased to the AirPods Max. The AirPods Max are the focal point of the entire review. The AirPods Max didn’t come out on top in several areas, but yet the reviewer states they are the top? Don’t think so.
Again, I will clarify the tenor of my post. When I said “The people that have them love them,” I was simply pointing out the majority of people who actually have them are genuinely happy with them. It was more of a counter post to the massive amount of people who are just blindly hating on it “cuz reasons,” without actually trying it first. I didn’t think people would interpret my post as if every single person who has them loves them and no one has any complaints. I stand by my statement, most people are happy with them and the fact that they are sold out until March only supports that further.
I already have mine on order and the delivery date has been pushed up from March to February now. I’m ignoring the haters and will try these for myself. From MKBHD and other reviews they seem pretty good. I’ve heard many reviews say they have the best transparency mode of any headphones. The only true negatives I’ve heard was the case and the weight. I expect aftermarket cases to be made soon and I’m not carrying them with me unless it’s on a flight.