They nailed Transparency Mode. This feature alone is worth the price delta. The case really isn’t a negative IMO. It’s just different and doesn’t offer a ton of protection. It’s not nearly as bad as the internet has made it out to be.
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Comparison: AirPods Max vs Sony XM4, Sennheiser Momentum and Bose NC 700
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I'm in a similar situation, so I figured I would also add my experience. I've been using the Airpods Max for 3 days and just got the XM4s today. I've been wearing the Sonys for a few hours so far. I also have the Airpods Pro and Bose QC 35 II to compare.
I think the Airpods Max might sound a little bit better than the XM4s... but it's so hard to detect. I've been using Tidal Master/HiFi streaming over bluetooth. Both the Max and the XM4s sound incredible and so much better than my Bose QC 35 II. I love how both will stop playing when you take them off and the extra range of Bluetooth 5.
I will be keeping the XM4s... no question. They are much more comfortable to wear and I love all the other features (awesome case, the EQ, some other cool features). I also prefer the look of the Sonys. The Airpods Max sound really, really good..... but there's just too many other compromises. You also cannot ignore the $300 price difference, but I would still keep the XM4 if the price was the same. They are just a much better all around package.
Can I ask you about any sound lag on your XM4s? Like, watching YouTube, Netflix, etc?
Not true. 18 years ago, in the Japan market, Sony introduced a new line of ANC headphones and earphones. The models sold in the USA were mid-line models, and were OK performers, but the high end items sold in Japan were truly superior in terms of ANC to anything from Bose, and also far superior in sound quality.
I definitely liked the Sony’s. It’s impressive what they’ve done considering their price.
Nope. There are obvious benefits to the Max seeing as they’re designed to work with Apples own devices but I wouldn’t say they’re worth double.
Just tested YouTube on my MBP16 and iPad Pro. I don't see any lag.
It is amusing that sound quality came so late in this review/comparison.
Can people tell me what the ear pads on these phones are made from?
I have an aging pair of Bose QC35, with the super-thin leather-ish ear pads fraying and peeling away from the foam. Replacements are $30, don't stay fitted and don't last very long, according to people who have them.
I am leaning towards the Sony XM4. At about half the cost of the Apple, I can buy XM4 for my gf and myself.
Can people tell me what the ear pads on these phones are made from?
I have an aging pair of Bose QC35, with the super-thin leather-ish ear pads fraying and peeling away from the foam. Replacements are $30, don't stay fitted and don't last very long, according to people who have them.
I am leaning towards the Sony XM4. At about half the cost of the Apple, I can buy XM4 for my gf and myself.
I do too.
However this just looks lacklustre and with too many design flaws for the price. I wouldn't be surprised for the 2nd gen of these to be really good though.
I had a folding pair like that, maybe in the late 80s. For such a small headset, the bass was really surprisingly good!
Also it was initially thought that the AirPods max would not go into low power mode without the case. Apple released documentation showing this was not correct. The difference was the time it goes into ultra low power mode (not low power mode) changes from 72 hours to 18 hours with the case. Basically it doesn’t matter with the case or not unless you’re planning to not use them for more than 18 hours. I haven’t seen the case in person but from what I saw on video didn’t look good. I’m buying the AirPods max with with the thought of aftermarket cases will be released and even if not that one thing is not going to ruin the whole experience.
AirPods Max value only comes in ecosystem wise, when everything bound within same Apple ID and connect easily across Apple device.
Outside that there's no value owning AirPods Max, wondering can AirPods Max working with non Apple players.
Outside that there's no value owning AirPods Max, wondering can AirPods Max working with non Apple players.
Apple is basically advertising for their audio competitors by pricing so high.
I have the XM4 paired simultaneously to an iPhone and iPad - no need to switch between - just stop playing on one and play on the other. I'm not sure what extra advantage the Airpods have with Apple devices that people are talking about.
I love macrumors and visit this site an obscene amount of times per day but I gotta disagree in this one. The AirPods max are just flat out beaten by the Sony’s and Bose for me. And that’s not even accounting for the ludicrous cost. Once you add on that the EQ literally isnt customizable apple looks ridiculous. I will love my AirPod pros forever but the max are inferior and a complete rare misfire by Apple.
Try pairing iPhone, iPad, MacBook, & Apple TV. Maybe even multiple iPads because that’s what I need
Sennheiser Momentum 3 has the best sound quality vs Sony XM4 / Bose 700.
This, but I would have said the B&O H9's and the B&W PX7, since both of those are priced about the same as the AirPods Max. Some of these belong in the mix as well, but the above to me are the obvious competitors.
FWIW, I have the Sonys and B&W wired headphones. The B&W's sound much better to me and the Sony's can be a pain to disconnect and reconnect if you use various devices, but the Sony's are all-around excellent to the point I reach for them most of the time and always have them with me when traveling. I *really* want to try the B&O's but haven't yet.
Sennheiser Momentum 3 has much better sound quality than H95 and PX7.
Quite a disappointing article/video.
All the points made were very subjective, and lacking persuasive evidence and/or data.
Ive noticed this with a number of these kind of articles, following launches, and it feels more like click bait than a informative piece. FWIW
All the points made were very subjective, and lacking persuasive evidence and/or data.
Ive noticed this with a number of these kind of articles, following launches, and it feels more like click bait than a informative piece. FWIW
Not everyone messes with EQ all day. I want to...you know...just listen to music? If I spend hours tweaking EQ that is hours not using the headphones. Most people that I know that mess with EQ just makes the bass ungodly overpowering the whole song.
I've got the Bose NC 700. They're great, and I like the design especially, but there are a few disadvantages I didn't expect:
- The 3.5mm connection is for audio only, not the mic. So you need to use Bluetooth to use the mic. The QC of the same generation is similar.
- They're active not just for NC but for sound, which sure helps with the quality, but when they're turned off, they sound like tin cans. Basically not meant to be used without power.
- Every time you turn it on, it interrupts for a while with system sounds that totally override whatever audio is playing. *3sec startup chime*, "Bluetooth on", "Connected to Bob's MacBook Pro", "Connected to Bob's Mac Pro". If one is turned off later, "Bob's MacBook Pro, disconnected." I renamed my machines to just "a" to make it briefer. If in 3.5mm mode, still says "Bluetooth off" in case I didn't know. If I press the control buttons for mute or noise cancellation, it says what I just did. Wish it had a quiet mode.
Some nice things that I didn't expect:
- The aforementioned mute option.
- Besides the usual noise cancellation on/off, you can also pick a medium setting, which is nice for when there's not much background noise and I'd rather not hurt my ears with full NC.
- The noise cancellation is a LOT better than previous models and somewhat better than the QC of the same gen.
- The battery lasts like 15 hours and recharges pretty quickly.
- They fold super nicely.
As you can tell, I'm not an audiophile, focused on usability first and vague sound quality second. All I can tell is they're better than my old QC, which is better than the Beats crap that messes with the EQ.
- The 3.5mm connection is for audio only, not the mic. So you need to use Bluetooth to use the mic. The QC of the same generation is similar.
- They're active not just for NC but for sound, which sure helps with the quality, but when they're turned off, they sound like tin cans. Basically not meant to be used without power.
- Every time you turn it on, it interrupts for a while with system sounds that totally override whatever audio is playing. *3sec startup chime*, "Bluetooth on", "Connected to Bob's MacBook Pro", "Connected to Bob's Mac Pro". If one is turned off later, "Bob's MacBook Pro, disconnected." I renamed my machines to just "a" to make it briefer. If in 3.5mm mode, still says "Bluetooth off" in case I didn't know. If I press the control buttons for mute or noise cancellation, it says what I just did. Wish it had a quiet mode.
Some nice things that I didn't expect:
- The aforementioned mute option.
- Besides the usual noise cancellation on/off, you can also pick a medium setting, which is nice for when there's not much background noise and I'd rather not hurt my ears with full NC.
- The noise cancellation is a LOT better than previous models and somewhat better than the QC of the same gen.
- The battery lasts like 15 hours and recharges pretty quickly.
- They fold super nicely.
As you can tell, I'm not an audiophile, focused on usability first and vague sound quality second. All I can tell is they're better than my old QC, which is better than the Beats crap that messes with the EQ.