Of course. ANC isn’t specific to sounds being played inside the headphones it’s about whats outside them
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Comparison: AirPods Max vs Sony XM4, Sennheiser Momentum and Bose NC 700
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If ANC is on, it works regardless of whether music is playing or not. The ANC effect is more pronounced when music is playing, but you can certainly still notice external noise being suppressed when music is not playing.
I just got the xm4 last week and so far after using it with my iPad, iPhone, 2 Apple TV’s and in Bluetooth transmit mode from a Sony sound bar I haven’t noticed any obvious latency and I was definitely looking for it As I had to deal with it before. One thing I do really like about them that I noticed yesterday is the option to switch noise canceling off when you start speaking and then back on after a short delay when you stop speaking. It also pauses the audio source when it does the as resumes when it goes back. So far I am really glad I bought them but I only did it since I had some rewards from Best Buy but I’m really glad I did. The multiple devi connection part works really well also. You can even start pair from the app.
There may also be people like myself that were waiting for these and got truly disappointed by the offer on that price tag, i.e. mesh and polyurethane headband; “plastic” drivers under the aluminum shell; under grade battery life, not to mention the “case”...don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the 600€ price tag, but these are underachievers on that price range, as you can get far better offers from audio brands.
No audiophile, but Balanced bass means you’re able to listen to others sound within the content you’re listening; heavy bass means you’ll listen to bass over anything else and in some cases only to bass. Sure it gets you pumping but kinda “flats” all audio content for some like me.
These seem great but... they can't be used wired if the battery is dead, unlike Sony's offering (and possibly the others). As a DJ this is a deal-breaker for me, well - that and the case! 
So I'll be upgrading my XM2 to an XM4.
So I'll be upgrading my XM2 to an XM4.Lack of power button: just like our phones power button, non-existent. Device is meant to be ready to use at all times. Turn off by doing button combinations gymnastics.
Aesthetics: I find them ugly, somewhat quite ugly.
Case: it has grown on me, because it protects the aluminum and premium quality build. Putting them in there, no matter how hideous they are, feels like the right choice compared to leaving them stray.
Personal verdict: after 3 days of use and switching between $30 sports headphones, AirPods Pro, etc. goddamn, these are the best I have ever had in my life... sound, convenience, ecosystem integration... everyday that passes the more I like them and the worse the AirPods Pro seem to sound in comparison. For me, I was hoping the opposite, to be let down and have to return them, spare the cash... no way it’s happening. I’m keeping them for a lifetime. Not an audiophile myself though.
Aesthetics: I find them ugly, somewhat quite ugly.
Case: it has grown on me, because it protects the aluminum and premium quality build. Putting them in there, no matter how hideous they are, feels like the right choice compared to leaving them stray.
Personal verdict: after 3 days of use and switching between $30 sports headphones, AirPods Pro, etc. goddamn, these are the best I have ever had in my life... sound, convenience, ecosystem integration... everyday that passes the more I like them and the worse the AirPods Pro seem to sound in comparison. For me, I was hoping the opposite, to be let down and have to return them, spare the cash... no way it’s happening. I’m keeping them for a lifetime. Not an audiophile myself though.
I could buy plenty of bluetooth headphones from Amazon for 25 bucks. That's like 20 pairs for the price of these Apple headphones. For 30 bucks you can get noise cancellation which is good enough. No audiophiles can really tell the difference TBH.
Alternatively, get the still great XM3s and spend the money you save on buying some decent music.
Win win.
Win win.
No you are not! IMHO in that price range, these are what Apple should be offering
It's not a fair comparison when the price is twice or more the cost. I don't want to hate on the Aipods max but there is just so much wrong with them and it has to do with the price. These other headphones are priced based on features/sound and price. They do still use leather for the cups and are designed to be used anywhere and everywhere.
The AirPods Max are gen one and are priced in luxury headphones range. Bang and Olufsun, Montblanc, Master and Dynamic, Sennheiser, and bowers and Wilkins to name a few. Yes the sub $400 headphones sound just as good if not better, and have more tech thrown in, cause they are mass produced and the cost works out. When you buy these luxury headphones, they feel and are presented in such a manner. Leather, soft carrying case alongside a case, braided cables, USB-C for charging, high class iPhone 12 Pro type styling, and insane warranty's.
These aren't phones and production cost are way lower so its presentation and function that matters. The AirPods Max's battery is only 20 hours. Most of the rest are 24 hours and they are older, It comes in a box with headphones, cheap looking case that is terribly styled, mesh is not premium and will age horribly, they don't fold, there is no headphone cable in the box, or hard case. The weight is just too much to be comfortable and if someone says they are comfortable, I think thats suspect. Other than silver and grey, the colors are gaudy.
The next version of these headphones will have a lot of changes and these will be bargain in less than a year.
The AirPods Max are gen one and are priced in luxury headphones range. Bang and Olufsun, Montblanc, Master and Dynamic, Sennheiser, and bowers and Wilkins to name a few. Yes the sub $400 headphones sound just as good if not better, and have more tech thrown in, cause they are mass produced and the cost works out. When you buy these luxury headphones, they feel and are presented in such a manner. Leather, soft carrying case alongside a case, braided cables, USB-C for charging, high class iPhone 12 Pro type styling, and insane warranty's.
These aren't phones and production cost are way lower so its presentation and function that matters. The AirPods Max's battery is only 20 hours. Most of the rest are 24 hours and they are older, It comes in a box with headphones, cheap looking case that is terribly styled, mesh is not premium and will age horribly, they don't fold, there is no headphone cable in the box, or hard case. The weight is just too much to be comfortable and if someone says they are comfortable, I think thats suspect. Other than silver and grey, the colors are gaudy.
The next version of these headphones will have a lot of changes and these will be bargain in less than a year.
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Sennheiser Momentum Wireless sounding poor compared to the others? What? That’s the first time I hear that.
"Sony has always been the best at ANC" Really? Pretty sure Bose was king for a long time with their QC range.
I still have some QC15's which were the best for some time, and then upgraded to some XM3, after comparing them to the QC35ii and feeling they were slightly better, although it was a close call.
I've not tried the XM4 or Airpod Max (although have some Airpod Pros) but I can't see how anyone could justify the Airpod Max over the Sony headphones on price alone. You can get 2 for the price of 1, and I know without even trying any of them that the differences will be so small between all of them, that you just can't justify twice the price.
And don't even get me started on the 'case'
I still have some QC15's which were the best for some time, and then upgraded to some XM3, after comparing them to the QC35ii and feeling they were slightly better, although it was a close call.
I've not tried the XM4 or Airpod Max (although have some Airpod Pros) but I can't see how anyone could justify the Airpod Max over the Sony headphones on price alone. You can get 2 for the price of 1, and I know without even trying any of them that the differences will be so small between all of them, that you just can't justify twice the price.
And don't even get me started on the 'case'
No! but you definitely should compare them to same price competition like B&W, B&O, Beyerdynamics, etc. if you’re looking for the best experience.
They don't have to know. You know what else 99% of individuals don't know? That they are watching 720p content on their 4K television most of the time. Does that mean that we don't need 4K television? Let's all revert to HD displays then. 99.99% of the individuals can't tell if they are watching HDR or SDR content so should Apple just drop Dolby Vision from iPhones? And 99.999999999999% of individuals including all of us here can't differentiate color hues properly believe it or not, does that mean we don't need color accurate monitors? Should Apple just scrap XDR display because of it?
For average Joe general listening at 192Kbps is way more than enough and more than he needs on his regular Airpods so why bother with anything more than that? Why not stay there? Why $500 headphones when regular Joe can't tell the difference except in volume? Ultimately if we follow the path of what 99% of people know and need we would go nowhere real quick.
There is a substantial difference in sound quality between AAC and LDAC if your chain is right from the source to the output. More headroom in original source means more space for signal to be flavored by software inside the player and more of wireless bandwidth means active headphones can snatch most of that and do their thing before signal goes bad. This process will not make muddy mixes vibrant suddenly, if mastering is bad to begin with then it can only be worse as you compress it down. Most of the high end wireless headphones try to flavor the sound for two things, they know you are most likely streaming your music and to try to overcome the lack of wireless bandwidth. They are ready for double negative straight out of the box but in order to do their job they also prefer more of everything, more of data in sounds source and more data in wireless transfer in order to kill that sharp digital sparkle. To see what I mean take your favorite YouTube music video and record it to any analogue open reel to reel, no fancy cables, no need to grab fancy mastering tapes just record it and play it back. Difference is almost as night and day as analogue has killed off most of the digital peaks and added something to it and that tape has all the "bitrate" it needs in order to make sound warm and massive. Wireless headphones attempt to the same thing every time you use them.
If anything it goes in favour of the cheaper headphones so yes it’s almost unfair on Apple.
Rather an odd test.
This $550 product is perhaps slightly better than 3 other products which cost $350 or less.
Or something almost twice the price is a little better.
It's a funny world where people would need to stop and think for more than a moment about such a comparison.
This $550 product is perhaps slightly better than 3 other products which cost $350 or less.
Or something almost twice the price is a little better.
It's a funny world where people would need to stop and think for more than a moment about such a comparison.
I think better in this case is very subjective. For what they offer I don’t think the AirPods Max are that good for the money. Not having the option to plug a 3mm headphone cable into them is bordering on moronic in this day and age. These sorts of headphones are multi purpose and used in conjunction with many devices, not just iPhones. If that isn’t the intention for Apple, then I really don’t know what sort of market they are aiming these at? The Sony’s win here for me.
This is the single most important and relevant factor to any audio equipment.
I like Arcam amplifiers, paired with Monitor Audio speakers, to me it’s the perfect sound. To some of my friends it’s too ‘warm sounding’.
I’ll grant you, that’s different, after all I spent more on speaker cables than the AirPods Max cost, so it’s an entirely different world.
But the principal is the same. There’s a very good reason why there are so many high-end audio manufacturers, just as there are headphones. What sounds good to my lugs, is not necessarily going to be what someone else wants to hear.
Buy whatever sounds good to you and don’t give a damn if anyone else agrees with you, it’s the only way to be happy.
I think the AirPods Max are the first apple product since the apple socks, that are laughable to me. Even at $300, there are other headphones that I would rather have.
After 4 days trying out the headphones I've reached my conclusions. For some perspective, my previous headphones are the Sony WH1000 XM3s, which I understand to be broadly similar to the XM4s sound-wise. I will however also caveat that I now believe Apple isn't aiming the Max as direct competition to the XM4s (I'll explain in the conclusion).
Here are my observations
Sound:
- Sound stage. The AirPods Max have a very broad sound stage. It's quite good at separating all the instruments and vocals in a space around you, giving a very convincing sense of immersion in the music. It's like being surrounded by an orchestra. The XM3s are decent in this regard, though the Max is really good.
- Sound signature. The Max is not 'neutral'. It's tuned to sound both natural and impactful. Instruments like pianos and guitars sound natural, vocals are crisp and clear, like a live performance. The bass is just right. It really resonates whilst not overwhelming tracks. The XM3/4s are a bit muted out of the box (yes you can play around with EQs but for someone who listens to a wide range of music and deals with things like wearing glasses, breaking ear cup seals etc, manual adjustment of EQ for each type of song is not practical. The Max has sounded more true to life from rock to reggaeton to classical music. I'm not an 'audiophile' but I listened to an album (Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams) from start to finish last night, in a recliner and it was perfect bliss and that little extra in sound quality made all the difference in such a pleasurable experience. I tried replicating the experience with the Sonys, and it was not quite to the same level.
- Spatial Audio. This feature is massively underrated. In comparison to stereo sound, it's like the jump from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 retina display. It's as a convincing as my $1500 Samsung Q90R 9.1.4 surround Dolby Atmos home theater system with the added advantage that you're not reliant on being sat in the right place to enjoy it. It would be great if they supported this on Apple TV, or figured out a way to bring support to other non-Apple devices like connecting to your smart TV directly. I wonder if they'll release an updated Apple TV to support spatial audio. This unfortunately means whilst it's a real differentiator, it's a non-starter on Android or non-Apple devices, thus devaluing the full impact of the feature to many potential users.
- Computational Audio and file format. One of my concerns going in on this headphone is that there's only so much you can do with low quality, compressed data files. Garbage in, garbage out. Apple Music typically uses AAC format at 256kbps. Spotify's format is a higher bitrate at 320(?) but actually SLIGHTLY lower quality. Those H1 chips will need to do some serious heavy lifting to make these sound as good as the potential that these headphones will allow. After trying them for 4 days, they sound... good. I'm however still left wondering what it would be like if Apple utilised higher quality format. Sure, there are trade offs (Sony's LDAC format is better unprocessed than AAC, however, it is far less reliable and my XM3s would cut out when I move around the house - this has never happened on the Max, though it's just day 4). It may well be that the H1 does so much already that the improvement from higher quality file formats will not be noticeable to 99.9% of users. With that said, I half suspect Apple will introduce a higher tier of Apple Music, priced like Tidal, using a better 'custom' file format (speculation on my part).
- Noise Cancelling. I won't dwell much here. For predictable background noise, it's hard to distinguish from Sony. HOWEVER, when it comes to less predictable sounds like people speaking in the background, the Max is significantly more effective at cancelling such noise (whilst not entirely eliminating them). So I'd give the overall edge to the Max, though the Sony remains OUTSTANDING. One other thing about the noise cancelling here is that it does appear to apply some pressure on my ears, which is always a given, though it feels slightly stronger than the Sony in this regard, which means it's less comfortable, but not hugely so to detract from the value of the added improvement in noise cancelling.
Build:
- Quality. No contest. This thing is built so well. It makes the Sony headphones look really cheap.
- Comfort. The Max is NOT comfortable for me. When I first put them on, it feels like it's squishing my face in on the sides. After a few hours of listening, it actually becomes a bit more bearable (or maybe just less noticeable). These headphones are NOT for casual listening and I certainly will not be using them for work (Zoom Call) or wearing them all day, the way I'd use the AirPods Pro or older Bose QuietControl 30. The Sony is far more comfortable. You can forget you've got them on (till your ears sweat). You will always know you have the Max on (but ironically despite wearing them for hours it's never made my ears sweat. Something else I don't like with the Max is the internal shape of the ear cups and the fabric. If I don't put the headphones on just right, it feels like sandpaper to parts of my ears. At the end of the day, there's a real possibility I'd ultimately return these because of the comfort. I'll make my mind up in 10 days.
- Case. Nothing left to say. It's all been said. It's a huge design fail from Apple. What were they thinking? This is design hubris from Apple. Sure they can get really unorthodox designs to become the norm. That only works when the design enables functionality that users value. Apple's suggestion that this was about 'efficiency' is a load of bullocks. Efficiency to me sounds like 'cost control', which doesn't cut it at this price point. Sure, I get that these headphones are so well built I'm not that worried about them breaking in a backpack (I even have faith in the mesh which feels as sturdy as the mesh in chairs). When all's said and done, I'm not using that case. End of. If I want a case, I'll buy a third party case eventually. (Assuming I keep them).
- Connectivity. I'm disappointed Apple went with lightning here. USB-C would have made more sense. The Sony's provide both a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack, with the cable in the box. Sure Apple has 'courage'. Sure Apple says they want to tackle e-waste. They could surely have supported a more universal port in USB-C. They're fooling no one on this one. It's penny pinching on items priced as 'luxury' and that obsessive desire for 'control' that's pushed them down lightning and not including the cables people want.
Value:
That price! It certainly was an initial sticker shock for me, and I actually hesitated ordering this, ultimately delaying till launch day. This is NOT the right pair of headphones you if you're looking for an all-rounder for casual listening, zoom calls, gym etc. It's just not a good fit at all for all those things. I'd honestly just suggest you go for something like the AirPods Pro (if you're in the Apple ecosystem) or Sony's overhead or earbud options.
With that out of the way, I'd say (to the annoyance of many here) that whilst it would be really bad value for most, it's great value for some. If you're the type of person who can easily discern and also appreciate the listening experience of a 9.1.4 home theater set up, and you were willing to spend well in excess of $1,000 on that, you'd probably really appreciate and value these headphones as something to whip out and listen to an entire album on in a den, completely disconnected from the world and just consumed by the music. I suspect what might also happen is that Apple could end up pulling a lot of customers in the ecosystem, who didn't know they'd appreciate this before, into this market.
I then also wonder whether there's space in the market for another product in the AirPods line, and there might. Perhaps an AirPods Sport using the same 40mm drivers but with a plastic build and water resistance. If I were in the guessing game, I'd wager that Apple will introduce something like this at the ~$449 price point. Those will be the direct competition to the XM4s. Whilst at the moment, the XM4s appear to be the main thing in the market that people will compare the Max to, I have no doubt Apple has instead opted to create another segment with these, rather than place them as competition to the XM4s. As MKBHD put it, that segment is 'luxury listening'.
Here are my observations
Sound:
- Sound stage. The AirPods Max have a very broad sound stage. It's quite good at separating all the instruments and vocals in a space around you, giving a very convincing sense of immersion in the music. It's like being surrounded by an orchestra. The XM3s are decent in this regard, though the Max is really good.
- Sound signature. The Max is not 'neutral'. It's tuned to sound both natural and impactful. Instruments like pianos and guitars sound natural, vocals are crisp and clear, like a live performance. The bass is just right. It really resonates whilst not overwhelming tracks. The XM3/4s are a bit muted out of the box (yes you can play around with EQs but for someone who listens to a wide range of music and deals with things like wearing glasses, breaking ear cup seals etc, manual adjustment of EQ for each type of song is not practical. The Max has sounded more true to life from rock to reggaeton to classical music. I'm not an 'audiophile' but I listened to an album (Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams) from start to finish last night, in a recliner and it was perfect bliss and that little extra in sound quality made all the difference in such a pleasurable experience. I tried replicating the experience with the Sonys, and it was not quite to the same level.
- Spatial Audio. This feature is massively underrated. In comparison to stereo sound, it's like the jump from the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 retina display. It's as a convincing as my $1500 Samsung Q90R 9.1.4 surround Dolby Atmos home theater system with the added advantage that you're not reliant on being sat in the right place to enjoy it. It would be great if they supported this on Apple TV, or figured out a way to bring support to other non-Apple devices like connecting to your smart TV directly. I wonder if they'll release an updated Apple TV to support spatial audio. This unfortunately means whilst it's a real differentiator, it's a non-starter on Android or non-Apple devices, thus devaluing the full impact of the feature to many potential users.
- Computational Audio and file format. One of my concerns going in on this headphone is that there's only so much you can do with low quality, compressed data files. Garbage in, garbage out. Apple Music typically uses AAC format at 256kbps. Spotify's format is a higher bitrate at 320(?) but actually SLIGHTLY lower quality. Those H1 chips will need to do some serious heavy lifting to make these sound as good as the potential that these headphones will allow. After trying them for 4 days, they sound... good. I'm however still left wondering what it would be like if Apple utilised higher quality format. Sure, there are trade offs (Sony's LDAC format is better unprocessed than AAC, however, it is far less reliable and my XM3s would cut out when I move around the house - this has never happened on the Max, though it's just day 4). It may well be that the H1 does so much already that the improvement from higher quality file formats will not be noticeable to 99.9% of users. With that said, I half suspect Apple will introduce a higher tier of Apple Music, priced like Tidal, using a better 'custom' file format (speculation on my part).
- Noise Cancelling. I won't dwell much here. For predictable background noise, it's hard to distinguish from Sony. HOWEVER, when it comes to less predictable sounds like people speaking in the background, the Max is significantly more effective at cancelling such noise (whilst not entirely eliminating them). So I'd give the overall edge to the Max, though the Sony remains OUTSTANDING. One other thing about the noise cancelling here is that it does appear to apply some pressure on my ears, which is always a given, though it feels slightly stronger than the Sony in this regard, which means it's less comfortable, but not hugely so to detract from the value of the added improvement in noise cancelling.
Build:
- Quality. No contest. This thing is built so well. It makes the Sony headphones look really cheap.
- Comfort. The Max is NOT comfortable for me. When I first put them on, it feels like it's squishing my face in on the sides. After a few hours of listening, it actually becomes a bit more bearable (or maybe just less noticeable). These headphones are NOT for casual listening and I certainly will not be using them for work (Zoom Call) or wearing them all day, the way I'd use the AirPods Pro or older Bose QuietControl 30. The Sony is far more comfortable. You can forget you've got them on (till your ears sweat). You will always know you have the Max on (but ironically despite wearing them for hours it's never made my ears sweat. Something else I don't like with the Max is the internal shape of the ear cups and the fabric. If I don't put the headphones on just right, it feels like sandpaper to parts of my ears. At the end of the day, there's a real possibility I'd ultimately return these because of the comfort. I'll make my mind up in 10 days.
- Case. Nothing left to say. It's all been said. It's a huge design fail from Apple. What were they thinking? This is design hubris from Apple. Sure they can get really unorthodox designs to become the norm. That only works when the design enables functionality that users value. Apple's suggestion that this was about 'efficiency' is a load of bullocks. Efficiency to me sounds like 'cost control', which doesn't cut it at this price point. Sure, I get that these headphones are so well built I'm not that worried about them breaking in a backpack (I even have faith in the mesh which feels as sturdy as the mesh in chairs). When all's said and done, I'm not using that case. End of. If I want a case, I'll buy a third party case eventually. (Assuming I keep them).
- Connectivity. I'm disappointed Apple went with lightning here. USB-C would have made more sense. The Sony's provide both a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack, with the cable in the box. Sure Apple has 'courage'. Sure Apple says they want to tackle e-waste. They could surely have supported a more universal port in USB-C. They're fooling no one on this one. It's penny pinching on items priced as 'luxury' and that obsessive desire for 'control' that's pushed them down lightning and not including the cables people want.
Value:
That price! It certainly was an initial sticker shock for me, and I actually hesitated ordering this, ultimately delaying till launch day. This is NOT the right pair of headphones you if you're looking for an all-rounder for casual listening, zoom calls, gym etc. It's just not a good fit at all for all those things. I'd honestly just suggest you go for something like the AirPods Pro (if you're in the Apple ecosystem) or Sony's overhead or earbud options.
With that out of the way, I'd say (to the annoyance of many here) that whilst it would be really bad value for most, it's great value for some. If you're the type of person who can easily discern and also appreciate the listening experience of a 9.1.4 home theater set up, and you were willing to spend well in excess of $1,000 on that, you'd probably really appreciate and value these headphones as something to whip out and listen to an entire album on in a den, completely disconnected from the world and just consumed by the music. I suspect what might also happen is that Apple could end up pulling a lot of customers in the ecosystem, who didn't know they'd appreciate this before, into this market.
I then also wonder whether there's space in the market for another product in the AirPods line, and there might. Perhaps an AirPods Sport using the same 40mm drivers but with a plastic build and water resistance. If I were in the guessing game, I'd wager that Apple will introduce something like this at the ~$449 price point. Those will be the direct competition to the XM4s. Whilst at the moment, the XM4s appear to be the main thing in the market that people will compare the Max to, I have no doubt Apple has instead opted to create another segment with these, rather than place them as competition to the XM4s. As MKBHD put it, that segment is 'luxury listening'.
An interesting read, thank you. I particularly like your observations in regards to the sound stage and audio signature.
I'll be honest, when they were announced, I had no intentions of buying these. But, I love Spatial Audio on my AirPods Pros, not that I'd buy headphones purely for that. However, the more I read (actual people) opinions on the sonic capabilities, the more I realise that they would at least seem to fall into what I want from headphones.
I
I hate to say it, but this is the first apple product that I am not into. I think they are ugly, I’m not into the case, I’m tired of lightning, and other reviews have the SONYs ranked better. Further, I want a over ear the product that also allows me to connect via wire. My work Lenovo is garbage (I have no choice) and no Bluetooth A/V sounds good (including my mic) sound good in MS Teams.
Lol, diva much??
lol, I don’t want a stupid seatbelt in the rear middle seat of my car... I don’t need it & don’t want to pay for it.
Thats what you sound like.