Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is AirPods Max 'Condensation Death' a Widespread Issue? Report Offers Conflicting Evidence

I'm on my 4th set of AirPods Max. Never used them outside or during exercise but I can sometimes wear them for 6-8hrs at a time.

Apple have been excellent and replaced each failed set with a free new set (except ear cushions) for each incident.

1st - Arrived on day one of shipping release and the noise cancellation button failed within the first 1-2 weeks.
2nd - Noise Cancellation button failed after about 9 months of use. Everything would be normal then it suddenly the headphones would automatically activate Transparency Mode and the button would stop functioning.
3rd - Bluetooth disconnection issues after about 11-12 months of use. The issue got so bad it required a full reset each day of use before they would work and battery drain accelerated in the case or not. Would get about 9hrs of battery before they would die instead of the advertised 20hrs.
4th - 5 months of use so far so good.

For me AirPods Max are still the most comfortable, best sounding ANC headphones I've owned/tried. Most other headphones make my head/ears tired and/or hot after a couple hours of use and need to take more breaks.

Even with these issue, I'm still looking forward to the second generation APM. I'd definitely feel differently if Apple hadn't of replaced the failed headsets.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎, jbaile07, citysnaps and 1 other person
A lot of the replies here sound an awful lot like ‘just don’t use them and they should be ok!’. If you’re not supposed to use them in a humid climate then why sell them in countries with such climate. Or at the very least give a warning about it. It’s completely Apple’s fault and it’s obviously something that shouldn’t happen if it affects their performance and breaks the set. I know people whose Maxes have stopped working because of this. Apple has replaced them, yes, but that’s not optional and is wasteful. Both environmentally and just a bad experience for customers.

DeLaSoul said:
If you have sweaty ears, maybe it's time to start eating healthier and do more exercise (not in 100 degrees and not wearing AirPods Max 😆 )
Click to expand...
It’s not sweat. It’s condensation behind the ear cups that leaves droplets, it has nothing to do with sweat as sweat can’t reach there unless you fully drench the cups to the point of sweat leaking behind them. You’d need to sweat like it’s raining for that.

It’s bad engineering and design. A small gap behind the cups would’ve let them air out, but Apple decided they wanted to slap the cups right on top with magnets leaving no space for air.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎, kiensoy and ignatius345
applepotato666 said:
It’s not sweat. It’s condensation behind the ear cups that leaves droplets, it has nothing to do with sweat as sweat can’t reach there unless you fully drench the cups to the point of sweat leaking behind them. You’d need to sweat like it’s raining for that.

It’s bad engineering and design. A small gap behind the cups would’ve let them air out, but Apple decided they wanted to slap the cups right on top with magnets leaving no space for air.
Click to expand...
Sweat = additional moisture being produced. That would definitely have an effect on condensation since condensation = air not being able to hold any more moisture.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎 and ignatius345
Maybe 2 months ago, it happened that I couldn’t connect to my iPhone or AppleTV. Since then I have been forced to reset the Max almost in a daily basis. At least after that the headphones work as promised, bist mostly only for 1-2 days.
 
jamesikanos said:
Yes !!! I'm on my 3rd device (2 replacements).

After a while they just refuse to connect.

The first replacement went through Apple Online, the second they refused and I had to take it into a shop.

Got a new pair back both times.

The ones I've currently got (replaced earlier this year) have started to struggle to connect now.

Completely unacceptable for such an expensive bit of kit.
Click to expand...
I had that issue but waited too long and the warranty ran out.

Mine keep disconnecting and reconnecting after one side cuts out (always the right side) after any movement of the headphones or my head, even scratching my ear. Ticks me off.

Another problem I had was that it would detect them as on my head and on in their case and kept pumping audio there (or vice versa, not detect them on my head at all). Turning off head detection did nothing. Cleaning the sensors fixed that up.

Do any of these match up with your experience?
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
I sleep with mine on and absolutely the condensation is a problem and killed my AirPods Max twice and Apple did replace them though I did have to wait a week or so each time for them to depot them.

Now what I do every morning is take the ear cups out so that they dry out while they charge up during the day.

This seems to have helped.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
I got the AirPods Max about a year and a half ago. I love their quality and connectivity. At least I did at first.

Mine keep disconnecting and reconnecting after one side cuts out (always the right side). What seems to trigger this is any movement of the headphones or my head (even scratching my ear).

My other major complaint is they are very warm and the sweat/condensation accumulation is marked.

I don't know whether the water is the cause but it has been a major issue considering the price tag.

Another problem I had was that it would detect them as on my head and on in their case and kept pumping audio there (or vice versa, not detect them on my head at all). Turning off head detection did nothing. Cleaning the sensors fixed that up.

Note: I waited too long and warranty expired. There are no Apple Stores where I live and no repair locations that aren't certified by Apple for these devices that aren't in warranty. Recently found out about a third party business and will take them in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎 and applepotato666
Have been using mine steadily since January 2021 and have never noticed any condensation. I also generally don't wear them if I'm super hot and sweaty because, well, it's just uncomfortable.
 
mac_head said:
Day 1 owner here. I use my AirPods Max mainly for gaming with my PS5. So far I’ve experienced some condensation but nothing major (I take little brakes every 2 hours and take the headphones off). The condensation disappears in a matter of minutes.

However, I always wonder why people wear them at the gym or on a treadmill. I think you can easily ruin the AirPods Max when used in the “wrong” environment. Apple should be more clear about that.
Click to expand...
Selling products>being clear.

Apple will gradually improve these. Meanwhile, they have a rabid fanbase who will pay hundreds to test new products. Why would they jeopardise that state of affairs in the name of being more clear?
 
lindros2 said:
I love answers like “I don’t have any problems with [xxxxx].”

It doesnt help get to the root cause of the issue, and makes people who do have it feel like crap.
Click to expand...
Chill, it's just another data point -- which is relevant when there's a discussion of whether something is widespread or relatively isolated. For example, I don't have condensation issues with my APM. Obviously, some other people do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
NReichman said:
AirPods Max are a closed-back design. Go to any professional music studio with 20 or 30 closed-back headphones, and you'll notice that they're damp at the end of a long day of tracking or editing.The famous Sony MDR-7506 (closed back) are used on every film shoot in the world. They're all damp and yucky at the end of a long day of work. This is not an Apple-only problem. After 2-3 hours, mine are a little humid. No big deal. And definitely not worthy of a class-action suit. It would be like suing Apple for smudgy fingerprints on your iPhone. 🙄 Go get an open-back set of headphones like Grado if you don't like it.
Click to expand...
Exactly -- but how would we get clickbait "but Apple products specifically are defective!!!" threads like this if people used logic?
 
Zest28 said:
The Sony MDR-7506 is a wired headphone, not a bluetooth ANC headphone with electronics in it that get destroyed in contact with water.
Click to expand...
You're really telling us wired headphones don't have electrical parts inside? Come on man.
 
ignatius345 said:
You're really telling us wired headphones don't have electrical parts inside? Come on man.
Click to expand...

What electronics are inside a wired headphone?

All the electronics (DAC, amplifier, DSP chips, ..., ) is not part of the headphone on a wired headphone.
 
I learned from sharing game controllers during gaming sessions that people sweat differently and some sweat A LOT.

This might be an issue but it's an issue that affects certain people and it's not the person's fault but rather just how biologically their body works and sweats.

Apple should have accounted for that but they tend to always say **** it and disregard the one-off situation that will cause their customers headaches.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
Crap product, crap design. I’ve no idea why anyone would buy these there are just too many compromises for the price.

Steve had a few stinkers but at least he had the humility to pull them. Why these are still on sale is beyond me.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
"You're sweating it wrong" ;)

Or "Obviously owners are at fault here. If they adapted their body temp to match the environmental temps around them, there is no condensation. Consistency holding body temp at about 98.6º is the actual problem. Cold-blooded lizards have no such issue. Ever heard the Iguanas complain about this? Turtles? Toads? Crocs? Their temps rise and fall with their surroundings. It's these dang warm-blooded bipeds that spoil everything. Bipeds both cause this problem and then dare to complain about it. Apple would be better off..." ;)

View attachment 2249518

If only we could go back 65 Million years + a few weeks and give that asteroid a little shove to the left or right on its approach to make it miss the target. Modern day Dinos would never complain... 🦎
Click to expand...
Of course there are no problems, no one of them is actually using the headphones in question
 
tomtad said:
Crap product, crap design. I’ve no idea why anyone would buy these there are just too many compromises for the price.

Steve had a few stinkers but at least he had the humility to pull them. Why these are still on sale is beyond me.
Click to expand...

Please, my Sony WH1000XM3 is sweat city in the summer with those fake leather pads. The pads are completely wet.

If you remove the pads on the Sony's, you will probably see the same thing too. But it's nearly impossible to remove the pads on the Sony's.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎 and jeffirl
Those photos are making me feel sick 🤢

I've not used mine for working out. I find them too heavy and hot for those sort of situations.

Hopefully this is an issue resolved via a product update and Apple does the right thing to anyone affected by this clear issue
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
tomtad said:
Crap product, crap design. I’ve no idea why anyone would buy these there are just too many compromises for the price.

Steve had a few stinkers but at least he had the humility to pull them. Why these are still on sale is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Obviously they must be selling well since a 2nd gen version is in development.

For what its worth, I love mine.
 
I’m still on my first set for over a year - I saw all of this information before buying and I made my decision.

Condensation does accumulate rapidly over 2-3 hours sitting in front of my computer in air conditioning. To hedge this, I covered the pinholes with tiny pieces of electrical tape as the article outlined. I also remove the earcups and clean the condensation after every use. I definitely believe this has helped them last.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pinkyyy 💜🍎
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back