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I wonder are these issues geographical related? Humid climates like Ireland might have more issues. Less humid places like California for example, less issues. My current AirPods Max set started to experience pops and other issues experienced before (in other sets) and I had to restart/reset them. Thinking that it could be air humidity, I put them on a 22°C (72°F) plant heat pad/mat for a few hours and the issue went away for a few weeks. This trick has worked for me a few times in the last 2 months. Note: These headphones are only ever used indoors in my house. Never have been used outdoors. Running firmware 6A324.
As it has been mentioned by many others before, it has nothing to do with climate or humidity levels. The aluminum itself causes this: it is colder than the surrounding air or your body temp. The condensation is caused by your body temp. The moist warm air hits the aluminum casing and the temp difference causes the air to condense on the inside. It’s just physics.
 
As it has been mentioned by many others before, it has nothing to do with climate or humidity levels. The aluminum itself causes this: it is colder than the surrounding air or your body temp. The condensation is caused by your body temp. The moist warm air hits the aluminum casing and the temp difference causes the air to condense on the inside. It’s just physics.
Mildly warming (22°C) them up on a pad for a few hours has removed/fixed the issue, multiple times. Maybe others could try this and see if it makes any difference.
 
At the same time, I had these since launch and had zero issues related to condensation. There were many days and long-haul flights when they got pretty drenched on the inside.
do you use them every day? and if so, for how many hours at a time?
 
if Apple allowed Apple Care for AirPods to be extended monthly and past the initial 2 years like the Watch or iPad it would be more helpful than the current $300 to replace out of warranty option.
 
do you use them every day? and if so, for how many hours at a time?
I used to wear them a lot daily until I got AirPods Pro 2nd Generation last fall. I stopped using them altogether since that mesh had stretched too much and now the metal band is too uncomfortable on my head. However, up until last fall, I would say they were on my head almost daily from 2 to 4 hours at once. There were also long-haul flights where I would have them on for 8-10 hours non-stop. I have never had any sound issues with them.
 
Hopefully future versions of AirPods Max will not have this issue
considering Apple never fixed the Mac Mini's WiFi and Bluetooth interference issues in over a decade makes me doubt they will change anything
 
Day one units still going strong. Use them most nights for movies on Apple TV and on the treadmill for 30-45 mins each day.
 
My AirPods Max (V1) started crackling in the right ear, which was a warning sign.
I started looking on-line and found the condensation issue. I only watch TV for a few hours at night, so no excessive heat generated by me.

Following the advice of a few people I removed the head band and cleaned the contacts. A Digital Microscope clearly showed the corrosion at the end of the headband connectors. I'm assuming the other side of the connector in the ear cups are also corroded but I can't get to that part. I tried a thin cotton bud, which cleaned some of it out.
When I hold down the buttons, I get as far as 3 amber lights and no pairing white lights.

I've had them for just under three years. I now know how lucky I've been compared to a lot of people but I still think it's not to much to expect them to last a lot longer than that!

The other issue is the headband stretching out. I realised I was getting two grooves in my head from the bars on the headband!
Did no-one at Apple see this problem during the design phase?
I think they simply put form over function on this one!

So what now, do I buy new ones, knowing they will probably have the same issues? No.
I loved the integration with all my Apple devices but now I guess I'll have to look elsewhere.
Sorry Apple, you let us down on this one.
I'll be keeping the AirPods Max in the hope that Apple admits its design flaws and offers to repair them.
I know it's a slim chance but can anyone say "Butterfly Keyboard"?
 
My AirPods Max (V1) started crackling in the right ear, which was a warning sign.
I started looking on-line and found the condensation issue. I only watch TV for a few hours at night, so no excessive heat generated by me.

Following the advice of a few people I removed the head band and cleaned the contacts. A Digital Microscope clearly showed the corrosion at the end of the headband connectors. I'm assuming the other side of the connector in the ear cups are also corroded but I can't get to that part. I tried a thin cotton bud, which cleaned some of it out.
When I hold down the buttons, I get as far as 3 amber lights and no pairing white lights.

I've had them for just under three years. I now know how lucky I've been compared to a lot of people but I still think it's not to much to expect them to last a lot longer than that!

The other issue is the headband stretching out. I realised I was getting two grooves in my head from the bars on the headband!
Did no-one at Apple see this problem during the design phase?
I think they simply put form over function on this one!

So what now, do I buy new ones, knowing they will probably have the same issues? No.
I loved the integration with all my Apple devices but now I guess I'll have to look elsewhere.
Sorry Apple, you let us down on this one.
I'll be keeping the AirPods Max in the hope that Apple admits its design flaws and offers to repair them.
I know it's a slim chance but can anyone say "Butterfly Keyboard"?
Let’s hope the EU forces Apple to allow smooth integration with 3rd party headphones! Sonos Ace are incredible, cheaper, and have all the same features as AirPods Max except the platform integration.
 
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Let’s hope the EU forces Apple to allow smooth integration with 3rd party headphones! Sonos Ace are incredible, cheaper, and have all the same features as AirPods Max except the platform integration.
I was looking at the Sonos Ace. I've got an Arc. I'll go check out some reviews. Thanks.
 
Had mine since day one and still going strong. Used mostly for Apple TV in the evenings, so a good few hours of use per week since I bought them. I used to be paranoid about condensation but after checking often and seeing none I don't bother.
 
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