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So in comparison based off my own experience and all the audio similarities aside, The XM’s are my preferable favorite, because they’re not too ‘heavy on the head’, [that would make sense to somebody that understands weight distribution with how large headphones are when wearing for extended amounts of time.] My problem with the AirPod Max, is they are too heavy, not only that, but they grip your head so tight, you almost get a tension headache.

‘For the money’, the XM‘s are an excellent product, however; I find myself not using every feature they offer, when it’s more about the sound dynamics, comfortability and ease of use when transporting went ‘on the go’.
 
I don’t get why connecting to Bluetooth devices is still such a hassle in 2022. The MX4 is a pain to switch between devices. Does this new model improve things?

For that reason alone I prefer my AirPods.
 
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This - the only Sony product I can think of that is named perfectly is the Playstation... Why not just drop the WH-1000 and name them XM5? That's pretty cool... I'm sure the marketing team can come up with a derivative for the earbuds. It's like they let the production teams name the products - it should be the marketing teams!!!

Let’s not forget the Walkman!

MiniDisc,
PlayStation,
Walkman,
Trinitron,
Xperia,
Clie (old PalmOS based PDA’s of the past),
Vaio,
Aiboo (consumer toy robotics),

That’s just a few that comes to mind.

Regarding Apple … nearing rendition #14 which is not accurate in models release btw, why not simply call it “iPhone” 2022 with size variations aka iPhone/iPhone Pro/iPhone Max 2022/2023. I mean they already call the iPhone SE with a number why not iPhone SE 2022. The #X/XS/Xr/etc is just as ridiculous as MDR-xxx just with more characters.
 
I love the 3.5mm jack on these. Long live the wired option, which at least makes the headphones usable after the consumable battery inside dies.

Don’t Forget Sony makes incredible DAC’s in their very high-end digital Walkman lineup. Also their Xperia 1 M1/2/3 and Pro all have the 3.5mm jack, the latest is powered I believe.
 
Had the chance to try out the AirPods max in a store the other day. Can’t say I got overly impressed for the price compared to the competition with lower prices. The head tracking feature is cool but gimmicky and totally useless for music. Bet it is aimed for games and AR/VR where you move around. Will give these a try when my Bose gives in.
 
I think that Airpods Max are generally preferable for Apple users.
Sound quality is also great on AM. Not discounting Sony, but recently (last 20 years) Apple has been beating them in consumer audio products, at least in market share (and being quite expensive), which tells something

"Statista’s Global Consumer Survey of over 4,000 people in the United States last month revealed that AirPods account for about 34.4% of the headphone share in the country.

However, Apple’s lead in the segment becomes even larger when considering Beats, which comes in second place with 15.3% share. In other words, Apple dominates nearly 50% of the headphone share in the United States."

In wireless headphones (TWS) globally Sony is not even in top 5. Demise of Sony in TWS headphones has been very drastic. They still have good wired phones like 7506, which are used by professionals in studios mostly though.

I use Audio Technica 20x and AKG for studio work, and Apple Airpods Max for listening, btw. Also have Airpods Pro for videocalls. In my view, AM can also be used as a studio phones, they are so good.

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MiniDisc,
PlayStation,
Walkman,
Trinitron,
Xperia,
Clie (old PalmOS based PDA’s of the past),
Vaio,
Aiboo (consumer toy robotics),

That’s just a few that comes to mind.

Regarding Apple … nearing rendition #14 which is not accurate in models release btw, why not simply call it “iPhone” 2022 with size variations aka iPhone/iPhone Pro/iPhone Max 2022/2023. I mean they already call the iPhone SE with a number why not iPhone SE 2022. The #X/XS/Xr/etc is just as ridiculous as MDR-xxx just with more characters.
There are some gold options there like Vaio, Xperia, Walkman etc.! But while the product lines have good names from Sony it's the actual devices that take the hit with WH1000XM4 style names.

Say what you want about Apple but it's clear. iPhone 13 at a glance is newer and better than iPhone 12. And I argue against your X/XS/XR/11/Pro/Pro Max being the same as MDR-xxx or WH1000XM4 etc. With the former it's clear it's a well thought out device name. With the latter, to a consumer, it feels like code letters. It feels like what they assigned to it while working on it internally and thought 'yeah that's a good enough name, let's sell it as that'. Sony's products, on the whole, are amazing. What's less amazing is their naming strategy.

When I tell people I have the AirPods Pro, they know exactly what product I mean and can google without me having to send them the name. However if I were to say 'hey check out my WH1000XM4s' - that's a lot harder to garner word of mouth marketing for. Because even if I shorten it to 'hey check out my XM4s' and they google that - they're going to end up with two different products - the earbuds and the headphones!

There is a reason why Apple is arguably the most powerful marketing company in the world and it's not because of it's tweets/adverts/emails etc. - it's because their story is easy to tell and people can just say 'AirPods Pro' or 'iPhone 13 Pro' or 'iPad Air' or 'MacBook Pro' or 'Apple Watch SE' - it's easy to know what product you're talking about. Word of mouth is the most effectual way of marketing - and Apple is able to get that across OFFLINE. And that begins, at least in part, with naming. Sony could very well, even with it's 100s audio devices (or however many headphones it currently sells), streamline the names.
 
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One small critique of the XM4s. When I start singing along, or I cough, whilst wearing them, something strange happens which causes them to ping, the music fades out, and I have to press the power button to fade the music back in again. Am I using the ANC wrong?
That's the feature that pauses when you take the headphones off your head kicking in. It happens to me when I laugh listening to podcasts.
 
They probably wish they could get away with charging the prices that Apple does. ?

Well, don't forget that Apple itself had some bad experiences with short-lived products that don't sell because of the price.

The Power Mac G4, 12" Macbook, the 2013 MacPro, original HomePod? Not even Apple could get away every time with the price it charges.
 
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Sony's headphones kick butt they make an awesome product much better than any Air Pods or Beats garbage sound is excellent and very deep bass. ??
 
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Price matters.

In this segment, comparable headphones costing $200 USD less than the AirPod Max can definitely steal sales away from Apple.
Especially since those prices are much more in line with the quality of these headphones.

The AirPods Max are ok, but they're not $550 headphones.
 
As someone who has had both, I hope they improved the audio. I ditched my WH1000-XM4 for the AirPods Max, they made everything else I had sound like mud. The AirPods Max have their issues too but they do have better sound.
AirPods Max compatible with lossless and I’m all in.
 
Doesn’t Sony have someone who works in advertising it come up with an actual product name?

The WH-1000XM series are one of the most popular names on the market, it would be a mistake to change the entire name.
 
I have APM, Beoplay H7 (unlike APM's they have 3.5 jack/cable and can be used without juice), APP and custom IEM + bluetooth module (Shure 530 reshelled). APP get most of use, APM's are really heavy and not comfortable as H7's, custom IEMs I'll use them maybe two times a year.

All in all, wanted to try APM's, but I am little bit disappointed.
 
There are nice third party travel cases for AirPods Max. Why not just get one of those?

EDIT: wth is with all the dislikes? ?‍♂️ I don't get it. Are you denying that there are nice third party travel cases for the AirPods Max? Did I write something in invisible type that was offensive that I'm not seeing? Could someone please explain what's so upsetting about my post? I'm seriously baffled why I'm receiving such a negative reaction to simply trying to help someone out.

Here, see for yourself if you don't believe me:

I’d speculate it’s because having to buy a case for a set of headphones (that already include one) is uncommon as those cases are usually functional.
 
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love my WF-1000XM3 earphones and have been wanting headphones. was tempted to get the WH1000-XM4 headphones but have been holding off. finally we get news on XM5's! day 1 purchase for me.
 
I’m not sure any wireless over the ear headphones are for me. With Mac, iPad, iPhone I’m satisfied with AirPods Pro, great noise cancelling, spatial audio, portability.
For PC it’s either Beyer 770 or Tygr 300R. I can be a big, spontaneous spender but just can’t justify having the Max or Sonys around.

Well unless some would be so bold to say they sound better than the Beyers from their own experience.
 
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There are nice third party travel cases for AirPods Max. Why not just get one of those?

I guess I'm inherently a bit suspicious of random third-party products on Amazon, because a lot of it turns out to be pretty crap even when it has good reviews. Is the design and quality really as good as Sony's case (compact, highly protective, and seemingly indestructible!), or a theoretical Apple-designed case?

If Apple endorsed one or more of the cases by selling them at the Apple Store, that might change my mind!
 
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