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Sony's New WH-1000XM5 Headphones vs. Apple's AirPods Max
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Actually of all Apple's products I enjoy the combo of an OLED television, the Apple TV 4K, and a pair of Airpods Max the most. As I'm a big movie/tv show watcher.
And in terms of the Airpods Max price: how much does an Iphone 13 Pro Max cost or a Macbook Pro 16 inch cost? I hardly think $500 for a pair of headphones is the most 'exorbitant' purchase a person can make. But as other people have said it depends on your priorities.
And in terms of the Airpods Max price: how much does an Iphone 13 Pro Max cost or a Macbook Pro 16 inch cost? I hardly think $500 for a pair of headphones is the most 'exorbitant' purchase a person can make. But as other people have said it depends on your priorities.
The Sony ones look like plastic trash (they are). Also the AirPods have exclusively buttons to control it, touch controls are horrendus on ALL sony headphones.
First, I have dinged my APMs on things and thought for sure it would leave a mark, yet it didn’t. So the protection thing is hyperbole.
Second, they have multiple power down modes that disable features as the battery gets lower. Is this as ideal as powering them off? Probably not, but it isn’t that big of a deal either.
Third, even apple fans admit that Studio Display is not a good deal.
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I second that. I find the Sony controls an absolute mess.
Also, when the air is humid the sensor for auto-off when the phones are removed malfunctions.
I doubt that Apple’s market share is significant enough for Sony to copy, but Bose’s is, and the 700s don’t fold. Breakage is probably the major factor.
Exactly, this is from their used stock most likely which I doubt they do anything other than a visual inspection. I'll never buy anything refurbished or used unless it's directly from Apple.I was at the Apple store last week to have my Apple Watch battery serviced and saw a lady buy a pair of AirPods max, so yes, there are definitely people paying full price for them even as we speak.
Also, while I am aware that Amazon sells them for ~20% off, it’s reviews like this which give me pause.
Not sure how widespread this is, but I imagine that’s how these products can sometimes be sold at a discount.
In a world where the APM didn't exist, I'd probably be all over these Sonys. Not a fan of touch controls, myself, but the rest of it sounds appealing.
What if I told you I spent $1000 on earbuds? LOL
I probably have about $5k invested in portable audio, which is a LOT lower than a LOT of other people. Check out www.headfi.com if you want your mind blown.
I own the Sony XM3s and the APM. The XM3s have great ANC but the sound is so bad that I typically would wear sennheiser IE800S IEMs on planes and then put the XM3s over them and use the XM3s just for ANC and the IE800S for listening.
The APM is good enough sound quality that I don't feel the need to do that and can just wear the headphones (the IE800S still sound better, but not THAT much better). I would be curious to try the XM5 to see how good the ANC is, as I find that the APM ANC is inconsistent. Sometimes it is incredible, but then I will turn my head and the algorithm will "adapt" and all the sudden the ANC sucks.
The APM are wonderful headphones for movie watching with an Apple TV and spatial audio. I bought them intending this to be their only use, but find myself wearing them with my computer for general use more than my Sennheiser HD650 due to the cordless nature. Once again, the HD650 with a RME ADI-2 DAC sounds better for sure, but if I'm not doing super critical listening the APM are good enough to substitute while giving me ANC and wireless freedom.
The product is not perfect, but it is worth the price for me. I wish the next version had earcups that folded like my Sonys do and a real case...that would make them close to perfect.
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Tbf, if it weren’t for the AirPods Max to be the first iteration, they’d be named something like „AirPods Max (2. Generation)“ which also sounds a bit bulky.
Without the generational indicators it’s WH-1000X versus AirPods Max.
I agree, the necessary re-pairing to switch devices was very cumbersome - and in some use cases still is since even the M4’s multi-device pairing supports only two simultaneous connections.
But mostly you’ve got to blame Apple for that inconvenience as the WH-1000X has featured ‘one touch listening’ since the first generation.
If Apple had incorporated the standard for Bluetooth pairing via NFC into iOS, all you’d have to do is tap the headphones with your phone to switch the active device.
This is a good showcase of why Apple arbitrarily limits the iPhone’s NFC capabilities: Here it is to make the pairing process of their own accessories seem far superior (‘magical’) when it is actually just somewhat more comfortable.
Oh I get it, but saying, “I lose the ability to translate my Analog to Digital” isn’t really any better than just using a good digital option to begin with. The APMs sound fantastic and the Spatial audio is so good I have to test them to make sure I’m really hearing the Audio in my headset and not from my stereo. Even with my high end Sennheiser cans, I never had that experience.
I have the xm5 and the AirPods max and I like the Sony better. Don’t get me wrong I love the AirPods max but for me it’s the weight of them (yes some say it doesn’t bother them but it does give me fatigue) with the xm5 so far they are lighter and to me more comfortable. Of there was like a sport AirPods max with the same AMC etc I would be all over that.
The sound profile is similar to apple but lacks in the clarity of nuance in such virtuosos as produced by Harry Styles. Harkening back to the days of the Walkman, Sony has finally remembered that big plastic is in and here to stay.
Cheers, I say, to such a visionary design, lower price point and a name that articulates sheer raw engineering prowess.
May they next tackle the heavy and metallic phones with their harsh lines and oh so heaviness. What average adult male wouldn’t give solid coin for such a revolutionary concept in a smartphone. Let’s have all the ports, all the plastic, and free us from this heavy and metallic nightmare Jony Ive unleashed upon us without warning. 🤪🤪🤡
I’m not sure why manufacturers thought this was a good idea. Touch interfaces don’t lend themselves well to every application, yet because they can, they do.
I prefer Apple’s dial and or Bose‘s physical buttons to control volume.
The problem with the AirPods Max is that no matter how strong your neck is, the fact that they're so heavy makes them feel like they're going to fall off your head if you move around a lot. This makes them hard to wear when you're doing anything physical. That's why I returned mine and stuck with the lightweight Bose QC35.
If you're just sitting at your desk they're great. But if you're working around the house or up and about, they're always feeling like they're going to fall off.
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Still have mine. They just randomly stopped charging for weeks before I caved and got the MX4s to replace them. Decided to give them one last chance before recycling them and (of course) they work flawlessly again.
Considering comparable sound quality, better ANC, better case, and $100 less, it is fair to say the WH-1000XM5 are a much better value and if I decided to invest hundreds of dollars on headphones, I would buy the WH-1000XM5s first. Who cares about the name??
Side note: Kudos to MacRumors for a very objective review of both.?
Side note: Kudos to MacRumors for a very objective review of both.?
Considering we're even discussing the name, it's likely to be successful.