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Sony's New WH-1000XM6 Headphones vs. AirPods Max
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To be fair I’ve never really noticed the weight of the AirPod Max, maybe it’s because I’m a reasonably big guy.
I’ve worn them for hours when travelling and never felt uncomfortable.
That’s not to say any future design shouldn’t use different materials and weigh less.
I think manufacturers should be able to retain technologies that allow them a USP or benefit.
Most companies want to sell their solutions and why should they be forced to do something that removes a benefit or USP?
Each to their own, we all have different likes and prefer different aesthetics.
And that’s absolutely fine.
Before my AirPod Max I had Bose Quietcomfort, and I’ve also had B&W.
Bose sounded ok, but build quality was lower and I found the head band started to crack after 18-24 months very regular usage.
I didn’t like the B&W, can’t put my finger on what it was. They didn’t seem quite so comfortable but sound was ok.
For me the AirPod Max has good sound, good comfort, good design and works seamlessly across my eco system.
I’d argue it’s gotten worse.
On a number of levels - EQ harder to use, it now forces all sorts of new crap features, then music automatically starts and it announces weather and news, it turns on a second phantom BLE channel unless you gut that feature… and it still takes miserably long time to connect, if ever.
So, no
My Bose QC35 II's are on their last leg, I need to get these Sonys. Marques Brownlee had a positive review of them
I'm sorry if I came across as saying that the APM are not good at all, and are always worse than the Sony. For some people, the APM are a good choice. For others, the Sony or even the Bose are a better fit.
I found (and find) that the text is not balanced enough and too positive about APM. I have the Bose QC35II. My son has the APM. My son prefers the APM as he uses it every day but not all day. I prefer the Bose as it is much more comfortable for me, and I primarily use it on 10+ hour flights. I tried the APM on one of those flights and it was a fail.
No problem, I wasn’t annoyed and you are more than entitled to have an opinion.
As you say, what works for one person may not work for another due to any number of factors.
We have choices, which is great.😀👍
S2E are good but S3 is better. It is not necessary to wait for the update on PX8. The price difference will not be justified on sound quality.
"The AirPods Max have benefits in the Apple ecosystem like instant connection and fast device swapping." - Luckily EU forces Apple to open that up as well. Shouldn't be that hard imho.
I’m still using my Bose QuietComfort 35 II bought in 2020 on a deal for £180 - they’re so comfortable and sound amazing, ANC is also great, they’re very neutral though, that’s why some people prefer Sony with more bass. Thy only disadvantage is the old micro usb port and they started to flake a bit.
I’m not upgrading as it’s just so much easier with in ear headphones which you can put in your pocket, I just bought Samsung galaxy buds FE for £50 as I don’t want to pay more for earphones I’ll have to bin in 2 years when the batteries die.
I’m not upgrading as it’s just so much easier with in ear headphones which you can put in your pocket, I just bought Samsung galaxy buds FE for £50 as I don’t want to pay more for earphones I’ll have to bin in 2 years when the batteries die.
Spatial audio uses Dolby Atmos for their mixes. The only difference is Spatial can use Dolby 5.1 and 7.1.
Lot's of posts regarding this, and I agree. But you DO have an equalizer, but it only applies to Apple Music and is device dependent.
Which brings up another point. When I first got the XM6's, I spent a good deal of time adjusting EQ and was having a difficult time getting it right. I tweaked one setting and it threw everything off. Then I remembered that I had tested some Apple Music EQ profiles, and sure enough it was still active. So... when adjusting EQ on Sony's via their app using Apple Music tracks, make sure the Apple Music EQ setting is turned off.
The heavy weight and the missing wind noise cancelation are two of the biggest reasons I don't buy the AirPod Max. I barely feel my Sony MX5.
Interesting review. But 450 is way more than I want to spend on headphones. Apple or not. Or rather: especially not Apple.
I just wish that in AppleWorld, “premium” didn’t equate to “heavy” - I’d much prefer headphones made from a lightweight material that is still high quality. I’ve got M3s and APM and whilst I much prefer the ecosystem integration of APMs I just wish they weren’t so heavy!
I got the APP the month they came out... Ended getting a pair of the XM4's a while later... The APP, IMHO, trounced the XM4's... In the last 12-16 months, I started having issues with my APP's... The biggest one was connecting and staying connected to my M1 MBP 14" and M2 iPad Pro... The XM5's were on sale about a yr ago... picked up them up, have completely stopped using the APP's. The APP's are close to the XM5's...but I think the XM5's are better overall and SIGNIFICANTLY more Reliable. As of now, I see no reason to drop another $400 on the XM6's... And trade in value on the APP's and XM5's is terrible.
Coachingguy
Coachingguy
💯 I always felt the Bose 700 looked more like an Apple product than the APM. Ironically you used to be able to buy these in the Apple Store.
I’m torn between my Beats Studio Pro and Px8. Got each on a good sale at Amazon. The Px8 are made well and sound great, but the controls suck and the app is a PITA.
Air Pods Max has best sound, noise cancellation and build quality. But it's too heavy and big for travel. They should make smaller and cheaper Air version. Bose achieved the best balance of sound, noise cancellation and comfort: the most comfortable headphones. I own one pair of APM and 4 pairs of Bose.
Sony’s have been winning this for several versions now. Apple caught up quick.. but let’s be real the specs, functions, and features.. are superior to APM. Not saying APM aren’t great headphones but comparing them to one that is equally, if not better, sound quality that has waaaaay longer battery life.. not the best.
Case is the reason I will never get APM. Total design fail, it looks like a purse, doesn't really protect the headphones, and can't be replaced with a nice case due to the built in functionality.
XM4s are probably the best value at this point. They sound almost the same to the 6, they have a much nicer looking design than the 5s, and they're near indestructible. My teenage son is still using them after 2 years through heavy heavy teenage abuse... tumbling around in his backpack. Sony really nailed that design.
The original case for AirPod Max is a bit naff, let’s the product down.
But I got a decent third party case that has the same functionality, loads of options include the required elements to do the switch off etc.
Hopefully any future iteration will have a better case.
"Sound" is entirely subjective. To my ears Px8 > APM. Also, "no highs no lows it must be Bose."