Video Review: The AirPods Max in 2025

[colinwil]

I have had since launch. These sound great and continue to do so. I can’t think of any improvements for sound needed.

However a design overhaul is needed. I have not used heavily, and never outside the house, but the mesh in the headband has stretched and no longer cushions. I get headaches. This is a bit dumb for pricy headphones. None of my other pricy headphones in the last decades have worn out like this.

The case also needs a complete rethink. It was stupid form over function on launch. And it continues to be so. I have a pair of Sony XM4 that I use just for travel because the Apple case is terrible.

Yes - the mesh in the headband stretching is a real issue - it means that those bars that go across dig into your skull.

You can get padded rubber mesh covers from Amazon that help - but you shouldn’t have to.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

My Onkio supports AirPlay, they also have an app to remotely control this.

Yes, so does mine, but the point is, how do I send a series of ten or twenty FLAC files to the AirPods Max via AirPlay. Would these cans even "understand" what a multichannel FLAC (or a WAV) file is? I assume the AirPods Max expect to receive an Atmos signal from some Apple-compatible device, such as a modern iPhone, iPad or Mac. I wouldn't think multichannel FLAC files qualify as a valid stream for the AirPods Max. Am I mistaken?

 

[dampfnudel]

Nooo... I just got my USB-C version

Hey, that’s the way it works. We’ll probably start hearing the rumors of the APM2 by the next of the year.

 

[iBluetooth]

Yes, so does mine, but the point is, how do I send a series of ten or twenty FLAC files to the AirPods Max via AirPlay. Would these cans even "understand" what a multichannel FLAC (or a WAV) file is? I assume the AirPods Max expect to receive an Atmos signal from some Apple-compatible device, such as a modern iPhone, iPad or Mac. I wouldn't think multichannel FLAC files qualify as a valid stream for the AirPods Max. Am I mistaken?

With AirPlay the Onkyo is sending the sound to the AirPods and they play your playlist. You seem to be overthinking this, because if Onkyo can play the files it can send them over AirPlay. Just try it out and let me know what problems you face as I don't have these kind of multichannel FLAC files any more after B&W stopped sending these.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

With AirPlay the Onkyo is sending the sound to the AirPods and they play your playlist. You seem to be overthinking this, because if Onkyo can play the files it can send them over AirPlay. Just try it out and let me know what problems you face as I don't have these kind of multichannel FLAC files any more after B&W stopped sending these.

I wish I had hundreds of dollars to spare so that I could try these cans out. I will only invest all that money when someone tells me they've actually successfully played multichannel FLACS or multichannel DTS CDs sent to the AirPods Max via AirPlay. In any case, thank you for these pointers.