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MacMan988

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 7, 2012
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I’m thinking of getting 2 AirPods Max’s (for me and my wife). However, I wouldn’t say I’m well updated on Apple News and releases. So, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Does it make more sense to wait for the next version?
 
I wouldn’t buy it. Even now, it is not getting the new features such as Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume and Conversation Awareness because of its old H1 chip.
 
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I'm torn on that, I think you should wait but you might have to wait for up to a year to get the update. But Apple has yet to add the additional features of AirPods Pro 2 to the Max, + the upcoming transition to USB-C. For those reasons, I think it's reasonable to assume a new generation will be released by the end of this year, but you never know with Apple, especially with their audio products

They are still very good headphones even in 2023, but if you want to buy them, you should not pay them full MSRP for a 2.5 years old device.
 
Get some cheap bluetooth headphones from Amazon to tide you over until gen 2. Trust me on this; I've had "buying a product right before a refresh" regret before and it sucks, especially for something pricey like AirPods Max.
 
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I got mine two days ago, and so happy to have them. I did not like the plastic xm5. With the complete egosystem from apple APM works so fine. ANC is amazing too and they sound for me greater than the xm5, and I sweet less, more comfortable in summer. Less sell the XM5s…
 
it depends on your use case. I’ve had mine since launch and they’re amazing, particularly for watching movies and listening to music. I also have the AirPods Pro 2 and the find the Max better for all of my scenarios. Granted, I don’t like taking calls/conferences on either, nor do I like the experience of talking with them on/in so some of the newest features aren’t interesting for me.

Looking at how long Apple went between updates for a similar higher-end audio device, the HomePod, I think we have a 1-2 years before they iterate on the Max. That said, the rumored Beats Studio Pro look like they’ll offer all the new features and may drop this month. Granted, the fit and finish will likely be more plastic-y, but you may want to hold a month if that sounds appealing.

Otherwise, I’d highly recommend the Max.
 
I just found some brand new models for under $300, so I have now ordered to give these a try. Agreed that all the upcoming features of gen 2 will be welcome, however they will cost nearly double what I just paid. Are they worth that much, plus the undisclosed amount of time I will be waiting for their release? Likely not. So, if you can find a deal, I personally think the gen 1s are a viable buy.

Edit: The AirPods Pro 2 should be tried before making this decision. I will now have both, for different use cases.
 
I could really use a pair, but I do not want to pay that much for a product that doesn’t even have feature parity with AirPods Pro. I’ll place my order the same day orders for AirPods Max 2 open.
 
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I just found some brand new models for under $300, so I have now ordered to give these a try. Agreed that all the upcoming features of gen 2 will be welcome, however they will cost nearly double what I just paid. Are they worth that much, plus the undisclosed amount of time I will be waiting for their release? Likely not. So, if you can find a deal, I personally think the gen 1s are a viable buy.

Edit: The AirPods Pro 2 should be tried before making this decision. I will now have both, for different use cases.
Update on this: These showed up and were instantly identifiable as knockoffs. So, the price point turned out to be unrealistic. I had some trust in using Swappa.com with their terms and conditions, but this clearly slipped through the cracks.
 
Most of the rumours point to second half of 2024. I bought mine in Feb 2022 and I’ve been very happy with them. I would like some of the newer features from more recent releases particulalry the improved ANC and the lossless audio of the new Beats Studio. However as the new ones seem to be over a year away at this point I would buy them today.
 
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I bought mine maybe two months ago. Our use is for the Apple TV, and they get used on an almost daily basis (replacing Sennheiser 175 RF). It’s a very nice upgrade from the previous headphones so it was worth it in our case.
 
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