I never said paying a premium for devices was bad. I paid for the H95's becuase they are the best wireless headphones on the market. And the premium I paid has everything to do with the actual headphones and not for the "ecosystem" which is a laughable justification.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AirPods Max aren't very comfortable
- Thread starter LongWayHome
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I never said paying a premium for devices was bad. I paid for the H95's becuase they are the best wireless headphones on the market. And the premium I paid has everything to do with the actual headphones and not for the "ecosystem" which is a laughable justification.
Oh my god people have said that was another justification for paying a premium all over this site. You youself said it was a "bigger feature" than a 3.5mm jack.
How do you interpret that to mean “this one thing justifies X price”? Does anyone on the planet actually buy things that way?
Oh geez man stop trying to put words into my mouth that I never said. I said that I find it odd that people include the apple ecosystem and how it works seamlessly with other devices as one of the ways to justify a higher price. I never said that people were buying it simply for that reason alone.
Yeah fair point. The Max are definitely not aimed towards audiophiles (don't really know what an audiophile is really since its been established they aren't very good at discerning differences when blinded).
Switching seamlessly between a phone, tablet, and computer is definitely worth more compared to a pair of headphones that can't, but my point was that the sound quality of the Max's is on the level of 500 dollar headphones regardless of the ecosystem argument.
For the 550 price though, I definitely think Apple should have included that 3.5 headphone jack cord in also, it's pretty dumb they didn't. Even if they are pushing for everything to be wireless...I still think it should have been added. Also agree the case is laughable. But as for sound quality...if it matches headphones in the 500 range, it SEEMS fair, but I'm not a headphone fiend.
I just got these today and already feel like they might be a bit too small for my head. The metal of the headband is almost on top of my head in the most extended position unless I shift the headphones up a bit, and as a result I either feel the headband pressing into my head in the normal "just throw them on" position or the earcups clamping onto my ears if I move them up slightly to reduce the force of the headband.
My Bose 700 which I don't think are *that* comfortable due to the narrow headband are nevertheless way more comfortable
My Bose 700 which I don't think are *that* comfortable due to the narrow headband are nevertheless way more comfortable
Well so here is a weird end to this story. I went to pick up my wife's new phone from the Apple store today and I asked if they had any Airpods Max in stock just to see. They had one pair. I decided to buy them as I did really like them and wanted to give them another try.
Something is definitely strange as this pair feels nothing like the first pair that I got. There isn't that crushing clamping pressure and they feel really comfortable on my head. I don't know what the deal is with the first pair that I got but they were literally crushing my skull and these feel great.
Now I'm really stuck. I love my H95s and my APM. I will probably keep both and travel with the H95s and use the APM at home.
Something is definitely strange as this pair feels nothing like the first pair that I got. There isn't that crushing clamping pressure and they feel really comfortable on my head. I don't know what the deal is with the first pair that I got but they were literally crushing my skull and these feel great.
Now I'm really stuck. I love my H95s and my APM. I will probably keep both and travel with the H95s and use the APM at home.
It’s possible that there could be some manufacturing variations here. Many Apple devices have that: parts from different vendors and some variance to them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some APMs felt and performed with some variation.
Had my APMs for a week and previosly owned the Bose 700NC and Sony MX4. Strictly talking about weight, it produces numerous issues and concerns, so reviewers simplifying it is very incomplete. This is why I come here to get more context.
I use it for taking meetings at home and other sedentary activities (e.g., flying, coffee shops, library, etc.) and if any movement is extremely limited, then not much of an issue up to a couple hours. However, in practice, the head turns/moves due to various activities and that's when the weight is a real concern b/c it can be felt - and it's not as natural as the Sony/Bose. The best analogy I have is wearing a bicycle vs motorcycle helmet - it is day and night when there's head movement. Shifting/adjusting it every 30m helps, but is not a long-term solution.
I'm still on the fence whether on returning it or not but I hope not bc I love almost everything else about it. If it breaks in, then I'll be happy until v2. Apple should take this as their top priority.
The clamping force is not as bad as the Bose 700NC, but it's close. The larger ear cups help.
I use it for taking meetings at home and other sedentary activities (e.g., flying, coffee shops, library, etc.) and if any movement is extremely limited, then not much of an issue up to a couple hours. However, in practice, the head turns/moves due to various activities and that's when the weight is a real concern b/c it can be felt - and it's not as natural as the Sony/Bose. The best analogy I have is wearing a bicycle vs motorcycle helmet - it is day and night when there's head movement. Shifting/adjusting it every 30m helps, but is not a long-term solution.
I'm still on the fence whether on returning it or not but I hope not bc I love almost everything else about it. If it breaks in, then I'll be happy until v2. Apple should take this as their top priority.
The clamping force is not as bad as the Bose 700NC, but it's close. The larger ear cups help.
That's interesting. I thought the 700s had worse clamping force than the APMs - hence my returning it.
How big is your head? I don't have to extend them at all, I'm using them at their smallest.I just got these today and already feel like they might be a bit too small for my head. The metal of the headband is almost on top of my head in the most extended position unless I shift the headphones up a bit, and as a result I either feel the headband pressing into my head in the normal "just throw them on" position or the earcups clamping onto my ears if I move them up slightly to reduce the force of the headband.
My Bose 700 which I don't think are *that* comfortable due to the narrow headband are nevertheless way more comfortable
Sadly had to return my set today. Great sound quality. But the vice like grip on the sides of my head, plus the weight of the earphones, were just too much. I hope they come out with a lower weight (and price) ”sport” model as some leakers suggest.
Lucky. Think I haven’t been able to find a comfortable hat either
Given the ifixit teardown from today suggested the headband may be easily swappable, I’m hoping there will be differently shaped options eventually.
Just picked up mine yesterday after finding them in stock by accident... haha
I do feel a bit like in your first post, that they push a bit on the head, and I have had them on now for 3 hours ish, and pressure is on the sides for me, on the skull over the ears...
I am wondering if anyone has felt them kind of "softening" up over time?
I've read on here you can stretch them out. Maybe put them over a stack of books overnight to try and open up the headband a bit.
I must be honest I find the weight of these things a pain in the ass. It’s fine when you just sit there without moving. But when you move your head or even look down at your phone etc you can feel the weight pulling in that direction. I mean the headband does a good job of keeping them in place but they still slide about and need some minor readjustment.
Just got mine have a couple hours on them. I disagree with many comments in here. They feel lighter (they aren’t. They are .1 lb heavier than my heaviest psb but feel lighter on head) and to me are more comfortable than all but one set of my headphones. They are much more comfortable than my beats solo pro (will be selling them), more comfortable than my psb m4u 8 or m4u 2 (may sell both sets) and are a bit more comfortable than my grado sr325. The only headphones that are more comfortable that I own are my Sony Z1R.
My feelings exactly, only swap out the PSBs for the very similar NAD Viso HP50s.
Using the AirPods Max with an Apple TV (ATV) is amazing.
My previous headphones are Sony XM3s. They sound great and are very comfortable. However, they can be a pain to use with the ATV because Sony’s Bluetooth is “dumb”. By that, I mean they connect to the first paired device they encounter. So when I turn on my Sony headphones, they occasionally connect to my iPhone rather than the ATV (even though that's the only device I use them with). Switching Bluetooth connections for non-Apple headphones requires opening the Settings on BOTH devices -- ugh!
With the AirPods, you don’t have to worry about any of that. You don’t even turn them on or off. When I put the AirPods on, they immediately connect to the ATV. When I take them off, they immediately disconnect. Those smart features were one of my main reasons for getting the AirPods.
Yes, the AirPods are very heavy, but they sure make plastic headphones feel cheap by comparison I find them relatively comfortable, though I’m not sure if they match Sony yet. I did some stretching on the AirPods steel headband. It's very sturdy so you can really flex it without damaging it. I *think* the stretching has helped loosen them up, but it's hard to tell for sure. On the other hand, I love the mesh headband. It really works well to distribute the weight.
My previous headphones are Sony XM3s. They sound great and are very comfortable. However, they can be a pain to use with the ATV because Sony’s Bluetooth is “dumb”. By that, I mean they connect to the first paired device they encounter. So when I turn on my Sony headphones, they occasionally connect to my iPhone rather than the ATV (even though that's the only device I use them with). Switching Bluetooth connections for non-Apple headphones requires opening the Settings on BOTH devices -- ugh!
With the AirPods, you don’t have to worry about any of that. You don’t even turn them on or off. When I put the AirPods on, they immediately connect to the ATV. When I take them off, they immediately disconnect. Those smart features were one of my main reasons for getting the AirPods.
Yes, the AirPods are very heavy, but they sure make plastic headphones feel cheap by comparison
I find them relatively comfortable, though I’m not sure if they match Sony yet. I did some stretching on the AirPods steel headband. It's very sturdy so you can really flex it without damaging it. I *think* the stretching has helped loosen them up, but it's hard to tell for sure. On the other hand, I love the mesh headband. It really works well to distribute the weight.I picked mine yesterday, great qulity product, but Saturday, decided to watch a movie, couldn’t finish due to pressure on my skull and headache. Going to return :-( , go back to Bose 700.
Try stretching them out a bit. There was another thread on here about this too. They become quite comfortable over time and use.
Did not find the APM comfortable one bit. Very heavy on your head and really not a fan of the fabric memory foam cups.
Thanks for the advice. I stretched them overnight. They are better, but not as good as should be. I agree with OP that Bose 35II the most comfortable.
I compared blindly phone/voip/data communication with 5 different people and 4 out of 5 chose Bose over Apple in mic sound quality.
The last, but not the least I HATE about Apple AirPods MAX is the sound leak (other people can hear what I listen). This is due to the cheap plastic caps.
and I do not even mentioned ugly and useless case here.
This is the second Apple product I really do not like. The 1st one was iPhone 4 with antenna gate. (may be 3rd - hate that ip12 dual SIM 5g is only in China
)