AirPods Max for Work?

[sam2428]

Hey everyone, I’ve been searching for answers and watched a lot of YouTube videos but haven’t been able to find what I am after. Needed some help.

I just started a new job in an open concept environment where there are no offices and everyone sits in desks right around each other. It’s great for collaborating but can get noisy at times. I’ve decided to invest in a good pair of noise cancelling over ear headphones that I can use for work calls (MS Teams via Windows computer) and be able to connect to my iPhone for music, etc. I have the original airpod pros but I cannot use in ears for more than a couple of hours before my ears start feeling a little fatigue.

Is this a good use case for the AirPods max? Can anyone help me with pros and cons?

Other headphones I am considering are the Bose 700 and the Sony MX4/5s.

Main things I am looking for:

1. Prolonged use comfort
2. Ability to connect to windows computer and iPhone (or somewhat easy to swap between the two). I think Bose may allow for 2 simultaneous devices…but not sure how what would work if I am on a work Teams call and my iPhone gets a normal phone call?

They all have been highly rated for ANC and sound quality so I don’t really care to split hairs on that.

Aesthetically, I rank them: 1. APM 2. 700s 3. MXs.

Price: 1. MX 2. 700s 3. APM
Any advice or additional considerations would be much appreciated! 😁

 

[usagora]

As for comfort, only you can give a definite answer on that. I have a fairly large head and I find the APM comfortable to wear for hours non-stop. Others on this forum will tell you their skull is crushed and they have a migraine doing the same thing.

I don't switch between a Windows computer and Mac device with my APMs, so I can't speak to that.

Personally, I find it very awkward to talk on the phone using either the APMs or AirPod Pros with ANC on because my voice sounds muffled to me. It's very disorienting - like singing with a mic on stage with no stage monitors or in-ear monitors. I have to be in transparency mode, but of course that means you're going to be hearing everything else around you too.

 

[Htsi]

If you have return periods, buy all three and then decide.
APM are comfortable but I can’t wear for more than an hour at a time without a break.
Sony for me were terrible because of fake leather
magnetic earcups are a non negotiable for me
switching between iPhone and windows may be a hassle, that is why best to Try out and decide

 

[NastyMatt]

I spend most of my day with a headset on (as I do 40-50 meetings a week) and there are a couple of must have requirements I have (of headphones for work)

• Mic mute button on the headset - I tend to pace a bit while talking and this means I am not always at my computer to mute myself
• Sidetone - with over the ear headphones - or those with ANC - I need to be able to hear my own voice so I am not shouting
• Comfort - they must be amazingly comfortable and not clamp or make my ears hot

I am not recommending the headphones I have as everyone has personal preferences but I use SteelSeris Arctis 7, why? The ski band for the head band is fantastic, the ear cups are cloth so do not get hot or flake off like fake leather, if the battery runs low I can plug them in and still use them while charging, they have a power button and lastly (I could do without this if I had to but it's a nice touch) I can change the volume of different apps on the headphones i.e. I can quiet down a demo in Google Chrome versus someone speaking in Microsoft Teams.

 

[radieschen]

Sometimes Airpods have/had problems with windows computers, when used in Bluetooth Headset mode*. They support 16 kHz sampling rate, but only work on 8 kHz with some Windows PCs; CD is 44.1 kHz in comparison. You should definetly try using the AirPods Pro and take a look into the device settings (Headset) for those on your PC. If the sampling rate is 8 kHz, I wouldn't recommend using them, since the sound quality is bad for you and the others. Chances are high, that it is the same for the APMs, I would guess.

*In headset mode the sound quality is worse, since the latency has to be low. So the Headphones can sound pretty bad in calls, even though they sound great when listening to music, since another bluetooth mode is used in this case.

 

[mikedis]

Have we gotten an ANC comparison yet? There's this guy on YouTube that does a pretty cool comparison, I think his name is something like JimsReviewRoom.

 

[JD2015]

Have we gotten an ANC comparison yet? There's this guy on YouTube that does a pretty cool comparison, I think his name is something like JimsReviewRoom.

He stopped doing reviews 2 years ago to concentrate on other things in his life.

 

[mikedis]

He stopped doing reviews 2 years ago to concentrate on other things in his life.

Unfortunate, but understandable.

 

[sam2428]

I spend most of my day with a headset on (as I do 40-50 meetings a week) and there are a couple of must have requirements I have (of headphones for work)

• Mic mute button on the headset - I tend to pace a bit while talking and this means I am not always at my computer to mute myself
• Sidetone - with over the ear headphones - or those with ANC - I need to be able to hear my own voice so I am not shouting
• Comfort - they must be amazingly comfortable and not clamp or make my ears hot

I am not recommending the headphones I have as everyone has personal preferences but I use SteelSeris Arctis 7, why? The ski band for the head band is fantastic, the ear cups are cloth so do not get hot or flake off like fake leather, if the battery runs low I can plug them in and still use them while charging, they have a power button and lastly (I could do without this if I had to but it's a nice touch) I can change the volume of different apps on the headphones i.e. I can quiet down a demo in Google Chrome versus someone speaking in Microsoft Teams.

Thanks for the feedback. That’s really helpful. Mute button would definitely be useful. My current headset that I use does not have one and I end up using the he on screen mute button via mouse typically. So while not the end of the world if it doesn’t have one it for sure would be nice to have.

 

[sam2428]

Sometimes Airpods have/had problems with windows computers, when used in Bluetooth Headset mode*. They support 16 kHz sampling rate, but only work on 8 kHz with some Windows PCs; CD is 44.1 kHz in comparison. You should definetly try using the AirPods Pro and take a look into the device settings (Headset) for those on your PC. If the sampling rate is 8 kHz, I wouldn't recommend using them, since the sound quality is bad for you and the others. Chances are high, that it is the same for the APMs, I would guess.

*In headset mode the sound quality is worse, since the latency has to be low. So the Headphones can sound pretty bad in calls, even though they sound great when listening to music, since another bluetooth mode is used in this case.

This is a great point. Yea, I’ll have to test it out with my airpod pros to see how easy / difficult it is to swap between computer and iPhone.

I guess I’ll have to ask how things sound over time.

The more I think about it The more I think it’ll prob make sense to just have a headset for calls and then out on AirPods max or one of the other noise canceling cans for in between times.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I have all 3 and love them all. If I had to pick just one it'd be the AirPods Max. They are extremely comfortable and have larger ear cups than the other 2. With the Sony's and Bose the tip of my ear touches the back of the cup. The AirPods Max have a deeper cup so for me they fit perfectly.

 

[Eric Idle]

Hey everyone, I’ve been searching for answers and watched a lot of YouTube videos but haven’t been able to find what I am after. Needed some help.

I just started a new job in an open concept environment where there are no offices and everyone sits in desks right around each other. It’s great for collaborating but can get noisy at times. I’ve decided to invest in a good pair of noise cancelling over ear headphones that I can use for work calls (MS Teams via Windows computer) and be able to connect to my iPhone for music, etc. I have the original airpod pros but I cannot use in ears for more than a couple of hours before my ears start feeling a little fatigue.

Is this a good use case for the AirPods max? Can anyone help me with pros and cons?

Other headphones I am considering are the Bose 700 and the Sony MX4/5s.

Main things I am looking for:

1. Prolonged use comfort
2. Ability to connect to windows computer and iPhone (or somewhat easy to swap between the two). I think Bose may allow for 2 simultaneous devices…but not sure how what would work if I am on a work Teams call and my iPhone gets a normal phone call?

They all have been highly rated for ANC and sound quality so I don’t really care to split hairs on that.

Aesthetically, I rank them: 1. APM 2. 700s 3. MXs.

Price: 1. MX 2. 700s 3. APM
Any advice or additional considerations would be much appreciated! 😁

I just bought a pair of AirPods max and they are extremely uncomfortable after about 1 hour. I need a good 1 hour break and then I can wear them again. I could not wear them in a work enviornment at all. I use them only at home.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I just bought a pair of AirPods max and they are extremely uncomfortable after about 1 hour. I need a good 1 hour break and then I can wear them again. I could not wear them in a work enviornment at all. I use them only at home.

Where did you find them uncomfortable? Headband? Ear cups? weight?

 

[Eric Idle]

I spend most of my day with a headset on (as I do 40-50 meetings a week)

I would simply kill myself if I had a job like that. Anything more than few per week and I threaten my boss that I'll walk. He folds every single time.

 

[Eric Idle]

Where did you find them uncomfortable? Headband? Ear cups? weight?

The pressure on my ears becomes too much and if I walk around at all the excesive weight is very bothersome. I listen to them only when stationary.

 

[NastyMatt]

I would simply kill myself if I had a job like that. Anything more than few per week and I threaten my boss that I'll walk. He folds every single time.

I've considered it!