AirPods Max is here! First impressions and photos thread

[Boardiesboi]

Just picked up my AirPods Max space grey from an Apple Store here in Sydney Australia. They released stock for pick up and I was delighted as I missed out on the original batch of delivery.

First impressions

+ Premium quality and very well made. Miles ahead of the plastic in the Bose QC35 and Sony XM3/XM4. The aluminium is cold to the touch and feels nice.
+ Headband mesh is soft and does not apply much pressure to your head. I can barely feel that it’s there.
+ Fabric ear cups are light and airy and they don’t feel stuffy like the Sony or Bose. Less clamping sensation that the Sony or Beats Studio that I had (which I hated). They’re like ear pillows.
+ Active noise cancelling - They’re amazing - To my ears, they are better than the Bose and Sony. Also better than the AirPods Pro. Probably a combination of the large number of mics and the computational audio it does in the background.
+ Sound quality. I’m no audiophile so I can’t tell you how much better they are compared to Bose and Sony. Listened to a few tracks on Apple Music and to me, they sound better to me than either. No distortion when volume is increased to the max. Crisp highs and thumpy base. But not over the top like the Beats.

- Smart case does not protect the headphones at all. It has the same finish as the iPad smart cover and attracts smudges like no tomorrow. I’m too scared to put this into a backpack as is and will need to look for third party cases that cover the whole thing
- Weight. They are much heavier than Bose and Sony but the headband mesh sort of distributes the weight to the ear cups. I’ve been wearing them for 45 mins or so and I'm starting to notice the weight on the ears (not the top of the head). Great for listening to audio when you’re static at home or in the office but probably not one to take to the gym.

Will I keep it? Most likely. Is it worth the price. They are to me.
Will test this out over the next few weeks in different scenarios and see how it fits in with my daily routine.

Love to see your photos of your new APM and impressions that you have!

 

[Macdude2010]

Just a 2 quick questions about the materials:
1. Does the soft touch part of the headband feel like it’s made of silicone like the Apple cases or something else?
2. Does the canopy mesh seem durable/in your opinion would it be easy to clean on the white model?

Also can you go a little more in depth about the sound quality?

 

[ukms]

Great to read your views and nice snaps !

 

[0160033]

Does the Smart Case feel like it’s made of leather or some other material?

 

[Boardiesboi]

Just a 2 quick questions about the materials:
1. Does the soft touch part of the headband feel like it’s made of silicone like the Apple cases or something else?
2. Does the canopy mesh seem durable/in your opinion would it be easy to clean on the white model?

1. It's harder than silicone cases. I think the stainless steel rods extend all the way around the mesh and is covered by a layer of this silicone like plastic.
2. The mesh is soft and fabric like. It doesn't feel reinforced. I can imagine hair product and sweat and grease getting in contact with it and I don't think it'll be easy to clean if it's white.

 

[Boardiesboi]

Does the Smart Case feel like it’s made of leather or some other material?

The smart case is like the smart case for the iPads. It's plastic and definitely not leather.

 

[sshambles]

Looks great, thanks for sharing. I’m hoping the rubber on them doesn’t end up in years to come that cheap sticky kind that eventually becomes unusable. How’s the pairing to iPhone go? Same as Beats or AirPods?

 

[Boardiesboi]

Looks great, thanks for sharing. I’m hoping the rubber on them doesn’t end up in years to come that cheap sticky kind that eventually becomes unusable. How’s the pairing to iPhone go? Same as Beats or AirPods?

No pairing to speak of. I took them out of the smart case and it instantly showed up in the iPhone screen. One button click and it was ready.

 

[VSMacOne]

What were they thinking with that case on headphones that cost over half a grand?!? ?

 

[Boardiesboi]

What were they thinking with that case on headphones that cost over half a grand?!? ?

Agreed. They could've included a nice leather case or one that accommodates the entire set of headphones with slots to position the ear cups so they turn to ultra low power mode.

 

[Clix Pix]

Does the volume go up fairly high? Could a person with hearing impairment get enjoyment from these?

 

[Sodium Chloride]

Which one feels more comfortable to you after 2 hours watching a movie?
Which one sounds better for watching movies?
Do you notice lip sync due to Bluetooth connection?

 

[applelover4242]

Is there anything in the included manual on how long it takes to go in the low power state? Some reviewers have said two hours, while others said it's as soon as it's taken off your head.

 

[GermanSuplex]

+ Sound quality. I’m no audiophile so I can’t tell you how much better they are compared to Bose and Sony. Listened to a few tracks on Apple Music and to me, they sound better to me than either. No distortion when volume is increased to the max. Crisp highs and thumpy base. But not over the top like the Beats.

Thanks for the review!

I’m not surprised that they sound better if they handle high volumes better. I haven’t had a pair of high-end headphones in a few years now, but I remember the main issue I had with most pairs of expensive headphones (both over-ear and in-ear) was the clipping at high volumes.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Is there anything in the included manual on how long it takes to go in the low power state? Some reviewers have said two hours, while others said it's as soon as it's taken off your head.

This reviewer says it’s about 2 hours. But the case is necessary to go immediately into low power mode. So it’s not immediately, unless you take them off your head and put them straight in the case.

 

[VSMacOne]

Agreed. They could've included a nice leather case or one that accommodates the entire set of headphones with slots to position the ear cups so they turn to ultra low power mode.

Exactly. I mean even the regular “cheap” AirPods have such a great case.

 

[0160033]

The smart case is like the smart case for the iPads. It's plastic and definitely not leather.

Appreciate the info!

 

[vroom2]

Do you even have the Sony XM4 that you say these are “miles ahead of”? Saying that they “noticeably” better at noise canceling? I’ll be curious to see what the reviews who do side by side tests say. Because those are some bold statements. Please provide examples of where the noise canceling was noticeably better than the Sony XM4.

 

[Moriarty]

Just a 2 quick questions about the materials:
1. Does the soft touch part of the headband feel like it’s made of silicone like the Apple cases or something else?
2. Does the canopy mesh seem durable/in your opinion would it be easy to clean on the white model?

Also can you go a little more in depth about the sound quality?

FYI soft touch headband is TPU (I found that info yesterday in an allergy-centric document on Apple’s site). I hope that means it’s fairly durable.

Shame that the headband is a part that could potentially wear out and we don’t know what it would cost to replace. In theory you could probably peel off the TPU and rip out the polyester and wrap around a third-party replacement, but I’d hope that Apple will replace it for <$100 if necessary.

 

[Macdude2010]

FYI soft touch headband is TPU (I found that info yesterday in an allergy-centric document on Apple’s site). I hope that means it’s fairly durable.

Shame that the headband is a part that could potentially wear out and we don’t know what it would cost to replace. In theory you could probably peel off the TPU and rip out the polyester and wrap around a third-party replacement, but I’d hope that Apple will replace it for <$100 if necessary.

I might end up switching out my Silver for a Space Gray then. I worry about the white headband yellowing over time, and if I am going to use these at work, I want them to be able to withstand normal wear and tear without looking gross. It’s a shame because all my other products are silver (I guess except for my HomePod’s, which I bought in Space Gray because I thought the white would get dirty)

 

[mmomega]

I think everything could potentially wear and the only known parts available are the ear puffs.
At this moment, anyone with resistance should stay away and find a product they can accept.

Apple is not a company with a beating heart for the folks purchasing their products. They want them to buy them, but once the check clears, the credits deposited, the transaction is over and on to the next one.

 

[alfmoonspace]

Mine should be here tomorrow and listening to my XM4's right now. Really hard to believe that they are light years ahead of the Sony's. Especially EQ'd.

 

[matrix07]

Just picked up my AirPods Max space grey from an Apple Store here in Sydney Australia. They released stock for pick up and I was delighted as I missed out on the original batch of delivery.

First impressions

+ Premium quality and very well made. Miles ahead of the plastic in the Bose QC35 and Sony XM3/XM4. The aluminium is cold to the touch and feels nice.
+ Headband mesh is soft and does not apply much pressure to your head. I can barely feel that it’s there.
+ Fabric ear cups are light and airy and they don’t feel stuffy like the Sony or Bose. Less clamping sensation that the Sony or Beats Studio that I had (which I hated). They’re like ear pillows.
+ Active noise cancelling - They’re amazing. Miles ahead of the Bose and also noticeably better than the Sony. Also better than the AirPods Pro. Probably a combination of the large number of mics and the computational audio it does in the background.
+ Sound quality. I’m no audiophile so I can’t tell you how much better they are compared to Bose and Sony. Listened to a few tracks on Apple Music and to me, they sound better to me than either. No distortion when volume is increased to the max. Crisp highs and thumpy base. But not over the top like the Beats.

- Smart case does not protect the headphones at all. It has the same finish as the iPad smart cover and attracts smudges like no tomorrow. I’m too scared to put this into a backpack as is and will need to look for third party cases that cover the whole thing
- Weight. They are much heavier than Bose and Sony but the headband mesh sort of distributes the weight to the ear cups. I’ve been wearing them for 45 mins or so and I'm starting to notice the weight on the ears (not the top of the head). Great for listening to audio when you’re static at home or in the office but probably not one to take to the gym.

Will I keep it? Most likely. Is it worth the price. They are to me.
Will test this out over the next few weeks in different scenarios and see how it fits in with my daily routine.

Love to see your photos of your new APM and impressions that you have! View attachment 1694380 View attachment 1694381 View attachment 1694382 View attachment 1694383 View attachment 1694384 View attachment 1694385 View attachment 1694386

Could you confirm that spatial audio doesn’t work with Big Sur 11.1?

 

[PickUrPoison]

Mine should be here tomorrow and listening to my XM4's right now. Really hard to believe that they are light years ahead of the Sony's. Especially EQ'd.

Well in all fairness there’s a big difference between 2 miles and 12 trillion miles ? Also, OP said “noticeably better than the Sony”.

 

[Macdude2010]

I think everything could potentially wear and the only known parts available are the ear puffs.
At this moment, anyone with resistance should stay away and find a product they can accept.

Apple is not a company with a beating heart for the folks purchasing their products. They want them to buy them, but once the check clears, the credits deposited, the transaction is over and on to the next one.

Normal wear and tear is one thing, but I’d prefer it if my headphones don’t look gross after use.