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AirPods Max is here! First impressions and photos thread
- Thread starter Boardiesboi
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Apples new headphones are almost certainly going to be better than a product that costs $200 fewer.
I know with Apple that price doesn’t always indicate better or more (I mean, they’ve been fleecing us all for years with overpriced ram and storage upgrades) but with audio, Apple really know what they’re doing.
Don’t be upset that people are wrongly comparing this more expensive, higher tier product to yours. They should be comparing them to headphones that are twice as expensive and seeing how they do.
Edit: That was meant to be for Vroom but it cut the quote out for some reason.
I know with Apple that price doesn’t always indicate better or more (I mean, they’ve been fleecing us all for years with overpriced ram and storage upgrades) but with audio, Apple really know what they’re doing.
Don’t be upset that people are wrongly comparing this more expensive, higher tier product to yours. They should be comparing them to headphones that are twice as expensive and seeing how they do.
Edit: That was meant to be for Vroom but it cut the quote out for some reason.
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Haven't the UK stopped doing collection for items like these? In the same boat as yourself...
My local Apple store doesn’t have the AirPods Max in stock but I could go and collect a pair of AirPods Pro so they are still allowing collection.
Ah, these old chestnuts.
Has it not occurred to either of you that the reason that Apple is the largest company in the world and benefits from such insane levels of brand loyalty is the awesome returns policy. Overwhelmingly Apple products are bought online, and the returns policy entirely removes risk from the consumer. Meaning the consumer is more likely to try out a product and — because those products are usually best-in-class — keep it.
I’ve spent many tens of thousands on Apple products. Sure, I’ve returned a few. But Apple’s bottom line has done well out of me. And that’s helped them developed the products you enjoy. You’re welcome.
I never order without serious intent. I only return if the product is not suitable or, rarely, does not meet my expectations.
It’s always a pleasure to read @Boardiesboi’s early reviews. I knew this was his thread before I even looked to see who started it. He is a valuable ambassador for Apple.
Probably because we haven’t had a case of covid community transmission in a month, while the rest of Europe and the US go back into lockdown.
I know when Victoria was in lockdown during the iPhone release, Apple had no option for in store pickup
The weight is the one thing that concerns me. Nothing worse than wearing a set of cans only to have them feel like your head is being crushed if used over an extended period of time. I really hope Apple didn't screw up and make these too heavy.
When you get into high end audiophile headphones (I'm not suggesting the AirPods Max are that quality, though), headphones regularly get up to and often quite a bit in excess of the weight of the APM. There are high end headphones well into the 400 gram range. They can still be comfy, so long as they are well designed. I have some Audeze Mobius which weigh in at 350grams, and probably a touch more in reality because they have a cable hanging from them into my PC. I find them fairly comfy, even for longer gaming sessions multiple hours long.
It sounds like you have used, when you have, the Apple return policy as it is designed to be used. But have you not seen others that clearly are abusing the policy? So many people on this site alone tout that they ordered more than one color of a device to decide which they want. Or people who buy a phone in a size/color/configuration that they have no intention of keeping because stock levels are low and they are buying as a stopgap while waiting for the one they want to become available. Buying a product with the genuine intention of wanting it, but later for whatever reason deciding it is not a product they want is okay. Buying a product knowing at the time of purchase that it will be a return is not okay, in my opinion. And you can be sure that returns do have a cost to the seller and it is a cost that is factored into the retail price charged to all.
Apple has taken a decision on its return policy and on balance I agree with it for the reasons you state -- best in class. But I am under no illusion that abusing that policy is without cost to all of us since Apple has to price this in.
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But what codec does it use ? Their website has no information about bitrates, codecs etc (pretty important) and makes some bold claims like "audio sync in youtube videos" (well so does my $10 bluetooth headphone dongle
). Not saying they don't look decent, would just like to know to compare.
Are you are using an Apple or Android phone ? It would also might make a difference depending on the headphone codec support e.g.
If it's an Apple phone and the Cans don't have AAC they would fall back to SBS (lower quality).
If its an Android phone with LDAC or Apt-X they probably would sound marginally better if the cans support it.
Or the bluetooth encoding from a lossless source in realtime is better than the same bandwidth file from Apple Music somehow.
Spotify sound like absolute garbage on almost everything wired or wireless though
Looking good! I've ordered the same color… expected delivery December 23. Can't wait (but have to).
It's farking ridiculous right? How do they do so much so well.. and then they make this sort of thing!? It looks like a Cold War era bikini.
But what codec does it use ? Their website has no information about bitrates, codecs etc (pretty important) and makes some bold claims like "audio sync in youtube videos" (well so does my $10 bluetooth headphone dongle
Not saying they don't look decent, would just like to know to compare.
Are you are using an Apple or Android phone ? It would also might make a difference depending on the headphone codec support e.g.
If it's an Apple phone and the Cans don't have AAC they would fall back to SBS (lower quality).
If its an Android phone with LDAC or Apt-X they probably would sound marginally better if the cans support it.
Or the bluetooth encoding from a lossless source in realtime is better than the same bandwidth file from Apple Music somehow.
Spotify sound like absolute garbage on almost everything wired or wireless though
Spotify doesn’t sound garbage if you’re using the extreme 320kbps setting. I doubt you even can figure out the difference by ear.
Exactly! It’s baffling. I WISH I could be a fly on the wall in those meetings. They really dropped the ball here. It’s actually very annoying Lol. Their “case” is straight garbage.
I don’t understand Apple sometimes. It doesn’t release the HomePod in the Netherlands (likely because of Siri, even though it is released in Dutch) but does release the AirPods Max...with Siri.
Both the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 and the Sennheiser Momentum 3 wireless all come in at less weight than the AirPods Max. Heavier doesn't equal higher quality sound in wireless. It just equals fatigue when wearing them for extended periods. And even your AM's weigh less than the AirPods Max. Weight will likely matter with these.
I guess that's because the HomePod is a stand-alone Siri device, the AirPods Max just uses the connected device. I bought a HomePod years ago in Germany, used Siri once, had a laugh, and turned it off. I don't know why Apple even bothers developing Siri. I've never met someone who is actually using it in real life.
I am really interested but I want to hear them first before considering buying them. Same with the AirPods Pro or Max.
This makes no sense, APP's physically plug your ear canal. Any in-ears with a good seal block about half of noise even with no ANC. It's the final result that matters.
All other products are available for pickup from Apple Stores in the UK - I was at the Covent Garden store just the other day.
I don't really see why they would exclude AirPods Max. You select a time window for collection when ordering an item for pick up, so it's not as if overcrowding/Covid safety would be an issue.
Just blocking the ear canal doesn't block all noise, though. Some noise still gets in, certainly the lower frequencies, transmitted around/through the rest of your ear?
Consider the effectiveness of ear plugs compared to industrial over-ear ear muffs. The ear muffs will block far more noise!
Woah steady on there! That's an audiophile you're attempting to undermine. They don't adopt that label so the likes of you can go around claiming that relatively cheap and accessible products and services are perfectly adequate.