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Kylo83

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2020
4,419
14,375
I have them, im not keeping them I just wanted to try them, so sound quality is meh ok I actually like the AirPods Pro better, build quality is good but this is NOT worth £550
 
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yegon

Cancelled
Oct 20, 2007
3,429
2,028
Just used mine for the first time.. for those who have received theirs, can you confirm:
  1. Was there a small sticker on the outside of the earcups (on the aluminium) with "designed by apple in California" (or something to that effect). I've not seen this is any unboxing videos yet, so just wondering if this is supposed to be there?
  2. the button next to the Digital Crown - how click is it? I'm finding sometimes the button presses (but not properly clicks) and sometimes when I press it, the settings change, but the button doesn't move. It feels like the button is pressed in already.
Thanks
Yep, mine had the sticker.
 

laptech

macrumors 601
Apr 26, 2013
4,130
4,455
Earth
You cannot judge your comparisons of the Airpod Max against that of the Bose QC35 and Sony XM3/XM4 because the Boch and Sony are no where near the same price bracket and as such, the materials used and overall desgin is going to be much much different.
 

Kylo83

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2020
4,419
14,375
they do not go loud as I would of liked, the AirPods Pro sound much louder and nicer IMO, for me these are no where near good enough to keep
 
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cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,431
5,627
Mine arrived a couple of hours ago and although it's too early to make a final call - on initial impressions I'm not sure I like them over my Sony XM3's. The sound signature is no doubt very pleasing to some but to me it lacks warmth and depth compared to the Sony's. The Sony's are also a lot comfier, you forget you're wearing them where as the AirPods Max really have a weighty presence that feels like pressure on your head and ears.

I'm a little shocked if I'm honest that the Sony's have a much more pleasing sound. The AirPods Max probably have a little more detail in the mids and highs but being able to EQ the Sony's means I can get a much more custom sound that suits me.

Max volume is also higher on the Sony's which helps with the quieter recordings. Both have no distortion at high volumes.

Build quality and looks go hands down to Apple, the crown to control the volume is brilliant but sound and comfort is surely the number one priority and that is where I'm afraid the Sony's win - so far.
But then again you could buy 2 pairs of your Sony headphones for the price of these. And actually have a case that isn't a piece of junk. I can't imagine wanting to travel with the APM. Seems like they're strictly for using at home or work.
 

Reason077

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2007
3,854
4,092
Yep, just ordered them at my local store. Looks like they went live at 8 am EST.

Wow! This makes it even more frustrating that they don't seem to be available in the UK. Stock delayed? Has anyone even received a delivery order in the UK yet?
 

deevey

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2004
1,417
1,494
I don’t sense sarcasm here, so I am genuinely curious if I’ve overlooked the 3.5mm to lightning adaptor... what makes it a wonder at $9?
It's very neutral, extremely low S/N and has a decent volume output for most "normal" impedance headphones.
 
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Macaday

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2007
62
108
they do not go loud as I would of liked, the AirPods Pro sound much louder and nicer IMO, for me these are no where near good enough to keep
I'm finding that. They just need a couple more notches of volume along with a little custom EQ. They are very clear & precise though.
 

cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,431
5,627
You cannot judge your comparisons of the Airpod Max against that of the Bose QC35 and Sony XM3/XM4 because the Boch and Sony are no where near the same price bracket and as such, the materials used and overall desgin is going to be much much different.
I consider the APM squarely in the Bose/Sony class. Sorry. Apple simply raised the ceiling a bit is all as they always do.
 

mcaswell

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2013
390
228
they do not go loud as I would of liked, the AirPods Pro sound much louder and nicer IMO, for me these are no where near good enough to keep
I saw elsewhere that there's an option in Settings to limit maximum volume (a "safety" feature), which you can disable.
 
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nospleen

macrumors 68030
Dec 8, 2002
2,726
1,591
Texas
My apologies if this has been asked. If you ask Siri to turn off the AirPods Max, when outside of the case, does that work? Seems crazy you have to put in the case to turn into low power mode.
 
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laptech

macrumors 601
Apr 26, 2013
4,130
4,455
Earth
I consider the APM squarely in the Bose/Sony class. Sorry. Apple simply raised the ceiling a bit is all as they always do.
Please explain why you consider the $500 Aiprod Max in the same class as the $200 Bose and Sony headphones? Because if you truely think they are in the same class, it is not a case of Apple raising the ceiling but more a case of Apple explotiing their customer base by way over pricing the headphones to match a class of headphones that are in the $200 price range.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,734
32,198
Max volume is also higher on the Sony's which helps with the quieter recordings. Both have no distortion at high volumes.
This is something I was curious about. I‘m currently using wired Audio Techinica cans I got years ago and any time I try new headphones I end up returning them because at the same volume level they’re quieter than my AT’s. I listen to a lot of music on YouTube because with Apple Music I have to crank the volume much higher to get the same sound as I do on YouTube. I think even Amazon music is louder than Apple Music.
 
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cardfan

macrumors 601
Mar 23, 2012
4,431
5,627
Please explain why you consider the $500 Aiprod Max in the same class as the $200 Bose and Sony headphones? Because if you truely think they are in the same class, it is not a case of Apple raising the ceiling but more a case of Apple explotiing their customer base by way over pricing the headphones to match a class of headphones that are in the $200 price range.
No way. Apple would never exploit its customer base..lol
 
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Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,734
32,198
Is Apple allowing people to try them in store or is that a no-go because of Covid? These are something I’d really want to try before buying.
 
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deevey

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2004
1,417
1,494

You can't use it for AirPods Max though, just so you know.
Well you could, but only paired with the lighting to 3.5mm bi-directional cable as well ($35)

I suppose that setup would give you lossless/low latency audio from an iDevice.

A lightning to lightning is something thats really kinda needed for any low latency stuff (e.g. Realtime high FPS gaming) now that I think of it
 

Kylo83

macrumors 601
Apr 2, 2020
4,419
14,375
AirPods Pro sound better and louder than the AirPods max, honestly its no where near as loud , it does sound clear but I like loudness
 

Macaday

macrumors member
Sep 13, 2007
62
108
This is something I was curious about. I‘m currently using wired Audio Techinica cans I got years ago and any time I try new headphones I end up returning them because at the same volume level they’re quieter than my AT’s. I listen to a lot of music on YouTube because with Apple Music I have to crank the volume much higher to get the same sound as I do on YouTube. I think even Amazon music is louder than Apple Music.
Sounds like that's more of a DAC/AMP limitation issue. If you're using wired headphones that are harder to drive then buy something like the Dragonfly Black DAC. That will drive any headphones louder than a phone or notebook output and sound a hell of a lot better too. You'd need a lightning to USB adapter to use on iPhone.
 

Hedo

macrumors regular
Jan 12, 2016
101
115
I wear glasses all day, Ray Ban Wayfarer's, and were wondering if anyone who has gotten them can comment on how comfortable they are while wearing with glasses on? My Sony XM4's are still comfortable with glasses on and the ANC isn't too affected by them so I hope the AirPods Max are the same.
 
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Moriarty

macrumors 6502
Feb 3, 2008
436
208
They are here!

Sound is objectively leaps and bounds ahead of my Bose QC25, and on par with (possibly better than) my Denon AH-D2000.

Soundstage is extremely good and open sounding. The headphones sound detailed, responsive, and balanced. This is Apple’s signal processing magic.

ANC is clearly better as well.

With both ANC and transparency off, the sound quality does not change. But there are some “microphonics” when you move your head, etc — this is due to the seal the headphones make. It’s almost like you can hear the blood rushing through your veins as well. This more or less disappears when you turn the ANC on, and then they feel the same as any other ANC headphone. I don’t notice much of a pressure effect but I have never been much bothered by it.

Comfort is good but you notice the weight moving your head around. These are not fitness headphones. They are sit-down-and-listen headphones. I am accustomed to headphones of a similar weight. Although I wish they were lighter, I understand that part of the reason they’re heavy is because of the deep and spacious earcups (which I love).

I would rather wear the QC25 / QC35. But I’d rather listen to the AirPods Max: in sound quality there is no comparison.

The fabrics feel quite densely woven, almost smooth to the touch. I don’t mind it. The fabric earpads feel like they will be a lot cooler in summer than other wireless ANC headphones with pleather earpads.

The earcups are deep and spacious (at least as big as my QC25). My ears touched the insides of the XM4 so I returned them: I do not have this problem with the AirPods Max. I feel like this feature has not gotten half the attention that it deserves. So many wireless headphones have far too small earcups and I cannot stand it. No such problem here. This is partly why the headphones are so big. Most of the depth is taken up by the earcup and the driver, and all the electronics are around the edge. It’s very well thought out.

I hate touch controls on headphones. The crown feels great and gives very accurate and fine grained control over volume.

These are excellent headphones, and if you want the combination of excellent sound quality and extremely good noise cancellation then sum of the AirPods Max’s individual qualities makes them worth the price of admission.
 
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honglong1976

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2008
1,675
1,135
UK
They look great, but then they are £549.

The case, however, is awful. It's almost like Apple's design team forgot about the case and they got one of the cleaners to design it on a piece of paper. Why they couldn't include a hardcase like Bose or Sony is beyond me. The case is absolutely useless for travelling.

Maybe that's by design? Airpod Pro when travelling, Airpod Max for home?

How is the bass? I love spacial audio on the AirPod Pro's, but seriously, the bass is not deep enough for movies!
 
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