AirPods Max Reviews

[adrianlondon]

He also did a voice recording comparison, which I haven't seen before. I was really surprised how bad the XM4 voice recording is, but for everything else they're comparable.

If the XM4s were good for calls/facetime I'd've bought them by now. The XM3s were dire, according to reviews, and the XM4s aren't much better.

I then nearly bought the Bose 700s as they have brilliant call quality, but their firmware and app gets uniformly slagged off. Plus reviews say they don't sound great. So then I decided to slghtly compromise on call quality and audio and looked at the PX7s. I'm not a fan of touch controls, so the PX7s win out here with actual buttons. They're bulky, have a bad app with no EQ, and a high clamping force. The latter puts me off.

I would have dropped money on the Max's if they didn't involve compromises, but like the others, they have their faults. They're heavy, bulky, bad case, and some immediate reviews talk about connection issues even with Apple products, although I'm sure a firmware update will fix that.

My problem is that I can't decide which compromises to make and keep waiting for the perfect pair. I was hoping today was the day. But at least I'm $600 richer than I otherwise would have been

 

[Beau10]

Audiophile impressions against a slate of mid-tier audiophile headphones (TLDR: on par w/ HD6xx, a fair bit better than the other wireless competition):

https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/kd9hgz

 

[Dave245]

Audiophile impressions against a slate of mid-tier audiophile headphones (TLDR: on par w/ HD6xx, a fair bit better than the other wireless competition):

https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/kd9hgz

He seems to really like them. I think for the price these need to sound good. I can't wait to get mine.

 

[iEnvy]

Audiophile impressions against a slate of mid-tier audiophile headphones (TLDR: on par w/ HD6xx, a fair bit better than the other wireless competition):

https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/kd9hgz

Good first impression. Makes the purchase more justifiable.

 

[Rogifan]

They come with a standard 3.5 to 3.5 cable and you’re not milked extra money to get a very limited lightning to 3.5 cable. Cover your ear for instant transparency mode. A power button so your headphones can shut off and not constantly waste battery. An app that allows you to modify all aspects of the headphones, including an EQ. And on and on.

Can you provide your source for AirPods Max constantly wasting battery life?

 

[Kylo83]

AirPods Pro sound better and louder, the AirPods max are not loud enough

 

[Dave245]

AirPods Pro sound better and louder, the AirPods max are not loud enough

Thats not what reviewers are saying.

 

[Beau10]

Straight up, I seriously doubt this guy's hearing is all there if he says he can't barely hear a difference. The XM4 are fairly bass heavy cans.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Review

The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are the successor to the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless. This generation has some improvements, including a longer continuous battery life...

www.rtings.com

"The Sony WH-1000XM4 have a bass-heavy default sound profile. The extra thump and rumble in the bass range can please fans of bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop."

Apple has obviously gone for a more neutral approach with their branded audio offerings, probably targeting the Harman curve to some degree.

 

[Kylo83]

Thats not what reviewers are saying.

they have more bass etc but loudness is not good compared to AirPods Pro as they are direct in your ears, I don't care about high mids etc I want loud and good sounding and they just are not like that

 

[kmanmx]

AirPods Pro sound better and louder, the AirPods max are not loud enough

If you need anything beyond max volume on these then you are probably damaging your ears. They are very loud at max volume, and I like loud music too.

 

[Sim-1]

I just bought mine! I was at the local store to pick up an iPhone 12 (for a gift) and asked the shop assistant if they had any available as goin through the app meant really long waiting time. Turns out they had a bunch in store..

 

[Dave245]

I just bought mine! I was at the local store to pick up an iPhone 12 (for a gift) and asked the shop assistant if they had any available as goin through the app meant really long waiting time. Turns out they had a bunch in store..

Let us know you’re first opinions, how do they sound? Do they seem durable?

 

[Royksöpp]

I really like how the plastic makes the case look gray. It looks so much better than the black. It would have been nice if had that suede-like fabric on the outside as well. The silicone is going to be a smudgy scratched up mess, especially in black.

 

[Sim-1]

Let us know you’re first opinions, how do they sound? Do they seem durable?

I really like how comfortable they are. By comparison, when I use my Bose QuietComfort 35, after a few minutes I feel the pressure on the ears. The fabric the used on these is much more comfortable and breathable. Lots of bass and great noise reduction!

 

[dalvin200]

I wonder when the embargo for official reviews lifts (not the early impressions videos) as recently it has been 9amET/2pmGMT. As the product is now available is our hands/heads, thought it would be today but have not seen any yet.

 

[Dave245]

I really like how comfortable they are. By comparison, when I use my Bose QuietComfort 35, after a few minutes I feel the pressure on the ears. The fabric the used on these is much more comfortable and breathable. Lots of bass and great noise reduction!

Is the noise cancellation better than on the AirPods Pro?

I’ve got mine on order with delivery on the 22nd December. But if these are no better then the AirPods Pro that I have for running, I will return them. They beed to sound better than the Pros and have better ANC for me to keep them.

 

[kmanmx]

I really like how comfortable they are. By comparison, when I use my Bose QuietComfort 35, after a few minutes I feel the pressure on the ears. The fabric the used on these is much more comfortable and breathable. Lots of bass and great noise reduction!

I agree, had them on for over 90 minutes and they've just 'disappeared' now. Really comfortable. No hotspot on the top of my head where the band rests, which is a frequent complaint I have with other headphones. Ofcourse, comfort will vary a lot person to person.

 

[Dave245]

 

[Herrpod]

Can you provide your source for AirPods Max constantly wasting battery life?

You mean other than literally everyone who used them saying they don't ever completely shut off, including Apple themselves? No.

 

[Sim-1]

Is the noise cancellation better than on the AirPods Pro?

I’ve got mine on order with delivery on the 22nd December. But if these are no better then the AirPods Pro that I have for running, I will return them. They beed to sound better than the Pros and have better ANC for me to keep them.

I think it's pretty much the same. I prefer the final result on these only because they cover the whole ear.

 

[Dave245]

You mean other than literally everyone who used them saying they don't ever completely shut off, including Apple themselves? No.

You can’t turn off the AirPods Pro or normal AirPods either. It’s really not an issue.

 

[Herrpod]

You can’t turn off the AirPods Pro or normal AirPods either. It’s really not an issue.

It really IS an issue since the normal AirPods reside in a case that is constantly topping their batteries off.

 

[Dave245]

It really IS an issue since the normal AirPods reside in a case that is constantly topping their batteries off.

And there is a case that comes with the AirPods Max! when put inside they enter a deep sleep.

 

[Herrpod]

And there is a case that comes with the AirPods Max! when put inside they enter a deep sleep.

It puts it into a state where it drains battery still. That's what people want from their wireless headphones right? A device that continues to drain battery when not in use? In a case that you can't safely travel with because it doesn't protect the 550 dollar headphones within. Brilliant design. Right up their with the Touch Bar, butterfly keyboard, and Apple TV remote control.

 

[pugxiwawa]

It's not like Apple specifically designed H1 chips with power consumption in mind for portal wearables or something...