AirPods Max too tight on your BIG HEAD? Do this! - also a short audiophile take.

[paulchiu]

Do something like this for an hour completely loosen my AirPods Max.

Liking how AirPods Max sound relative to much more expensive headphones with their amps.
After 3 solid days of listening, almost 95% there in sonics, for a small fraction of the money.
Of course, did not think Apple plan to make these for the 100,000 or so hard core audiophiles out there.
This is the real deal, at least for me. IMO

The bass is not in the Abyss 1266 zip code, but the mids are nearly as good as my Focals using Chord DAVE.
95% is about right.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Added the following photo with Genelec 8050B studio monitor a day later after realizing that the near field monitor sound is quite similar.

 

[russell_314]

Thanks for the tip. I’m still waiting for mine but this is likely useful with my big melon 😂

 

[Beau10]

For those who are not familiar w/ the equipment above, the OP just compared these favorably to some of the best headphones in the world.

A Focal Utopia cost $4000, a Chord Dave is $11,000. The Abyss cost some $5000 and hold the spot for best headphone out there for many.

All the equipment I can spot in the photos can purchase on the order of some 50 APMs.

 

[MecPro]

Do you test the sound with or without ANC? Also I guess with the audio cable?

We were sure the sound was going to be there. I think for others it’s everything else.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Do you test the sound with or without ANC? Also I guess with the audio cable?

We were sure the sound was going to be there. I think for others it’s everything else.

The odd part about ANC headphones is that they usually sound better with the ANC enabled.

 

[paulchiu]

Do you test the sound with or without ANC? Also I guess with the audio cable?

We were sure the sound was going to be there. I think for others it’s everything else.

The sound with ANC, transparency, or neither will still have the Apple computational sound. At each point, I liked what Apple did with the music.

These are happy times for audiophiles as even at $549, one can achieve at the minimum 95% of the best out there. IMO.

 

[paulchiu]

The odd part about ANC headphones is that they usually sound better with the ANC enabled.

True, but try to listen late at night with neither ANC or transparency on. Ask Siri for some Samuel Barber or Adele through Apple Music.

 

[stormyuklondon1]

Mmm, Nagra dac..lovely! a Nagra preamp is very high up on my Hifi lust list. Great system.

 

[venom600]

For those who are not familiar w/ the equipment above, the OP just compared these favorably to some of the best headphones in the world.

A Focal Utopia cost $4000, a Chord Dave is $11,000. The Abyss cost some $5000 and hold the spot for best headphone out there for many.

All the equipment I can spot in the photos can purchase on the order or some 50 APMs.

Hopefully this will shut up the people saying the audio quality is just ok. Most of them don’t know what audiophile level sound is. This is like the Pro Display XDR.... a good look into the extreme high end at a price far more achievable though still higher than the average buyer is used to.

 

[Koni17]

Thanks for this post. I was severely considering cancelling my order because of multiple reviewers saying the clamping force was too high. As someone with a rather large head, this could be a deal breaker, however I'm willing to try them out still. I don't think they will be ever more comfortable than lighter headphones such as the QC35's, a heavier headphone will demand a higher clamping force to prevent them from slipping off.

Can you wear the APMs comfortably for a longer period of time without fatigue? Due to the headband attaching at the top of the cups, do you notice more clamping pressure at the top of your ears in comparison to the lower portion? Or is the pressure spread out evenly?

 

[LongWayHome]

I tried stretching mine like was done above and it didn't really help. For short term use they were find, but an hour or longer they became painful. I don't think I have a really big head (I wear a size 7 1/4 fitted hat) but maybe there is a point where they are just tighter on a certain size and above.

I could hear my heartbeat every time I put the APM on, even in transparency mode and it wasn't something I was going to enjoy long term.

 

[yegon]

I’ve got a big head. For a while I felt pressure above the ears which, overtime, started to bug me.

I resolved it a couple of days ago, put it at maximum size, positioning the band quite far back on my head, almost where the top of my head starts to curve down. They’ve been comfy since, no complaints at all. It’s a relief because I love them, and I was briefly concerned the fit would be a dealbreaker.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Most of them don’t know what audiophile level sound is.

The problem with audiophile sound is, it's highly subjective and might not be the best choice. There's nothing wrong with that, I've been there myself. There's a lot of research (Toole/Harman and others) out there about objectively good sound quality and the older I am, the more I prefer this "flat" response, which allows tweaking to my liking. Take tubes for example. Many audiophiles love them, but they color the sound a lot and do not allow unaltered reproduction. Price isn't a good factor for performance. I've heard systems in the seven-figure range sound like crap and systems costing a fraction of that sound much, much better.

People who don't like the APMs (I keep thinking about Genelec monitors when I read APM), probably would like a flat response. Given that these are not meant for serious studio work, it's probably not surprising they're tuned that way. Nothing a proper EQ couldn't fix I guess.

 

[ipponrg]

People who don't like the APMs (I keep thinking about Genelec monitors when I read APM), probably would like a flat response. Given that these are not meant for serious studio work, it's probably not surprising they're tuned that way. Nothing a proper EQ couldn't fix I guess

Seems it’s not just that. People have been saying the soundstage is not great nor is the clarity and depth for a $550 tier. It’s been compared to the M50s/DT770.

I think these are acceptable casual cans for general usages. I read that out of the box, it’s a very u-shaped response which is expected.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Seems it’s not just that. People have been saying the soundstage is not great nor is the clarity and depth for a $550 tier. It’s been compared to the M50s/DT770.

I think these are acceptable casual cans for general usages. I read that out of the box, it’s a very u-shaped response which is expected.

Yeah, they're closed headphones, I'd say it's expected these do not have the soundstage of open cans. U-shape also makes sense, that's probably the target market, not focused too much on vocals. Most people probably wear these when outside/travelling. I'd much rather complain about the weight and that they probably can't be worn in the rain. The sound quality is targeted to a specific market and probably fine for most. I doubt we'll see many professionals using these for mixing stuff.

That being said, I have to say I do my "serious" listening with speakers, not headphones. The latter I use for ANC and travelling or sometimes in the office.

 

[paulchiu]

Thanks for this post. I was severely considering cancelling my order because of multiple reviewers saying the clamping force was too high. As someone with a rather large head, this could be a deal breaker, however I'm willing to try them out still. I don't think they will be ever more comfortable than lighter headphones such as the QC35's, a heavier headphone will demand a higher clamping force to prevent them from slipping off.

Can you wear the APMs comfortably for a longer period of time without fatigue? Due to the headband attaching at the top of the cups, do you notice more clamping pressure at the top of your ears in comparison to the lower portion? Or is the pressure spread out evenly?

No pressure at the top like my Sony Z1R, but at my ears. The stretch out process with my speakers helped since. Plus I think the unit does naturally flex a bit with use.

 

[Beau10]

Yeah, they're closed headphones, I'd say it's expected these do not have the soundstage of open cans. U-shape also makes sense, that's probably the target market, not focused too much on vocals.

You're literally saying this in a thread where the OP states:

"The bass is not in the Abyss 1266 zip code, but the mids are nearly as good as my Focals using Chord DAVE.
95% is about right."

The Focals being the freakin' Utopias, which for at least a year on head-fi were considered the best headphones on the planet.

AFA soundstage, you can't apply the normal physical limitations of a closed set when the sound is entirely shaped w/ DSP.

 

[doboy]

Do something like this for an hour completely loosen my AirPods Max.

View attachment 1698490


Liking how AirPods Max sound relative to much more expensive headphones with their amps.
After 3 solid days of listening, almost 95% there in sonics, for a small fraction of the money.
Of course, did not think Apple plan to make these for the 100,000 or so hard core audiophiles out there.
This is the real deal, at least for me. IMO


The bass is not in the Abyss 1266 zip code, but the mids are nearly as good as my Focals using Chord DAVE.
95% is about right.

Nudity alert 🤣

 

[GrayFoxHound]

When you say we get 95% of the sonic qualities, is it while wired exclusively ? It’s hard to believe that Bluetooth headphones using AAC codec can sound almost as good as as those expensive audio equipments.

 

[Beau10]

When you say we get 95% of the sonic qualities, is it while wired exclusively ? It’s hard to believe that Bluetooth headphones using AAC codec can sound almost as good as as those expensive audio equipments.

Bluetooth will be superior to redigitizing an analog signal. Double amp, double DAC? No thank you. There is no wire in the photos above.

From a sound science perspective, fretting over AAC compression (unless we're going beneath 256) is silly, it's almost no objective difference. Only the most trained of ears will notice a difference.

What you *should* care about is

1) frequency response, which is where the vast majority of audiophile headphones faceplant (see: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sennheiser-hd800s-review-headphone.18424/). There is no objective agreed upon curve here unless we dip into things like Harman, and most stray pretty far from that. People talk about things like 'neutrality' which really are devoid of any meaning, because the term implies some objective standard when it's really up to each listener what neutral actually means. A flat in-room speaker response is in fact what headphone tunings like Harman are trying to achieve to get around reflections from the average ear's anatomy.

2) timing, for coherency and sounstage

3) distortion

The Maxs, being heavy on the DSP realm, have the ability to really shine in #1 and #2. #3 is more nebulous, and depending on how far the DSP strains what the drivers can naturally do, could be an issue.

 

[GrayFoxHound]

That’s great info, thanks !

 

[paulchiu]

You're literally saying this in a thread where the OP states:

"The bass is not in the Abyss 1266 zip code, but the mids are nearly as good as my Focals using Chord DAVE.
95% is about right."

The Focals being the freakin' Utopias, which for at least a year on head-fi were considered the best headphones on the planet.

AFA soundstage, you can't apply the normal physical limitations of a closed set when the sound is entirely shaped w/ DSP.

Many of my audiophile “friends” have stopped sending me Christmas cards and remove me from LinkedIn. Maybe time to move out of Hollywood. Lol.

Most of them have not even tried listening to the AirPods Max. Nevertheless they are opining and defending “something” whatever that is.

 

[paulchiu]

Nudity alert 🤣

No areola, hence G rated.

 

[paulchiu]

When you say we get 95% of the sonic qualities, is it while wired exclusively ? It’s hard to believe that Bluetooth headphones using AAC codec can sound almost as good as as those expensive audio equipments.

You really have to try them yourself. I was curious and bought a pair. I stick to my 95% number. Maybe I was too harsh on the bass, but besides the low range, everywhere else the AirPods Max is clean. I agree Bluetooth by itself is flawed, but the computational processing by Apple engineers does something the audiophile houses just cannot afford to do. Even the likes of Focal, Chord, and Sony cannot spend billions on developing code like this, IMO.

Give it a listen, Apple has a 14-day no question return policy.

 

[jeyf]

i like these because they look good in my living room