If you truly want the best sound in a wireless ANC headphone and features aren’t a big deal to you, you should give the Dali iO6 a look. They’re $499.99 and are in a class of its own when it comes to sound quality in my opinion. However, there’s no app, touch controls, ear sensors, or any other techy tricks, just a very mild ANC, transparency mode, and excellent battery life. That’s why I still say the Sony 1000XM4 are the best value in wireless ANC headphones right now. Every feature you can think of that works with other devices as well as Apple. Although I’m ok with the 1000XM4 stock sound, the app allows you to EQ the sound and get it pretty close to the best sounding Wireless ANC headphones. If Apple can get the sound close to the Dali iO6 or even exceed it, with all of the features it’s offering, it will surpass the Sony 1000XM4 as the best value in Wireless ANC headphones. And that’s at the $549 price. If comfort, ANC, and sound are top notch, the only shade people will be able to throw at the Airpods Max will be the fact that some of their key features don’t work outside the Apple ecosystem.
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AirPods Max vs. Bose 700/Sony WH-1000xM4：Which will win?
- Thread starter Daisy Smith
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Thanks for the response! it will be fun this week when some serious audio reviewers compare the AirPods Max to the Dali and a few other of that next tier. I’m already reading about the Dali’s, like what I have seen so far. Should be a fun week.
And you clearly haven't used any other good headphones. The Sony's/Bose are good for what they are at their price range but compared to other headphones they're just decent and overhyped a lot by tech youtubers.
Also re-read my post, I'm not saying the Airpods Max are better or whatever (except for build materials I guess), I'm saying we shouldn't compare them to anything yet because we have no idea about the SQ yet.
And if you think APM will sell less than Sony's XM4's then you don't realise how many people buy a product just because it's made by Apple.
I think you put a wrong competition of headphones. It is not Apple's aim to compete with Bose 700 or Sony WH-1000xM4, which both are mass market headphones, which are often heavily discounted. I would put them against Montblanc MB 01 ($595, before you laugh, they have a very good specs - Qualcomm QCC5124 chip) and B&O H95 ($800).
AirPods Max are the only ones which have a mesh covered ear pads. I was waiting a long time before upgrading from QC15 and always wondered why this is not a thing. Why do the companies push their plastic or leather ear pads as they absolutely do not help with air flow and make your ears warm and sweaty, I hate it. I do have for reference Astro Gaming A50 headphones, which do have a mesh covered ear pads and the comfort of having them on ears beat everything else.
AirPods Max are the only ones which have a mesh covered ear pads. I was waiting a long time before upgrading from QC15 and always wondered why this is not a thing. Why do the companies push their plastic or leather ear pads as they absolutely do not help with air flow and make your ears warm and sweaty, I hate it. I do have for reference Astro Gaming A50 headphones, which do have a mesh covered ear pads and the comfort of having them on ears beat everything else.
Yeah people said that about the HomePod too and it got crushed by the competition. Same for Apple TV hardware. When you charge a ton more than the competition, you better offer more.
Is the Smart Case ridiculous? Probably. Is it a deal breaker for anyone willing to spend $550 on a pair of headphones? Probably not. If travel storage is an issue, there will be no shortage of 3rd party manfacturers that will sell you a hard case that can fully protect your investment. There are plenty of $15 cases for non-folding headphones on Amazon.
I loved the Bose QC 35II's but hated the Bose 700 headphones and returned them. They sat so awkward on my head and were really uncomfortable (for me) and I hated the app that they released them to be used with.
I have and love the WH-1000XM3's from Sony. I didn't see a point in updating as it was essentially the same thing except multipoint which wasn't a huge deal to me.
My Airpods Max will be here tomorrow and I hope they are worth the price tag...
I have and love the WH-1000XM3's from Sony. I didn't see a point in updating as it was essentially the same thing except multipoint which wasn't a huge deal to me.
My Airpods Max will be here tomorrow and I hope they are worth the price tag...
You're misunderstanding what this is. The 'adding more processing' does not mean reducing the bit depth of the recording, that's not how this works. Changing something in the digital domain is not reducing the quality of the signal.
The pro audio world, in speakers, already is doing this with room correction universally at the higher end of things (ie. Genelec, D&D 8C, now Neumann), which is percolating to home audio. If this is good enough for high end studios mixing the music we listen to, it's good enough for the consumption products at the other end of the chain.
That's all adaptive EQ is: essentially trying to do what the Harman curve is but dynamically to account for variations in ear anatomy, the same way room correction corrects for reflections in a room. It absolutely optimizes things like imaging by correcting things in the time and frequency domains.
Also, way too much is made out of using a lossy codec, and what it actually does to the quality of the playback. Anything at 256 or above on a modern codec is pretty much indistinguishable to all but well trained ears on good equipment. It's like complaining about a pimple on the butt of an elephant making the elephant too heavy. Not quite, but it's more that than not.
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Exactly my case! Using Bose for long international flights and Airprods pro are always in my pocket for everything else.
For Airpods Max price isn't really an issue for me either (even though they're 50% more expensive where I live due to taxes), though they appear to be too heavy, case appears comical and lack of usb-c is putting me off right now. I'll need to see them in person in Apple store before I can decide whether I'd like to buy them or not.
I'd have preferred USB-C... but since the iPhone itself isn't USB-C it is less of an issue I guess. Since I need to schlep a lightning cable anyway. It is certainly better than the stupid Micro-USB that my current BOSE set use.
Audiophile impressions against a slate of mid-tier audiophile headphones (TLDR: on par w/ HD6xx, a fair bit better than the other wireless competition):
It's an absolute deal breaker for me, and the price is not even slightly a show stopper for me. The ridiculous case is.
I am pleased to read this. Very pleased. Apple should be ashamed of this effort. I was so looking forward to Apple making a major statement with these headphones. Music is my #1 hobby and I would pay big $$$ for a top notch set of headphones that worked with my Apple Hardware.
Agreed. It’s embarrassing. I have not even told anyone I dropped 550 on these and will be glad to get my money back. They sound good and have good build quality but that’s it. Fail.
Mine are going back as well. They’re good... I just don’t feel I’m getting anywhere near my money worth out of them. I might try the XM4 or Bose 700 next. Even if they are 85% as good, well worth the trade off to save $200. Factor in purchasing an adequate travel case and the AirPods Max are even more. The metal build is neat but in practice I’m not sure it’s an adequate material for withstanding frequent travel (avoiding scuffs and scratches). Another odd design quirk with the AirPods is that when you configure them to get ready to go in the smart case the metal on the ear-cups seem to touch each other... which can't be good for wear and tear over the years.
Does anyone have first hand experience with the Bose 700 vs the XM4?
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I hear ya. The XM4s are supposed to be great but I, sticking with the AirPods pros for now. They cover what I need and always on my key chain. No bra or hard case needed.
I have experience with both. Both are great. XM4s get the most praise on here, but the Bose 700 mics are way better if you care about call quality. Either way, both get the job done and done well. And they come up with cases that are actually useful. The Airpods Max case is abysmal.
I switch pretty often from iMac to iPhone to ATV, and sometimes iPad—the new W1 chip has been great for that, when it works!
Strong bass is important to me and it appears the Sony’s win on that front. I listen to a lot of rap and pop music.
I wouldn’t consider the APM at retail. Maybe at $450. But I’m also uncertain they would be comfortable for a long international flight. I like to keep my headphones on the entire flight.
I wouldn’t consider the APM at retail. Maybe at $450. But I’m also uncertain they would be comfortable for a long international flight. I like to keep my headphones on the entire flight.
Got the mx4s coming Friday. Ill compare the 3 and declare a winner. I have until jan 8th to return the APMs so no rush. I do love the quality.
Same. I just got finished going back and forth between the Max and XM4. The Max are truly in another class when it comes to sound. Just clearer, more resolving, and detailed. The XM4 has more bass and that's it. I can see someone who only listens to Hip Hop, EDM, and Electronic Music only maybe preferring the XM4 when it comes to sound. And that's even a stretch in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the XM4s don't sound bad, and I disagree with people who say they're horrible or trash. I've heard trash. For their price and what they are, they are very good sounding headphones in my opinion. It's just the Max are on another level.
I will say the XM4 still wins for portability and battery life. They also have some very convenient features like speak to chat and awareness that I sometimes miss with the Max. Overall though, yeah, the Max are the better headphone overall.