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Amazon Takes $150 Off AirPods Max (Lightning Models) in Early Prime Day Deal

Important note: these are better than the new USB-C AirPods Max because there is no wired option for USB-C.

Latency is an issue if you do audio production / play virtual instruments. I’d jump on that $278 deal if I saw it and get an extra pair, I love them and they are worth the money. At $400 with maybe years-old stock and aging batteries… not sure.

It’s baffling that this wired issue hasn’t gotten traction anywhere in the media. Especially since the new ones don’t even have an H2 chip which has better latency, Apple severely dropped the ball on the new model which I was ready to purchase. Plenty of pro podcasters use these wired too when traveling for recording.
 
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I’m in that weird zone where I want to buy them at a discounted price, but I don’t want to buy 4 year old tech. And when the new ones come out, they’ll be at the current non-discounted price or possibly even higher. 🤷
 
MrMacintoshIII said:
Dude!!!! NO!!! Augh!! That had to be a typo!!

This is the kinda deal I’d take, one that totally ****s Apple and helps the consumer.

It’s the least they owe us at this point when they intentionally keep selling headphones that break from moisture in the heat OR cold!!
Click to expand...
That would **** Amazon in this case.
 
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I'm just going to pick up an open box from Best Buy. $307.99 + $59 Apple Care + = as good as it's gonna get since that Amazon deal is gone.

My work iPhone is lightning and God knows they won't replace it for another 5 years or so, so...
 
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My AirPods Max are still going strong after years. I don’t use in extreme climates, nor think they are ear muffs. Hopefully I don’t need to buy max/sony headphones for a while.
 
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novagamer said:
Important note: these are better than the new USB-C AirPods Max because there is no wired option for USB-C.

Latency is an issue if you do audio production / play virtual instruments. I’d jump on that $278 deal if I saw it and get an extra pair, I love them and they are worth the money. At $400 with maybe years-old stock and aging batteries… not sure.

It’s baffling that this wired issue hasn’t gotten traction anywhere in the media. Especially since the new ones don’t even have an H2 chip which has better latency, Apple severely dropped the ball on the new model which I was ready to purchase. Plenty of pro podcasters use these wired too when traveling for recording.
Click to expand...
Let me correct you. The lightning to aux does not work with iPods. I tried using it and it does not work. I’ve tried it with every gen iPod. So WIRED does not work.
 
Rosecroft said:
Let me correct you. The lightning to aux does not work with iPods. I tried using it and it does not work. I’ve tried it with every gen iPod. So WIRED does not work.
Click to expand...
Let me correct you :)

You need this: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white

There is no updated version for the USB-C AirPods Max. I produce and work with Pro Audio and have used them wired with pro audio interfaces as well as stand alone with that cable for monitoring synths and eurorack. I’ve had them since launch.

Hope this helps, Apple doesn’t publish this clearly and buyers should be aware of the massive downgrade / limitation on the new ones. If you search my post history around when the AirPods Max launched you’ll see some more detailed impressions I had back then.

It doesn’t pass true lossless, but it’s close enough and importantly the latency is virtually nil, I’d guess under 2-3ms when wired. You do lose head tracked / Spatial Audio when using the cable but there is a bit of a quality upgrade using the wired cable for Stereo Lossless.

Really hope they make an updated version with H3 (if the latency is as good as wired) or release a damn cable but it seems like these get no attention. I have very high-end Sennheisers, the model right under the 800s, and these compare favorably to them for critical listening.
 
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novagamer said:
Let me correct you :)

You need this: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white

There is no updated version for the AirPods Max. I produce and work with Pro Audio and have used them wired with pro audio interfaces as well as stand alone with that cable for monitoring synths and eurorack. I’ve had them since launch.

Hope this helps, Apple doesn’t publish this clearly and buyers should be aware of the massive downgrade / limitation on the new ones. If you search my post history around when the AirPods Max launched you’ll see some more detailed impressions I had back then.

It doesn’t pass true lossless, but it’s close enough and importantly the latency is virtually nil, I’d guess under 2-3ms when wired.
Click to expand...
Wouldn’t this work with usb c?

www.apple.com

Buy USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter

The USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter lets you connect a standard 3.5 mm audio plug to your USB-C devices. Perfect for headphones or speakers.
www.apple.com
 
MrMacintoshIII said:
Nor can I even entertain buying these “new” ones, which STILL come with H1 and don’t even allow for wired listening like the 2020 ones did!!!
Click to expand...
Wait what? What are they doing over there in Cupertino?

These were framed as the end all-be all of AirPods. Or at least that’s the impression that I got. The limitations in physical hardware from AirPods as we knew them prior to 2020 were removed so… should these not lead the pack in features and capabilities?
 
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mcru21 said:
slickdeals.net

Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones with AppleCare+ (2 Years) - Sky Blue $278

Not sure if it's a glitch but the Sky Blue AirPods Max bundle price with Apple Care + for 2-years comes up cheaper than buying separate. Just picked them up for $278 bundle vs $399 on sale for ju
slickdeals.net slickdeals.net

earlier today there was this deal (maybe price glitch)? $278 for the blue pair with applecare included. I was able to order a pair lol
Click to expand...
i got the deal too. I think it was only active for about 20 minutes or so.
 
novagamer said:
Important note: these are better than the new USB-C AirPods Max because there is no wired option for USB-C.

Latency is an issue if you do audio production / play virtual instruments. I’d jump on that $278 deal if I saw it and get an extra pair, I love them and they are worth the money. At $400 with maybe years-old stock and aging batteries… not sure.

It’s baffling that this wired issue hasn’t gotten traction anywhere in the media. Especially since the new ones don’t even have an H2 chip which has better latency, Apple severely dropped the ball on the new model which I was ready to purchase. Plenty of pro podcasters use these wired too when traveling for recording.
Click to expand...
Correct. What Apple delivered with the new version is technically a downgrade, not sure what they were thinking and why nobody picks up on that.

Try using them on a plane without a cable. Try using them in a loud office environment in a zoom call without H2.
 
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novagamer said:
Let me correct you :)

You need this: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white

There is no updated version for the USB-C AirPods Max. I produce and work with Pro Audio and have used them wired with pro audio interfaces as well as stand alone with that cable for monitoring synths and eurorack. I’ve had them since launch.

Hope this helps, Apple doesn’t publish this clearly and buyers should be aware of the massive downgrade / limitation on the new ones. If you search my post history around when the AirPods Max launched you’ll see some more detailed impressions I had back then.

It doesn’t pass true lossless, but it’s close enough and importantly the latency is virtually nil, I’d guess under 2-3ms when wired. You do lose head tracked / Spatial Audio when using the cable but there is a bit of a quality upgrade using the wired cable for Stereo Lossless.

Really hope they make an updated version with H3 (if the latency is as good as wired) or release a damn cable but it seems like these get no attention. I have very high-end Sennheisers, the model right under the 800s, and these compare favorably to them for critical listening.
Click to expand...

TechnoMonk said:
Wouldn’t this work with usb c?

www.apple.com

Buy USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter

The USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter lets you connect a standard 3.5 mm audio plug to your USB-C devices. Perfect for headphones or speakers.
www.apple.com
Click to expand...

jk1002 said:
Correct. What Apple delivered with the new version is technically a downgrade, not sure what they were thinking and why nobody picks up on that.

Try using them on a plane without a cable. Try using them in a loud office environment in a zoom call without H2.
Click to expand...

Curious, why wouldnt the Apple USB-C to 3.5mm cable work as posted above by TechnoMonk?
 
novagamer said:
Let me correct you :)

You need this: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXK22AM/A/lightning-to-35-mm-audio-cable-12m-white

There is no updated version for the USB-C AirPods Max. I produce and work with Pro Audio and have used them wired with pro audio interfaces as well as stand alone with that cable for monitoring synths and eurorack. I’ve had them since launch.

Hope this helps, Apple doesn’t publish this clearly and buyers should be aware of the massive downgrade / limitation on the new ones. If you search my post history around when the AirPods Max launched you’ll see some more detailed impressions I had back then.

It doesn’t pass true lossless, but it’s close enough and importantly the latency is virtually nil, I’d guess under 2-3ms when wired. You do lose head tracked / Spatial Audio when using the cable but there is a bit of a quality upgrade using the wired cable for Stereo Lossless.

Really hope they make an updated version with H3 (if the latency is as good as wired) or release a damn cable but it seems like these get no attention. I have very high-end Sennheisers, the model right under the 800s, and these compare favorably to them for critical listening.
Click to expand...
still no. I used just that. Paid the $35 tried in and returned it the next day
 
WannaGoMac said:
Curious, why wouldnt the Apple USB-C to 3.5mm cable work as posted above by TechnoMonk?
Click to expand...
It depends if Apple implemented support for audio over USB-C which isn’t listed in the technical specs. If you or anyone have them and it works, please @ me so I see it even if it’s months from now.

I could quote the teardown details or technical info (there’s some odd DAC interoperability involved with the original) but my main reason for suspecting there’s no support is simply that Apple isn’t selling the cable for it.

If they release updated beats with usb-c and a wired cable, maybe that would work but I can’t believe they’d launch these and not the cable if they were planning on doing this.
 
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Rosecroft said:
still no. I used just that. Paid the $35 tried in and returned it the next day
Click to expand...
I don’t understand, were they charged? If you were using the 3.5mm jack on the iPod it would work. I have owned these and the cable for 3-4 years, there is nothing special about the 3.5mm connection, it works with any audio source that follows the TRS standard.

edit: you may have had the volume all the way down, there is independent control of volume on the headphones and the source when using the cable. Hopefully you didn’t lose out on the functionality for years due to that…
 
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coolbreeze said:
I'm just going to pick up an open box from Best Buy. $307.99 + $59 Apple Care + = as good as it's gonna get since that Amazon deal is gone.

My work iPhone is lightning and God knows they won't replace it for another 5 years or so, so...
Click to expand...
Same I just got the Best Buy open box ones as well. I don’t imagine the price coming down to that during prime week (and if it does I can just return these and buy the new ones). Who knows if the price of them new EVER come down to $300.
 
pdaholic said:
Nearly 4 year old headphones selling for $400. Sheesh.
Click to expand...
They sound the same so why shouldn’t they cost the same if they still do the job? I think Apple extracted the wee with most of their headphone and watch releases this year. They really could have used the h2 chip at the very least. It’s cost them more than 3000 gbp of purchases from me and I dare say quite a lot of other people. I expressed my disgust at their upgrading approaching in other threads and won’t buy the headphones as a result. The problem isn’t the price. The problem is that I was in the market for new headphones and everything else is moving on so whereas they would have been in no. 1 or 2 slot for choice they’re so far down the pecking order that I won’t buy them at any price. I want updated Bluetooth. Updated codecs the h2 or h3 chips and so forth and a better carrier. Perhaps a little lighter and more robust also.
 
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