I decided to order both sets of headphones and keep the ones that were best for me. These are my findings...
Sony XM4
I received the XM4' a couple of weeks ago and I was very impressed. They come in a great case and they are very comfortable to wear, with very little clamping on the ears. I wasn't impressed with the sound out of the box but after changing the EQ in the Sony app to 'Bright' and increasing the clear bass option to +7 they sound great. Good warm bass and the bright setting brought the headphones up out of soft/muddy/muffled territory. They are very portable so if you intend to use whilst travelling to work or on holiday they are great option. Switching between devices is a bit naff but everything else was pretty great. They look nice enough and the copper/rose gold accents on them are a welcome addition.
AirPods Max
Delivery times to my area were showing as Feb-Mar with Apple however a local UK store (Argos) received stock on Sunday and so I bought them in space grey. First impressions were that they look gorgeous and feel premium. The case is...well, we all know the answer to that. The XM4 case beats it in every possible way. The Max are not as comfortable as the XM4's, they are heavier as we all know but I am a manly man and they are perfectly fine. I can barely feel the headband in use and can only feel them on my ears due to slightly stronger clamping than the XM4's. Maybe its just weaklings that feel like their neck might snap with them on
Setup is easy and switching between devices (iMac/iPad/iPhone) has worked well for me so far with no issues. ANC and transparency are great, with the latter sounding particularly impressive.
Conclusion
Sound on the Max (in my opinion) is better most of the time than the XM4's. If the XM4 EQ is left at its factory setting the Max are better than them full stop. I listened to my playlist on Apple music (1 minute of each song with each pair of headphones one after another) and in general I preferred the sound of the Max. I felt that each element of the songs were more distinct and I could pick out individual instruments and sounds more easily. The vocals were clearer and sound great on vocal heavy songs. On other songs my EQ tuned XM4's sounded better and I think they pack a decent punch with the right music. In general though I liked MORE songs on the Max but there is definitely not £200+worth of difference. The padding on the Max ear cups is also a little scratchy and not as comfortable as the pleather on the XM4's.
I have decided to keep the Max. I think that if you are planning on mostly home use the Max look and sound great. If you intend to use them for commuting/travelling the XM4's are probably the better option due to foldability, infinitely better case, and you wouldn't feel like crying (as much) if you dropped the plastic XM4's over the Max. In an ideal world I'd love some combination of the both, or to keep the both, but that's just ridiculous overkill. So there you have it, those are my own disorganised views. Also if Apple keep charging such high prices at least have the decency to include some accessories. Apple products are usually great but Sony are packing in a better case, a 3.5mm cable, and airplane adapter for much less, and because of this so many people will chose the XM4's instead. Ridiculous when you consider they cost Apple pennies to manufacture but this is where we are! By choosing Apple regardless we are just encouraging them to continue down this path. Anyway, those are my views, hopefully they will be of help to some people who are on the fence.
If you don't agree that's cool, these are just my own personal opinions and you honestly cannot go wrong with either.
Sony XM4
I received the XM4' a couple of weeks ago and I was very impressed. They come in a great case and they are very comfortable to wear, with very little clamping on the ears. I wasn't impressed with the sound out of the box but after changing the EQ in the Sony app to 'Bright' and increasing the clear bass option to +7 they sound great. Good warm bass and the bright setting brought the headphones up out of soft/muddy/muffled territory. They are very portable so if you intend to use whilst travelling to work or on holiday they are great option. Switching between devices is a bit naff but everything else was pretty great. They look nice enough and the copper/rose gold accents on them are a welcome addition.
AirPods Max
Delivery times to my area were showing as Feb-Mar with Apple however a local UK store (Argos) received stock on Sunday and so I bought them in space grey. First impressions were that they look gorgeous and feel premium. The case is...well, we all know the answer to that. The XM4 case beats it in every possible way. The Max are not as comfortable as the XM4's, they are heavier as we all know but I am a manly man and they are perfectly fine. I can barely feel the headband in use and can only feel them on my ears due to slightly stronger clamping than the XM4's. Maybe its just weaklings that feel like their neck might snap with them on
Setup is easy and switching between devices (iMac/iPad/iPhone) has worked well for me so far with no issues. ANC and transparency are great, with the latter sounding particularly impressive.Conclusion
Sound on the Max (in my opinion) is better most of the time than the XM4's. If the XM4 EQ is left at its factory setting the Max are better than them full stop. I listened to my playlist on Apple music (1 minute of each song with each pair of headphones one after another) and in general I preferred the sound of the Max. I felt that each element of the songs were more distinct and I could pick out individual instruments and sounds more easily. The vocals were clearer and sound great on vocal heavy songs. On other songs my EQ tuned XM4's sounded better and I think they pack a decent punch with the right music. In general though I liked MORE songs on the Max but there is definitely not £200+worth of difference. The padding on the Max ear cups is also a little scratchy and not as comfortable as the pleather on the XM4's.
I have decided to keep the Max. I think that if you are planning on mostly home use the Max look and sound great. If you intend to use them for commuting/travelling the XM4's are probably the better option due to foldability, infinitely better case, and you wouldn't feel like crying (as much) if you dropped the plastic XM4's over the Max. In an ideal world I'd love some combination of the both, or to keep the both, but that's just ridiculous overkill. So there you have it, those are my own disorganised views. Also if Apple keep charging such high prices at least have the decency to include some accessories. Apple products are usually great but Sony are packing in a better case, a 3.5mm cable, and airplane adapter for much less, and because of this so many people will chose the XM4's instead. Ridiculous when you consider they cost Apple pennies to manufacture but this is where we are! By choosing Apple regardless we are just encouraging them to continue down this path. Anyway, those are my views, hopefully they will be of help to some people who are on the fence.
If you don't agree that's cool, these are just my own personal opinions and you honestly cannot go wrong with either.
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