Can someone help me make up my mind? :) on Airpods Max

[TrancyGoose]

Hey folks!
So, Christmas is coming.

It is time to treat my family, and myself included.
I am a bit of a crazy person when it comes to headphones.

Here is my story.
I owned a pair of Sony XB 900s n and a pair of Bose 700s. With both and their leather earpads, i notice that my ears and head starts to hurt rather quickly. I don't know why, i don't have that big of head, but maybe my ears stick out a little.

This Christmas, I a contemplating getting myself a pair of Airpods Max. I am hoping, that the fabric earcups won't hurt me, and i can keep them on for long sessions when I am working.

My gripe is, the price, they are absolutely ridiculous. Here in Europe, they cost 629 EUR, which is freaking insane.

I currently still have a pair of Airpods 2s, a pair of wired EarPods and a pair of Quad Driver 1MORE wired earbuds, that i plug in to my mac. Airpods 2 are kinda old and I feel they are going to go soon.

What i am thinking is, either:

1. Get a pair of Airpods Max, take a plunge and have my wife think i am an idiot and a crazy person. (for some reason, i still want them, having resisted them for 2 years)
2. Get a pair of XM5's and risk having them hurt my head
3. Get a Pair of Airpods Pro 2's with either:
   1. Soundcore by Anker Q45's ANC headphones
   2. Audio Technica M50XBT2
4. Or even a pair of Momentum 4's from Sennheiser?

It is funny, how option 2 costs less than option 1 and even option 3 will cost me less than option 1. Option 4 is the cheapest, ironically.

Now, I listen to variety of music, but I love me some clear punchy bass. There is EDM and even some metal sometimes, depending on the mood. Good kick get's my juices going and kinda makes me forget the world we live in for a time.

Can anyone share any advise, maybe someone owns any of these. Maybe someone knows another headphone I can add to option 3? ANC isn't really a necessity. Airpods pro 2 would probably cover that aspect if needed.

 

[fatTribble]

I can’t say enough about how much I love my AirPods Max! I was reluctant to get them because there were features such as a lack of an Off switch that bothered me. I talked myself out of them, but my best friend bought them for me for my birthday. I just love them! It’s the sound. It’s the convenience. You just put them on and they work. They’re very comfortable and the noise cancellation is fantastic. I can’t comment on your other questions, but these headphones are so much better than the features list would indicate. Hope you find something you like!

 

[1885507]

I can’t say enough about how much I love my AirPods Max!

Same. I use mine every day.

 

[GlenK]

Make it 3!! I'm in with fatTribble and Reckless1!!

 

[TrancyGoose]

Damn .... i was thinking there would be people against here! All revieweds critisize the case and the battery drain and many things.

 

[arw]

Battery drain was significantly improved with a firmware update few months ago.
Yeah, the case is so stupid but that doesn‘t diminish the sound and comfort of these headphones.
At least for me. I have them since almost 2 years.

 

[MrWillie]

KEF Mu7, PSB M4U 8 MKII, Focal Bathys, and moving up a two hundred more over the Bathys you have the Mark Levinson 5909. I don’t own any of these, I haven’t made up my mind yet.

For earbuds, I use the Cambridge Audio Melomana Touch. Sound is superior than AirPods, and what appears to be a permanent price reduction to $99, they were a no brainer. They don’t have ANC, but the passive cancellation makes up for it.

 

[scrane]

Damn .... i was thinking there would be people against here! All revieweds critisize the case and the battery drain and many things.

There have been some complaints of APMs putting too much pressure on the head. Some people have successfully reformed the head band to relieve the pressure. Make sure you can return the APM if you have a problem with the fit.
I have the AP3, the APP2, and the APM. As far as I'm concerned, the APP2 have replaced the APM, but of course some people have problems with in-ears comfort also. I also like the AP3 a lot, but again, fit can be a problem for some.

 

[MrWillie]

There have been some complaints of APMs putting too much pressure on the head. Some people have successfully reformed the head band to relieve the pressure. Make sure you can return the APM if you have a problem with the fit.
I have the AP3, the APP2, and the APM. As far as I'm concerned, the APP2 have replaced the APM, but of course some people have problems with in-ears comfort also. I also like the AP3 a lot, but again, fit can be a problem for some.

Except AP2, AP3 don’t have a wired feature. I personally know (well knew) two flight attendants. Both have told me it’s generally best to bring your own headsets for flights. They are not cleaned between flights. 777s can stay in the air a really long time, and they do.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd get the APMs

You might also consider the Bose QC2 EarBuds though

I've been testing those side by side with my APMs this week and I'm seriously impressed with them.

 

[CyberDavis]

I really like my Airpod Max headphones, thye are really comfortable and sound superb.
I much prefer them t the BOSE Quiet Comfort I used previously.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I much prefer them t the BOSE Quiet Comfort I used previously.

Just to respond to that directly, I also had the QC1s
The QC2s are quite a step up

 

[CyberDavis]

Just to respond to that directly, I also had the QC1s
The QC2s are quite a step up

I agree, I had QC1 and QC2. Both were good, with the QC2 being a step up as you say.
But for me the Max has the edge on build quality, comfort and sound.
😀👍

 

[turbineseaplane]

I agree, I had QC1 and QC2. Both were good, with the QC2 being a step up as you say.
But for me the Max has the edge on build quality, comfort and sound.
😀👍

Comfort has been interesting for me

Due to a situation out of my control (noise from a neighbor that is still being rectified), I'm having to use ANC all day and I'm bouncing between the APM and QC2 buds ... after a couple hours, the APMs are a slight relief to take off. Even though they are comfy and the weight is well supported by the headband, it still is nice to take them off for a while after the morning.

For the 10am-2pm hours I go with the QC2's and it feels great ... and then later afternoon it's back to the APMs, which my head and ears and everything are ready and excited about all over again.

I might be keeping them both long term (QC2 is still in evaluation mode) as there are some different use cases for each for me.

 

[loungefly2022]

I hesitated for a while after they came out because of the price tag. While I could definitely afford it, it's hard to justify that price for headphones.

Eventually I bought them, and I'm glad I did. I use them all the time around the house.

 

[Rian Gray]

I had Bose NCH 700 as well. One of the reason why I tried AirPods was because the mesh looked more comforting. Bose is supposed to be lighter on paper, but soon as I tried Airpods Max, I had to give it to Apple on this one. It really wasn't just weight of the headphones, but how spread out it is too. It does weigh down more, but at least it doesn't hurt my head as I wear them for prolong period of time.

 

[japanime]

In many countries, during the holiday season Apple extends its return window by at least a couple of weeks. So you might be able purchase the APM and try them for about a month before deciding whether to keep them.

They are the best headphones I've ever purchased for home use. Comfortable, easy to connect and, best of all, wireless. They are built exceptionally well, and absolutely worth the price.

 

[Kottu]

I wanted buy APM for a long time but didn't want to spend around $699 in Sweden. In may this year I found a good deal in the used market. It still had the guarantee so I bought it. They sound fantastic. I never owned any over ear with ANC before, but my friends who own such (Bose, sony) said APM is really good. And the premium feel was far better that other headsets. To watch movies on Apple TV or MBP M1P they are excellent.

I felt like It really presses towards head. It makes the ANC better experience though. As it is heavier than Bose or Sony, it was comfortable for me to use it for more than 3 hours at a time. I tried a friend's Bose for a day and didn't have any problem at all.

I noticed that I don't even use it not even 1% of time I use my APP. I used it during flights (once) and twice or thrice in a month. I haven't even plugged it for charging more that 6 times last 6 months!

Now I have decided to auction out mine. As they cost a lot to buy new, the bid is higher than I spent for it!

A new version may come within half a year. So, I may suggest you to look for a used one, with few months guarantee remaining.

 

[Fpmtngal]

I think fit is a personal thing, they may or may not be comfortable for you. I don’t find in-ear devices comfortable or that fit well enough to stay in my ear reliably, so I always use over the ear headphones.

So in the “for what it’s worth” category (i.e., my own personal preferences, which could be totally different than yours):

I had a pair of Bose 700 that died after 2-1/2 years (used a lot) - one morning they just wouldn’t turn on or respond, even after trying to charge them again (thinking the charger cord got disconnected or something). Since it was well beyond any warranty and I thought it was too short of a time considering the cost, I wasn’t interested in another pair and bought the APM. I wear glasses and find the APM a little tighter on my head than the Bose were, so the fit for me isn’t quite as good. I just wear the glasses arms above the headphones and that works - I can easily wear them pretty much all day, certainly as long as I would wear the Bose.

I’m not really picky about music and find the sound equally good for the type of music I listen to (tends to be more classical and easy listening, with a bit of old rock here and there). The noise reduction seems to be good, I didn’t notice a big change (I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison, I got the APM about two weeks after the Bose died).

My main use for headphones is listening to TV (as well as drowning out the sound of an RV air conditioner). I had been using a bluetooth transmitter connected to the headphone out of my TV for sound when I had the Bose speakers and I didn’t have any issue with voices. It’s only been in the last year that I started streaming with the AppleTV, and didn’t realize that I could pair headphones to it, rather than using the small transmitter (which I’ve used for a lot longer, my main TV input was either satellite or a DVD/BluRay player). When I started researching the APM, I discovered they would pair directly, so I got them about 2 months ago.

Recently it seems like I’m having more trouble than before with understanding voices. I can’t say for certain why - in the past several months I have gotten rid of DTV, bought a 2022 AppleTV and only streaming, bought the APM and have them paired with the ATV instead of the separate transmitter plugged into the headphone out jack on the TV or the optical out of the DTV receiver. That’s a lot of changes to make all around the same time to be able to put my finger on any particular source.

I have vaguely thought about getting a pair of Bose QC45 headphones to see if they would be better with the TV, but it’s not that big of an issue for me, so I probably won’t do anything about it.

 

[TrancyGoose]

Folks! Thanks to everyone for their input.
I got myself a pair of Airpods Pro's, second gen.

I have a question, can anyone elaborate?

So, i noticed from watching a news video on a site, that when I move, sound sort of moves as i move.
Tried it on disney plus on Safari, it does not seem to do that.
Tried on youtube, also no.
Also does not seem to work on Apple TV app on a mac.
Does anyone know what is the story here, does the video have to support this feature? Or should it work anywhere?

 

[Rian Gray]

Folks! Thanks to everyone for their input.
I got myself a pair of Airpods Pro's, second gen.

I have a question, can anyone elaborate?

So, i noticed from watching a news video on a site, that when I move, sound sort of moves as i move.
Tried it on disney plus on Safari, it does not seem to do that.
Tried on youtube, also no.
Also does not seem to work on Apple TV app on a mac.
Does anyone know what is the story here, does the video have to support this feature? Or should it work anywhere?

I believe you are describing Spatial Audio. I have mine set not to track head's movement, but the default is on. I don't know how many contents providers support spatial audio, but it does have some hardware requirements. Check Apple's support page for more info: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211775

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

I have AirPods Max and Pro’s 2nd generation. Both of them are absolutely phenomenal and worth the price of entry. I recommend both if you can swing it.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I have AirPods Max and Pro’s 2nd generation. Both of them are absolutely phenomenal and worth the price of entry. I recommend both if you can swing it.

I completely agree with this.

 

[kToni73]

I have AirPods Max and Pro’s 2nd generation. Both of them are absolutely phenomenal and worth the price of entry. I recommend both if you can swing it.

Nice, I own AirPods Pro 2nd Gen. and now I look forward to getting the AirPods Max. Wondering how will they differentiate from the Sony XM4's that I own now. Feel like I'm getting too much into the Apple's Ecosystem though.
And I also wish that for that price it had some water/splash resistance 🤐

 

[gadgetgirl85]

I'm trying to hold out until next gen Airpods max - I really want a pair