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doolar

macrumors 6502a
Nov 25, 2019
644
1,128
That’s an extreme example with the beer can, as you don’t keep your APM in a fridge.
As someone who has been using them since launch, I can tell that it’s mostly sweat. Also, the aluminum that covers the cans is never really that cold. When you start using them, the aluminum gets warm pretty fast.
Absolutely, I agree, it is an exaggeration with the beer can analogy, but the principles are still the same.

I mainly targeted the issues with the post I quoted, that there’s no condensation from RH and only from sweat.
 
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Asthmatic Kitty

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2014
152
192
Do people think we would have heard from Apple about this now if they were gonna comment on the issue, or do they usually take longer than this? Been holding off on ordering a pair ?
 

mcaswell

macrumors 6502
Dec 22, 2013
390
228
Just wanted to follow up to say that upon closer inspection, I AM seeing some condensation. In my case, it's not the huge buildup of water on the "grill" that many pics are showing, but instead just very small droplets on the driver itself. Specifically, the slightly lighter-colored ring around the "dome" of the driver.
 

SBruv

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2008
647
321
Just wanted to follow up to say that upon closer inspection, I AM seeing some condensation. In my case, it's not the huge buildup of water on the "grill" that many pics are showing, but instead just very small droplets on the driver itself. Specifically, the slightly lighter-colored ring around the "dome" of the driver.

Yep, exactly the same here.
 

tonie walker

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2020
598
1,018
worldwide
it seems the APM is not design for ease of use...
1. after long period of use under my ear lobe skin where the ear cup is resting got irritated and dead skin peel off the following day. It means ears must be well centered inside the ear cups. Haven’t encountered this issue on my momentum over ear
2. Condensation is always 100% will happen after use that forced me to leave the APM outside the bra until water evaporates else condensation will stays even leaving overnight.
 

TrueBlou

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2014
4,531
3,619
Scotland
I’ve never experienced this on my pair but I’ve also yet to listen to them for several hours of a time. Is this more of a YMMV type of issue?

Quite possibly, though it’s far from a new issue, it’s something I’ve noticed for decades with some headphones. It’s maybe quite new to MacRumors, possibly more so with how easy the ear cups are to remove. And the typical over scrutinisation anything Apple seems to get.

But it’s far from a new phenomenon to many of us. Go have a look on somewhere like head-fi, for instance, and you’ll find discussions on condensation/moisture/sweat build-up going back for many, many years before the APM were even a twinkle in Apples eye.

Personally, I’m not overly concerned, indeed, with closed-back metal cups, I’m rather expecting it. I still think the battery will be useless to me, before this condensation issue causes any long-term problems.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that moisture isn’t a concern for headphones, obviously it can be. All I’m saying is with proper care and maintenance, I think other components will be what make me replace these headphones first.

But by all means, if it worries anyone, send them back. You should be happy with whatever you purchase.
 

MathersMahmood

macrumors 65816
Sep 5, 2016
1,171
2,731
England
Condensation from 2 hours of use listening to Joe Rogan.
On the phone to Apple now to log the issue and provide evidence. Maybe a quality program for these in the future and also to cover myself in case they get liquid damaged.
Other than this I absolutely love these headphones.
 

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Snørrbjørg

macrumors regular
Aug 12, 2010
159
239
at home
Condensation from 2 hours of use listening to Joe Rogan.
On the phone to Apple now to log the issue and provide evidence. Maybe a quality program for these in the future and also to cover myself in case they get liquid damaged.
Other than this I absolutely love these headphones.

Maybe we need a quality program for people before they can write here about a non issue that happens with all closed back head phones.
 
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tonie walker

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2020
598
1,018
worldwide
Maybe we ned a quality program for people before they can write here about a non issue that happens with all closed back head phones.
maybe not everyone here owned an over ear head phones before, maybe for some it’s their first time. You mentioned “ALL” any evidence of all headphones with condensation? Link would be nice and also link where Apple said in the user manual that condensation will occur and it is normal, don’t sweat on it just wipe it ?
 

adrianlondon

macrumors 603
Nov 28, 2013
5,536
8,360
Switzerland
Maybe we need a quality program for people before they can write here about a non issue that happens with all closed back head phones.
Is there proof of that? Have you opened them up to check, or have you just copied what someone else has posted, who probably made it up.

The condensation in APMs is more likely due to the nice metal ear cups rather than the cheap plastic ones used by most other manufacturers.
 

MathersMahmood

macrumors 65816
Sep 5, 2016
1,171
2,731
England
Maybe we need a quality program for people before they can write here about a non issue that happens with all closed back head phones.
Did you expect people to talk about something else on a thread about condensation in the earcups?
 

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kirk.vino

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2017
667
1,013
It’s sweat getting trapped in them. If it was condensation, that would occur almost immediately due to the difference in temperatures. However, after an hour or so they remain completely dry. They get droplets inside after 2-3 hours of continuous use. I can feel my ears and head getting warmer around the headphones.
 
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ExxonVS

macrumors member
Dec 17, 2020
88
207
After two hours of usage, there’s no condensation in the earcups at all. Humidity of the room is 43%, temperature is 25°C, space gray APM.
i think if i would go outside (temp is below 0°C), there would be some water in these.
 

TrueBlou

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2014
4,531
3,619
Scotland
It’s sweat getting trapped in them. If it was condensation, that would occur almost immediately due to the difference in temperatures. However, after an hour or so they remain completely dry. They get droplets inside after 2-3 hours of continuous use. I can feel my ears and head getting warmer around the headphones.

That’s the thing, and as I’ve prattled on about before, certainly not new to me. With most closed-back headphones, when you get to the point where your ears feel sweaty during, or after use. There’s going to be some degree of moisture in the headphones.

It’s precisely why things like this (randomly taken from Sony’s website for the WH-1000XM2 & WH-1000XM3) can be found on many manufacturers websites, or in some cases, the user manuals..

Refrain from:
using the headphones while you are sweaty. Sweat, wet hands or damp clothing can negatively affect the product: it can degrade the earpads, affect the USB charging slot and cause damage

And again, if you go look around HiFi/AV and headphone websites, you’ll see just how long condensation, sweat and moisture in general has been discussed for.

It’s far from new, but it is going to be a fairly common occurrence with closed-back metal cups. Which is exactly why Apple has this on their website:

Your AirPods (1st and 2nd generation), charging case, AirPods Max and Smart Case aren't waterproof or water resistant, so be careful not to get moisture in any openings. If your AirPods come in contact with liquid, including sweat from a workout, wipe them down with a dry microfibre cloth. To dry the case, place it upside down with the lid open.

If your AirPods become damaged after they get wet, you can chat or talk with us to order a replacement.
 
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mpetrides

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2007
590
524
That’s an extreme example with the beer can, as you don’t keep your APM in a fridge.
As someone who has been using them since launch, I can tell that it’s mostly sweat. Also, the aluminum that covers the cans is never really that cold. When you start using them, the aluminum gets warm pretty fast.
You can tell it's mostly sweat. And how would you do that pray tell? I suppose if you got a drop on your finger and tasted it and there was salt, then you could conclude it was sweat. Or perhaps you could measure osmolarity or chloride level. But seriously, otherwise how can you differentiate sweat from water simply by looking?
 
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mpetrides

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2007
590
524
It’s sweat getting trapped in them. If it was condensation, that would occur almost immediately due to the difference in temperatures. However, after an hour or so they remain completely dry. They get droplets inside after 2-3 hours of continuous use. I can feel my ears and head getting warmer around the headphones.
Again, no. If the issue is cold cans and warm body, it would take a while for the warmth of your body to get conveyed to the headphones sufficiently to the the point where the APMs warm up enough to cause condensation of moisture at the interface between warmth inside the ear cup and cold outside in the can itself. Unless the temperature differential is marked and abrupt (as with the cold beer can, warm room analogy), it takes time for the warm surface to get warm enough or for the cold surface to get cold enough (or both) to initiate condensation.

That's why people keep asking about room temperature. If I wear my headphones outside in 10 below F while shoveling snow, the temperature differential between my ears and the cans will be more abrupt and I would expect to see condensation a lot sooner than I would if I had the headset at a room temperature of 70 degrees and my ear temperature were 98-99 degrees (or probably less).

Hmm... I think I'll try that with my Beats (for which I paid a mere $100) the next time I'm exercising outside and see what happens. I've worn them often while shoveling snow or going for a walk (covered by a hood, of course, to protect from the snow) but never thought to look to see if they had condensation. What I did notice while shoveling/walking in extreme cold was that eventually they would quit working wirelessly, presumably because the battery got too cold. All of this is academic, since there is NO way I'll be wearing $550 headphones while shoveling snow.
 
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tonie walker

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2020
598
1,018
worldwide
hopefully this condensation is not the caused of my APM suddenly disconnect on my iphone while playing and it caused the iphone to freeze a bit and music will be muted. It gets annoying, my airpods pro never have this issue
 

kirk.vino

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2017
667
1,013
You can tell it's mostly sweat. And how would you do that pray tell? I suppose if you got a drop on your finger and tasted it and there was salt, then you could conclude it was sweat. Or perhaps you could measure osmolarity or chloride level. But seriously, otherwise how can you differentiate sweat from water simply by looking?
How can I tell? By using them and seeing that after an hour or even longer, they remain completely dry. If what you say was true, you’d see droplets in them relatively fast, not after 2-3 hours of using them.
 

UBS28

macrumors 68030
Oct 2, 2012
2,893
2,340
Maybe we need a quality program for people before they can write here about a non issue that happens with all closed back head phones.

That is non-sense. I have never seen this on my B&W P7W (which you can remove the cups too). And I am not aware of anyone who owns this headphone to have condensation also.

Now I have not used the APM much yet to test it out (because it is very cold outside and indoors, I listen to speakers). But I will do a proper test later when the weather gets better.
 

metalsiren

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2017
908
1,627
Personally I have not seen this on mine, BUT with that being said it is happening for users and APPLE really needs to make a statement on this...

just my 2 cents.
 

Robbosan

Suspended
Aug 21, 2020
2,071
1,837
Will have mine tomorrow, 31C here so will be a good test, can't return easily as bought from retailer online.
 
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