Is anyone else a bit disappointed by AirPods Max?

[sir grotius]

Was doing a little searching, as I've noticed a correlation of wearing my APMs for long periods of time (i.e., over an hour) and some jaw pain. It's almost as if there is a tightness or pressure around my jaw which I do not experience with my AirPod Pros. Not sure if this is coincidental, but overall, has somewhat soured me on them relative to their otherwise B-level everything.

 

[Cashmonee]

Was doing a little searching, as I've noticed a correlation of wearing my APMs for long periods of time (i.e., over an hour) and some jaw pain. It's almost as if there is a tightness or pressure around my jaw which I do not experience with my AirPod Pros. Not sure if this is coincidental, but overall, has somewhat soured me on them relative to their otherwise B-level everything.

So I just got a pair today and what I am noticing is significant cabin pressure. I wonder if that is what you are dealing with?

 

[Dkka1]

They are huge, heavy and expensive and have the most stupid case I’ve ever seen. And therefore, overhyped.

The small AirPods and AirPods Pro were true novelties and game changers in a way. The Max is just a me too product in an overcrowded market which offers some proprietary features for Apple users.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they end up the same way as the original Homepod since they share a big amount of sins, although their margin could possibly heavy lift some seriously low sales volume.

 

[theSeb]

Or maybe they are just not a good option for pencil necks, people with giant hair, folks with those inserts in their earlobes, or those who like to look for things to complain about?

Tim

Considering that your previous experience is Beats, it's easy to see why you think the APMs are the best thing since sliced bread. I realise you feel the need to justify and defend the expensive purchase.

 

[dandrewk]

Considering that your previous experience is Beats, it's easy to see why you think the APMs are the best thing since sliced bread. I realise you feel the need to justify and defend the expensive purchase.

Ahh, the economic argument.... again.

Expensive to some, but not others. I bet there are (at most) a handful of posters to this thread that cannot easily afford APMs. Most of the whiners here use the excuse to justify spending their money on a competing, expensive purchase.

 

[anthony13]

I’m still baffled by them. Their specs put them in the Sony xm4 and Bose700 class, yet they are almost double the cost. They don’t compete with the super high end, and they are priced out of the consumer high end. This is the one product category I bought something other than the Apple offering.

 

[Cashmonee]

I’m still baffled by them. Their specs put them in the Sony xm4 and Bose700 class, yet they are almost double the cost. They don’t compete with the super high end, and they are priced out of the consumer high end. This is the one product category I bought something other than the Apple offering.

To be fair, specs alone don’t tell the whole story. Yeah they all connect to multiple devices, have ANC and transparency, have “advanced sound”, come in different colors, etc. The APM is the only one that puts it all together and does well (not necessarily best) in every category.

 

[venom600]

I’m still baffled by them. Their specs put them in the Sony xm4 and Bose700 class, yet they are almost double the cost. They don’t compete with the super high end, and they are priced out of the consumer high end. This is the one product category I bought something other than the Apple offering.

There's a small class of headphones in the $500-600 range that it competes with. They technically aren't vastly superior, but offer luxury quality materials and build quality. The Master and Dynamic MW65, V-Moda M200 ANC, Airpods Max are in that class and I wouldn't be surprised to see other companies follow suit.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I have to admit my first thought when I saw the APM is they have a resemblance to a pair of ear defenders rather than a pair of headphones. I hope those that have them enjoy them, but I do think they are priced too high for what they offer to be honest.

 

[tdbrown75]

Considering that your previous experience is Beats, it's easy to see why you think the APMs are the best thing since sliced bread. I realise you feel the need to justify and defend the expensive purchase.

Perhaps, but I'm still enjoying them regardless.

Tim

 

[theSeb]

Perhaps, but I'm still enjoying them regardless.

Tim

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. 👍

 

[EntropyQ3]

Considering that your previous experience is Beats, it's easy to see why you think the APMs are the best thing since sliced bread. I realise you feel the need to justify and defend the expensive purchase.

Well I own a number of STAX electrostatics, excellent magnetostatics, and very good dynamic headphones as well as gear to drive them well.
The Airpods Max is right at home in that company. All good headphones should sound tonally similar if they aim for neutral sound reproduction, but differences between individual listener physique (and bias) make transferability of the experience a difficult proposition. Glasses, beards, hair, head shape, ear shape, ear canal, angle of the headband et cetera all colour the sound.

One of the unusual characteristics of the Airpods Max is that they actually try to take some of these into account and recalibrate themselves accordingly.

Comfort is subjective. My magnetostatics are heavier and have a less comfortable headband. My electrostatics are lighter but have a ridiculously heavy cable hanging from one of the cups. My in-ear monitors provoke ear wax production.
Everyone must judge for themselves, and their use case. This is par for the course.

The threads here tend to originate in rather extreme positions - either people gushing over their new purchase, or people being very negative, perhaps because they want confirmation and support in a decision to return them. I don’t know.
But if anyone reads these threads hoping to get a grip on whether the Airpods Max is for them, this very bipolar pattern isn’t very helpful.

 

[jterp7]

these are by far the best over ears that I own, but I am comparing to the HD650 (massive clamping), B&W P7s (pre wireless) also high clamping. And the APMs beat both and can be worn for hours without just wanting to take them off immediately like the other two

while for the price they should have leather...I think these breathe better because of the foam

 

[ejin222]

But if anyone reads these threads hoping to get a grip on whether the Airpods Max is for them, this very bipolar pattern isn’t very helpful.

People want to be "heard," even if it's on an online forum.

The only opinion that matters is your own and not someone else's. I, for one, love my APM's. I'm not an audiophile but I am completely sold into the Apple ecosystem, so these are THE BEST headphones for that.

Price, at the end of the day, isn't merely a number, but what the purchase affords you. For me, the price is justified in the seamless integration with all my Apple products. For others, the APM's are "just" expensive and unjustified for them.

My suggestion: try them out. Apple gives you 2 weeks.

 

[scrane]

A lot of people seem to listen with their mouths. All I know is when I slap the APMs on I'm in for a pleasant experience.

 

[LeonPro]

People see "Apple" branding and they have a fit. For some reason they can't associate that the company can successfully create this or that. And if they did, how dare they demand it at this price, etc. You can never win from people who already made their minds up even before picking up the product. And with sound being subjective, that's even more difficult.

I re-posted an article about the APM having positive feedback from classical musicians in a headphone group just to show there is legitimacy in the sound quality and I got a lot of violent reactions and stupid remarks from negating Apple as a manufacturer of audio to negating the skills of the classical musicians to be able to judge audio properly.

You won't believe the amount of close-minded people at this day and age.

I'm both an Apple and Windows user. I have always appreciated any form of technology regardless of who made it. And if it isn't for me, then I'll stop at that. But to negate a manufacturer as not skilled when you know they have hired audio engineers including the lead Tomlinson Holman in creating the products you see, you know there is no arguing with those people who don't like Apple and/or their pricing to begin with.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

People see "Apple" branding and they have a fit. For some reason they can't associate that the company can successfully create this or that. And if they did, how dare they demand it at this price, etc. You can never win from people who already made their minds up even before picking up the product. And with sound being subjective, that's even more difficult.

I re-posted an article about the APM having positive feedback from classical musicians in a headphone group just to show there is legitimacy in the sound quality and I got a lot of violent reactions and stupid remarks from negating Apple as a manufacturer of audio to negating the skills of the classical musicians to be able to judge audio properly.

You won't believe the amount of close-minded people at this day and age.

I'm both an Apple and Windows user. I have always appreciated any form of technology regardless of who made it. And if it isn't for me, then I'll stop at that. But to negate a manufacturer as not skilled when you know they have hired audio engineers including the lead Tomlinson Holman in creating the products you see, you know there is no arguing with those people who don't like Apple and/or their pricing to begin with.

So Apple users who are critical of the APM because of the brand that they already buy from?

 

[LeonPro]

So Apple users who are critical of the APM because of the brand that they already buy from?

Everyone who owns one or two things of that brand suddenly is a critic? For what criteria? Cost? Nah.

There are different types of "Apple users". My kids are Apple users. That means iPhones, iPads, AppleTV, and HomePods. I'm an Apple user and that means everything else including the Mac Pro and XDR display.

You tell those kids they can have the APM to the tune of CAD800+ per headphone and those "critics" become negative of that product because of the price.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Everyone who owns one or two things of that brand suddenly is a critic? For what criteria? Cost? Nah.

There are different types of "Apple users". My kids are Apple users. That means iPhones, iPads, AppleTV, and HomePods. I'm an Apple user and that means everything else including the Mac Pro and XDR display.

You tell those kids they can have the APM to the tune of CAD800+ per headphone and those "critics" become negative of that product because of the price.

You can be someone who has a house full of Apple tech but still be sceptical of certain devices based on price. That’s not absurd by any stretch. There’s no tier system for determining who is more of an ‘Apple user’ based on how much they’ve spent btw. Now that really would be absurd lol.

 

[Tsepz]

People see "Apple" branding and they have a fit. For some reason they can't associate that the company can successfully create this or that. And if they did, how dare they demand it at this price, etc. You can never win from people who already made their minds up even before picking up the product. And with sound being subjective, that's even more difficult.

I re-posted an article about the APM having positive feedback from classical musicians in a headphone group just to show there is legitimacy in the sound quality and I got a lot of violent reactions and stupid remarks from negating Apple as a manufacturer of audio to negating the skills of the classical musicians to be able to judge audio properly.

You won't believe the amount of close-minded people at this day and age.

I'm both an Apple and Windows user. I have always appreciated any form of technology regardless of who made it. And if it isn't for me, then I'll stop at that. But to negate a manufacturer as not skilled when you know they have hired audio engineers including the lead Tomlinson Holman in creating the products you see, you know there is no arguing with those people who don't like Apple and/or their pricing to begin with.

I once had a somewhat of a closed mind towards Apple, up until 2012 when I got my iPad 4. Over the years I have become more able to both appreciate the quality and laugh at pricing of most premium brands products.

I look at my iPad Pro and iPhone Pro Max and think to myself, these things are stupidly expensive but you know what? To me they are worth the enjoyment but they are still stupidly expensive.

I look at a Range Rover SVAutobiography and think, my word, that is ludicrously expensive, but you know what? When I have enough money I am going straight to a JLR dealer and buying one because I know what it brings is exactly what I want, although I know in the grand scheme of things it’s not the best SUV or the most powerful or the most reliable, but I love what it is.

It is very important to be objective and to try see things from both sides.

I will never fully understand someone who can only stay on one side of an argument on not try see it from both angles at the very least, and at least try the product before shooting it down.
I experienced this recently in a car WhatsApp group I am in where one person asked about Apple iPhone and a few people were like “NAH, iPhone is crap, get this!” only to find that those people had either not owned an iPhone since iPhone 4 or 5 or had only used it in passing when a friend or relative gave it to them to do something for a short period.

 

[LeonPro]

You can be someone who has a house full of Apple tech but still be sceptical of certain devices based on price. That’s not absurd by any stretch. There’s no tier system for determining who is more of an ‘Apple user’ based on how much they’ve spent btw. Now that really would be absurd lol.

No, it's not absurd because everyone suddenly becomes an expert on what product Apple should create and how much that costs. That's a big LOL. Only Apple will know what they are making, why, and for how much.

If the end user doesn't see the value in that particular product, then it's simply not for them. Period.

To hear people say, oh no the headphones are too expensive, it's too heavy, the sound isn't good for the price, etc.

It's. Not. For. Them. Then. Move. On.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

No, it's not absurd because everyone suddenly becomes an expert on what product Apple should create and how much that costs. That's a big LOL. Only Apple will know what they are making, why, and for how much.

If the end user doesn't see the value in that particular product, then it's simply not for them. Period.

To hear people say, oh no the headphones are too expensive, it's too heavy, the sound isn't good for the price, etc.

It's. Not. For. Them. Then. Move. On.

It’s not about being an expert but being a consumer. Consumerism is driven by price and what individuals deem to be value for money etc. My point was a person can have thousands of pounds/dollars worth of Apple devices in their homes but still have the opinion a certain device is too expensive for what it is. I’m guilty of that myself. There’s no right or wrong approach as it’s subjective to the individual. I know when the APM were released the price put a lot of people off but there is hope Apple will expand the range to include more options in the over ear headphone arena that are more palatable on price. If they don’t, it’s no big deal as there are countless other options out there from other manufacturers. We are here on a discussion forum though and the beauty of it is we can discuss our gripes and positives with this sort of thing.

 

[Hahab2b]

Wow. Surprising to me that some are finding these uncomfortable. One of the shocking things for me with these headphones is how comfortable they are. I'm a person that's sensitive to pressure on top of the head and the Max nails this in spades with the mesh headband. I have a narrow head so the clamping force is not that bad for me. They are heavy and I never forget they're on my head, but I have no issues doing basic commutes and walking around with the Max. I can wear them for hours with no discomfort. Now I wouldn't exercise or do construction work in these. They aren't the most stable of headphones as most heavy headphones aren't. I guess that's why each person needs to try headphones for themselves. Nobody can ever tell you how a headphone will fit or sound to you.

Yes god forbid someone not agree with you