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Cromulent

macrumors 604
Original poster
Oct 2, 2006
6,816
1,101
The Land of Hope and Glory
There is a nice deal for AirPod Max on Amazon and I'm seriously considering getting them to use while I'm working on my computer. Is the audio quality better than the AirPod Pro? Is it worth the upgrade? I'm looking for some advice before I pull the trigger and get them.
 
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haralds

macrumors 68030
Jan 3, 2014
2,990
1,252
Silicon Valley, CA
Of course, the audio quality is better. But they are a different "use case." They are comfortable for "cans," but I find that any can gets uncomfortable after a few hours.
For general use working on the computer I have actually found the AirPod 3 to be the best compromise between good sound, spacial location, and comfort. They also do not cut me off from the world around me, but I am only in an office with my wife, who "will not be ignored." In a noisy office the Max would be best.
I have all versions of AirPods plus a couple of Beats buds for exercise.
 
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SkiHound2

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2018
458
377
Of course, the audio quality is better. But they are a different "use case." They are comfortable for "cans," but I find that any can gets uncomfortable after a few hours.
For general use working on the computer I have actually found the AirPod 3 to be the best compromise between good sound, spacial location, and comfort. They also do not cut me off from the world around me, but I am only in an office with my wife, who "will not be ignored." In a noisy office the Max would be best.
I have all versions of AirPods plus a couple of Beats buds for exercise.
I agree, they are different animals. Frankly, any over the ear headphone is going to be a different animal any set of ear buds. I've had the Pros for quite a long time. I recently got the Max. I use both. The Max do sound better and provide better ANC than the Pros. Unless you have a really good seal with earbuds almost any set of over the ear headphones (not open back) provide more passive isolation. Different users could have very different, and completely valid, opinions about which is best for them. I like having both and will continue to use both.
 

Cromulent

macrumors 604
Original poster
Oct 2, 2006
6,816
1,101
The Land of Hope and Glory
Thank you. I'm certainly tempted to get the AirPod Max to go alongside my AirPod Pros simply because I want something that lasts more than 4.5 hours on a single charge alongside better audio quality as well.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
I have both. I mostly use my AirPods Max at home and the AirPods Pro when on the road. I prefer the sound quality of the Max, so especially when I want to have a more immersive audio experience, I use the Max instead of the AirPods Pro.
 

redman042

macrumors 68040
Jun 13, 2008
3,063
1,657
From my point of view, yes absolutely.

I’ve been using the AirPods Pro daily since they came out. I have a desk job and often work from home. The Pros do a reasonable job reducing background noise (kid, dogs, etc) so I can focus on my work. The sound quality has always been very acceptable if not impressive. But on both counts there is room for improvement. Noise reduction of the Pros in particular cannot overcome nearby dog barking or my kid playing online games unless I turned the music up pretty loud, and I still hear it.

I’ve always admired the AirPods Max but never felt comfortable spending that much. I finally pulled the trigger on the Amazon deal the other day (and got another 5% back by using my Prime card). They arrived yesterday.

I’ve been using the AirPods Max for about 6 hours. On both sound quality and noise isolation, they are truly next level. Music and movies sound absolutely incredible. I’m hearing details in songs that I know well that I never noticed before. It’s like the first time seeing a movie on an OLED 4K TV. I’m listening to Apple Music’s spacial audio playlist and it’s honestly taking my breath away. The noise isolation worked really well yesterday afternoon as I finished my work day while my daughter chatted loudly in the same part of the house on her online game.

I’ll be taking a five hour flight in a few weeks. Can’t wait to try these out on a plane.

It’s a splurge for sure, but if you appreciate great audio and high end tech, you will love these.

The way I see it, my AirPods Pro are still my go-tos when I’m out and about, and they will last much longer (battery will degrade slower) since I will turn to the Max more often.
 

KUKitch

macrumors 6502
Jan 10, 2008
451
289
England
I have both, got both at their respective launches (almost, for the Pros), love both - the Maxes are well beyond in my opinion. Agree on different use cases generally (most particularly for working out - the Maxes aren’t as good for that), but I’ve been using the Maxes daily since launch for hours and they are probably my favorite Apple product. I’m not an audiophile and never had expensive headphones really - but these are absolutely worth it. Train/plane/travel with the ANC is incredible, and the Pros are no slouch - they just can’t compare
 
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chabig

macrumors G4
Sep 6, 2002
11,449
9,321
If you love in a city covered by Craigslist, you might get lucky. I bought a pair for $350.
 

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,228
Midwest America.
Just an option, I have these, and they work very very well on long plane rides. They do a great job drowning out the cacophony of the other livestock on the cattle cars of the sky, and don't look too pretentious doing it. *shrug* Tripped on a massive sale price at the local Target. Just couldn't say no. And I don't worry about them taking a beating on a plane and potentially being damaged.

I haven't seen the AirPods Max in the wild yet on a plane. I glimpsed a pair in a club, but that's not very high numbers. I still saw tons of Bose, and the Beats, and AirPods Pros too. I figure it's a plane. Why spend moe than you have to to survive the process. *shrug*
 

weeesss

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2017
349
187
Just flew with both APM and BFP's. My wife and I switched off to and from our destination as the BFP's kept popping out of her ears. I use the Beats walking and exercising, but the APM were more enjoyable to wear on the flight. They have better noise cancellation and I don't have to keep adjusting them. I could live fine with just the Beats but after hearing my son's APM's I was sold.

Edit: Got mine for $450 when they were on sale recently.
 
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pedregosa

macrumors regular
Mar 31, 2010
246
221
Right now, you can get the APM for $450 plus tax on Amazon (sold and shopped by Amazon). The headline price is a discount down to $479, but there's then a small-print extra promo of another $29 off at check-out. Still not a cheap pair of headphones, but it is a lot better than list price from Apple. I ordered a pair last night.
 
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doodads

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2007
312
22
East BF, TN
Right now, you can get the APM for $450 plus tax on Amazon (sold and shopped by Amazon). The headline price is a discount down to $479, but there's then a small-print extra promo of another $29 off at check-out. Still not a cheap pair of headphones, but it is a lot better than list price from Apple. I ordered a pair last night.
Right now they are $450 plus tax at Costco, and AppleCare + is $45. They only have space gray.
 
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OW22

macrumors 6502
Sep 3, 2006
462
279
Dublin, Ireland
I've used mine now on about 5 business trips with a mix of long and short haul. They are essential for me. Now technically, of course any NC headphones will be good, I had a pair of Bose QC35s for years and they were great. But these APM are better and with the Apple ecosystem, they just work flawlessly. The NC is top notch and the transparency mode is the best out there. Travelling with the case is no issue, I have no need or intent on buying a bulky 3rd party case, it's not needed. I stick the APB in their case in my bag and no issues.

Great sound, great NC, I LOVE spatial audio, it's a game changer for movies and some music.
 
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