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vacay

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2012
85
18
I’m curious for those that returned the AirPods Max, what did you purchase instead? I returned my AirPods Max mainly because of the weight of the earcups. Over time, it was bothersome. But I really miss the sound quality. Picked up the Bose 700 headphones which are lighter and way more comfortable, but no comparison in sound to the AirPods Max, despite messing around with the EQ settings. Looking for alternative noise cancelling headphones...
 

NewMagsafe

macrumors newbie
Oct 22, 2020
19
17
Im only returning mine because of Watergate, bit upset about it tbh, so will just keep using my AirPod pro's until its fixed
 

LongWayHome

Suspended
Oct 18, 2020
503
1,010
I returned mine because I just didn't find them comfortable to wear for longer periods, and forget and walking with them on like I do in Airports.

I purchased the Bang & Olufsen H95's and they are fantastic.
 
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vacay

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2012
85
18
I returned mine because I just didn't find them comfortable to wear for longer periods, and forget and walking with them on like I do in Airports.

I purchased the Bang & Olufsen H95's and they are fantastic.

How do you compare the sound between the two headphones? How much did the H95 set you back?
 

vacay

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2012
85
18
Im only returning mine because of Watergate, bit upset about it tbh, so will just keep using my AirPod pro's until its fixed

I hope they address this in the next AirPods Max release as well
 

Lammy

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2013
239
268
I returned mine because I already had the pros and I didn’t see much difference. But after using the pros when trying to do homework I realized the anc is way better on the max. The price is a tough pill to swallow but I imagine I’ll use them for a while and they really help me focus.
 

LongWayHome

Suspended
Oct 18, 2020
503
1,010
How do you compare the sound between the two headphones? How much did the H95 set you back?
While the AirPods Max sound great, the H95s are better, and they should be as they are much more expensive. Its also a better built pair of headphones with more features and better on ear controls. With that being said, the APM does have better transparency, but not by much and the H95s have both on ear adjustability for ANC and Transparency. I find the ANC pretty close but prefer the H95 as I found the APM to cause a lot of pressure where I could hear my heartbeat every time I had ACN on and it bothered me.

From a comfort standpoint the H95s are infinitely more comfortable for me, but I know some here find the APM very comfortable to wear. But let me give you something to think about before considering the H95s. I would never have purchased them if the APM were more comfortable to wear for me. I liked everything else about them but after an hour or so the clamping pressure on my ears was just too much. One other thing that I think Apple missed with the APM that both Sony and the H95's do is the way the cups fold. I like how with my Sony's and H95's you can turn the cups inward so they lay flat on your chest. It makes keeping the cans around your neck so much more natural feeling and its really awkward just putting them around your neck with the APM.

Spatial Audio is cool, but I don't use headphones like this for watching movies and even with it on the H95s sound better to me than the APM for music. I travel and wanted something that sounded great but was also going to be light enough to wear for extended time periods and just walking with the APM was weird because the weight caused them to slide up and down on my head. There is zero latency on the H95's as well and auto switching between two devices is seemless (although it can only be paired with two devices at once so the APM win with that, even though I had major issues with the APM and auto switching from iPhone to Macbook Pro).

I paid $800 for the H95s. To me it was very worth it as they are light years above anything Bose or Sony has put out and I was totally underwhelmed moving from the XM3's to the XM4's. With that being said though, I also liked the APM very much and definitely would have kept them if not for the comfort issues I was having which caused me to look elsewhere.
 
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kp98077

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2010
4,315
2,765
Whistler, BC
I love mine! I wear them 5-7 hours a day, at first yeah they felt heavy but got used to them, sound is simply amazing and connectivity is amazing... and I like having an actual button on top unlike the Bose.... gonna keep em'!!
only weird thing is I got a wood stand to put them on and it seemed to drain the battery... not sure why... I had not been putting them in the case and they were still holding charge for days....
 

vacay

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2012
85
18
I'll be initiating the return tonight which will give me till 1/22/2021 for Apple to actually receive it. so I'll be playing with it for another week or 2.


What makes you return yours? Comfort?
 

udflyer

macrumors 6502
Jan 3, 2011
424
104
I'll be initiating the return tonight which will give me till 1/22/2021 for Apple to actually receive it. so I'll be playing with it for another week or 2.
Don't cut it too close. I just returned my headphones and Apple did not say they received them until 2-3 business days after fedex says they did. There is a lag there.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Don't cut it too close. I just returned my headphones and Apple did not say they received them until 2-3 business days after fedex says they did. There is a lag there.
I've had no issues in the past when they received it on 22nd. Even if the process it late, they do scan it on the day fedex delivers it back to Apple. So as long as it's in the apple system on 22nd as receive you are fine. But yes I plan to return send it back sometime coming Wednesday so that it gets there on Friday.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
What makes you return yours? Comfort?
Different color, currently have the space gray. I've been stalking the apple stores daily hoping for them to stock but no dice. So I'll return this and order the blue one and wait patiently.
 
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kirk.vino

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2017
667
1,013
Different color, currently have the space gray. I've been stalking the apple stores daily hoping for them to stock but no dice. So I'll return this and order the blue one and wait patiently.
Did you actually see the blue ones in person? They look different from online pics. I played with them in store while I was picking up mine (Space Gray). They do look nice, but I realized I would still prefer the Space Gray though.
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,342
9,445
Over here
I know 2 that have returned them. One was due to the weight, they were just not comfortable for them, for the other, she felt they were too heavy and the clamp on the head was too much.
 

Frankfurt

macrumors 6502a
Dec 4, 2016
740
889
USA
Keeping mine. Love them. Not a power user. Use them for 1-2 hours per day in home office. Will be less when I ever return to office. Got the WaterField case and the 3.5 cable to connect to plane audio. They will eventually replace my aging wired Bose for air travel.
 
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Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Did you actually see the blue ones in person? They look different from online pics. I played with them in store while I was picking up mine (Space Gray). They do look nice, but I realized I would still prefer the Space Gray though.
My favorite color is Blue in general, so any blue I see, I will get no matter if it's light, sky, metallic, pacific, etc.
 

daanodinot

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2015
388
934
I’m seriously considering returning them. Main reasons are the weight and lack of off-button. I feel like I’m constantly fighting auto-connects and battery drain. I just want to turn them ****ing *off* when I don’t want to use them. And the case is such a PITA that I’ve put it back in the box.
 
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Koni17

macrumors member
Nov 2, 2016
86
463
I really wanted to keep the AirPods Max, loved the sound quality and features. However I just could not justify spending over $600 on headphones that weren't 100% comfortable. I would actually rather have headphones that have less premium look and feel, than a headphone that clamps my head like a vice. I'm rather jealous of the people out there that actually feel comfortable wearing these.

After wearing these for an hour, I'd take them off and my head would feel relieved. $600 for headphones that make me feel relieved when I take them off? That's the reason I'm sending them back. I will stick with my normal AirPods until something more comfortable comes out from Apple.
 
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kirk.vino

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2017
667
1,013
I really wanted to keep the AirPods Max, loved the sound quality and features. However I just could not justify spending over $600 on headphones that weren't 100% comfortable. I would actually rather have headphones that have less premium look and feel, than a headphone that clamps my head like a vice. I'm rather jealous of the people out there that actually feel comfortable wearing these.

After wearing these for an hour, I'll take them off and my head will feel relieved. $600 for headphones that make me feel relieved when I take them off? That's the reason I'm sending them back. I will stick with my normal AirPods until something more comfortable comes out from Apple.
That’s how I felt the first couple of days with them. However, I feel that I have broken them in since then and they are more comfortable now. I wouldn’t call them super comfortable by any means, but I can easily wear them for 3-4 hours straight. Anything longer would definitely fatigue the areas above my ears. I still kept them since I like their sound quality a lot.
 

pugxiwawa

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2009
536
1,244
I really hate the price tag. It’s so overpriced at $550. But damn the Max is so nice. There’s no other headphone like it that works so well with Apple ecosystem. I’ve gone back and forth debating and the struggle is real. Still have a few days to decide if shipping it back. Decision decision.
 
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