Time to accept that $550 is a "fair" price

[Deliro]

That may be the case as the months go on. I agree that it will be interesting to see what happens.

Besides the price, one of the obstacles for the headphones is the lack of any water resistance, especially when they are marketed with many things including the new Fitness+.

Several of the reviews I've watched or read state that these headphones would not be good for fitness due to the way they fit. Due to the weight they will not stay firmly on your head in a fixed position.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Several of the reviews I've watched or read state that these headphones would not be good for fitness due to the way they fit. Due to the weight they will not stay firmly on your head in a fixed position.

I can see that being a problem as well. If I was working out at home, I wouldn't want heavy cans moving around on my head.

 

[cardfan]

The thread asks if 550 is a fair price. The real question if any apple product is worth paying msrp. Of course not. These are no different.

 

[317342]

"If you can find a better car, buy it."

My how far we've come fallen.

 

[C. Robert]

You suggested that despite the APMs just being released, Apple is somehow going to release a massively better version "months" from now for about $50 more and drop the price of the APMs to $399. And then you followed that up by claiming that "this is what Apple usually does with other products."

Some arguments are so absurd that they don't merit a response. The sky is green and the sun revolves around the earth.

Yes, you responded. The 2020 MacBook Pro was released May 2020, the M1 in November same year, thats 6 months.

 

[Harvey Zoltan]

I would really love to be given the opportunity to accept 550.00 is a fair price but it seems even with pre ordering I will be waiting another month to find out.

 

[Deliro]

Yes, you responded. The 2020 MacBook Pro was released May 2020, the M1 in November same year, thats 6 months.

If you look at the release intervals of most of their products, especially not in their computer or phone lineups, your statement isn't accurate. Their music output devices average 2-3 years. Some other product lines even longer between refreshes.

Either way, I wouldn't spend $550 for headphones. I already have Bose, Beats, and Airpods.

 

[emac82]

I haven't read the whole post. I love listening to music with headphones, and up until 2-3 years ago, I used the earbuds from my 1st iPod Shuffle - that had the Griffin Ear Jams added to them to make them more "in-ear" (that I paid $10 for) and to me that was the best quality.That was back around 2003/2004..I'd NEVER spend any more than $80 headphones...

To each their own though, but just not my thang...

Griffin EarJams

EarJams Clip-on Sound Enhancers for iPod Earbuds

www.amazon.com

 

[C. Robert]

If you look at the release intervals of most of their products, especially not in their computer or phone lineups, your statement isn't accurate. Their music output devices average 2-3 years. Some other product lines even longer between refreshes.

Either way, I wouldn't spend $550 for headphones. I already have Bose, Beats, and Airpods.

They release yearly and are in the process of updating their entire line.

 

[Deliro]

They release yearly and are in the process of updating their entire line.

Unless you have some sorta inside source I say you’re a bit off base. AirPods haven’t been updated for almost 2 years. The Pros coming up to 14-15 months. HomePod 3 years next month.

Not sure what Apple can do to a pair of headphones in 6 months that will revolutionize the product that would call for a refresh, especially a niche item. I don’t see these Max headphones being updated for at least 2 years, going by history of this product category. Or at all.

 

[cycling_pete]

The thread asks if 550 is a fair price. The real question if any apple product is worth paying msrp. Of course not. These are no different.

Many Apple products are "worth" msrp. Maybe, just maybe, that's part of the reason why they're the most valuable company in the world?? Kinda hard to argue with that.

 

[AppleRobert]

Way to soon with this thread, what percentage of people who actually want them actually have them now and have done a good assessment?

Apple is high priced with everything, iPads and iPhones etc etc. Does that necessarily make it worth the msrp even if folks are willing to pay for that? Case in point, mommy and daddy buy this stuff for teenagers. Worth the msrp instead of getting them something else instead? But mommy and daddy, Joe and Jane have one. Lol

But I am certainly willing to bet those teens ain’t gonna get a $550 pair of APM. Nor are a very high percentage of folks who have other Apple products cause they draw a line for cost with something like APMs regardless if they might be worth msrp.

 

[UBS28]

The Airpods Max would be worth $550 if it included all the features that Bose and Sony offers + great comfort. However Apple did not do this, so it is definetly not worth $550.

There are simply too many compromises for $550. Maybe the Airpods Max 2 will be worth it.

 

[Robbosan]

The Airpods Max would be worth $550 if it included all the features that Bose and Sony offers + great comfort.

Like crap connection between multiple apple products and sweaty ear cups.

 

[Closingracer]

Lol I still say the Sony XM4 beats them in ANC. And at $550 I don’t care for Apple integration. The AirPod pros at $249 are good for that which is why I still carry them but if you’re looking at pure ANC the Bose quietcomforts have better ANC at $279. Their SQ is better as well. I use the Bose on the bus but I use the AirPods when I want the ease of use or when I want to use one ear bud. I also have the luxury of owning a lot of different headphones and earbuds.

 

[Closingracer]

I think the definition of fair should be defined by the market. I think people do not realize there are headphones MUCH more expensive than these so yes, it's a bit on the high end of the pricing scale when you compare them to other ANC headphones but if the price doesn't match the consumer's expectations - that should be shown in the sales volume and this should be advantageous to Sony and Bose as their sales should INCREASE.

At the end of the day, company is trying to reach a specific margin profit for their product. They priced them at 550 because they struck a price between what consumers might be able to pay and their profit value.

Sound is also not linear - for double the price, you don't get double the sound. That's not how it works in the audio word. there is a diminish returns once you go higher and higher.

it truly a preference. Once thing for sure: the spatial audio is SIGNIFICANTLY better than with it off in stereo to the point where my Full audiophile 1000+ setup sounds worse when watching content specifically for it. I don't know what that value is, but that is something other competitors cannot do if you are in the apple eco system.

These headphones aren’t competing with the audiophile grade/ studio open backed headphones that cost way more then these. This is a consumer focused luxury product for smartphones not pros with the lack of an audio jack.

 

[Closingracer]

Many Apple products are "worth" msrp. Maybe, just maybe, that's part of the reason why they're the most valuable company in the world?? Kinda hard to argue with that.

Ehhh I wouldn’t pay MSRP for iPhone 12 pro. I for sure didn’t pay MSRP or will be for my iPhone 11 Pro ( I will be paying $850 not $999)

 

[Mikeeee]

Like crap connection between multiple apple products and sweaty ear cups.

I have the Bose Soundlink 2. When I turn them on they immediately pair with 2 devices. iPad Pro and iPhone for example. If I move between these 2 it’s seamless. If I then want to switch to Apple TV it’s easily done in about 2 seconds through a switch on the cup or via the iOS app.

Connections to all of my Apple products have always worked great with the Bose so I don’t know what you are talking about.

 

[Robbosan]

I have the Bose Soundlink 2. When I turn them on they immediately pair with 2 devices. iPad Pro and iPhone for example. If I move between these 2 it’s seamless. If I then want to switch to Apple TV it’s easily done in about 2 seconds through a switch on the cup or via the iOS app.

Connections to all of my Apple products have always worked great with the Bose so I don’t know what you are talking about.

Have had bose QC3511 and 700 so do know what they are like, as that's what i was talking about, heck even beats studio 3 has better connection between macs,ipads,iphones, have no idea or care what bose SL2 are lol.

 

[scott99]

That is a stupid thing to say.

I have purchased AirPods and then AirPods Pro, neither of them are anywhere near class leading in sound quality, but they make up for this in other areas and the experience of them is exceptional. Always my go-to rather than the better sounding other options that I have.

I purchased Sony WH-1000XM3’s and then upgraded to the XM4’s and have been extremely impressed by them, stunning ANC and very good sound quality.

I paid £250 for the APP, I paid £350 for the XM4‘s and have not regretted either purchase.

I have now purchased AirPods Max, for £550 and could not be happier.

The build quality is way better than anything else I have tried or seen, the use of higher end materials, the overall fit and finish and typical Apple standard is incredible. As such, they are worth more than the XM4’s in that respect, they certainly cost more in raw material cost and construction.

The ANC is fabulous and virtually as good, if not better than the XM4’s in some areas. This however, is subjective and also very simply improved via software updates. This aspect will be a movable feast over the coming months. Is it worth extra money over the XM4’s, not at this stage, but it is at least as good so no disappointment. As has also been said in many reviews, the transparency mode is the best on the market.

The sound quality is also slightly subjective but I have been working in the high end hifi industry all of my life (I only say this to point out my angle on this). The very first thing that I did was to listen to my XM4’s using my favourite demo tracks to get an accurate baseline of performance and then I did the same on the AirPods Max. I couldn‘t have been more surprised. The APM’s, to me, are significantly better sounding and have a much more accurate sound signature than the XM4’s, more detail, better separation, wider sound stage, more accurate bass, better pitch reproduction and for vocals, they are sensational.

From a sound quality point of view, are they worth more than the XM4’s? To me, without a doubt, they are. Are they worth £200 more, to me, yes, but I can also see why other people might think it is a bit too much of a premium, but we are all entitle to our own opinions.

Then we move on to Spatial Audio, which is amazing and no other headphone at any price offers this. For movies, it is such a great experience and way better than anything I have ever heard from headphones before, it will always be my go to for films and TV viewing from now on. Absolutely love it and worth extra money over the XM4’s without any doubt.

I don‘t think you can’t compare the APM to “audiophile” headphones as you are not comparing like for like. The AirPods Max do so much more than any other “audiophile” headphone. Bluetooth, ANC, Spatial Audio, Transparency Mode, Computational Audio, seamless paIrving, the whole magical experience of automatic switching between your Apple devices. There is no ”audiophile” headphone anywhere, or at any price that will offer all of that.

You then come back to the more accurate comparison of things like the Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and the other wireless ANC headphones on the market. They also do not and cannot offer the same feature set as the APM’s. Again, people will argue that they are still not worth the extra money, but when you start to add up everything that you are getting with them, they do start to justify their price more and more.

I initially wasn’t bothered by the price, I also didn’t have very high expectations. I set out to purchase them in the hope that they would be at least as good as my XM4’s. Had they been on a par with those, for the extra build quality, the Apple eco-system and the design, I would have been satisfied with my purchase. However, now I have lived with them for a few days, I am so happy and think they are class leading and worth the extra money for sure.

Everyone elses opinion may differ, but you cannot make sweeping comments and pointless comparisons without considering all of the evidence and looking at the much bigger picture.

Jason

This is pretty much spot on. The price is really ridiculous, but what you get for the price is unbelievable. I own the Sony XM3s and owned the Bose QC35s, but the sound and soundstage on the APMs just blow those out of the water. The spatial audio for watching movies, and surprisingly some music, is incredible. I was very upset about the price, in fact paid $100 more than what they sell for. But holy moly, these things are incredible.

Listen, I’m not a rich man, but I received some money for Christmas, so I went ahead and made the purchase. The overall quality of these headphones, the sound, the soundstage, the build, ease of use on Apple products, just love them. There are only 2 things I hate, and it’s nothing to do with the physical headphones themselves, it’s the price, and that stupid case.

 

[AppleRobert]

These last two posts mimic my experience and all I can say beyond that is the APMs are worth the cost to me personally. I will use them constantly without any niggles, hassles or whatever. SQ, NC, build quality etc etc are exceptional. There isn’t any hint of hiss/white noise whatsoever which is remarkable since I can detect that in any other pair of NC wireless headphones I own.

Great job, Apple. A second pair I am now waiting on which should have gotten to me first cause I ordered them much sooner has me now contemplating to keep them as well. Nuff said. Why? I doubt I will ever see in my remaining lifetime (older than most here) another set of headphones that handle everything important to me and checks all my boxes as well as the APMs. You can count on the next gen to be even more expensive and I am already quite happy with these so why not. The price will not come down any time soon, these will be limited production cause they ain’t meant to be mass market.

The Bose and Sony stuff I have as well as other wireless headphones will be sold or gifted.

 

[LongWayHome]

I have the Bose Soundlink 2. When I turn them on they immediately pair with 2 devices. iPad Pro and iPhone for example. If I move between these 2 it’s seamless. If I then want to switch to Apple TV it’s easily done in about 2 seconds through a switch on the cup or via the iOS app.

Connections to all of my Apple products have always worked great with the Bose so I don’t know what you are talking about.

That's always been my experience with Bluetooth headphones as well with multi point. But remember, hardcore Apple fans are always going to say that an Apple product fixed some problem that most people didn't know existed. Look at Magsafe that was released this year. When Apple came out with Magsafe this year all of the sudden Apple fixed this massive problem of people not being able to align their phones on wireless chargers. A problem that wasn't a big deal before, somehow became this massive issue that Apple fixed.

Its the same thing with the Airpods Max. Apple has "fixed" the problem of connecting to multiple devices because apparently its this massive undertaking to connect non apple Bluetooth devices to Apple devices. You'd think that Apple used some foreign version of Bluetooth and not just standard Bluetooth. Its extremely easy to connect to multiple Apple devices and to switch between them so the justification for "Device switching is so easy" seems a little of a stretch to me.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Airpods Max are nice and wish they were lighter and I would have kept mine. But I do think its always funny how some of these problems that are fixed never were problems before until Apple tells us they were.