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AirPods Max: An Audiophile Review

317 points by drclau 6y ago

twsted 6y ago
"The reason that other high-end headphone manufacturers lean heavily on plastic and even wood in their builds isn’t that they can’t afford metal. It’s because they’re interested in having human beings wear these products on their heads for hours at a time."
- batmenace 6y ago
  Honestly, I've been absolutely loving the feeling of these on my head, they've been ay more comfortable (for me) than e.g. the Sonys.
  - oblio 6y ago
    I imagine this also depends on your build and physical condition. I imagine that if you're petite and/or out of shape, they might be too heavy.
  - ejameson 6y ago
    I've tried Bose and Sony noise cancelling headphones and they've all given me a headache from pressure under my ears. After reading some reviews of these, I decided to give them a shot to see how they compare. So far they are a lot more comfortable for my head shape, and I haven't noticed the weight being an issue, yet.
- deleted 6y ago
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- yarcob 6y ago
  It's very typical for Apple. They make some very nice products, but they unfortunately apply a one-size-fits-all approach for most of their products and don't give a shit about ergonomics. They sell products that work for 80% of people. I can't use the Apple mouse because it gives me wrist pain. My partner can't use Airpods because they hurt her ears. Their products work for some people, but if you're unlucky you can only go buy some other companies product. It always struck me as odd, that despite all their focus on accessibility in software, they seem to ignore ergonomics for the most part. Probably because offering the smallest number of hardware models is more important to them than covering the whole market.
  - henryackerman 6y ago
    Using a magic mouse is near-instant wrist pain for me. Although I like the idea of gestures on the mouse, it just won't work for me. On the other hand, the logitech MX ergo has been stellar for me for the past year!
    - adwww 6y ago
      Same for me - I can use almost any mouse going just fine, but any shade of the Mighty Mouse feels instantly painful to me. Also, on the original Mighty Mouse I used to use, I frequently found however hard I pressed, I couldn't click it - my hand just didn't correctly align with where I was supposed to apply pressure.
    - ascagnel_ 6y ago
      I swear by the MX Ergo, but I splurged on a Ergo M575 late last year, and while I don't love that it only supports a single device (unlike the MX, which can switch between two), having an even flatter trackball is nice.
  - ricw 6y ago
    I know from people working at Apple that they’re acutely aware of this, but it’s a hard problem to deal with. Turns out that the variance of human ears is so big that it’s nearly impossible to make something fit all. Hence you will always exclude a certain percentage of people. This was particularly bad for the original ear pods and normal AirPods (80% if I remember correctly), is much better for the AirPod pros with their exchangeable inner ear pieces (90%), and even better with the AirPod Max’s (95%). Though if your ears are at the extreme end you’re out of luck. I guess it’s an unfair version of Darwin’s law... can’t really blame Apple for that though. Other headphone manufacturers don’t act differently in that regard.
    - yarcob 6y ago
      I think it's only really a hard problem because Apple has decided that they will only offer a single model (of most products). Apple makes one mouse. It's going to fit 80% of people and they will like it. If you're one of the remaining 20%, go buy one from Logitech or Microsoft.
akmarinov 6y ago
TLDR: "So there you have it. I hate these stupid headphones because so much of their physical design is flawed…but they sound so wonderful that I can’t help but smile whenever I listen to things through them."
prof-dr-ir 6y ago
As much as I appreciate these in-depth reviews of the AirPods Max, they always feel like reviews of, say, a Burberry coat. Although this is pure unproven (and maybe unprovable) speculation, I think that people buying such products have already decided to do so at some deep emotional level, and any half-decent review just provides the necessary rationalization for an otherwise excessive purchase.
- bamurphymac1 6y ago
  Absolutely get what you're saying, however I wonder if in the audiophile world the opposite is the case: Apple is seen as the inferior interloper and this is rationalizing giving them a chance?
- otabdeveloper4 6y ago
  I bought a set of regular AirPods to use with an Android phone because I have hearing problems and other brands of headphones make my ears hurt. Probably a niche case but Apple seems to cater to the 'hearing problems' niche, unlike the other manufacturers.
- bardworx 6y ago
  I bought them because of two features: 1. I own a pair of Bose 700 and on YouTube they “crackle”. It’s worse when watching something at 1.5x and it’s really distracting when you’re watching a talk or tutorial. 2. Bose switch automatically to the first device connected. So let’s say I’m in the middle of a zoom call waiting for participants to join. If my phone is the first device and I browse a site with a voice add or click something by accident, the Bose switched to that sound source. Neither are terrible inconveniences but it’s a minor life improvement to not deal with those things. Is that worth $550? Not sure. But I’m glad I spent the money.
  - zimpenfish 6y ago
    > switch automatically to the first device connected I think this is a generic Bluetooth audio chipset problem - I know it happens both with my Taotronics dongle and my PLT headphones. Bloody annoying when I'm listening to something on the phone, I've forgotten the Macbook is also connected, and bash beeps, killing the music.
MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
Oluv's (non-paywall) binaural video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwMnza6sJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwMnza6sJ8
zekrioca 6y ago
The ‘artistic’ pictures of the guy wearing the headphones are interesting.. They seem like reading the review while walking and seeing some photography collection in a museum..
ksec 6y ago
>It is, therefore, my sworn duty to be skeptical of consumer technology companies encroaching on the territory of high-end audio equipment built by companies with decades of experience. > but their track record with audio hardware is inconsistent. Somehow, the company that makes the HomePod—a marvel of mono speaker engineering—is also the company that continues to make and sell Beats products. When Beats were acquired by Apple. Especially with Jimmy Iovine in charge of Apple Music ( initially ). I was extremely worried that any of the crap Beats made infect Apple's Audio. Turns out Apple has Firewalled their department pretty well. I remember reading one of the story about HomePod team asking Jimmy Iovine's opinion on its audio quality. His reply was his usual " You need more Bass". Apple audio engineering teams consist of many engineers from Bowers & Wilkins . One of my favourite brand in Audio Equipment. ( I think, I could be wrong, Steve Jobs likes Bowers & Wilkins too ) And you should notice their taste of Audio have many similar traits. So Beats continue to make crap, they did improve somewhat since Apple's purchased them. And Apple, continues to be Apple. But that is only with Audio, the AirPods Max Hardware Design is very much modern Apple and non-Bowers & Wilkins. The weight and comfort issues. Something about Apple's Design Department changed ever since Steve Jobs is not there to be the Editor to edit things. Things like Keyboard, TrackPad or Headsets. User Comfort and usage are no longer the 1st priority. Instead it is aesthetics and design goals, that could be material ( the need to use Metal ), thinner or colour. Design is how it works, not how it looks. Hopefully recent Mac changes meant they learned a thing or two.
- wincy 6y ago
  Interesting, I own a pair of Bowers and Wilkins PX headphones and they sound great, no complaints aside from the year the firmware got stuck in some failure state and they wouldn't reboot/function until the battery died.
  - runT1ME 6y ago
    I have the same issue with my PX, every two months or so I have to use the paper clip to hard reboot them. Kind of annoying to need to do for a $400 pair of headphones, but they sound great, look good, and are very comfortable.
- 6y ago
peteretep 6y ago
> They frustrate me because you can tell that these could have been disruptively perfect. If Apple had made them lighter, chosen better materials, made them fold properly, given them a useable case I suspect v2 will do many of these things
- crazygringo 6y ago
  I agree. But it still baffles me why Apple wouldn't get these things right on the first try. It's not exactly rocket science. I imagine focus group testing would have told them that loud and clear.
spekcular 6y ago
It's a detailed, well-written review, but like most mainstream headphone reviews it makes me cringe a little. Though masked somewhat by self-deprecating remarks, there's audiophile "woo" peaking out from behind the corner (e.g. the comment about lossless compression). More importantly, it's missing the most important part of a headphone review: a measurement of the frequency response curve! It's fairly well known that above the ~$100 price level, headphone sound quality differences mostly disappear once equalized properly [0]. The real test is not stock AirPods versus H9i (as done in the review), it's AirPods versus H9i once they're both equalized to a common frequency target. Otherwise you're testing the manufacturer's tuning as much as the actual quality of the hardware. Certainly, there's something to be said for the manufacturer getting it right in the first place so you don't have to bother with EQ when listening on a mobile device, etc. But I think the following two points are likely true: 1) People will score the AirPods highly in subjective listening tests; 2) The performance in those listening tests has more to do with the frequency tuning of the AirPods than anything about its hardware, and you could get a virtually identical listening experience with a $100 to $200 pair of Sennheisers and an EQ app. [0] See e.g. http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2017/02/twirt-337-predicting-headphone-sound_17.html http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2017/02/twirt-337-predicting-h.... Sean Olive has a bunch of papers on this.
- andybak 6y ago
  My first thought was "Is this audiophile as in 'believes in magic stones and digital cables that improve the warmth'"? The term "audiophile" has been permanently tarnished in my mind and sits in a corner of my brain next to homeopathy and EM sensitivity.
  - tgv 6y ago
    Or how a felt tip pen applied to the edge of a CD can stop the laser from spilling out, and make the sound much more focused. Here's a recent review I encountered while looking for something tangentially related: "These QED audio cables promote a wide-open soundstage, both vertically and horizontally. They help vocals sound full-bodied and weighty, but with lots of breathing space above them, too. Put simply, if you covet space and detail with sure but nimble footwork and heaps of insight, consider your search for an RCA audio cable complete."
auggierose 6y ago
I've used them since the day they came out, and they are on my head basically 50% of my non-sleeping time. Good buy. They don't feel heavy at all, I love the physical design, music sounds great. I hope spatial sound comes to Apple TV, I find it kind of pointless to have spatial sound depending on the position of the iPad / iPhone, I'd rather have spatial sound encoded in the content I am listening to, for example when watching a movie. In the beginning I thought that the case is bad, but I actually got used to it now. Compared to my Sony-XM3 case, this is a case I ACTUALLY USE. The only stupid thing is that the little hole/nudge in the case for charging doesn't align properly because I've adjusted the AirPods to my head. Oh well. That's really the only thing I can complain about, so that should tell you how f** great they are.
- drclau 6y ago
  Can you comment on the clamping force? I just got them, and this is by far my biggest complaint.
  - auggierose 6y ago
    I often forget that I have them on, so actually never noticed a clamping force as a negative. But I like that they are staying nicely fixed to my head. If you are not happy with how they feel I would send them back. Too much money for headphones you don't like to wear!
  - EveYoung 6y ago
    I'm using my Airpod Max since late December and the clamping force definetly gets better. However, I still have some issues wearing them with my reading glasses. But since I wear contact lenses most of the time, it's not really a problem.
  - JoshTko 6y ago
    I returned mine since the force was too much to bear for even 15 minutes.
  - bredren 6y ago
    This thread suggests a “fix” for the clamping force and includes another anecdote take from an “audiophile.” https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airpods-max-too-tight-on-your-big-head-do-this-also-a-short-audiophile-take.2276593/ https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airpods-max-too-tight-o...
ruph123 6y ago
It is such a shame that nowadays even these high priced devices are contributing to the enormous e-waste we are all piling up. It used to be like this: You spend A LOT of money for really nice headphones and use them (potentially) your lifetime. Or hand it down to your kids as your hearing gets worse. Sound doesn’t change much and the plug has been around for ages. Nowadays it goes like this: You buy your expensive Apple headphones. And even though Apple is probably supporting these longer than your average earbuds, after a while the bluetooth version will be obsolete and eventually the battery will have reached its end or inflate and become a safety risk. But because this was expensive and Apple supported it longer, it will have maybe lasted 10 years and one or two (pricey) battery replacements. This is still much worse than audiophile „analog“ headphones and I feel like this change is not adequately addressed. I would really hope to see more approaches like Shure‘s „Aonic 215 True Wireless“ which is an arguably quite ugly attachment to the drivers that have been around for a long while and just adds the wireless capabilities and bluetooth. It can also be used for any other Shure driver afaik. This way you keep the good old sound producing piece while swapping out the stuff that will degrade over time.
- my123 6y ago
  Apple's battery replacement fee for AirPods Max is $79. (available at https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service)
  - _vn5r 6y ago
    Do you think they'll still be selling them in 15 years?
    - LeonM 6y ago
      It's 'just' a battery. From an engineering standpoint it's just a component that Apple also doesn't produce themselves. If apple no longer sells the battery, it will be trivial to find a suitable replacement. As long as there is demand, there will be loads of shops able to replace the battery for you. The real question is: will people who buy $500 branded headphones really have their 5+ year old headphones repaired, or will they but the latest-and-greates shiny new thing?
lostgame 6y ago
Why do headphone reviews so rarely include a frequency response graph? Heck - why is this information often so difficult to even get to start? I often judge whether my headphones, or especially studio monitors, are worth buying or not partially by whether they print these on the box, or, usually, in the case of monitors, directly on the unit. Claiming you are a doing an audiophile review and not touching on this topic whatsoever makes me wonder whether you are an audiophile or just prissy about your hardware.
- CDSlice 6y ago
  A lot of people don't have the hardware to make frequency response graphs and unless you are doing reviews full time it is very hard to justify buying that hardware. Anyway, for the Airpods Max specifically I don't think the frequency response graph is useful because they change their tuning dynamically so what you measure is not going to be what gets played when you listen to them.
  - lostgame 6y ago
    >> they change their tuning dynamically Oh. So I guess that completely rules them out, of course - then, for the purpose of audio engineering. I use Apple products mainly because of Logic Pro - which they make, and - to a lesser extent, GarageBand on iOS/iPadOS, as these can be later opened on Logic Pro on MacOS for serious editing. You would think that GarageBand or Logic Pro customers might be very interested in this product! But, imagine - how the hell am I supposed to use the EQ in Logic - or any other DAW, for that matter - or any task any user might need to use EQing for - an having the tuning dynamically change?! I would throw them across the room after five minutes of any serious Pro audio task. Incredibly disappointing that there isn't an option, at the very least, to turn garbage like that off. That would drive me absolutely batshit, no joke, likely a same-day return for me. =/ $600 headphones that cant be used for Audio Engineering. Why do I go Apple again?
    - CDSlice 6y ago
      I don't think these headphones are meant to be used for Audio Engineering but rather for casual listening at home or on the go. Complaining that the Airpods Max aren't suitable for audio engineering is like complaining that a Porsche 911 can't haul sheets of plywood and other building materials around. You would want a truck or van for that purpose, not a sports car. It's the same with the Airpods Max, if you want to do audio engineering you want studio monitors with their flat, static, "boring" sound and not more headphones meant for casual, "fun" listening.
msoad 6y ago
I returned my AirPod Max because they were too heavy
gdubs 6y ago
I was gifted a high end pair of Beats many years ago, and my reaction was that music sounded “fun”. They couldn’t replace my studio monitor headphones, which were way more accurate. But they hyped up music in a way that was pleasurable. If you shoot photos or video, you may be familiar with flat color profiles. RAW photos, or Log color profile videos. That flatness is important for professional work. But sometimes you want a JPG straight out of a Canon camera because their “color science” is gorgeous, and the photo doesn’t need much correction. Otherwise — fashion trends aside — an unprocessed RAW is dull. At this price point, I feel like the Max’s are for people who want a quality fashion accessory that sounds amazing with little work. Kind of like the Bose speakers my dad splurged on when I was a kid. I’d later find out they were not considered great speakers. Did we care? No. They made movies fun, and brought my dad joy as he cleaned the house on Saturday’s blasting Led Zeppelin or some 80s New Wave cassette. But for a professional tool, the author’s comparison to computational photography catches my eye. Because, despite buying every high-end iPhone for the camera system, I’m perennially frustrated. My DSLR smokes it, consistently. The computational stuff is impressive, but it still just doesn’t come close to reliably capturing quality shots the way my Canon does. But the “best camera is the one you have with you” — and when I’m out and about, I still appreciate having the lates-and-greatest iPhone camera system. Anyway, long winded but my point isn’t to throw shade at the new Max’s. I haven’t tried them personally. I came close to buying them, but considered the back order and price and decided on some AirPod Pros - my first wireless ear buds. And I love them! They’re life changing for me because I can clean, and exercise, and turn on noise cancellation and get stuff done. I think the bottom line is, if you love Apple stuff, don’t care about the price — or are excited to splurge on high end accessory — and you don’t do professional audio work, I get the impression that you’ll probably love these headphones. But professional audio engineers are probably going to still rely on monitors for serious work.
- pfortuny 6y ago
  > But professional audio engineers are probably going to still rely on monitors for serious work. Especially due to the dynamic equalization of which OP speaks. You cannot have this when you are working with true sound (like you say with the photos: no professional camera should distort colours without you being able to control that).
ivraatiems 6y ago
Another at least semi-audiophile reviewer said similar things, and also had inexplicable quality issues: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ReuDIYYk3fk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ReuDIYYk3fk My Hifiman HE-560s, which are non-Bluetooth, open-backed monitors with notoriously heavy planar magnetic drivers, weigh 10g less than these. I'm sure they sound really good, but there are plenty of good-sounding Bluetooth headsets at much lower costs. Or, for $900 CAD, there are plenty of truly fantastic audiophile headphone/dac/amp combos that'd probably blow these out of the water.
syntaxing 6y ago
It's always so interesting how the weight can change your perception on the value of the product. Reminds me how Beats used to fill their headphones with metal plates so that you won't notice how they're really just a cheap headphone with a plastic shell.
neya 6y ago
The problem with these types of "I'm an audiophile, so you should listen to me" type reviews are they can go both ways. For example, here's one I read recently that was on the other extreme of the spectrum. Also, written by an audiophile, supposedly. https://critically.medium.com/apples-airpods-max-is-an-insult-to-human-intelligence-143854d56990 https://critically.medium.com/apples-airpods-max-is-an-insul...
- sib301 6y ago
  As the original post acknowledged, judging audio is subjective even when done by professionals. He also points out that the AirPods Max makes things vary from person to person due to its DSP (This seems like buying and enjoying these headphones is an even bigger roll of the dice. Why didn’t he make a bigger deal out of this?) That said, my understanding was that Bose was a running joke among audiophiles, so I was surprised that the author of your link recommended them. Makes me think he might not actually know what he’s talking about. But I’m no audiophile...
nunez 6y ago
Honestly, my AirPods Max are the only headphones I can wear for an entire day without fatigue. I suppose everyone's comfort will differ!
mrkwse 6y ago
I purchased and returned a pair of the AirPods Max, with the discomfort being the deciding factor in me not keeping them. I was mostly impressed with the audio (although the spatial audio didn't really resonate with me, pardon the pun), but they were not comfortable and after an hour I wasn't able to keep them on for longer. This is primarily due to the very narrow focus of clamping pressure at the top of the earcups where the headband is joined by the ball joint.* The bluetooth was a little unreliable too, even with me trying them exclusively with an up-to-date iPhone/iPad Pro. I ended up getting a pair of B&W PX7s instead which feel and sound about as premium, but for half the price after a Boxing Day sale (although many people will perceive the carbon-composite construction to feel cheap due to its weight). I put some of my thoughts along with a diagram showing the pressure issue in a blog post when I returned them last month: https://mrkw.se/posts/airpods-max https://mrkw.se/posts/airpods-max * The pressure may have improved with time as the headphones loosened, but with the 14 day return period I wasn't confident enough to chance it.
wly_cdgr 6y ago
Thanks Apple but I'm just gonna go ahead and hold on to my $30 KPH30i, lol.l.l
xpuente 6y ago
It's so "sad" that our auditory pathway is constantly trying to modulate the input from the cortex (especially with information from the cortex). I wonder why those audiophiles are able to distinguish two headphones with an order of magnitude difference in price after 5 minutes of continuous listening... they must have some special wiring, I guess.
- drclau 6y ago
  I suspect at least some of the audiophiles, if not all, are highly sensitive persons [0]. I wonder if anyone bothered to study this possibility. Maybe some exaggerate in their search for perfection, but I'm inclined to think the search starts with their ability to actually perceive details that most people don't. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivity
  - Fnoord 6y ago
    My wife is very sensitive to sounds, and its linked to her autism. Not all autists suffer from this (my father was an "audiophile", yet I don't suffer from high sound sensitivity).
giuliomagnifico 6y ago
To me doesn’t look like an audiophile review. An audiophile can’t accept a Bluetooth connection, especially with AAC.
kif 6y ago
I purchased the Sony WH-1000XM4 for $278, and the only thing I can complain about is that the name is hard to remember. The comfort, sound quality, and ANC is just right. The price is a bit higher than I would have preferred, but didn’t find better choices at a cheaper price. On the other hand I can’t see myself ever spending this much on headphones. I know there are people who can and will, but to me there’s nothing in that product to justify the price. It also feels like any product Apple releases gets bonus review points (which I think is just confirmation bias), just because Apple made it.
- Fnoord 6y ago
  Yep, this, I also got these. They're terrific. The WH-1000XM3 is almost as good, and on sale quite a lot because of the newer XM4.
  - Terretta 6y ago
    RTings straight up says yep, the Sony are better headphones. Here, the missing frequency graphs: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/apple/airpods-max-wireless https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/apple/airpods-max-... They use repeatable lab set up, retest per reader feedback, and share raw charts too.
Tepix 6y ago
> I put them on and somehow found myself lying on the floor of my room, two hours later, having become completely lost in the music. I've had this happen with Stax headphones (they call them "electrostatic earpeakers"). They sound sublime. They are also super comfortable. Alas, they are not wireless and require a special driver unit. But if you have the chance, do check them out. It's a wonderful experience.
Bakary 6y ago
Do self-described audiophiles often perform ABX testing? I think if they did, it could lead to some uncomfortable moments for many
- rikkus 6y ago
  Not often, no, and for that reason. If you do a web search for the terms 'audiophile' and 'ABX' you'll find quite a few reports which are quite fun to read.
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LeoNatan25 6y ago
> The reason that other high-end headphone manufacturers lean heavily on plastic and even wood in their builds isn’t that they can’t afford metal. It’s because they’re interested in having human beings wear these products on their heads for hours at a time. This describes pretty much anything Apple does these days.
99_00 6y ago
I checked bestbuy.ca. Black is sold out, others are sold out in stores near me but available for online order. Sounds like another success!
_ph_ 6y ago
Having gotten mine this week, I love them so far. When wearing them, I barely notice their weight, which is substantial of course. They feel very comfortable when worn, even my glasses create no problems, as the earcups are from a very soft material. So the pressure is nicely distributed across the whole circumference of the earcup. What surprises me most, as they are my first noise-cancelling headphones, is how much I like the noise-cancelling feature even in an environment which is low noise like being alone in a room. There are so many small background noises which just vanish thanks to the noise cancelling.
antjanus 6y ago
I'm not an audiophile but I am a disabled user which is why I can't buy these. I can't lift up my right arm all the way up so I typically don't use the right-side headphone controls on headphones. The AirPods Max aren't reversible (idk of any headphones that are?) and the fact that they put the controls all the way up top means that even if I reach over with my left hand, I can't really reach the controls. This absolutely sucks. I love that they're physical buttons but yeah, this sucks. I have the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones which have some controls on the left (I wish they were configurable) and "touchpad" controls on the right. 90% of the time, the only gesture that works on those using my reach-around method with my left hand is the pause button. That's it. It sucks. I wish it had more physical buttons. So can someone give me reversible headphones, use those physical buttons that are better than gesture-based touchpads, and make them reversible? I'd really appreciate that :/ Until then, the WH-1000XM4 are at least usable by someone who can't use their right hand to control headphones. The AirPods Max are not.
theobr 6y ago
Heyo, audiophile here. This is an...interesting review. I'm not sure what he listened to, but man, that DSP does as much as bad as good on a _lot_ of types of music. I also reviewed the AirPods Max, and while I very much enjoyed their sound on a good chunk of music, I came to a very different conclusion. If you're interested, link below :) https://t3.gg/blog/posts/airpods-max https://t3.gg/blog/posts/airpods-max
haecceity 6y ago
Excerpt: Ah, but wait. Now I put my audiophile hat back on and pull back the curtain to reveal: it’s fake! Yes, much of that magical soundstage is in fact manufactured by the headphones’ Digital Signal Processing (DSP). The same technology that enables Spatial Audio to work also allows Apple to artificially enhance the sense of space and re-balance the sound to remain steady and clean even at very high and very low volumes. Those dual H1 chips are working hard. This is also where my review became very tricky. When you’re dealing with DSP-based sonic enhancements—especially ones like this that are actively tuned based on the shape of your head, your environment, etc.—different people will very literally hear different things. Already, I’m seeing commentary from audiophile reviewers saying that the DSP is horrible, ruining the balance of music. And those people may well be correct for their listening environment. I can’t judge their experience because it’s so dependent on factors that can’t be controlled. What does that mean? How is it fake? > different people will very literally hear different things How can anyone know if other people hear the same thing as them?

317 points by drclau 6y ago

"The reason that other high-end headphone manufacturers lean heavily on plastic and even wood in their builds isn’t that they can’t afford metal. It’s because they’re interested in having human beings wear these products on their heads for hours at a time."

batmenace 6y ago
Honestly, I've been absolutely loving the feeling of these on my head, they've been ay more comfortable (for me) than e.g. the Sonys.
- oblio 6y ago
  I imagine this also depends on your build and physical condition. I imagine that if you're petite and/or out of shape, they might be too heavy.
- ejameson 6y ago
  I've tried Bose and Sony noise cancelling headphones and they've all given me a headache from pressure under my ears. After reading some reviews of these, I decided to give them a shot to see how they compare. So far they are a lot more comfortable for my head shape, and I haven't noticed the weight being an issue, yet.
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yarcob 6y ago
It's very typical for Apple. They make some very nice products, but they unfortunately apply a one-size-fits-all approach for most of their products and don't give a shit about ergonomics. They sell products that work for 80% of people. I can't use the Apple mouse because it gives me wrist pain. My partner can't use Airpods because they hurt her ears. Their products work for some people, but if you're unlucky you can only go buy some other companies product. It always struck me as odd, that despite all their focus on accessibility in software, they seem to ignore ergonomics for the most part. Probably because offering the smallest number of hardware models is more important to them than covering the whole market.
- henryackerman 6y ago
  Using a magic mouse is near-instant wrist pain for me. Although I like the idea of gestures on the mouse, it just won't work for me. On the other hand, the logitech MX ergo has been stellar for me for the past year!
  - adwww 6y ago
    Same for me - I can use almost any mouse going just fine, but any shade of the Mighty Mouse feels instantly painful to me. Also, on the original Mighty Mouse I used to use, I frequently found however hard I pressed, I couldn't click it - my hand just didn't correctly align with where I was supposed to apply pressure.
  - ascagnel_ 6y ago
    I swear by the MX Ergo, but I splurged on a Ergo M575 late last year, and while I don't love that it only supports a single device (unlike the MX, which can switch between two), having an even flatter trackball is nice.
- ricw 6y ago
  I know from people working at Apple that they’re acutely aware of this, but it’s a hard problem to deal with. Turns out that the variance of human ears is so big that it’s nearly impossible to make something fit all. Hence you will always exclude a certain percentage of people. This was particularly bad for the original ear pods and normal AirPods (80% if I remember correctly), is much better for the AirPod pros with their exchangeable inner ear pieces (90%), and even better with the AirPod Max’s (95%). Though if your ears are at the extreme end you’re out of luck. I guess it’s an unfair version of Darwin’s law... can’t really blame Apple for that though. Other headphone manufacturers don’t act differently in that regard.
  - yarcob 6y ago
    I think it's only really a hard problem because Apple has decided that they will only offer a single model (of most products). Apple makes one mouse. It's going to fit 80% of people and they will like it. If you're one of the remaining 20%, go buy one from Logitech or Microsoft.

akmarinov 6y ago

TLDR: "So there you have it. I hate these stupid headphones because so much of their physical design is flawed…but they sound so wonderful that I can’t help but smile whenever I listen to things through them."

prof-dr-ir 6y ago

As much as I appreciate these in-depth reviews of the AirPods Max, they always feel like reviews of, say, a Burberry coat. Although this is pure unproven (and maybe unprovable) speculation, I think that people buying such products have already decided to do so at some deep emotional level, and any half-decent review just provides the necessary rationalization for an otherwise excessive purchase.

bamurphymac1 6y ago
Absolutely get what you're saying, however I wonder if in the audiophile world the opposite is the case: Apple is seen as the inferior interloper and this is rationalizing giving them a chance?
otabdeveloper4 6y ago
I bought a set of regular AirPods to use with an Android phone because I have hearing problems and other brands of headphones make my ears hurt. Probably a niche case but Apple seems to cater to the 'hearing problems' niche, unlike the other manufacturers.
bardworx 6y ago
I bought them because of two features: 1. I own a pair of Bose 700 and on YouTube they “crackle”. It’s worse when watching something at 1.5x and it’s really distracting when you’re watching a talk or tutorial. 2. Bose switch automatically to the first device connected. So let’s say I’m in the middle of a zoom call waiting for participants to join. If my phone is the first device and I browse a site with a voice add or click something by accident, the Bose switched to that sound source. Neither are terrible inconveniences but it’s a minor life improvement to not deal with those things. Is that worth $550? Not sure. But I’m glad I spent the money.
- zimpenfish 6y ago
  > switch automatically to the first device connected I think this is a generic Bluetooth audio chipset problem - I know it happens both with my Taotronics dongle and my PLT headphones. Bloody annoying when I'm listening to something on the phone, I've forgotten the Macbook is also connected, and bash beeps, killing the music.

MrBuddyCasino 6y ago

Oluv's (non-paywall) binaural video on them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwMnza6sJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwMnza6sJ8

zekrioca 6y ago

The ‘artistic’ pictures of the guy wearing the headphones are interesting.. They seem like reading the review while walking and seeing some photography collection in a museum..

ksec 6y ago

>It is, therefore, my sworn duty to be skeptical of consumer technology companies encroaching on the territory of high-end audio equipment built by companies with decades of experience. > but their track record with audio hardware is inconsistent. Somehow, the company that makes the HomePod—a marvel of mono speaker engineering—is also the company that continues to make and sell Beats products. When Beats were acquired by Apple. Especially with Jimmy Iovine in charge of Apple Music ( initially ). I was extremely worried that any of the crap Beats made infect Apple's Audio. Turns out Apple has Firewalled their department pretty well. I remember reading one of the story about HomePod team asking Jimmy Iovine's opinion on its audio quality. His reply was his usual " You need more Bass". Apple audio engineering teams consist of many engineers from Bowers & Wilkins . One of my favourite brand in Audio Equipment. ( I think, I could be wrong, Steve Jobs likes Bowers & Wilkins too ) And you should notice their taste of Audio have many similar traits. So Beats continue to make crap, they did improve somewhat since Apple's purchased them. And Apple, continues to be Apple. But that is only with Audio, the AirPods Max Hardware Design is very much modern Apple and non-Bowers & Wilkins. The weight and comfort issues. Something about Apple's Design Department changed ever since Steve Jobs is not there to be the Editor to edit things. Things like Keyboard, TrackPad or Headsets. User Comfort and usage are no longer the 1st priority. Instead it is aesthetics and design goals, that could be material ( the need to use Metal ), thinner or colour. Design is how it works, not how it looks. Hopefully recent Mac changes meant they learned a thing or two.

wincy 6y ago
Interesting, I own a pair of Bowers and Wilkins PX headphones and they sound great, no complaints aside from the year the firmware got stuck in some failure state and they wouldn't reboot/function until the battery died.
- runT1ME 6y ago
  I have the same issue with my PX, every two months or so I have to use the paper clip to hard reboot them. Kind of annoying to need to do for a $400 pair of headphones, but they sound great, look good, and are very comfortable.
6y ago

peteretep 6y ago

> They frustrate me because you can tell that these could have been disruptively perfect. If Apple had made them lighter, chosen better materials, made them fold properly, given them a useable case I suspect v2 will do many of these things

crazygringo 6y ago
I agree. But it still baffles me why Apple wouldn't get these things right on the first try. It's not exactly rocket science. I imagine focus group testing would have told them that loud and clear.

spekcular 6y ago

It's a detailed, well-written review, but like most mainstream headphone reviews it makes me cringe a little. Though masked somewhat by self-deprecating remarks, there's audiophile "woo" peaking out from behind the corner (e.g. the comment about lossless compression). More importantly, it's missing the most important part of a headphone review: a measurement of the frequency response curve! It's fairly well known that above the ~$100 price level, headphone sound quality differences mostly disappear once equalized properly [0]. The real test is not stock AirPods versus H9i (as done in the review), it's AirPods versus H9i once they're both equalized to a common frequency target. Otherwise you're testing the manufacturer's tuning as much as the actual quality of the hardware. Certainly, there's something to be said for the manufacturer getting it right in the first place so you don't have to bother with EQ when listening on a mobile device, etc. But I think the following two points are likely true: 1) People will score the AirPods highly in subjective listening tests; 2) The performance in those listening tests has more to do with the frequency tuning of the AirPods than anything about its hardware, and you could get a virtually identical listening experience with a $100 to $200 pair of Sennheisers and an EQ app. [0] See e.g. http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2017/02/twirt-337-predicting-headphone-sound_17.html http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2017/02/twirt-337-predicting-h.... Sean Olive has a bunch of papers on this.

andybak 6y ago
My first thought was "Is this audiophile as in 'believes in magic stones and digital cables that improve the warmth'"? The term "audiophile" has been permanently tarnished in my mind and sits in a corner of my brain next to homeopathy and EM sensitivity.
- tgv 6y ago
  Or how a felt tip pen applied to the edge of a CD can stop the laser from spilling out, and make the sound much more focused. Here's a recent review I encountered while looking for something tangentially related: "These QED audio cables promote a wide-open soundstage, both vertically and horizontally. They help vocals sound full-bodied and weighty, but with lots of breathing space above them, too. Put simply, if you covet space and detail with sure but nimble footwork and heaps of insight, consider your search for an RCA audio cable complete."

auggierose 6y ago

I've used them since the day they came out, and they are on my head basically 50% of my non-sleeping time. Good buy. They don't feel heavy at all, I love the physical design, music sounds great. I hope spatial sound comes to Apple TV, I find it kind of pointless to have spatial sound depending on the position of the iPad / iPhone, I'd rather have spatial sound encoded in the content I am listening to, for example when watching a movie. In the beginning I thought that the case is bad, but I actually got used to it now. Compared to my Sony-XM3 case, this is a case I ACTUALLY USE. The only stupid thing is that the little hole/nudge in the case for charging doesn't align properly because I've adjusted the AirPods to my head. Oh well. That's really the only thing I can complain about, so that should tell you how f** great they are.

drclau 6y ago
Can you comment on the clamping force? I just got them, and this is by far my biggest complaint.
- auggierose 6y ago
  I often forget that I have them on, so actually never noticed a clamping force as a negative. But I like that they are staying nicely fixed to my head. If you are not happy with how they feel I would send them back. Too much money for headphones you don't like to wear!
- EveYoung 6y ago
  I'm using my Airpod Max since late December and the clamping force definetly gets better. However, I still have some issues wearing them with my reading glasses. But since I wear contact lenses most of the time, it's not really a problem.
- JoshTko 6y ago
  I returned mine since the force was too much to bear for even 15 minutes.
- bredren 6y ago
  This thread suggests a “fix” for the clamping force and includes another anecdote take from an “audiophile.” https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airpods-max-too-tight-on-your-big-head-do-this-also-a-short-audiophile-take.2276593/ https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/airpods-max-too-tight-o...

ruph123 6y ago

It is such a shame that nowadays even these high priced devices are contributing to the enormous e-waste we are all piling up. It used to be like this: You spend A LOT of money for really nice headphones and use them (potentially) your lifetime. Or hand it down to your kids as your hearing gets worse. Sound doesn’t change much and the plug has been around for ages. Nowadays it goes like this: You buy your expensive Apple headphones. And even though Apple is probably supporting these longer than your average earbuds, after a while the bluetooth version will be obsolete and eventually the battery will have reached its end or inflate and become a safety risk. But because this was expensive and Apple supported it longer, it will have maybe lasted 10 years and one or two (pricey) battery replacements. This is still much worse than audiophile „analog“ headphones and I feel like this change is not adequately addressed. I would really hope to see more approaches like Shure‘s „Aonic 215 True Wireless“ which is an arguably quite ugly attachment to the drivers that have been around for a long while and just adds the wireless capabilities and bluetooth. It can also be used for any other Shure driver afaik. This way you keep the good old sound producing piece while swapping out the stuff that will degrade over time.

my123 6y ago
Apple's battery replacement fee for AirPods Max is $79. (available at https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service)
- _vn5r 6y ago
  Do you think they'll still be selling them in 15 years?
  - LeonM 6y ago
    It's 'just' a battery. From an engineering standpoint it's just a component that Apple also doesn't produce themselves. If apple no longer sells the battery, it will be trivial to find a suitable replacement. As long as there is demand, there will be loads of shops able to replace the battery for you. The real question is: will people who buy $500 branded headphones really have their 5+ year old headphones repaired, or will they but the latest-and-greates shiny new thing?

lostgame 6y ago

Why do headphone reviews so rarely include a frequency response graph? Heck - why is this information often so difficult to even get to start? I often judge whether my headphones, or especially studio monitors, are worth buying or not partially by whether they print these on the box, or, usually, in the case of monitors, directly on the unit. Claiming you are a doing an audiophile review and not touching on this topic whatsoever makes me wonder whether you are an audiophile or just prissy about your hardware.

CDSlice 6y ago
A lot of people don't have the hardware to make frequency response graphs and unless you are doing reviews full time it is very hard to justify buying that hardware. Anyway, for the Airpods Max specifically I don't think the frequency response graph is useful because they change their tuning dynamically so what you measure is not going to be what gets played when you listen to them.
- lostgame 6y ago
  >> they change their tuning dynamically Oh. So I guess that completely rules them out, of course - then, for the purpose of audio engineering. I use Apple products mainly because of Logic Pro - which they make, and - to a lesser extent, GarageBand on iOS/iPadOS, as these can be later opened on Logic Pro on MacOS for serious editing. You would think that GarageBand or Logic Pro customers might be very interested in this product! But, imagine - how the hell am I supposed to use the EQ in Logic - or any other DAW, for that matter - or any task any user might need to use EQing for - an having the tuning dynamically change?! I would throw them across the room after five minutes of any serious Pro audio task. Incredibly disappointing that there isn't an option, at the very least, to turn garbage like that off. That would drive me absolutely batshit, no joke, likely a same-day return for me. =/ $600 headphones that cant be used for Audio Engineering. Why do I go Apple again?
  - CDSlice 6y ago
    I don't think these headphones are meant to be used for Audio Engineering but rather for casual listening at home or on the go. Complaining that the Airpods Max aren't suitable for audio engineering is like complaining that a Porsche 911 can't haul sheets of plywood and other building materials around. You would want a truck or van for that purpose, not a sports car. It's the same with the Airpods Max, if you want to do audio engineering you want studio monitors with their flat, static, "boring" sound and not more headphones meant for casual, "fun" listening.

msoad 6y ago

I returned my AirPod Max because they were too heavy

gdubs 6y ago

I was gifted a high end pair of Beats many years ago, and my reaction was that music sounded “fun”. They couldn’t replace my studio monitor headphones, which were way more accurate. But they hyped up music in a way that was pleasurable. If you shoot photos or video, you may be familiar with flat color profiles. RAW photos, or Log color profile videos. That flatness is important for professional work. But sometimes you want a JPG straight out of a Canon camera because their “color science” is gorgeous, and the photo doesn’t need much correction. Otherwise — fashion trends aside — an unprocessed RAW is dull. At this price point, I feel like the Max’s are for people who want a quality fashion accessory that sounds amazing with little work. Kind of like the Bose speakers my dad splurged on when I was a kid. I’d later find out they were not considered great speakers. Did we care? No. They made movies fun, and brought my dad joy as he cleaned the house on Saturday’s blasting Led Zeppelin or some 80s New Wave cassette. But for a professional tool, the author’s comparison to computational photography catches my eye. Because, despite buying every high-end iPhone for the camera system, I’m perennially frustrated. My DSLR smokes it, consistently. The computational stuff is impressive, but it still just doesn’t come close to reliably capturing quality shots the way my Canon does. But the “best camera is the one you have with you” — and when I’m out and about, I still appreciate having the lates-and-greatest iPhone camera system. Anyway, long winded but my point isn’t to throw shade at the new Max’s. I haven’t tried them personally. I came close to buying them, but considered the back order and price and decided on some AirPod Pros - my first wireless ear buds. And I love them! They’re life changing for me because I can clean, and exercise, and turn on noise cancellation and get stuff done. I think the bottom line is, if you love Apple stuff, don’t care about the price — or are excited to splurge on high end accessory — and you don’t do professional audio work, I get the impression that you’ll probably love these headphones. But professional audio engineers are probably going to still rely on monitors for serious work.

pfortuny 6y ago
> But professional audio engineers are probably going to still rely on monitors for serious work. Especially due to the dynamic equalization of which OP speaks. You cannot have this when you are working with true sound (like you say with the photos: no professional camera should distort colours without you being able to control that).

ivraatiems 6y ago

Another at least semi-audiophile reviewer said similar things, and also had inexplicable quality issues: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ReuDIYYk3fk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ReuDIYYk3fk My Hifiman HE-560s, which are non-Bluetooth, open-backed monitors with notoriously heavy planar magnetic drivers, weigh 10g less than these. I'm sure they sound really good, but there are plenty of good-sounding Bluetooth headsets at much lower costs. Or, for $900 CAD, there are plenty of truly fantastic audiophile headphone/dac/amp combos that'd probably blow these out of the water.

syntaxing 6y ago

It's always so interesting how the weight can change your perception on the value of the product. Reminds me how Beats used to fill their headphones with metal plates so that you won't notice how they're really just a cheap headphone with a plastic shell.

neya 6y ago

The problem with these types of "I'm an audiophile, so you should listen to me" type reviews are they can go both ways. For example, here's one I read recently that was on the other extreme of the spectrum. Also, written by an audiophile, supposedly. https://critically.medium.com/apples-airpods-max-is-an-insult-to-human-intelligence-143854d56990 https://critically.medium.com/apples-airpods-max-is-an-insul...

sib301 6y ago
As the original post acknowledged, judging audio is subjective even when done by professionals. He also points out that the AirPods Max makes things vary from person to person due to its DSP (This seems like buying and enjoying these headphones is an even bigger roll of the dice. Why didn’t he make a bigger deal out of this?) That said, my understanding was that Bose was a running joke among audiophiles, so I was surprised that the author of your link recommended them. Makes me think he might not actually know what he’s talking about. But I’m no audiophile...

nunez 6y ago

Honestly, my AirPods Max are the only headphones I can wear for an entire day without fatigue. I suppose everyone's comfort will differ!

mrkwse 6y ago

I purchased and returned a pair of the AirPods Max, with the discomfort being the deciding factor in me not keeping them. I was mostly impressed with the audio (although the spatial audio didn't really resonate with me, pardon the pun), but they were not comfortable and after an hour I wasn't able to keep them on for longer. This is primarily due to the very narrow focus of clamping pressure at the top of the earcups where the headband is joined by the ball joint.* The bluetooth was a little unreliable too, even with me trying them exclusively with an up-to-date iPhone/iPad Pro. I ended up getting a pair of B&W PX7s instead which feel and sound about as premium, but for half the price after a Boxing Day sale (although many people will perceive the carbon-composite construction to feel cheap due to its weight). I put some of my thoughts along with a diagram showing the pressure issue in a blog post when I returned them last month: https://mrkw.se/posts/airpods-max https://mrkw.se/posts/airpods-max * The pressure may have improved with time as the headphones loosened, but with the 14 day return period I wasn't confident enough to chance it.

wly_cdgr 6y ago

Thanks Apple but I'm just gonna go ahead and hold on to my $30 KPH30i, lol.l.l

xpuente 6y ago

It's so "sad" that our auditory pathway is constantly trying to modulate the input from the cortex (especially with information from the cortex). I wonder why those audiophiles are able to distinguish two headphones with an order of magnitude difference in price after 5 minutes of continuous listening... they must have some special wiring, I guess.

drclau 6y ago
I suspect at least some of the audiophiles, if not all, are highly sensitive persons [0]. I wonder if anyone bothered to study this possibility. Maybe some exaggerate in their search for perfection, but I'm inclined to think the search starts with their ability to actually perceive details that most people don't. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_sensitivity
- Fnoord 6y ago
  My wife is very sensitive to sounds, and its linked to her autism. Not all autists suffer from this (my father was an "audiophile", yet I don't suffer from high sound sensitivity).

giuliomagnifico 6y ago

To me doesn’t look like an audiophile review. An audiophile can’t accept a Bluetooth connection, especially with AAC.

kif 6y ago

I purchased the Sony WH-1000XM4 for $278, and the only thing I can complain about is that the name is hard to remember. The comfort, sound quality, and ANC is just right. The price is a bit higher than I would have preferred, but didn’t find better choices at a cheaper price. On the other hand I can’t see myself ever spending this much on headphones. I know there are people who can and will, but to me there’s nothing in that product to justify the price. It also feels like any product Apple releases gets bonus review points (which I think is just confirmation bias), just because Apple made it.

Fnoord 6y ago
Yep, this, I also got these. They're terrific. The WH-1000XM3 is almost as good, and on sale quite a lot because of the newer XM4.
- Terretta 6y ago
  RTings straight up says yep, the Sony are better headphones. Here, the missing frequency graphs: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/apple/airpods-max-wireless https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/apple/airpods-max-... They use repeatable lab set up, retest per reader feedback, and share raw charts too.

Tepix 6y ago

> I put them on and somehow found myself lying on the floor of my room, two hours later, having become completely lost in the music. I've had this happen with Stax headphones (they call them "electrostatic earpeakers"). They sound sublime. They are also super comfortable. Alas, they are not wireless and require a special driver unit. But if you have the chance, do check them out. It's a wonderful experience.

Bakary 6y ago

Do self-described audiophiles often perform ABX testing? I think if they did, it could lead to some uncomfortable moments for many

rikkus 6y ago
Not often, no, and for that reason. If you do a web search for the terms 'audiophile' and 'ABX' you'll find quite a few reports which are quite fun to read.

deleted 6y ago

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LeoNatan25 6y ago

> The reason that other high-end headphone manufacturers lean heavily on plastic and even wood in their builds isn’t that they can’t afford metal. It’s because they’re interested in having human beings wear these products on their heads for hours at a time. This describes pretty much anything Apple does these days.

99_00 6y ago

I checked bestbuy.ca. Black is sold out, others are sold out in stores near me but available for online order. Sounds like another success!

_ph_ 6y ago

Having gotten mine this week, I love them so far. When wearing them, I barely notice their weight, which is substantial of course. They feel very comfortable when worn, even my glasses create no problems, as the earcups are from a very soft material. So the pressure is nicely distributed across the whole circumference of the earcup. What surprises me most, as they are my first noise-cancelling headphones, is how much I like the noise-cancelling feature even in an environment which is low noise like being alone in a room. There are so many small background noises which just vanish thanks to the noise cancelling.

antjanus 6y ago

I'm not an audiophile but I am a disabled user which is why I can't buy these. I can't lift up my right arm all the way up so I typically don't use the right-side headphone controls on headphones. The AirPods Max aren't reversible (idk of any headphones that are?) and the fact that they put the controls all the way up top means that even if I reach over with my left hand, I can't really reach the controls. This absolutely sucks. I love that they're physical buttons but yeah, this sucks. I have the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones which have some controls on the left (I wish they were configurable) and "touchpad" controls on the right. 90% of the time, the only gesture that works on those using my reach-around method with my left hand is the pause button. That's it. It sucks. I wish it had more physical buttons. So can someone give me reversible headphones, use those physical buttons that are better than gesture-based touchpads, and make them reversible? I'd really appreciate that :/ Until then, the WH-1000XM4 are at least usable by someone who can't use their right hand to control headphones. The AirPods Max are not.

theobr 6y ago

Heyo, audiophile here. This is an...interesting review. I'm not sure what he listened to, but man, that DSP does as much as bad as good on a _lot_ of types of music. I also reviewed the AirPods Max, and while I very much enjoyed their sound on a good chunk of music, I came to a very different conclusion. If you're interested, link below :) https://t3.gg/blog/posts/airpods-max https://t3.gg/blog/posts/airpods-max

haecceity 6y ago

Excerpt: Ah, but wait. Now I put my audiophile hat back on and pull back the curtain to reveal: it’s fake! Yes, much of that magical soundstage is in fact manufactured by the headphones’ Digital Signal Processing (DSP). The same technology that enables Spatial Audio to work also allows Apple to artificially enhance the sense of space and re-balance the sound to remain steady and clean even at very high and very low volumes. Those dual H1 chips are working hard. This is also where my review became very tricky. When you’re dealing with DSP-based sonic enhancements—especially ones like this that are actively tuned based on the shape of your head, your environment, etc.—different people will very literally hear different things. Already, I’m seeing commentary from audiophile reviewers saying that the DSP is horrible, ruining the balance of music. And those people may well be correct for their listening environment. I can’t judge their experience because it’s so dependent on factors that can’t be controlled. What does that mean? How is it fake? > different people will very literally hear different things How can anyone know if other people hear the same thing as them?