4 ms·

Solid picks but I just can't justify 650€ for headphones that are arguably worse than a midrange Sennheiser. If you want to enjoy lossless audio just grab a HD5

Solid picks but I just can't justify 650€ for headphones that are arguably worse than a midrange Sennheiser. If you want to enjoy lossless audio just grab a HD58X for 160 bucks (re-run of the mighty Sennheiser HD580 from 1995).

mellosouls 5y ago
Agree - the Max are an embarrassment in terms of pricing, whatever their usefulness in plugging the NC/Apple integration gap.
- jakeva 5y ago
  Expensive? Sure. Apple products come at a premium. But embarrassing? I'm not sure what that's even supposed to mean.
  - smoldesu 5y ago
    Relative to the headphone space, the Airpods Max are a comedy routine from a different planet. For nearly 5 years now, you could buy noise cancelling headphones for ~$300, and get a relatively nice package. Certain manufacturers like Sennheiser cut corners, and they released subpar ANC headsets in the $150 range, but $300 was the standard for Good Headphones. Then Apple enters the arena at the $600 price point. Feature-wise, it's a bit on the lacking side: it basically has ANC, Bluetooth, Transparency and... that's it. Not even a power button or an AUX jack, both of which are pretty big pressure points from what I've ascertained from other owners. The aluminum enclosure was a catastrophic mistake from an aesthetic standpoint, and I can only assume it will look like a used Macbook (if not worse) after a few months of casual use. So what's the value proposition here? They don't sound any better than my wired cans, and they certainly don't look or feel any better either. Maybe it's the half-second less it takes to auto-switch to my nearby devices? I may never know what cost so damn much... So yeah, I think you do have a right to feel a little bit embarrassed if you spend $600 on headphones that is literally incompatible with analogue mediums.
    - texasbigdata 5y ago
      Come on, there’s ways to achieve that connection, even multiple, and this is coming from a CIEM user. This gearslutz level of (forgive me) elitism is a bit annoying. People seem to like them for better or worse.
    - askafriend 5y ago
      People who buy these don't care about wired usage. You're entirely missing the target audience. 1. They look great. 2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options). 3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad). 4. The noise canceling is great. 5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line. 6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed. 7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
      - Groxx 5y ago
        Having just tried them: I'd put the noise canceling at "a solid contender for second-tier". Not great, but substantially above the comparative-trash that is "everything but Sony and Bose". Like, if I had to put it on a graph, from the dozen-odd sets I've tried (most ~$300+): silent notice conversations reduces low frequencies noticeably no effect ------1--2-------------3-----------------------4------------------------------------------5--------- Sony is 1, Bose is 2, Airpod Max is 3, all decent alternatives are somewhere in 3..4, and a million others are around 5. The Max is immediately obviously nowhere near as good as Sony/Bose, but it's pretty good. Spending a premium elsewhere will usually get you 4 instead of 5, but that's about it. And a 4 is a noticeable improvement for mechanical sounds during a commute / flight / etc, but it's FAR from "silent". Airpod Max's "hear your surroundings" mode is stellar though, I'll definitely give them that. It sounds much more natural / "real".
        ricardobayes 5y ago
        Unfortunately Sony ANC depends heavily on the firmware lottery - if you get it with 4.x it's garbage. It just doesn't work. There are ways to downgrade it though. Plus the WH-1000XM is just outright uncomfortable. I couldn't wear it for more than 30 minutes whereas I can wear my Sennheiser HD580 all day. It was the first product I returned in my life.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
smoldesu 5y ago
Yep. You're welcome to own anything you want, and form any kind of opinion you want on it, but defending Airpods Max is like trying to tell Mormons about the glory of God. Having tried the Max's for myself, I must have missed what justified their price point...

mellosouls 5y ago

Agree - the Max are an embarrassment in terms of pricing, whatever their usefulness in plugging the NC/Apple integration gap.

jakeva 5y ago
Expensive? Sure. Apple products come at a premium. But embarrassing? I'm not sure what that's even supposed to mean.
- smoldesu 5y ago
  Relative to the headphone space, the Airpods Max are a comedy routine from a different planet. For nearly 5 years now, you could buy noise cancelling headphones for ~$300, and get a relatively nice package. Certain manufacturers like Sennheiser cut corners, and they released subpar ANC headsets in the $150 range, but $300 was the standard for Good Headphones. Then Apple enters the arena at the $600 price point. Feature-wise, it's a bit on the lacking side: it basically has ANC, Bluetooth, Transparency and... that's it. Not even a power button or an AUX jack, both of which are pretty big pressure points from what I've ascertained from other owners. The aluminum enclosure was a catastrophic mistake from an aesthetic standpoint, and I can only assume it will look like a used Macbook (if not worse) after a few months of casual use. So what's the value proposition here? They don't sound any better than my wired cans, and they certainly don't look or feel any better either. Maybe it's the half-second less it takes to auto-switch to my nearby devices? I may never know what cost so damn much... So yeah, I think you do have a right to feel a little bit embarrassed if you spend $600 on headphones that is literally incompatible with analogue mediums.
  - texasbigdata 5y ago
    Come on, there’s ways to achieve that connection, even multiple, and this is coming from a CIEM user. This gearslutz level of (forgive me) elitism is a bit annoying. People seem to like them for better or worse.
  - askafriend 5y ago
    People who buy these don't care about wired usage. You're entirely missing the target audience. 1. They look great. 2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options). 3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad). 4. The noise canceling is great. 5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line. 6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed. 7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
    - Groxx 5y ago
      Having just tried them: I'd put the noise canceling at "a solid contender for second-tier". Not great, but substantially above the comparative-trash that is "everything but Sony and Bose". Like, if I had to put it on a graph, from the dozen-odd sets I've tried (most ~$300+): silent notice conversations reduces low frequencies noticeably no effect ------1--2-------------3-----------------------4------------------------------------------5--------- Sony is 1, Bose is 2, Airpod Max is 3, all decent alternatives are somewhere in 3..4, and a million others are around 5. The Max is immediately obviously nowhere near as good as Sony/Bose, but it's pretty good. Spending a premium elsewhere will usually get you 4 instead of 5, but that's about it. And a 4 is a noticeable improvement for mechanical sounds during a commute / flight / etc, but it's FAR from "silent". Airpod Max's "hear your surroundings" mode is stellar though, I'll definitely give them that. It sounds much more natural / "real".
      - ricardobayes 5y ago
        Unfortunately Sony ANC depends heavily on the firmware lottery - if you get it with 4.x it's garbage. It just doesn't work. There are ways to downgrade it though. Plus the WH-1000XM is just outright uncomfortable. I couldn't wear it for more than 30 minutes whereas I can wear my Sennheiser HD580 all day. It was the first product I returned in my life.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

smoldesu 5y ago

Yep. You're welcome to own anything you want, and form any kind of opinion you want on it, but defending Airpods Max is like trying to tell Mormons about the glory of God. Having tried the Max's for myself, I must have missed what justified their price point...