I have the AirPods Pro, and I consider them an huge step forward towards audiophile sound quality. The AirPods Pro are very neutral and flat without EQ. That alone is a huge leap forward for Apple, if you ask me. I really didn't like the bass bloom they installed in all their early wired sets.
I got a pair of AirPods Max to test this morning. Very positive first impression for a number of reasons. They're super comfortable to wear and sound quality is outstanding. Bass is rich and detailed, without being boomy. However, mids are are kinda harsh, so sound quality is not entirely satisfying. I'll need to test further before I decide to keep. I'll be comparing to my B&W PX7, which I've used for the last couple of years.
The AirPods Max look interesting, but as I have AirPods Pro and some B&W PX (more versatile with non Apple sources as they support AptX HD) I think my wireless headphone needs are satisfied. The AirPods Pro are pretty impressive, and having spent a lot of time doing Zoom / Webex / Teams meetings the noise cancelling and voice quality are excellent. If the Max headphones match or surpass that they’ll be very good indeed (though the B&Ws are far from shabby in this role).
I also have the PX, not the PX7 as I wrote earlier. So, yes, your needs are well satisfied. After a few hours of use, it's not night and day between the AirPods Max and the PX when it comes to sound quality. They're actually very similar. It's the additional features what makes a big difference and might (partly) justify the higher price. Noise cancellation, spatial audio, connectivity, build quality, and comfort are clear advantage for the AirPods.
Advantage of the PX for me is the AptX HD support. I also use a Sony DAP with 400GB of FLAC files on it, which sounds better over AptX HD than other Bluetooth codecs. Sadly, even though the player is capable of supporting AAC, if I pair it with my AirPods Pro I only get the SBC Bluetooth codec, which is noticeably worse in SQ than AptX HD or AAC. It would be interesting to see how the Max headphones work with non Apple players. If I was staying entirely within the Apple ecosystem I’d be much more tempted by the AirPods Max. Can’t have too many sets of headphones [my wife may not agree with that].
If you haven't already, try the following: Go into Settings -> Accessibility -> Audio/Visual -> Headphone Accommodations Turn it on and you can play with the “Tune Audio For:” options.
Just got mine in, blue color, initial impressions are positive. Nice beefy sound, bass is full but not over bearing, fairly decent sound stage, they are comfortable, hardly notice they are on, they switch easy from iPhone to iMac to iPad, too easy in fact, doesn't give me the full range my other wired, open back cans give me, but not bad, giving them a heavy workout, list played thru my iPhone, VOX app, 1. Steely Dan, Aja (24/96) 2. Rush, Limelight (24/192) 3. Cannonball Adderley, Autumn Leaves (24/192) 3. Grateful Dead, Friend of the Devil (50th anniversary 24/96) Will see if I get the dreaded condensation inside the drivers after a few hours
Woah, I hadn't heard about that issue. Strange, I didn't think a person's head would give off that much heat into headphones.
Serious Warning Issued For Apple AirPods Max Users Condensation in AirPods Max after long usage I think Campfire audio had the same issues with the Andromedas - from what I remember, I think the heat that causes the condensation is from the energy build up in the enclosure, not from the wearer...
It was fun listening to this track FOD, though it sounds so much better running through my home system, it was satisfying listening on these cans, I am guessing the depth of the headphone itself adds to the sound stage, each instrument, Grisman's mandolin, Jerry, the drums all have their space, Phils bass and the vocals are crystal clear, plus that little echo at the end, crisp.
Been three to four hours on these cans doing stuff around the house, no condensation yet, but the house is dry from the heater, might have to give them a run outside.
I’ve been waiting for these to appear on the Chase Ultimate Rewards site, but now wondering if it may make more sense to wait to see how Apple addresses the condensation issue. Some folks are thinking the aluminum cups are the cause, so looking for more info on the issue.
Looking forward to getting mine. But a tip for any AirPods Pro users.... I've never liked silicone eartips on any of my IEM's, so I also get foam ones. To me they fit snugger in the ear and create the closure that gives better sound, and come nowhere close to falling out like the silicone ones sometimes do. These are made specifically for AirPods Pro: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087NY9T66/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
FWIW, I used the AirPods Max (space gray) yesterday for five, six hours while working and kept checking for the condensation. I didn’t see a single drop. My apartment is dry, though.
Target pre-order finally shipped today via UPS. UPS tracking hasn't updated yet, but the Target site is still telling me they will arrive on September 14.
Cult of Mac did a story on this. The user was in a cold room for 12 hrs using the headphones pretty much non stop. Supposedly a combination of the metal/cold/heat from the users ears/head combined to form the condensation. Can’t see this being an issue for 99.9% of users. To replicate the same circumstances would take some real effort.