Apple AirPods Max - new over-the-ear headphones from Apple

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by SamS, Dec 8, 2020.

  1. David67

    David67 Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Will do when the headphones eventually arrive in March. Worth checking out for owners of AirPods Pro as you can access some sounds for free. Highly recommended!
     
  2. Denaz

    Denaz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asheville NC
    Well I tried this app, one thing I did not like was the, hard to describe, kinda of like white noise going on in the back ground, it wasn't the AirPods max, it was the app, played it through my stereo and very noticeable as well, maybe thats the noise going on in nature but after a while it got annoying.
     
  3. groover

    groover Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brussels
    In the end I gave them back to Apple. Sweet sound, but after a careful review I decided they are not worth the money :rolleyes:
     
  4. David67

    David67 Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    I wonder perhaps if you were listening to one of the sounds recorded in Iceland.

    ‎Iceland White: Noise Masking

    Checkc out the Naturespace catalogue below to discover more than 140 soundscapes. Most of these were recorded in the USA.

    Catalog — Naturespace

    Naturespace is a phoenomenal app which looks and sounds absolutely stunning on an iPad Pro. Even more so through headphones. For anyone with a sight problem, the app is fully accessible with Voice Over.
     
  5. scrane

    scrane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boise, Idaho
    I wonder if the silicone skins now being offered for the AirPods Max might improve the condensation situation.
     
  6. Kray

    Kray Sleuthing

    Location:
    Sarasota
    spatial audio is creepy cool. most of the Apple TV+ shows/movies support it. fun to try. I did it with Ted Lasso
     
  7. Denaz

    Denaz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asheville NC
    It was all of them, First light, photosynthesis, river wind dreaming, indigo raindrop and night at the lake unknown, I will try it again but that white noise was not soothing
     
  8. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    So I've been using my pair since Christmas as-needed. Here are my super-subjective thoughts so far:

    Build:
    • These are a premium product and feel like it. They lack the leather earpads which some like and some question the durability of the headband mesh but from a fit-and-finish standpoint I'd give them 8/10. They're typical Apple quality when it comes to feel so anyone's who's bought any of their products over the past 5 years it's what you'd expect. The headband mesh would be my biggest concern but whether it will go before I want to upgrade to a newer version is TBD.
    Looks:
    • I like the low-ish profile of them when wearing them. There's no headband frame/halo above my hair like my AKGs and the earcups look less dorky than my Sony 1000x. That said they seem a bit plain when viewed from the side - just a big blob of aluminum in the color of your choosing. I'd give them a 7/10.
    Use:
    • I've only used them wirelessly - with an old Mac Mini, my iPad Pro, iPhone 12 Pro and my work PC. I've used them most while working or cleaning records and sparingly for "serious" listening. Their ability to switch effortlessly between Apple device is a welcome convenience. Going from the iPad to the iPhone to the Mac without having to constantly go into Bluetooth is awesome. The PC does require that extra 1st World Effort but it works well. Using them for work Zoom calls everyone is crystal clear and I've not had any complaints regarding their microphone performance.
    Noise Cancelling:
    • Lots of people rave about the noise-cancelling and I wonder if it's because most of us aren't travelling in noisy environments as much. My admittedly only real test is when I'm cleaning vinyl using a vacuum-based record cleaning machine. It doesn't have the low-hum of say an airplane but there is quite a bit of noise and, compared to my Sony 1000x they're about the same, although slightly different in regards to the frequencies of sound they let in. They seem to let more of the upper octaves in than the Sonys.
    • From a "transparant-mode" standpoint they're worlds better than the Sonys. It's like I'm wearing open-back headphones but no-one around me can hear my music. Like a win-win when I'm listening to tunes while I work in the room next to my son who is still schooling from home. I can keep an ear out without missing a beat. That is a big plus for me.
    Sound:
    • My points of reference are my AKG K872 Pro, Sennheiser HD58x, and my Sony MDR-1000x (that's also my preference in sound order). If I had to place the AirPod Max somewhere it'd be between the AKGs and the Sennheisers.
    • They have a very nice sound signature in my opinion. They're more resolving than the Sonys - I can hear bigger differences between albums. Compared to the AKGs and Sennheisers they do some things better and some things worse than both. They sound a little more scooped with an emphasis in the mid-highs that seem to unnaturally sharpen some things but bass seems tastefully boosted with good extension. I'm not going to comment on imaging because, honestly, I've never heard a headphone come close to what even a modest set of speakers can convey. That said, that's not why I listen via headphones. I do so to not disturb others, to hear details that the room might smear, to enjoy music while traveling, etc. For those use-cases the AirPod Max fit right into my headphone lineup. They're replacing the Sony 1000X as my wireless/noise-cancelling option but they're being used more often for much more than that. To me that's the sign of a good headphone.
     
  9. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend Thread Starter

    Location:
    Texas
    @wgb113 excellent write up and review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they essentially mirror mine.
     
    wgb113 likes this.
  10. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Thanks! I just remembered I forgot to comment on comfort.

    The Sonys would cause pain for me below my earlobe area after about an album’s worth of use. I’m happy to report that the AirPod Max do not, not even after a 3 hour Zoom call. Nor do I have any sort of pressure point feeling from the headband.

    My ears also start to get warm with them after about 60-90 minutes but I’ve yet to find any condensation behind the earpads.
     
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  11. Joint Attention

    Joint Attention Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gig Harbor, WA
    @wgb113 Thanks for the review.

    I have had mine for a few days now, and I agree with your description of the sound, nicely detailed with a restrained and pleasing bass boost.

    While they sound just fine playing AAC via Bluetooth, I have been attempting to get lossless audio from an iPhone to the AirPod Max, but so far to no avail. I tried using a Lightning to USB camera adapter + a USB to Lighting cable, but the AirPods will only connect via Bluetooth. I guess I will have to settle for using a DragonFly Red for wired listening unless someone has discovered another method.

    I have been listening to lossless on the desktop and find the sound to be very good. I'm using Roon to feed a Massdrop O2+SDAC via exclusive mode. I have the gain turned all the way up on the AirPods and I'm controlling the volume on the O2+SDAC. I'm not sure if that's the recommended way to handle a playback chain with 2 gain stages, but that's what sounds best to me.
     
    mikeyt likes this.
  12. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    I’ve not seen anything to suggest that the AirPods Max are designed to accept lossless audio. I don’t know whether the hardware is capable of receiving a better Bluetooth codec than AAC @256K, but Apple have shown no enthusiasm for supporting other codecs so far (apart from MacOS which can support AptX).

    If I was pursuing lossless audio and had the budget of AirPods Max I’d either get wired cans plus a headphone amplifier / DAC, or possibly look at Bluetooth headphones that officially support this. The Bowers and Wilkins Bluetooth headphones can support lossless audio over USB, though IIRC at a maximum of 48K / 16 bit.
     
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  13. Joint Attention

    Joint Attention Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gig Harbor, WA
    Thanks, I primarily bought them to use when traveling, so I'll mainly be using them wirelessly. I was just curious to see what they can do.

    They are replacing the Definitive Technology Symphony 1, which sounded great, but I believe went out of production not too long after they were introduced in 2015. Unfortunately, they also had (for me) a quite uncomfortable pressure point on the headband, particularly after watching a 2 hour movie. So far the AirPod Max seems comfortable even with extended wear.
     
    Sevoflurane likes this.
  14. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I'll just join the chorus and say, great review, @wgb113, the way you describe them, including the sound, is exactly what I would expect from Apple at this point.

    I will buy these eventually, but I seldom, or really never, jump in on the first generation of any Apple product. The second iteration of these headphones will be even better than the first.
     
    wgb113 likes this.
  15. razerx

    razerx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sonoma California
    I succumbed and bought one. So far I like it a lot. First impression was the built quality. I am a headphone maniac and this thing is built like a very precise tank. The comfort level is extremely high and seems they put a lot of research into materials and ergonomics. The sound is very good but so far I have only really been using it for Netflix and YouTube paired with my iPad. Last night I listened to some lossy Beatles tracks from my phone and they sound great. I won’t compare the Max to my Audeze LCD-XC because so far nothing I own can come close but I’ll do a comparison with Bose and lower end Grados. The convenience of auto pairing with Apple devices is a real plus. And about that infamous headphone case now I have it is great nothing like the negative energy people spout online. I also bought the Apple digital to analog cable so can plug it directly into the analog port of my Chord Mojo for the comparisons.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2021
    wavethatflag, wgriel and SamS like this.
  16. hoffmanuser2020

    hoffmanuser2020 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Paraphrasing my review that I posted on another website:

    The Airpods Max are outstanding headphones. They're super comfortable to wear, and the industrial design is what you would expect from Apple: modern, understated, and high precision. All the material is modern with no cliche elements like leather pads or huge insignia. It's a real pleasure to wear them and listen to music.

    The build quality of the headphones is great. When you hold it in your hand, you can feel its heft. The steel arms on the headband are unlike anything I've used before. There are no detentes or notches when you slide them up and down. It's all just one smooth pull, and the friction is just right.

    The mesh at the top of the headband is so good that I've never felt the headphones' weight on my head. It's like: yes, I know they have heft, but it doesn't bother me because there are no pressure points.

    Apple builds mass-market devices, so they've probably tuned the sound to be appealing to 90% of the population. If you're not satisfied, then you're probably being too picky. The sound is great. The bass is good, not overwhelming.

    If you're not overly picky, then this is basically a $550 end-game headphone.


    [​IMG]
     
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  17. eetu

    eetu Forum Resident

    Has anyone noticed battery drain overnight? It happened to me twice in one week. Yesterday night battery was at 85%, I listened to a a couple of songs and put the headphones on my desk before sleeping. When I woke up, battery level was at 16%. Usually, it only loses 2-3% overnight.

    Clearly, battery is the worst aspect of these cans. My B&W can easily last a couple of weeks between chargers, whereas I need to charge the AirPods Max every 2-3 days.
     
  18. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    I last charged mine Thursday night. I put them down (in the case) Friday around 5:30PM after about 4 hours of use. When I picked them up this morning they were at 70%. I wonder if they'll be able to tweak battery drain via updates like they have with their other devices. The potential for updates is another seldom-discussed aspect to these headphones that most others can't touch.
     
  19. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend Thread Starter

    Location:
    Texas
    I received these "skins" from Amazon yesterday, the brand is Geekria. They have a horrible plastic/chemical smell, but it does seem to be dissipating. Helps with the "clanking" of the two ear cups when you take them off. They still fit in the OEM case/bra just fine.

    [​IMG]
     
    all24bits likes this.
  20. Speedycat69

    Speedycat69 Springsteen nut

    Location:
    Aberdeen
    Id be too worried in case someone stole em off me on the street
     
  21. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend Thread Starter

    Location:
    Texas
    That's what AirPods Pro are for ;) I can't imagine taking these out of the house, mainly cause of Covid, but I've never felt comfortable with big/noise cancelling headphones while walking around.
     
  22. Speedycat69

    Speedycat69 Springsteen nut

    Location:
    Aberdeen
    Im same ive bose noise c ones and i only wear them on flights ,,, rem them?
     
  23. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    The more I use them at home the more I feel like they're transparency mode is my second biggest reason (after the auto Apple device switching) for liking these - it's so good that they sound more open than my Sennheiser HD58x yet they disrupt no one around me!
     
    ronbow likes this.
  24. hoffmanuser2020

    hoffmanuser2020 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    I can't wait for Apple to start selling replacement earpads. I bought a neutral color (gray) specifically to allow for custom colors combinations.

    See this thread:
    All 25 AirPod Max Cup/Headband Combos


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Loup

    Loup Ancient Wool Unraveller

    Location:
    Motown
    Thanks to the reviews here I finally decided to get these. I’ve had them for about a week and I’m really liking them so far.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2021
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