AirPods Max

FourFourRED

Apple just announced the AirPods Max over-ear headphones today: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/12/apple-introduces-airpods-max-the-magic-of-airpods-in-a-stunning-over-ear-design/

Previously leaked but nice to see them officially announced.

Any takers? Use a pair of Sony XM4’s myself so it would be me but I’m sure these will be popular for Christmas.

Edit: just saw the price. €618.75. Not sure who it will be popular with

whippet

I'm a sucker for all things mac ... but I couldn't come close to justifying that

Creamy Goodness

Wow, just wow.

I was fully on board with AirPods train back in 2016 but christ that price I can buy two pairs of the Sony's XM4's

drogon.

Not sure about the design. But looks like they used parts from the watch, like the Digital Crown ?


Also what the hell is this, looks like a padded bra :eek:

IamMetaldave

You’d have to be delusional to pay that money for them.

whippet

lightning connection - so no wireless charging.

I have the AirPods pro - love them ... for over ear I have the Surface Headphone which I thought were pricey at half the price of these.

I can't get my head around the crown from the watch ... that just seems lazy

Zhane

Wow, can’t justify the price of them. They probably do sound amazing but my AirPod Pros are perfect.

Creamy Goodness

drogon. wrote: »

Not sure about the design. But looks like they used parts from the watch, like the Digital Crown ?

And the fabric mesh is straight from a home pod. they look super comfortable to be fair and probably sound and work like a dream. but 619 euros no way.


* I'll fully expect I'll buy these when I start travelling again though :pac:

Gregor Samsa

They'd want to listen to music for you while you're doing other things for that price.

IamMetaldave

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

* I'll fully expect I'll buy these when I start travelling again though :pac:

I won't lie, the VERY same thought crossed my mind... but I will do everything to make myself believe that my Bose are sufficient.



**I have made many delusional purchases in my time.

turfthrower

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

* I'll fully expect I'll buy these when I start travelling again though :pac:

The price of these would take you pretty much anywhere in the world, certainly three quarters of the way there.

That aside, they look great, and I'm sure they sound great. But I'd feel grubby paying that much money for them.

Creamy Goodness

turfthrower wrote: »

The price of these would take you pretty much anywhere in the world, certainly three quarters of the way there.

I don't pay for my travel, however I did regularly spend 10-15 hour flights with old - falling apart - QC25's and would be doing flights like this every 4-6 weeks so if these are significantly better than the rest they'll be worth it.

notahappycamper

Crazy price and ridiculous looking recessed headband.

DubDJ

No doubt they probably will be a great sounding and solid product. But that price has outpriced the majority of interested buyers I’d imagine.

At half the price or around €300-€350 I could see people picking a set up, but not at the current RRP.

Similar to the HomePod, I’d say most people will wait for the mini version

turfthrower

notahappycamper wrote: »

Crazy price and ridiculous looking recessed headband.

Funny, I think that looks quite smart. But to each their own. Obviously, the key question is the audio quality followed very closely by how comfortable they are to wear for extended periods.

And I agree with the person who said a price tag of 300 to 350 would have swung it for me. That would still be the most expensive set of headphones I'd have ever bought. 620 is out of the question sadly.

Gregor Samsa

I think the headband looks fine, but I don't like the look of the cans themselves. They look like the case something goes into, rather than the thing itself. Buttons and a digital crown are weird choices - I would have thought all that blank surface would be touch sensitive and respond to gestures.

€620 is a crazy price. I spent €350 on Bose QC 35s that are still going strong (and you can get them cheaper now). That's my absolute max if I was in the market for a replacement. I'm sure they sound great and are very comfortable, but a pair of QC35s or Sony WH-1000XM3s and a pair of AirPod Pros gets you a lot more for a lot less.

Oafley Jones

whippet wrote: »

I can't get my head around the crown from the watch ... that just seems lazy

I’d be willing to bet good money that’s not what they originally wanted for the product. Unlike lightning, I mean ffs get rid of it for USB-C, they’re planning on getting rid of it for everything else.

peteeeed

I like the look, wonder what the reviews will be like but wowsers thats expensive

IamMetaldave

The more I look at them, the more the carry case or whatever it is makes it look like a weird handbag.

drogon.

My gut tells me, especially with the price point. Apple is aiming for this to be a fashion statement, similar to beats being worn around the neck years ago. I still can't get over the case for it, looks like a padded bra :pac:

listermint

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

I don't pay for my travel, however I did regularly spend 10-15 hour flights with old - falling apart - QC25's and would be doing flights like this every 4-6 weeks so if these are significantly better than the rest they'll be worth it.

There isn't a planet they can sound significantly better than the bose or Sony equivalent.

Not a hope.

Agent Coulson

drogon. wrote: »

My gut tells me, especially with the price point. Apple is aiming for this to be a fashion statement, similar to beats being worn around the neck years ago. I still can't get over the case for it, looks like a padded bra :pac:

Yes I can see a host of footballers and celebs who will be comped them being pictured wearing them just like Beats years ago.

peteeeed

the weight

The AirPods Max 385g
Sony WH-1000XM4 are 254g

thats a big difference

drogon.

The specs are crazy though, over engineered as usual by Apple. Has 2 H1 chips !

https://www.apple.com/ie/airpods-max/specs/

Optical sensor (each ear cup)
Position sensor (each ear cup)
Case-detect sensor (each ear cup)
Accelerometer (each ear cup)
Gyroscope (left ear cup)

Nine microphones in total:
Eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation
Three microphones for voice pickup (two shared with Active Noise Cancellation and one additional microphone)

Apple H1 headphone chip (each ear cup)

Creamy Goodness

listermint wrote: »

There isn't a planet they can sound significantly better than the bose or Sony equivalent.

Not a hope.

I bet money on it the reviews will say different in the coming weeks but will caveat a purchase of these due to their price.

i.e. they'll sound as good if not better but do they sound twice as good as they're twice the price? no.

Gregor Samsa

Dolby Atmos is one thing they have that their rivals don’t. But that’s only going to be an advantage listening to movies that have it, and won’t be any benefit when streaming music or podcasts. Plus it’s available in the AirPod Pros for much less. So I don’t know if it’s going to be enough for people to spend the premium on (it isn’t for me).

(Also, I don’t know how successful Atmos is on the APPs.)

turfthrower

Mr.S wrote: »

Yeah not doubting these are going to sound good, but the price point is bonkers.

I think HomePod Mini sounds good and the main HomePod sounds fantastic. Obviously Apple has invested heavily in its audio department and I think it's probably a given that these will sound amazing.

But as others have pointed out, there's gonna be a big Apple tax on these. It doesn't cost 620 euro to purchase great sounding headphones. It costs half that. So what's the money buying you? Okay, it buys you into the Apple ecosystem and maybe that's worth an extra 50 euro or so. Maybe.

But that's still 270 euro of value that's missing. Where's that going?

Headshot

**** i've been waiting for this because I hate in earbuds but the pricing is crazy and I can justify that

Can anyone advice a better alternative?

DelBoy Trotter

Headshot wrote: »

**** i've been waiting for this because I hate in earbuds but the pricing is crazy and I can justify that

Can anyone advice a better alternative?

Bose QC35s seem to be the way to go

Gregor Samsa

I have the Bose QC35 (first gen, not the newer ii model) and they’re excellent. On any business flight, you’ll see all the frequent fliers wearing them. That’s simply because they’re exceptionally comfortable, sound great and the noise cancelling is second to none.

Sony WH-1000XM4 would be another very worthy choice.

I am very interested in seeing the reviews of the AirPod Max, though. Just to see if there’s anything that could even remotely justify the price.

Headshot

DelBoy Trotter wrote: »

Bose QC35s seem to be the way to go

I presume you can use Siri with them ya?

Cyrus

Yeah you normally see the Bose or the Sony’s on long haul flights , I can’t see how these can be that much better but I’ll take a look at the reviews !

I’m sure , like the AirPod pros , they will be available at a discount not long after launch they won’t fly at that price point .

peteeeed

WOW
AirPods Max shipping times slip to March 2021 for some models

https://9to5mac.com/2020/12/08/airpods-max-shipping-times-slip-to-march-2021-for-some-models/

Gregor Samsa

Headshot wrote: »

I presume you can use Siri with them ya?

The QC35ii’s have a button to invoke Siri when connected to an Apple device.

listermint

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

I bet money on it the reviews will say different in the coming weeks but will caveat a purchase of these due to their price.

i.e. they'll sound as good if not better but do they sound twice as good as they're twice the price? no.

The reviews may say what they'll say . There will not be a double difference in sound .

Sony and Bose have been battling each other for years and their offerings are about the best on the market out there. You can't just swing in and best that level of quality and double the price. I don't buy it

FourFourRED

Headshot wrote: »

**** i've been waiting for this because I hate in earbuds but the pricing is crazy and I can justify that

Can anyone advice a better alternative?

You can get the Sony XM3 for decent value in some retailers I would imagine. If you have the cash, go for XM4.

iniall

listermint wrote: »

The reviews may say what they'll say . There will not be a double difference in sound .

Sony and Bose have been battling each other for years and their offerings are about the best on the market out there. You can't just swing in and best that level of quality and double the price. I don't buy it

Responding to questions from New York Times correspondent John Markoff at a Churchill Club breakfast gathering Thursday morning, Colligan laughed off the idea that any company — including the wildly popular Apple Computer — could easily win customers in the finicky smart-phone sector.

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

Creamy Goodness

listermint wrote: »

The reviews may say what they'll say . There will not be a double difference in sound .

Sony and Bose have been battling each other for years and their offerings are about the best on the market out there. You can't just swing in and best that level of quality and double the price. I don't buy it

The Blackberry CEO said the same thing about the original iPhone. Look where they are now.

Look I’m not disagreeing with you I just think it’s not wise to write the quality of these off before the reviews. Price aside of course.

iniall

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

The Blackberry CEO said the same thing about the original iPhone. Look where they are now.

Look I’m not disagreeing with you I just think it’s not wise to write the quality of these off before the reviews. Price aside of course.

*Cough*
(It's behind you!)

awec

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Dolby Atmos is one thing they have that their rivals don’t. But that’s only going to be an advantage listening to movies that have it, and won’t be any benefit when streaming music or podcasts. Plus it’s available in the AirPod Pros for much less. So I don’t know if it’s going to be enough for people to spend the premium on (it isn’t for me).

(Also, I don’t know how successful Atmos is on the APPs.)

The headphones I use for my PC have Dolby Atmos.

You have to turn it off for all scenarios except movies or games. It makes music and normal speech sound rubbish, and it makes phone / audio calls sound wrong.

Creamy Goodness

awec wrote: »

The headphones I use for my PC have Dolby Atmos.

You have to turn it off for all scenarios except movies or games. It makes music and normal speech sound rubbish, and it makes phone / audio calls sound wrong.

Yup it’s awful for that stuff, the spatial audio on AirPods Pro only activates on videos with atmos in the mix I assume the AirPods Max will be the same so it doesn’t need to be manually turned on or off for audio that doesn’t work well with it

Oafley Jones

listermint wrote: »

There isn't a planet they can sound significantly better than the bose or Sony equivalent.

Not a hope.

I'd say there's a really good chance they will. Remember, neither the XMs or the QCs are really that great in terms of audio performance. They're not going to impress any audiophiles. What they excel in is noise cancellation, while sounding "good". Having said that, even if they sounded exceptional, and I broke my XM3s in the morning, I'd still opt for the XM4s given the price.

These things cost more than my Sennheiser HD650.
Not a chance they sound better.
Style is the priority with Apple.

turfthrower

I don't think there is another company on earth with the R&D resources of Apple. If it chooses to throw resources at a problem, it can pretty much out-muscle everyone else. I'd be really surprised if these headphones aren't exceptional.

At a certain point though, audio appreciation becomes unscientific and fluffy - people argue over what they can hear and what they can't. The truth is, past a certain point, it's subjective. I think it's certain that these will pass that point. It would be embarrassing for Apple if they didn't, and they have no reason to roll the dice on a product category like that.

So, they will be excellent. Audio snobs will argue they're not as good as XYZ model of high end headphones, and maybe they're right, maybe they're not. The majority of people won't buy them because they're a high end luxury product, but a lot of people will buy them because they want to be able to flex and show off.

You can buy plenty of cars that are better than Mercedes Benz or BMWs and auto fans will tell you all the reasons why some other makes are better. But a lot of wealthy business people just say - I want the car that broadcasts my position in society and which feels nice to drive. End of conversation.

Gregor Samsa

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

These things cost more than my Sennheiser HD650.
Not a chance they sound better.
Style is the priority with Apple.

They're a completely different type of headphone, with completely different functionality. You can't really compare them.

Gregor Samsa

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

They're a completely different type of headphone, with completely different functionality. You can't really compare them.

The price is the comparison.

turfthrower

iMore

Interesting link. Says that AirPods Max have been in development for at least four years.

Creamy Goodness

Also they don't have to be better than *insert any headphone brand/model here*.

Look at the original AirPods. Are they the best earphones? No they're not. You can get a comparable/better sounding set of earphones for half the price, but AirPods have been an outstanding success they're constantly back ordered. Apple is trying to replicate this but in the headphone market. Will they do it? I 1000% think they will.

Looking at shipping dates for these Max headphones some regions (US), they're back ordered until March (Three Months!!!), I can't remember the last time something was this backordered.


I really think people in general fundamentally misunderstand Apple.

IamMetaldave

Not an actual review, but unbox dude makes some good points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUNvvXvcQTs

Gregor Samsa

Yeah, but the AirPods did (and still do) something that no other (or very few) other wireless earbuds do: they work very well (in terms of the reliability of their connection), while being easy to charge and don't look like lumps of black pudding sticking out of your ears. And they're not very expensive.

We still have to see exactly what the value proposition is for the Max over the competition, and if it justifies the cost. It might well be something phenomenal, or it might well be simply luxury.

turfthrower

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

I really think people in general fundamentally misunderstand Apple.

Totally agree. It's funny to me that people still compare Apple's kit to that of Samsung or Google or whoever - Apple doesn't have competitors, and that's something a LOT of people miss. Sure, there is a percentage of the market that chooses between Apple products and comparable products from other brands, but I don't think Apple cares too much about what anyone else is doing.

I think it doubles down on the idea that it sells experiences while others sell specifications. That's why it's products are often behind technically, but ahead in sales.

My mum is 79 and adores her iPad. She has no idea how to use a computer. That's the explanation there.