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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

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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.

[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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.

peteeeed

quick reviews are out
https://9to5mac.com/2020/12/10/airpods-max-hands-on-roundup/

peteeeed

ablelocks

the case is really **** isn't it....

Cyrus

ablelocks wrote: »

the case is really **** isn't it....

absolute garbage and the worst thing is you need to use it :eek:

peteeeed

ablelocks wrote: »

the case is really **** isn't it....

It almost looks like an afterthought, spent 4 years on the headphones, 4 days on the case

murpho999

DelBoy Trotter wrote: »

Bose QC35s seem to be the way to go

Good but I'd prefer the SonyWH-1000xm4 for better sound, noise cancelling, features and the app is good too.

I certainly wouldn't be going near Apple at this price.

I have the earpods pro, and they're great for features, form factor and the case but sound is not as good as some others so I do wonder what sound Apple are offering here.

voldejoie

They seem to be sold out; earliest shipping date available is 8-10 weeks!

murpho999

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

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

But they're still headphones and you can compare type and functionality that you mention.

Also, form factor, price, features etc.

I see no reason why they cannot be compared.

Like saying you can't compare an laptop and a tablet or a car and a bike.

Gregor Samsa

murpho999 wrote: »

But they're still headphones and you can compare type and functionality that you mention.

Also, form factor, price, features etc.

I see no reason why they cannot be compared.

Like saying you can't compare an laptop and a tablet or a car and a bike.

That reminds me of when Homer Simpson goes to buy the really expensive car and asks "What advantages does this motor car have over say... a train. Which I could also afford."

There's not many folk going to be standing there with a pair of Sennheiser HD650s (open back, neutral reference headphones with no other functionality) in one hand and a pair of AirPod Max (closed back, noise cancelling headphones full of audio processing and other gizmos) in the other wondering which to buy. Certainly not many people who know what they're holding in their hands. Despite the fact that they're roughly the same shape and sound comes out of them, both are designed to do very different things, and neither will excel at the other's strengths.

HD650s are class-leading stereo reference open back headphones. The APMs aren’t even trying to be that. Two different markets.

But yeah, technically, you can compare any two things. Cars and bikes, cats and dogs, apples and oranges.

Cirrus Incus

I use headphones to listen to music. I expect a HD650 to demolish the Airpod Max in regards to sound quality. I own some fairly pricey headphones myself, but they're all wired open backs that will last for decades if taken care of. I couldn't pay over €600 on wireless headphones that will be useless in a few years when the battery dies. It's crazy to me.