AirPods Max

Creamy Goodness · 08-01-2021 10:44am

murpho999 wrote: »

Yes, he does that all the time.

Any opportunity to criticise an Apple product he used it all the time and then makes a big deal out of a small issue.

He's trying to make out that this problem is a product wide one and should be recalled, when he doesn't really know if it's a problem at all.

there's always a 'gate' when it comes to apple products (some are warranted, others are not), antennagate (iPhone 4), bendgate (iPhone 6), hissgate (iPhone 7), crackle gate (AirPods Pro).

since YouTube has become much more popular and accessible there's a rush to "be first" with these things for the views and the ad revenue that comes with it so any little thing will have a 5 minute video on it.

With regards to condensation gate (I'm sorry :pac:) this will probably turn out to be a non issue for the majority of wearers and probably only an issue for hotter climates and for people with longer/messier hair.

What Apple will do is silently offer replacements to people who experience this issue (i.e. anyone who rings Apple Support), check to see if there is an actual design flaw that can be fixed somewhat easily and fix it silently.

peteeeed · 12-01-2021 7:03pm

my order was supposed to ship in march has just shipped today

rizzee · 12-01-2021 11:23pm

Friends shipping theirs back after a week of usage. Battery issues.

eeloe · 13-01-2021 3:36am

peteeeed wrote: »

my order was supposed to ship in march has just shipped today

Nice to see shipping times improve.

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 9:26am

eeloe wrote: »

Nice to see shipping times improve.

Tell my debit card haha

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 10:45am

Just arrived

whippet · 13-01-2021 11:18am

I was out walking yesterday and I did notice the cans get very cold !! my ears were actually quite cold under them

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 3:06pm

ive been out and about , noise cancelling is great , a transit van was right beside me going past and i turned on the noise cancelling and the engine noise totally went away , the button to switch is excellent also ive had noise cancelling headphones and there is always a slight hiss when its turned on , there is none with these
sound is great , i listen mainly to electronic & hip hop , great big sound out of them , they are also not as big as they look in pictures and youtube videos , i got the space grey which look great
the build is really sturdy and adjusting them to the right fit really feels like they will never move on their own
if you are playing anything on them they will stop as soon as you take them off/reset them on your neck and start back up once you place them on your ears
i love them

the one downside is what has been discussed everywhere , the case is not really a case , flimsy and pointless

Gregor Samsa · 13-01-2021 3:12pm

peteeeed wrote: »

the one downside is what has been discussed everywhere , the case is not really a case , flimsy and pointless

The first 3rd party case is available.

https://www.sfbags.com/products/airpods-max-shield-case

Bit pricy at $89 or $99, but I assume once the Chinese get in on the act, there'll be reasonably priced ones on the market.

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 3:15pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

The first 3rd party case is available.

https://www.sfbags.com/products/airpods-max-shield-case

Bit pricy at $89 or $99, but I assume once the Chinese get in on the act, there'll be reasonably priced ones on the market.

as there's no charging in the case itself as long as any 3rd party case leaves space for the lightning connector to get through , anything is better than the apple supplied one . anything hard shell would be perfect

Gregor Samsa · 13-01-2021 3:17pm

peteeeed wrote: »

as there's no charging in the case itself as long as any 3rd party case leave space for the lightning connector to get through , anything is better than the apple supplied one . anything hard shell would be perfect

Yeah, and I think it's just a properly positioned magnet that puts them into low power sleep mode, so that shouldn't be hard to implement.

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 6:04pm

just had a go with the spatial audio on my apple tv watching Tenet . really impressive , really clear and gunshots going off all round me

whippet · 13-01-2021 8:29pm

peteeeed wrote: »

just had a go with the spatial audio on my apple tv watching Tenet . really impressive , really clear and gunshots going off all round me

How do I know if a show has spatial audio ... or is that a stupid question ?

peteeeed · 13-01-2021 9:47pm

whippet wrote: »

How do I know if a show has spatial audio ... or is that a stupid question ?

i think its anything in 5.1, 7.1, Dolby Atmos
actually i just looked up that spatial audio is only available on iPhone or iPad , i'm a dummy i've was just enjoying good sound apparently

awec · 13-01-2021 11:52pm

Yea Spatial Audio is an Apple thing, it's not a standard, so will only work on Apple Devices.

Except bizarrely it doesn't work with Apple TV, cause sure why would you want spacial audio with your TV? :rolleyes:

cnocbui · 14-01-2021 6:04am

awec wrote: »

Yea Spatial Audio is an Apple thing, it's not a standard, so will only work on Apple Devices.

Except bizarrely it doesn't work with Apple TV, cause sure why would you want spacial audio with your TV? :rolleyes:

Apple's got to have some excuse to make you buy the next ATV. There is nothing new here that I can see, it's just soundfield panning, something games have had for a very long time and VR has had for years.

whippet · 14-01-2021 3:11pm

on another note - my airpod pro's developed that rattling sound in the right bud .... I logged a support ticket via chat yesterday at about 3pm and UPS just arrived at my door with the replacement unit

Do any of the other major tech companies have turnaround times like that on consumer goods ?

Creamy Goodness · 14-01-2021 3:18pm

whippet wrote: »

on another note - my airpod pro's developed that rattling sound in the right bud .... I logged a support ticket via chat yesterday at about 3pm and UPS just arrived at my door with the replacement unit

Do any of the other major tech companies have turnaround times like that on consumer goods ?

Maybe amazon, but they have such a huge inventory that it's much much harder. Apple with a much more limited inventory can do it much much quicker

Gregor Samsa · 14-01-2021 3:52pm

whippet wrote: »

Do any of the other major tech companies have turnaround times like that on consumer goods ?

It's quite something. I had a regular AirPod that wouldn't connect last year, still within warranty. Got on to support one evening and had a courier at my door the next day at midday with a replacement. He also had a box to collect the defective one there and then. Completely hassle free.

cnocbui · 14-01-2021 6:41pm

whippet wrote: »

on another note - my airpod pro's developed that rattling sound in the right bud .... I logged a support ticket via chat yesterday at about 3pm and UPS just arrived at my door with the replacement unit

Do any of the other major tech companies have turnaround times like that on consumer goods ?

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

It's quite something. I had a regular AirPod that wouldn't connect last year, still within warranty. Got on to support one evening and had a courier at my door the next day at midday with a replacement. He also had a box to collect the defective one there and then. Completely hassle free.

They are not always so obliging. I had the cable on my MBPR fall apart after about 16 months:

When I rang to ask for a replacement power brick, they said it was outside the 12 month warranty and refused. I said we are in the EU and 2 years is the minimum and they still refused. I said I would take them to the small claims court and asked to speak with a supervisor. To even get that far they made me pay for a support call due to it being out of 'their' warranty. They made me pay €80 for a new power brick and then sent me a replacement, because they wanted the original returned. The money was a hostage. The replacement arrived about a week later and I sent back the defective one and two weeks or so after that they refunded me the cost of the support call and the €80, so all was good in the end, but the experience was'nt great.

The replacement cable went the same way about 18 months later, but was now past the EU warranty.

whippet · 14-01-2021 7:09pm

I had about three of those Magsafe cables an none freyed on me ... I was always carefully when wrapping it up .. but I also had one in my office and one at home so it probably didn't get much abuse.

I've been using apple kit for about 20 years and only had a handful of times that I needed support / warranty and in the main it was always a good experience. In recent years I've used the apple store in belfast as i'm only about an hour away and the support with Applecare+ is really good.

Before christmas I ordered a case and a magsafe for my new iphone .. the case shipped fine .. the magsafe was on back order - DHL eventually lost the package and I had a bit of email tennis with DHL and when I contacted Apple they just sent out a replacement. Of course DHL had to make a mess of that order and they had it marked as delivered but I didn't get it. I got on to Apple and they were investigating it - in the mean time my neighbor dropped it in to me - it was left in his driveway.

I let apple know and they refunded me the total cost of the order including the case ... so I can't really complain

tomwaits48 · 16-01-2021 2:02pm

whippet wrote: »

on another note - my airpod pro's developed that rattling sound in the right bud .... I logged a support ticket via chat yesterday at about 3pm and UPS just arrived at my door with the replacement unit

Do any of the other major tech companies have turnaround times like that on consumer goods ?

Had the same issue recently and UPS were out to me in 48 hours. Infuriatingly the opposite bud has just developed the same problem. Hope they return them too. Very impressed with the first request.

whippet · 19-01-2021 8:46pm

So ... my AirPod Max's have developed the condensation problem. I'm not too confident in how these headphone will stand up to a normal day now.

I was walking on the beach yesterday listening to podcasts - it was cold outside but dry. I left the headphones in the case overnight and when I went to use them earlier today indoors I noticed wind-like noise in the right ear. I took off the pads and there was quite a bit of condensation inside. The mesh on the removable pads was noticeably damp.

from looking on line the wind like noise is from the noise cancellation reacting to the water.

If I can't use these headphones on a normal day outdoors in Ireland they are not fit for purpose and will be going back

notahappycamper · 23-01-2021 1:13pm

Oh no. Doesn’t sound good. Have you returned them or are you going to keep them? I’m considering getting these but for the price they’d want to to be god damn perfect! I already own a pair of Bowers and Wilkins PX7 (noise cancelling) and P7W which sound great. Well the P7W sound better than the PX7.

whippet · 23-01-2021 1:28pm

notahappycamper wrote: »

Oh no. Doesn’t sound good. Have you returned them or are you going to keep them? I’m considering getting these but for the price they’d want to to be god damn perfect! I already own a pair of Bowers and Wilkins PX7 (noise cancelling) and P7W which sound great. Well the P7W sound better than the PX7.

Here are two photos just taken .. headphones have been in the case for 24 hours after being out for a few hours walking.

No wind noise or distortion at the moment but I did wipe them down when I got back yesterday.

I’m sure if I don’t keep wiping them they will build up enough moisture to cause problems .. so at this stage I’m leaning towards ‘not fit for purpose’

tomwaits48 · 23-01-2021 1:38pm

tomwaits48 wrote: »

Had the same issue recently and UPS were out to me in 48 hours. Infuriatingly the opposite bud has just developed the same problem. Hope they return them too. Very impressed with the first request.

Just to update; they replaced them with 24 hours of contacting. Hugely impressed. Sorely tempted to buy the max now however my Beats Studios are working fine

Nonoperational · 23-01-2021 6:07pm

Yeah I find the customer service unbelievable. Always liable to get someone that isn't as clued in but can't fault them overall. Have had almost every iPhone since the 3Gs at this stage and the customer service is a big part of why. I always worry when I read the likes of Macrumours when people are getting 7 replacements because one pixel has a slightly lighter share of cyan that the others that it will ruin it eventually.

notahappycamper · 23-01-2021 8:25pm

whippet wrote: »

Here are two photos just taken .. headphones have been in the case for 24 hours after being out for a few hours walking.

No wind noise or distortion at the moment but I did wipe them down when I got back yesterday.

I’m sure if I don’t keep wiping them they will build up enough moisture to cause problems .. so at this stage I’m leaning towards ‘not fit for purpose’

Strange. I know I do get moisture on my cups too but never checked inside. Maybe see what Apple think but you’d imagine that these were tested “in the wild” under different outdoor environments prior to release.

5uspect · 03-03-2021 11:07pm

I ordered a pair from CompuB with an 8% Edu discount via my employer. I selected space grey, which was apparently in stock but they contacted me to say they had silver in stock. I didn’t want to wait a month so I went with the silver.

voldejoie · 03-03-2021 11:20pm

Any reviews after a decent while using them?

A work colleague of mine in the US got his last week and hasn't used them much, but is starting to travel again for work very soon so that's when they'll come into their own I think. I'm torn on ordering some, especially because I love my AirPods Pro so much and use them all the time!

eeloe · 04-03-2021 12:44am

voldejoie wrote: »

Any reviews after a decent while using them?

A work colleague of mine in the US got his last week and hasn't used them much, but is starting to travel again for work very soon so that's when they'll come into their own I think. I'm torn on ordering some, especially because I love my AirPods Pro so much and use them all the time!

Have mine about 3 weeks now.

Have to say I absolutely love them. The only place I don’t use them is in the gym, used them once and got quite sweaty, and the cups were soaked, that could be just me, I get terribly sweaty.

The ease of switching them from device to device, and the way if you’re watching a movie on your iMac and get a call on your phone it’ll automatically switch.

Can’t wait to use them on a flight, the NC is amazing.

Headshot · 04-03-2021 1:20am

Is the condensation still a big issue on them?

FileNotFound · 04-03-2021 1:28am

After buying a set of anker air pods, would never waste the cash on apple ones again

Having both there is just no way to justify the price.

Buying a brand no tech. Which is fine if its your thing.

eeloe · 04-03-2021 4:53am

FileNotFound wrote: »

After buying a set of anker air pods, would never waste the cash on apple ones again

Having both there is just no way to justify the price.

Buying a brand no tech. Which is fine if its your thing.

Do your Anker ones seamlessly switch from device to device without having to do anything?

Do they automatically connect as soon as you open your device? Can you view battery levels of all your devices along with your Anker pods in a widget?

Do your Anker ones have ANC and Transparency mode?

Buy cheap, buy twice, if that’s your thing.

eeloe · 04-03-2021 4:54am

Headshot wrote: »

Is the condensation still a big issue on them?

I think it’s always going to be due to the design.

whippet · 04-03-2021 10:29am

Headshot wrote: »

Is the condensation still a big issue on them?

It is an issue but in reality it isn't impacting on my use of them .... as when I am out walking / jogging i'll usually remove the cups when I get home anyway to dry out due to sweat ... and i'll give them a bit of a wipe.

Need a Username · 07-03-2021 4:22pm

I’m in need of new Bluetooth headphones but these are well out out my price range. Plus I never used Over Ear headphones - I’m guessing I would find wearing glasses while using them to be uncomfortable.

I need help choosing but I lack the knowledge to properly explain what I want but I currently have cheap headphones that that are loud, do a great job of picking up the back ground noise in movies and even vibrate like sub worker with noise like explosions.

And I mainly need them for AppleTV.

Any advice?

Gregor Samsa · 07-03-2021 11:24pm

Need a Username wrote: »

I’m in need of new Bluetooth headphones but these are well out out my price range. Plus I never used Over Ear headphones - I’m guessing I would find wearing glasses while using them to be uncomfortable.
[...]

Any advice?

Don't know how comfortable the Max's are with glasses, but I wear Bose QC35s all day with glasses, and they're no bother. So unless you specifically hear otherwise, I'd assume they're fine. But then headphone comfort can be an individual taste thing.

For what you describe, I'd go with AirPod Pros. Much cheaper than the Max (plus you'll often get discounts on them from the likes of Amazon, Littlewoods and others). They have noise cancelling, excellent Apple TV integration and they support Atmos spatial audio - but on only on Apple TV+ titles at present. But seemingly Netflix are working on supporting them for Atmos though, so that will be pretty good assuming it happens.

murpho999 · 08-03-2021 2:59am

Need a Username wrote: »

I’m in need of new Bluetooth headphones but these are well out out my price range. Plus I never used Over Ear headphones - I’m guessing I would find wearing glasses while using them to be uncomfortable.

I need help choosing but I lack the knowledge to properly explain what I want but I currently have cheap headphones that that are loud, do a great job of picking up the back ground noise in movies and even vibrate like sub worker with noise like explosions.

And I mainly need them for AppleTV.

Any advice?

Glasses are not on issue with over ear headphones as cushions just go against them.

I have Sony 1000-XM3 and it's zero issue and don't see how Apple's would be any different.

Need a Username · 08-03-2021 7:25pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Glasses are not on issue with over ear headphones as cushions just go against them.

I have Sony 1000-XM3 and it's zero issue and don't see how Apple's would be any different.

I meant that in regards to myself - not that I thought it was an issue for everyone.

Occasionally there is discomfort on my head just above my right ear caused by my glasses. It doesn’t happen all the time and happens with every pair of specs I ever had. There is of note on my head and the glasses are fine. Just every few months they become uncomfortable to wear and I need to stop yawing them for around two weeks and everything is okay then

I think over ear cups will make that worse.

Need a Username · 08-03-2021 7:29pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Don't know how comfortable the Max's are with glasses, but I wear Bose QC35s all day with glasses, and they're no bother. So unless you specifically hear otherwise, I'd assume they're fine. But then headphone comfort can be an individual taste thing.

For what you describe, I'd go with AirPod Pros. Much cheaper than the Max (plus you'll often get discounts on them from the likes of Amazon, Littlewoods and others). They have noise cancelling, excellent Apple TV integration and they support Atmos spatial audio - but on only on Apple TV+ titles at present. But seemingly Netflix are working on supporting them for Atmos though, so that will be pretty good assuming it happens.

I’ve never been able to wear headphones with rubber tips like that.

They keep popping out.

peteeeed · 09-03-2021 9:38pm

there is a firmware update 3C39

Noxegon · 10-03-2021 9:36am

My brother has been using a set of these for a few weeks now. He thinks the sound quality is amazing but has complained loudly about software bugs – not least the fact that using Siri to send a text causes one ear to go completely silent. He also thinks the case is pointless.

I'll be interested to see whether the new firmware solves the issues. I've been using Beats for a while but would love an upgrade...

whippet · 10-03-2021 9:57am

I haven’t had any issues with Siri ... and I use it quite a bit especially when out and about.

The only connection issue I have is the odd time if I move between the iPad and MacBook Pro for teams calls .. I sometimes have to select the audio source manually on the Mac

Need a Username · 08-04-2021 8:34pm

What is the AirPod Max like with AppleTV ?

eeloe · 13-04-2021 8:08am

Just picked up an incredibly good value stand for these.

Been looking for a stand for a while, but all the strands i've seen would damage the mesh in the headband, then i saw the ones apple were using in their stores in the states to display them, and it looks incredible....then i spotted this one on Reddit.

less than 23euro DELIVERED direct from the manufacturer.

https://benksglobal.com/products/airpods-max-stand

Looks to be made of good materials too, kind of excited to see this in person.

Will report back in 3-12 days!

peteeeed · 13-04-2021 8:12am

eeloe wrote: »

Just picked up an incredibly good value stand for these.

Been looking for a stand for a while, but all the strands i've seen would damage the mesh in the headband, then i saw the ones apple were using in their stores in the states to display them, and it looks incredible....then i spotted this one on Reddit.

less than 23euro DELIVERED direct from the manufacturer.

https://benksglobal.com/products/airpods-max-stand

Looks to be made of good materials too, kind of excited to see this in person.

Will report back in 3-12 days!

I'll await your review , looks good

notahappycamper · 24-05-2021 1:53pm

So those of you that have these a while now, what’s your opinion? I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on them. I’d be coming from owning pairs of Bowers and Wilkins PX7 and P7W.

whippet · 24-05-2021 2:02pm

notahappycamper wrote: »

So those of you that have these a while now, what’s your opinion? I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on them. I’d be coming from owning pairs of Bowers and Wilkins PX7 and P7W.

I've mine quite a while now ... while I've never really had 'high-end' headphones before - so far i've been quite impressed

Battery life is good - i've not run out yet; but I do tend to charge them when they get to about 50%.

The noise cancellation is really good in comparison to the MS Surface headphones and AirPod Pros I've had. I walk on a beach most days and when the wind is up usually no amount of NC will drown out the sounds but these do a much better job.

The fabric cups are much better when wearing for a long time compared to faux leather type - sweat / clamminess isn't an issue. The headband is comfortable and the build quality is very good.

I'd love wireless charging mind you - it seems alien to actually have to plug something in these days !

I did initially have issues with condensation inside the cups - this seems not to be a problem anymore. If it has been quite cold outside or if I was walking briskly / jogging by habit i'd take off the cups when I got home and give the inside a bit of a wipe.

The case is a nonsense - looks stupid, marks very easily .. i've bought a full on case for about 20 quid on amazon which is better but tend to have them on a stand on my desktop.

I do a lot of teams calls - usually i'd use the desktop speakers and mic but if i'm not in my office i'd use them with the iPAd Pro and MacBook Pro ... this can be hit and miss on the connectivity - especially if I've been using them with the iPhone. It shows as being connected but isn't coming up as an option on the Teams call straightaway - but might take 30 secs or so.

Overall I am happy with them

notahappycamper · 24-05-2021 2:43pm

Thanks for that. I will be able to get them with 20% off too which will help but they are crazy expensive and should not be priced that high. It will be interesting to see how many units they shift this year.

AirPods Max

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