Poll: AirPods Max
- Thread starter LiE
- Start date
Soldato
problem number 1: That carry case is stupid, will not buy it until its fixed.
problem number 2: 20hr of battery is pathetic, in the wireless headphones market anything under 30hr is poor...
problem number 3: I can buy 2 Sony WH1000XM4 for the same money (actually when on sale I can almost buy 3), why should I buy this? Apple doesn't even post specs of the driver, how do I know its not ********* sound quality?
problem number 2: 20hr of battery is pathetic, in the wireless headphones market anything under 30hr is poor...
problem number 3: I can buy 2 Sony WH1000XM4 for the same money (actually when on sale I can almost buy 3), why should I buy this? Apple doesn't even post specs of the driver, how do I know its not ********* sound quality?
Maybe instead it projects a massive logo on the ground in front of you
The logo is project onto the listener's forehead so everyone can tell you are an apply fanboy who coughed up $549 for this
Soldato
1 - yeah, it's not great, although there should be some better 3rd party solutions assuming all that causes the Max to go into the ultra low power state is turning the cups sideways or a magnet or something.
2 - I don't really see this as a big issue because for li-io batteries you want to charge regularly vs draining it low and it needing a full/near-full charge, and if it's anything like Apple's other stuff the charge times are very quick - I'd never get more than 8-9 hours a day out of it and then I'd charge it overnight rather than letting the battery go sub 50%.
3 - we'll have to wait and see won't we. You can always buy one and return it after testing it out. Maybe it's a game-changer for wireless headphones audio-wise? Also as the AirPods demonstrated, the integration with IOS/Mac OS means people are willing to pay Apple tax over cheaper and better sounding 3rd party alternatives. If you compare it to the high-end lux wireless stuff like the Master & Dynamic MW65 or B&O H9 3rd gen it's about £100 more, and obviously is less or a lot less (or a lot, lot less) than the high end wired closed-backs - I see open-back wired headphones as still having a reason to exist for home/studio use, not so much for closed - so I don't think they'll flop.
Additionally, there were some rumours about a Sport version, not unlike the Apple Watch which would come in at a cheaper price point, although looking at the things I'm not sure how that would work and I think that's what the Beats line is for anyway.
Soldato
Actually these aren't the most expensive wireless headphones out there either, forget about the B&O H95's which are £700.
some of these headphones are being sold on brand alone or with one unique feature and failing in other areas. At 700 quid I'd expect nothing but the best with no shortcomings but a quick google search indicated that while the h95 has class leading battery life at up to 50 hours, it's noise cancelling is poor compared to competitor models that cost half as much and that's a big fail
Soldato
So far all the wireless headphones I've looked at have issues, which is why I haven't bought any yet and am still using my cIEMs. I'm hoping the reality matches my expectations for these and if(!) the battery replacement isn't a big deal then if you can get many years of use out of them the price won't be so bad, compared to the normal AirPods where once the battery health is sufficiently low all you can really do it bin them.
Commissario
Space Grey and Blue are now showing 12-14 weeks delivery!
Soldato
I think I may have been right about production volume - that's nothing till March! Not a big deal though - wouldn't order them without extensive reviews and the iFixit teardown being out first, so by then it'll be clear if they're a hit or a miss.
MKBHD video dropped.
Soldato
I haven't even watched this yet and I'm expecting 'so I've had these AirPods Max a week and...'
Commissario
I spotted unboxings appearing on YouTube a few minutes ago - I'm not in the slightest bit interested in these, what is needed is some proper audio reports rather than the early release herberts getting all squiffy.
Why would anyone buy these over Sony XM4s or any others for that matter?
$200+ dollars more expensive
No power button
Terrible carry case that doesn't even protect them
No headphone jack
Lightning charging (wtf Apple)
No wireless charging
White headband that will get filthy in no time
Additional coloured earcups are $70
Worse battery life
No NFC as Android users can go **** themselves and Apple don't allow you to use NFC for BT pairing
Heavy due to unecessary metal design, which will also scratch really easy
Not sweat/waterproof
I don't care how good they sound, I cannot see a single benefit to these. Apple have lost their minds.
$200+ dollars more expensive
No power button
Terrible carry case that doesn't even protect them
No headphone jack
Lightning charging (wtf Apple)
No wireless charging
White headband that will get filthy in no time
Additional coloured earcups are $70
Worse battery life
No NFC as Android users can go **** themselves and Apple don't allow you to use NFC for BT pairing
Heavy due to unecessary metal design, which will also scratch really easy
Not sweat/waterproof
I don't care how good they sound, I cannot see a single benefit to these. Apple have lost their minds.
Caporegime
Why are people so incapable of just waiting?
Reddit is literally full of "audio experts" explaining how these are going to be crap and sounds rubbish and won't be as good as X and Y. All based on.... a promo video and a few figures. Apple will have some features that justify the price for some people. They may not appeal to everyone and they may not be the best at everything but apple has never been about that. They will sell a lot of these because there are enough people who can drop £550 without blinking and the features they offer are what those people care about.
I think the price is mad and they would have to blow my mind in so many ways to even make me consider spending that on headphones but people are getting carried away.
Reddit is literally full of "audio experts" explaining how these are going to be crap and sounds rubbish and won't be as good as X and Y. All based on.... a promo video and a few figures. Apple will have some features that justify the price for some people. They may not appeal to everyone and they may not be the best at everything but apple has never been about that. They will sell a lot of these because there are enough people who can drop £550 without blinking and the features they offer are what those people care about.
I think the price is mad and they would have to blow my mind in so many ways to even make me consider spending that on headphones but people are getting carried away.
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Soldato
Why buy AirPods Pro when you can buy XM3's? Why buy AirPods when you can by 1000 other bluetooth earbuds that cost nothing?
They are made by Apple, they don't need to have any benefits over XM4s etc. You make some good points but the points about NFC support and wireless charging is pretty moot, why would Apple care about Android users? and wireless charging would be ridiculous for a pair of headphones, do any headphones of this shape charge wirelessly?
I think I saw on Reddit they are all pretty much sold out everywhere and its expected they will continue to sell well.
Apple have certainly not lost their minds, look at their financials. When was the last time they released a product that didn't do well?
I certainly won't be buying them but I won't stop my missus buying them if she wants them.
Soldato
iJustine is too annoying to me so here's another.
Soldato
A few years ago Apple poached the head of engineering and long-term employee - a guy called Stuart Nevill - from Bowers & Wilkins here in the UK to be their 'Audio Acoustic Manager' and that coincided with things like the iOS/Mac device external speakers getting dramatically better, followed by the HomePods and AirPods Pro. I can't see SQ being an afterthought any more.