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AirPods Max

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431–440 of 1001 posts

Re: AirPods Max

#431
post #343
post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But my Shure IEMs offer better sound isolation and better sound quality and cost less money.

I love me some Shure, but it's to early to trash these new headphones before having listened to them.

It's also early to hype them like there's no tomorrow, or preorder stuff that nobody you should trust has seen, but there we are.

Re: AirPods Max

#432
post #162

Oh, I find it fascinating how the audio gear industry has taught the consumers on how much money you are supposed to spend to have audio experience at certain level. Pay attention on audiophile arguments, they will talk in terms of money(i.e. 150$ headphones vs 500$ headphones) when talking about audio quality. I always find the audiophile market to be borderline fraud. They sell CD demagnetisers, ceramic cable lifte…

At or below around $1k, price is a decent proxy for sound quality in headphones if you stay away from the trashy consumer stuff e.g. Beats, Raycons. Audiophile snake oil crap (e.g. ionic crystal cable risers, brass pyramids, $10k USB cables) isn’t really part of the same market.

High quality wireless headphones tend to come with a price premium and sound not quite as good, which seems fair since they are generally closed-back and have to drive a DAC and amp off a relatively small battery. At $549 these had better sound really good but I wouldn’t necessarily expect hur-dur-six-hundo level of audio quality.

Generally I find the “Apple tax” worth paying for consumer gear if it’s something I can actually make use of. I’ll be very interested to see how these stack up, but unless they’re the second coming of headphone Jesus I already have enough headphones.

Re: AirPods Max

#433
post #428

$549!? That puts it in the same price category as: Sennheiser HD660S, Audeze LCD-1, Beyerdynamic DT1770/1990, Grado RS2e, among many many others. Honestly, I don't understand why you would buy these when there are a lot of established professional audio companies offering better sound at a cheaper price. At least airpods have a unique selling point in their portability and ux but I don't see how this benefits over-ea…

When Apple releases a new product and it’s not understood why people would buy it, I’m always reminded of this quote from former Palm CEO Ed Colligan when the iPhone was launched: “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.” Since then I’ve not wanted to bet against Apple. The re…

Yeah, that's a big part of it. I've had BT headphones before my Airpods, and I really kinda hated them all. They were just clunky and awkward to use. Airpods changed my expectation around that kind of listening.

The competition for a $549 Apple over-ear ANC headphone is, realistically, $300-$400 over-ear ANC headphones from everyone else. Because user experience and usability matter a LOT; I'd definitely pay a premium to avoid all the goofy crap that goes with "regular" Bluetooth.

Re: AirPods Max

#434

$549!? That puts it in the same price category as: Sennheiser HD660S, Audeze LCD-1, Beyerdynamic DT1770/1990, Grado RS2e, among many many others. Honestly, I don't understand why you would buy these when there are a lot of established professional audio companies offering better sound at a cheaper price. At least airpods have a unique selling point in their portability and ux but I don't see how this benefits over-ea…

Assuming these compare in fidelity of sound, I think it’s a no brainer for a lot of people. Likely works seamlessly with apple products similar to other airpods and, unlike those other cans, doesn’t require a proper sound system or external amp to drive them. That being said, the fact that they stipulate they only work with apple products is a bit insane to me. I’ll stick with my wireless Sennheisers that I have to c…

These already require Big Sur? Not even a year in, an Apple is already making it a requirement for the rest of the ecosystem? How do the fanbois do it? They are frankly being herded as cattle with no negotiation leverage or power within a system seeking to milk them at every level.

Re: AirPods Max

#435

For all the complaining about the pricing here, just set a reminder to yourself for 1 year later, when the pandemic has waned and some workplaces begin to return to normal. Then take a visual survey of how many people are wearing these in those hip open office development workspaces. You'll see the pricing didn't matter at all. You'll probably be wearing a pair yourself when you do that visual survey.

Pricing is rarely an issue. People spend stupid amount of money to show their status, if anything it's a feature

Re: AirPods Max

#436
post #122

I know nothing about headphones, nor do I want to invest any time learning about headphones. I’ve had a bunch of Apple products that have never disappointed me in the last 10+ years. I’ll buy these overpriced headphones because an extra $200 for a product I’ll probably use for 5 years will not break my bank account.

This is the reason why i buy Apple stocks.

Re: AirPods Max

#437
The price is high at $549 however given Apple's proven audio engineering I will give them the benefit of the doubt on sound quality on par with similarly priced headphones from Sennheiser, etc. I mean have you heard the speaker quality on the 16" MacBook Pro?! Literally no other laptop sounds as good.

My biggest concern is if they are user serviceable. I have a pair of Sennheiser that cost around £700 when I bought them 16 years ago. Granted they are not wireless but I can and have repaired them with parts directly from Sennheiser.

I doubt I will be able to do that with the AirPods Max which is a concern. At this price point I expect them to last at least ten years and there is no chance a battery will last that long so if it is not replaceable I can't see why I would buy these over an alternative in the same price range.

Sure they have some "cool" features but that does not justify a product that will most likely have a battery in need of replacement in 3-4 years becoming worthless.

Edit: OMFG They use Lightning for charging not USB-C?! WTF are Apple doing :(

Re: AirPods Max

#438

$549!? That puts it in the same price category as: Sennheiser HD660S, Audeze LCD-1, Beyerdynamic DT1770/1990, Grado RS2e, among many many others. Honestly, I don't understand why you would buy these when there are a lot of established professional audio companies offering better sound at a cheaper price. At least airpods have a unique selling point in their portability and ux but I don't see how this benefits over-ea…

If I wanted $4-$600 over-ear headphones to go with an iPhone where phone calls and general phone integrations are an important part, then I'd seriously consider these. Otherwise not. As you say, as far as headphones go you can get better for less. But if seen as a phone headset that also has some hi fi qualities, then it makes more sense to go with the ones from Apple.

I trust Apple to make that 100% integration with my iPhone whereas I don't necessarily trust Sennheiser to. The third party ones will turn out to drop calls more frequently in iOS 15 or something similar. That's the kind of issue you are paying to avoid.

Re: AirPods Max

#439

Calling an English expert. Is “AirPods Max” singular or plural? Help. The AirPods Max is a headphone. AirPods Max are headphones. I saw two AirPods Maxes.

Best question in this thread.

With regular AirPods, they work individually. You don't have to use both. So it's helpful to think in terms of each one being its own thing, even though they're paired.

Not the case here.

I'd imagine Schiller would say that AirPods Max is both singular and plural, given this tweet on iPad Pro: https://twitter.com/pschiller/status/725791354769399808

I'd add that over-the-ear (so, one item) "headphones" have a similar issue as AirPods Max. I'd probably call two of these products "two pairs of AirPods Max." (Well, actually I'd probably just say 'two pairs of headphones' but that's a dodge.)

Re: AirPods Max

#440
post #122

I know nothing about headphones, nor do I want to invest any time learning about headphones. I’ve had a bunch of Apple products that have never disappointed me in the last 10+ years. I’ll buy these overpriced headphones because an extra $200 for a product I’ll probably use for 5 years will not break my bank account.

(paraphrased) "I know nothing about the subject..." "Not gonna learn about other options..." "Apple doesn't disappoint me..." "I'll buy the overpriced stuff because I can afford it..." This Apple-blinkers comment is telling, and refreshingly honest. I'm sure there are other brands with that sort of attachment, but none that exemplify the phenomenon more.

Razor is basically doing the same thing. People love sticking to brands.
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