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AirPods Max

apple.com

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Re: AirPods Max

#641

Post by chris_st »

emcq wrote: post #606

It feels like we are seeing the result of diminishing returns with technology advancement. To make a product that Apple believes is significantly better than the competition they had to design a very intricate solution that includes: * High end look and feel not similar to the bulk of their products with lots of textile webbing and memory foam ear cups. These get way more wear and tear than normal electronics being e…

> and comfortable across many head shapes and sizes

I have what is, evidently, a pretty large head, given the fact that I've only been able to find one hat ever that is large enough to fit me.

And yeah, lots of high-end headphones are painful to wear, because they went for the "standard-size" head.

Re: AirPods Max

#643

Post by theincredulousk »

ubermonkey wrote: post #429
eertami wrote: post #113

$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…

That kind of knee-jerk rejection is just as weird as a knee-jerk promise to buy. All we know right now is that Apple has introduced wireless, ANC, over-ear headphones at a premium price. If I were looking to spend that kind of money on headphones -- which, we should be clear, isn't that hard to do if you're serious about it -- I'd absolutely listen to these. Given Apple's general approach to usability and quality, it…

They're not going to fail, unless you have an insanely high bar for success, and they're not going to sound like shit either. Apple wouldn't just accidentally release a terrible sounding headphone product without having people familiar with headphones listen to it.

The arguments floating around here are pointless. Will you be able to get better sounding (particularly wired) headphones for less money? yes. Just like you can get a higher performance laptop for less money than a macbook, and just like you can buy a discrete graphics card that performs better than integrated graphics (analogy to wireless w/integrated DSP and amplifier, vs. discrete)

Is the point here to have the best sounding headphones? no. There are for daily/practical use cases and pleasantly usable performance for dedicated listening and entertainment. They are primarily headphones for "routine use"/work, e.g. when your listening to music + doing some task, then taking a phone-call or joining a meeting. The same use cases people currently have noise cancelling headphones with built-in or inline mics.

For example, Bose QCs are very popular for that use case, and cost $300+. I use them for daily work and travel, and I'm an "audio person", with completely different setups (plural) for audio quality use cases, well aware that the Bose QCs are not "$300 class" headphones quality wise.

The Apples are more expensive than the QCs, but even from pictures and build materials immediately crush the QCs in build quality. My guess is that they will also beat them in sound quality. Yes they're more expensive, but tbh for the target use case, it is not difficult to justify cost for something you use 8h a day. Of course anything expensive is not in everyone's budget, but considering the target market, people talking about $200-less headphones are not priced out of the headphones, they're just trying to save money.

So, true to Apple, the increased cost doesn't really hurt their addressable market, and instead positions them a status symbol where it is actually important that they cost more than the competition. Yep.

Re: AirPods Max

#644

Post by minusSeven »

549$ for a new pair of headphones, so in India its probably going to release at 750$. I am currently using wireless earphones worth 30$. I am coming to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford many Apple products considering the way they price them.

Re: AirPods Max

#645

Post by pram »

ashneo76 wrote: post #185

You know how I easily switch my audio across devices? I unplug and plug in. That simple. I am still using my panasonic headphones from 12 years ago. I got them for $120.

wow! 12 years... and only $120?? you should be very proud! what a remarkable achievement, thanks for sharing

Re: AirPods Max

#646

Post by nimih »

mrtksn wrote: 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…

>they will talk in terms of money(i.e. 150$ headphones vs 500$ headphones) when talking about audio quality.

Isn't this the same as computer nerds talking about how much they're spending on their graphics card or their motherboard or whatever? I agree with your overall assessment of audiophile nonsense, but higher quality components and manufacturing processes cost money, so there's a limit to how good a $60 pair of headphones will sound (and hold up over time, for that matter) vs a $200 pair. In particular, it's not like folks who care about the quality of their audio equipment are _actually_ fixating on the price itself; brands like Bose are poorly regarded _precisely because_ their headphones have noticeably worse sound quality (and, in my own limited experience, fall apart faster) than the competition at any particular price point.

Re: AirPods Max

#647

Post by rusticpenn »

helen___keller wrote: post #233

I can respect apple's strategy. For someone like me, who likes convenience but isn't particularly obsessed with sound or sound quality, this release exists to frame Airpods and Airpods Pro as "value" options. Personally, however, I'm actively working on moving away from this ecosystem. I've felt like every purchase is a lose/lose for a while now. I can't deny that Apple products offer a superior experience in almost…

I am moving from Android to Apple ecosystem. I got an IPAD air 2 in 2015-16 and it still works without any hiccups, I had changed 3 Android phones in this time. Happy with my iPhone SE2 now.

Re: AirPods Max

#648

Post by samatman »

OkGoDoIt wrote: post #637
perfectstorm wrote: post #405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a feeling that this 'allows' Bose and Sony to raise their prices causing everything to normalize around $500 price range. Remember the original pixel (or nexus)? they were priced around $350-$400 and look where they are now ($700).

Likewise, smart watches used to cost in the neighborhood of $100 until Apple Watch came on the scene and now everyone thinks it’s normal to pay $300 for a smart watch. It was ridiculously overpriced when it started, and it’s still ridiculous now

And they used a bit of textbook marketing magic to do it.

Remember the Apple Watch Edition? The one with a gold case that cost 17 grand?

The point wasn't to sell it, although there's a stratum of customer who always get the most expensive version of whatever they're getting.

The point was to make the entry-level price look reasonable, and it worked.

Re: AirPods Max

#649

Post by matthewfcarlson »

I'm surprised no one is pointing out similar these are to the surface headphones. Pairing to multiple devices, ambient mode with adjustable noise canceling, playing and pausing music when you take them off or on, etc. I like some of the design of Airpods Max (the crown seems strange) and the sound quality is probably better.

Re: AirPods Max

#650

Post by turtlebits »

Will be looking forward to trying these out, when available and safe to do so. IMO, Apple hit it out of the park with HomePod sound quality (for the size and price) and have high hopes for these..
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