AirPods Max 2 • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods Max 2

#391

Post by ebb_earl_co » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:21 AM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #285

Paria_Stark wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doubt audiophiles are really the target for the AirPods Max.

I'm a slight audiophile, enough to own a Schitt stack and lower-end planar magnetics, overall cost would be slightly more than the AirPods Max 2. I did try the previous generation and walked away with no emotional response either way to the quality of the sound. The Apple tax makes me extremely skeptical that I would get $500+ worth of sound quality, however ANC upsets that equation quite a bit. For around the same c…

The AirPods Max 2 are primarily Bluetooth headphones, but support lossless audio over USB-C cable, for what it’s worth.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#392

Post by neuroelectron » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:26 AM UTC

Why is Hacker News posting about fashion trends?

Re: AirPods Max 2

#393

Post by neuroelectron » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:28 AM UTC

thorncorona wrote: post #111

20 hours of listening is surprisingly low -- sony xm6 -- 30h bose qc ultra -- 24h would recommend the sony anc headphones, they're quite good.

They couldn't use a bigger battery because they needed that extra space for their profit margins.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#394

Post by mlmonkey » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:30 AM UTC

KeplerBoy wrote: post #317

mlmonkey wrote: post #315

Not to threadjack, but this is a question that I've had for a while and I've been looking for the right forum to ask: are there any "open source" earbuds? I would like to take a pair of earbuds and invert the noise-cancellation curve: basically, amplify any ambient noise (with filtering of course). My grandma (not in the US or EU) is hard of hearing, and the only options available to her are random Chinese junk. I wo…

Pixel buds have this feature, it's called transparency mode. I use it for cycling so I'm still aware of my surroundings in traffic.

Thank you! I was unaware of that mode. Does it amplify the sound a bit?

Re: AirPods Max 2

#395

Post by anthonySs » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:31 AM UTC

StefanKarpinski wrote: post #145

Wild. I have been eagerly awaiting this refresh, but this doesn't address either of the main issues with the original AirPods Max: 1. Still just as heavy. The AirPods Max sound quite good, but they are very heavy, to the point of being fairly uncomfortable after listening for any longer amount of time. This release as the exact same weight as the originals (13.6 oz). 2. Still no off button/position. They stay partial…

not to mention if some loud noise happens they blow your ear out with noise cancelling in an attempt to balance it...

expected way more from a refresh tbh

Re: AirPods Max 2

#396

Post by Wowfunhappy » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:33 AM UTC

mvdtnz wrote: post #311

porphyra wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this pricing pretty in line with other high end ANC headphones? e.g. Bowers & Wilkins PX8 ($699), Focal Bathys ($849), Sony WH-1000XM6 ($399), Kef Mu7 ($399), Bose QC Ultra ($449)

Weird response. He said "I don't understand how a pair of headphones can be $549" and you responded "here are some headphones that are priced at $549". Yeah. We know. It's just hard to understand how anyone can value headphones at this price. It's lunacy.

I mean, if we're talking any pair of headphones... a good Television certainly costs more than that, why should good sound be less worthy if investment?

Re: AirPods Max 2

#397

Post by s1mon » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:34 AM UTC

joemi wrote: post #346

s1mon wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might as well be 3862 grams considering how much they hurt to wear for any length of time. I was also hoping this update would improve the ergonomics, but no. Still too heavy and no mention of any improvements to the headband.

I think you'd find quite a difference between 386,2 g and 3862 g, especially when wearing it on your head.

Yes. Sarcasm.

I have a pair of the first generation AirPods Max. They leave dents in my scalp if I wear them for any real amount of time. I've been an Apple person since the 1980s. This is one of the most disappointing Apple products for me ever, and I really don't want to know how much $$$$$ lifetime customer value I've contributed to Apple's bottom line.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#398

Post by basilikum » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:54 AM UTC

rpgbr wrote: post #282

foxwell_1959 wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats 386,2 gram for the rest of the world.

[flagged]

On a planet with 10g gravity.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#399

Post by testbjjl » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:56 AM UTC

Sorry, Apple audio stuff, while really impressive audio quality has made me deaf. I’ll take bad to no engineered audio quality and keep what I have left of my hearing for conversations and nature. Rapid degradation in my sense of hearing.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#400

Post by FlyingRobot » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 1:56 AM UTC

infecto wrote: post #292

StefanKarpinski wrote: post #145

Wild. I have been eagerly awaiting this refresh, but this doesn't address either of the main issues with the original AirPods Max: 1. Still just as heavy. The AirPods Max sound quite good, but they are very heavy, to the point of being fairly uncomfortable after listening for any longer amount of time. This release as the exact same weight as the originals (13.6 oz). 2. Still no off button/position. They stay partial…

Reading #2 makes me sad. I had a pair of Bose for probably a decade and tried out Sony and the biggest complaint I have is the lack of a physical off button. The Sony have a known issue where it don’t detect that it’s off of your head and it’s not that obvious that the headphones are on or off. At least a few times a week I put them on in the morning and they have been on all night.

I had that problem pop up with my Sony xm4s after a couple of years of use. Cleaned the lens on the inside of the left ear cup and they work perfectly again. Go to sleep, pause music, etc when I remove them.