AirPods Max 2 • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods Max 2

#401

Post by mvkel » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:02 AM UTC

This is simply supply chain updates marketed as an upgrade, similar to how Apple's Vision Pro "2" was just their current chip line shoved into the same form factor.

It represents the company effectively forgetting about it as as a product line, but leveraging the latest chips to keep them selling, even in small quantities.

If they truly invested any amount into updating these things, they would reflect the many lessons learned from the 1.0 product. To have a 2.0's form be 1:1 with the 1.0 is lazy at best.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#402

Post by mvkel » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:04 AM UTC

testbjjl wrote: post #399

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.

I don't understand. Are you blaming Apple for turning your volume up too high?

Re: AirPods Max 2

#403

Post by mh- » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:05 AM UTC

LoganDark wrote: post #316

frizlab wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try hard reset (long press (~15s) both buttons). I know I have had this issue and did not have it after reset. Though I do have another annoying, and seemingly unique issue: sometimes, when adjusting the position of the headphone, they do a “click” (and a loud one), and just shut down. After a few seconds, they boot up again. The farthest from the last reset, the more often it happens. I have no idea why.

I noticed that behavior as well, but whenever I speak loudly with the headphones on. One remark to myself that's too loud, and suddenly pop and the noise cancellation is gone for like 10 seconds. Super annoying.

I don't have Max, but something similar happens with the AirPods Pro. See if you have "conversation awareness" and "hearing protection" turned on (both are on by default.) They're in the AirPods settings screen accessed via the bluetooth menu.

I'd suggest experimenting by disabling both and trying to repro. Then re-enabling the features one at a time.

I've never triggered it on the Pro by merely speaking loudly, but they're earbuds and farther from my mouth. What does trigger it for me reliably, is sneezing.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#404

Post by mr-pink » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:07 AM UTC

who's max?

Re: AirPods Max 2

#405

Post by gumby271 » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:12 AM UTC

squidsoup wrote: post #240

BowBun wrote: post #109

Truly the Beats of our generation. Buy headphones from audio specialists, not Apple.

If you have multiple apple devices, the seamless switching is the killer feature, for me anyway. My Bose headphones were absolutely abysmal at this, and it drove me mad.

My Pixel buds from Google have been pretty good since they support Bluetooth multipoint. I'd love to find some good headphones like Beats or the airpods, but Apple doesn't seem to support those standards, it only works with other Apple devices.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#406

Post by stingraycharles » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:13 AM UTC

“Lossless Audio and ultra‑low latency audio preserve every detail of the original recording when connecting AirPods Max 2 to your device via USB‑C”

Since the AirPods Pro 2 that were released last year got wireless lossless, this surprises me: I would have expected lossless without cable in the AirPods Max 2, to the point that I was waiting to buy them.

That’s a shame, as that would be a real differentiator compared to all other headphone manufacturers, wireless lossless audio.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#407

Post by theonemind » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:21 AM UTC

astrange wrote: post #321

shell0x wrote: post #275

Noise canceling headphones are absolutely a game changer. I work from home in a very noisy downtown apartment with poor soundproofing and I’d never get anything done without ANC. I haven’t had the chance to try the AirPods Max yet, but I do wonder how it compares to the Sony headphones.

Unfortunately ANC only works on some sounds. In the suburbs you have leafblowers and cars driving past you on the sidewalk, and ANC removes everything /else/ which makes them stand out even more.

Leaf blowers and cars driving past are exactly the kind of thing that ANC works well on, a fairly constant noise. It doesn’t block out other kinds of things well. At least it always seems to go that way for me, so I can’t relate to your comment at all. My experience seems exactly the opposite and I have trouble imagining it differently for anyone else, because it works well against a constant noise kind of in the bass range.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#408

Post by ramijames » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:22 AM UTC

alstonite wrote: post #7

My AirPods Max 1 left a headband dent in my skull from how poor the quality of the headband was after more than a year of daily use. They also are super heavy and don't travel well at all. Apple deciding that, on their 2nd refresh of these (after usb-c), they still aren't going to fix those fundamental issues is very frustrating for what feels like a very disproportionately expensive product (even by Apple standards)…

I'm also a Bose QC user and I can't speak highly enough about them. Best piece of tech that I ever bought. Going on three years now and they are still like new. I have three very loud, rambunctious kids and they are a life-saver.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#409

Post by Footprint0521 » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:25 AM UTC

Dangeranger wrote: post #245

darknavi wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All three pairs of AirPod Pros I've owned have had rattling issues that would reproduce when I physically moved/tilted my head. It's really annoying.

Yes, my AirPod Pros do this too, and I've found that the issue is due to a problem with the external microphones which are involved in active noise cancelling. In order to fix the problem I had to disable ANC, and use them like a pair of basic wireless headphones, which has been quite disappointing. I've found that basically any instance of dropping the headphones on a solid floor, even while in the case, will result…

I had this exact problem on my AirPod pros too! It is the internal mic, but if you forcefully suck the air out from the black mesh microphone openings, it gets rid of it.

There’s some random form of someone out there who figured this out, so credit to them, but this fixed mine (I couldn’t bear transparency mode for the longest time lol)

Re: AirPods Max 2

#410

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 2:39 AM UTC

chihuahua wrote: post #286

killingtime74 wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a teardown where weights were taped inside. I think it was a beats headphone.

It was Beats. At first it was found in counterfeit Beats, but later the same was found in genuine Beats. And then guess who bought Beats for their exquisite metal weight technology? That's right, it was Apple.

[deleted]