AirPods Max 2 • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods Max 2

#561

Post by chollida1 » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC

aurareturn wrote: post #465

chollida1 wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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. You should get checked out. No adult should have a dent put in their skull by headphones.

That's not true. After an hour of wearing AirPods Max 1, my skull dipped temporarily in where the two bands are. It's a horrendous headband design. All the pressure is on two thin bands. The middle fabric doesn't actually do anything.

at no point should your skull be deforming. Maybe the skin and fat layer ontop but the skull itself should not be deforming after an hour of hearing a device on a healthy individual.

Please see a doctor!!

Re: AirPods Max 2

#562

Post by mlmonkey » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC

nout wrote: post #448

mlmonkey wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Yes, it does. It feels a bit weird, it feels like you are hearing the grass grow...

Are these the Pixel Buds, or the "Pixel Buds Pro" ??

Re: AirPods Max 2

#563

Post by steve1977 » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 6:49 PM UTC

stego-tech wrote: post #533

steve1977 wrote: post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But have you tried the ABX test I linked to with a proper set up, e.g. your HD800? If you compare a CD on a proper system with an MP3 on an iPod, you're really comparing Apples to oranges. Also depending on with which encoded the MP3 was created. The iTunes encoder for example was infamous for rather bad quality.

Yes. I've done ABX testing on my HT, and my HD800s, repeatedly. I do ABX testing with album versions on occasion to determine if, as an example, the 1989 release of Pretty Hate Machine actually sounds (subjectively) better (to my ears) than the 2010 remaster, or that the original issue of Garbage 2.0 sounds better than the 20th Anniversary remaster. The original test that got me into the scene way back in the 00s was…

I guess we can both agree that most modern remasters sound worse than the originals, no matter if MP3 or lossless PCM ;)

Re: AirPods Max 2

#564

Post by ramijames » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 6:58 PM UTC

throwaway27448 wrote: post #433

ramijames wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How easy is it to switch between devices? That was always the main draw of airpods for me.

It allows two devices to connect at the same time. I usually have my phone and my macbook hooked up to it all the time. Once in a while one of them will act badly and usurp full control over the bluetooth connection and I'll have to disconnect it. Super rare. For the most part the experience is seamless.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#565

Post by indemnity » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 7:05 PM 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)…

Yeah, no joke. For bald people like myself these headphones are unusable once the mesh stretches enough that the metal bands touch your skull.

I could go 30 minutes before the discomfort made me have to take it off.

No such issue with the WH-1000XM6, I can wear it the entire day.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#566

Post by calmkeepai » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 7:40 PM UTC

It’s crazy how if these came out 16 years ago they would be dominant in ad campaigns and marketing but today , while the remain aspirationally pervasive, Apple just doesn’t saturate their marketing. This speaks to some larger changes in the marketing ecosystem that would be redundant to address , but it still remains interesting how they’re such an establishment that they don’t necessarily need multilevel marketing in the way they thrived with in the 2000s

Re: AirPods Max 2

#567

Post by cardiffspaceman » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 7:42 PM UTC

menno-sh wrote: post #523

KoolKat23 wrote: post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely disagree. Beats brand basically disappeared after that or at the least has become "uncool". Apple had iTunes already, they very well could've acqui-hired and improved their service themselves. Apple music slowly died and is only becoming resurgent now, many years later.

Beats (or I guess Apple under the Beats name) still make H1/2 based in-ears that are generally well received.

Yep! I own both a pair of AirPods and a pair of Beats. The Beats were designed for a lower price point, without noise cancellation, than the AirPods so I can’t offer a head-head comparison.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#568

Post by femiagbabiaka » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:24 PM UTC

Schiendelman wrote: post #546

femiagbabiaka wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still extremely odd that they don't just... turn off.. ever? Even the case marketing copy notes this: > When stored in the soft, slim Smart Case, AirPods Max enter an ultra‑low‑power state.

They do, they turn off almost entirely once you leave them stationary for five minutes. This is the same as any over-ear headphones.

They don't, because almost entirely is not the same as entirely.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#569

Post by amenhotep » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:32 PM UTC

valzam wrote: post #36

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is Apple, my dude - the company that sells a glorified sock to carry your phone in for US $230. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/11/introducing-iphone-po... That’s all you have to understand.

I think people are mainly confused because the AirPod Pros are quite competitively priced compared to other higher end offerings. The Max are so far off the market that it doesn't seem to make any sense and it seems unlikely that apple couldn't make up for lost margins with higher volume. Maybe they just literally can't/don't want to produce many of the Max and price them accordingly.

I'm delighted to see somebody else who refuses to use the pompous syntax Apple promote for these things. Entire thread full of people uncritically accepting that they should be referred to in actual conversation as AirPods Max as if it's a term that deserves more grammatical respect than most of them would give to attorneys general.

Re: AirPods Max 2

#570

Post by jclardy » Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 8:44 PM 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…

It's a really strange update. Necessary, as the cheaper & smaller AirPods Pro had all these features for a while now.

But there aren't even new colors - the colors were released in a AirPods Max 1.1 release that changed to a USB-C port.

Even still, they are calling these "2". Which means the next update could be a few years out given this update was basically 6 years after the initial launch.