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AirPods Max

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Re: AirPods Max

#771

Post by floatingatoll »

zcw100 wrote: post #240

I think this is actually a fantastic place for Apple. I'm happy to trash Apple where appropriate and I've got plenty of complaints. I think Apple does it's best when the integration of hardware and software is really important and there is a very low tolerance for, I won't say bugs, but issues. They're headphones. I want to put them on and they need to make noise. I'm not dealing with connectivity issues, battery iss…

The previous top-end for Apple's headphones was the ~$350 Beats Studio Wireless 3, which I've had a pair of the past three years. I often forget I'm wearing them when I've put them on just for noise canceling (without any music) until I bonk them with something, and their Bluetooth has been fine in use with a variety of Apple and non-Apple devices. Their biggest defect in my use has been that their folding mechanism leaves a slight indent on one point on the earcup foam. They're fine, but my desktop headphones have better quality (as they should, given the 5-10x increase in investment in them).

I expect that the $550 AirPods Max will be exceptional, and comparable in quality to my desktop headphones, which will be an achievement for anything portable and wireless. The flatpack case solves the non-portability of the Beats (which have a case the size of a watermelon), and they've removed the logo and reconstructed the earcups to not get tangled in long hair.

That's the kind of improvements I expected from Apple, and they appear to have delivered, at a price point that's about what I would expect for something that delivers impeccable audio (and sets them up for $150/$350/$550 market segments). The Studio beats are great, but these will be better. My biggest fear is that they'll be better than my desktop headphones. Works for me.

Re: AirPods Max

#772

Post by idiot900 »

_huayra_ wrote: post #759
fbelzile wrote: post #741

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm happy to pay $500 for something that works Sure, if by "works" you mean "only works with other Apple products." The cost isn't just $500, it's also the opportunity cost of going with any other competing (and possibly better) product in the future. Apple's pricing is high, but is even higher if you account for the hidden hand of future buying power you give them. It's a brilliant business strategy as it limits y…

It's always shocking how Apple folks adopt a reality distortion field when it comes to explaining their reasoning. Whether it's avoiding justifying the things they claim they get from Apple ("seamless device interop") or ignoring the way Apple actively treats their customers like hot garbage (see Louis Rossman's youtube channel, or the asinine arguments companies like Apple lead against right to repair and all the po…

I'm a long time Apple customer and have not noticed I was being treated like hot garbage. Their products have performed as promised with little to no hassle.

Can't say the same for their competitors (MS, Linux, Samsung, etc), whose products I've used extensively over the past 25 years. I am not a computing novice. Call it a reality distortion field if you want but I am happy.

Re: AirPods Max

#773

Post by sib301 »

dahfizz wrote: post #721
low_common wrote: post #717

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a $100 pair of bluetooth Sennheisers that have a battery life that seems to be measured not in hours, but in days. I use them all day every day while working in the office, at home, or coffee shop. Music sounds great and so do movies. Never have to worry about the bluetooth connnection, pairs to my Mac or to my work laptop just fine. And they got to me with Amazon Prime. You do not need to spend $500 if all…

> You do not need to spend $500 if all you need is headphones that do their job. Its amazing to me the number of Apple fanboys in this thread that seem to think that every other pair of headphones out there is completely broken, and nothing will "just work". This has been a solved problem for like a decade.

> This has been a solved problem for like a decade.

Tell that to Bose. Their newest 700 model headphones are a UX/Connectivity nightmare.

If not for the fact that the Sony noise cancelling headphones exist in the same price bracket, I could easily see myself going with a $500 pair of headphones that "just work".

Re: AirPods Max

#774

Post by mariushn »

low_common wrote: post #717
zcw100 wrote: post #240

I think this is actually a fantastic place for Apple. I'm happy to trash Apple where appropriate and I've got plenty of complaints. I think Apple does it's best when the integration of hardware and software is really important and there is a very low tolerance for, I won't say bugs, but issues. They're headphones. I want to put them on and they need to make noise. I'm not dealing with connectivity issues, battery iss…

I bought a $100 pair of bluetooth Sennheisers that have a battery life that seems to be measured not in hours, but in days. I use them all day every day while working in the office, at home, or coffee shop. Music sounds great and so do movies. Never have to worry about the bluetooth connnection, pairs to my Mac or to my work laptop just fine. And they got to me with Amazon Prime. You do not need to spend $500 if all…

Which one? (can't see an over-the-ear model here)

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/bluetooth-headsets

Re: AirPods Max

#775

Post by parineum »

hocuspocus wrote: post #451
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).

I don't really see how that would work. The Sony XM3 and Bose QC35 II were regularly under €180 (VAT included) in the past days. Who's going to suddenly pay more than twice for the same? And the original Nexus was expensive. So was the original Pixel. You can't really draw any conclusions from Google's inconsistent smartphone lineup and pricing over the past decade. Cheap Nexus phones: 4, 5, maybe the 5X if you waite…

> maybe the 5X if you waited a bit.

Even the expensive pixels are cheap if you wait.

Re: AirPods Max

#776

Post by arafsheikh »

puranjay wrote: post #740
blantonl wrote: post #308

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.

They're not terribly expensive for high-end wireless headphones with active noise cancellation. Sennheiser's better wired models start at this range (HD660 S my current favorite, is about the same price).

It doesn’t make sense to compare these to the wired Sennheiser cans. These are targeted towards a completely different market. I’d be surprised if the sound quality comes anywhere close to HD660S.

Re: AirPods Max

#777

Post by turtlebits »

john_minsk wrote: post #743
turtlebits wrote: post #733

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think spatial audio might be the killer feature. They just added an update for the Airpods Pro, and some of the comments/reactions to it sound promising. Homepods sound amazing in a stereo pair, and Apple just released an update for Dolby Atmos support.

Could you please elaborate a bit more or may be just share a link. I was thinking about using 2 HomePods as a sound system for my TV, but figured it was too much to ask.

You can't use HomePod(s) as direct TV output, you'll need an Apple TV.

https://support.apple.com/guide/tv/play-audio-throughout-you...

Re: AirPods Max

#778

Post by smileybarry »

fbelzile wrote: post #741
zcw100 wrote: post #240

I think this is actually a fantastic place for Apple. I'm happy to trash Apple where appropriate and I've got plenty of complaints. I think Apple does it's best when the integration of hardware and software is really important and there is a very low tolerance for, I won't say bugs, but issues. They're headphones. I want to put them on and they need to make noise. I'm not dealing with connectivity issues, battery iss…

> I'm happy to pay $500 for something that works Sure, if by "works" you mean "only works with other Apple products." The cost isn't just $500, it's also the opportunity cost of going with any other competing (and possibly better) product in the future. Apple's pricing is high, but is even higher if you account for the hidden hand of future buying power you give them. It's a brilliant business strategy as it limits y…

> Sure, if by "works" you mean "only works with other Apple products."

Case in point: my mom wants to buy AirPods, but she uses a Samsung Galaxy S10. I told her it'll work fine because Bluetooth, but that (at least originally) AirPods ship out with buggy firmware that needs updating. She'd need to find a friend with an iPhone just to update them to some current version before use. (And apparently even that is a UX nightmare with no real update button or indication)

Re: AirPods Max

#779

Post by hindsightbias »

grecy wrote: post #558
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…

> I always find the audiophile market to be borderline fraud There's nothing borderline about it. That test proved nobody could hear the difference between super expensive monster cables or twisted coat hangers. https://gizmodo.com/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-...

I've never met an audiophile who would be surprised by that. They'd regard Monster the way IPA drinkers think of Michelob Ultra Pure Gold.

Re: AirPods Max

#780

Post by coldtea »

dahfizz wrote: post #721
low_common wrote: post #717

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a $100 pair of bluetooth Sennheisers that have a battery life that seems to be measured not in hours, but in days. I use them all day every day while working in the office, at home, or coffee shop. Music sounds great and so do movies. Never have to worry about the bluetooth connnection, pairs to my Mac or to my work laptop just fine. And they got to me with Amazon Prime. You do not need to spend $500 if all…

> You do not need to spend $500 if all you need is headphones that do their job. Its amazing to me the number of Apple fanboys in this thread that seem to think that every other pair of headphones out there is completely broken, and nothing will "just work". This has been a solved problem for like a decade.

>This has been a solved problem for like a decade.

Not to my experience...

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