I like nice headphones too, but... $550

Reviews are adding up and looks like most are having trouble justifying the price. Yet, they are sold out everywhere. Apple must be doing something right.
 
iMi said:
Reviews are adding up and looks like most are having trouble justifying the price. Yet, they are sold out everywhere. Apple must be doing something right.
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Probably a small amount of stock to begin with I would imagine. I don’t know many people who spend that sort of money on headphones when it’s not far off the price of an iPhone.


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I'm not an over the ear headphones guy. I have AirPods Pro. I just bought a 2nd pair of Airpods on Amazon. They had them on sale for $109 and I had a gift card I needed to use. I bought a 2nd pair to leave at work because sometimes I forget to bring my original pair. Yeah, I know. First World Problems lol
 
I don’t spend a lot of money on earphones/headphones because I have a history of losing or breaking them. I have the EarPods that have come with previous iPhones, a pair of £40 in ear ones I use for running and now a £60 pair of over ear ones. If I had a pair of AirPods I know I’d lose one at some point and it would wind me up royally lol.
 
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So, I ordered the stupid AirPods Maxes. Here's why. Apparently they include a new codec technology that will put everything else on the market to shame by allowing artists to deliver sound exactly as intended. It seems like a lot of the features are not entirely obvious or particularly well marketed. They are supposedly also adding compatibility with other encoding types.

I can still return the MX4's by the time these get here. We'll see how it goes.
 
Anybody who has them let me know how they are with connecting to an Apple TV because 9 times out of 10 I can't get my Airpod Pros to connect at all. Sometimes it thinks they are connected by the graphics on the screen but there isn't any sound coming out of them. I don't have any issues with my Home Pods connecting.
 
iMi said:
So, I ordered the stupid AirPods Maxes. Here's why. Apparently they include a new codec technology that will put everything else on the market to shame by allowing artists to deliver sound exactly as intended. It seems like a lot of the features are not entirely obvious or particularly well marketed. They are supposedly also adding compatibility with other encoding types.

I can still return the MX4's by the time these get here. We'll see how it goes.
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How long is your wait time?

I saw on two of the colors, it was down to next month or just a few weeks. While Blue & Green were still a few months off.
 
theSeb said:
I have a pair of wired AKG headphones when I want to listen to music. For other stuff the normal AirPods do the job. For flying I use my old wired Bose headphones. Even though they are about 8 years old they do the job and have been to 4 continents and many countries. Whilst I agree that Bose makes a lot of horrendously overpriced products backed by the name more than anything, when it comes to noise cancelling tech, they have always been one of the best.

These Apple headphones look nice and I don't mind paying for nice things, but I am remain unconvinced that they are worth the entry price.
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One year later I am still trying to justify spending US$550 on the AirPods Max. My situation and solutions seem similar to yours: AirPods Pro for commute and Bose QC25 for travel. I am looking for a third solution for quality listening to classical music.

AirPods Max don't seem to excel in any of these things - it's bulky, heavy and difficult to carry around - does not fit well in one-bag carryon travel scenario. The sound quality seems (sounds?) decent but not great. And it is really expensive given the feature set.

Having realised that, I started to explore the possibility of acquiring a set of acoustically good headphones, DAC and headphone amps for the price of AirPods Max. However, I was (and am) no audiophile and my knowledge in this area is very limited; decision paralysis meant that the decision laid dormant for nearly a year.

After purchasing the new MBP (that can drive high-impedance headphones) the idea came to mind again and I restarted the search. The stars aligned today and I manage to acquire a pair of used Sennheiser HD-650 and JDS Labs EL II DAC and Amp for US$550. I hope that is a much more satisfactory solution than adding a pair of AirPods Max.
 
chengengaun said:
One year later I am still trying to justify spending US$550 on the AirPods Max. My situation and solutions seem similar to yours: AirPods Pro for commute and Bose QC25 for travel. I am looking for a third solution for quality listening to classical music.

AirPods Max don't seem to excel in any of these things - it's bulky, heavy and difficult to carry around - does not fit well in one-bag carryon travel scenario. The sound quality seems (sounds?) decent but not great. And it is really expensive given the feature set.

Having realised that, I started to explore the possibility of acquiring a set of acoustically good headphones, DAC and headphone amps for the price of AirPods Max. However, I was (and am) no audiophile and my knowledge in this area is very limited; decision paralysis meant that the decision laid dormant for nearly a year.

After purchasing the new MBP (that can drive high-impedance headphones) the idea came to mind again and I restarted the search. The stars aligned today and I manage to acquire a pair of used Sennheiser HD-650 and JDS Labs EL II DAC and Amp for US$550. I hope that is a much more satisfactory solution than adding a pair of AirPods Max.
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The senny HD6XX series are the best sounding open headphones I've used to date. The only drawback is that these are open headset so your noise floor will really be determined by the noise level of your environment. Your surroundings will also hear everything you're listening to so this headphone sorta loses it's magic if it's used in shared space.
 
I’ve had Beats Powerbeats 3 buds which have served me well for 3 years. They’re starting to crap out now.

I’ve looked at all brands and the Beats Pro buds seem to be the way to go. 9 hours of battery life on truly wireless earbuds seems the best I can find. My old ones had 12 but weren’t truly wireless.
 
Anyone here has both the AirPods Max and any of the Harman Kardon's SoundSticks (II/III/Wireless)? I can't listen to music on speakers anymore, but I miss the quality of the SoundSticks... not sure if the AirPods Max can match it.
 
Back in the day I bought a set of STAX electrostatics, which required a separate amplifier unit. The company called them "earspeakers" because they said the sound was much closer to high-end speakers than headphones. They were incredible, but cost more than $1,000 in the late 1980s. The company is still around, with their highest-end version going for $6,200, which will ship in 2022. The claimed frequency response is 5 - 42 KHz. But they do sell a pair for only $455 for the budget-conscious.
 
Andropov said:
Anyone here has both the AirPods Max and any of the Harman Kardon's SoundSticks (II/III/Wireless)? I can't listen to music on speakers anymore, but I miss the quality of the SoundSticks... not sure if the AirPods Max can match it.
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I've never heard the APM but I've been rocking a Harman Kardon Soundstick II for the past 10 years. It's apples to oranges, but I'd say the HKSS are on the level of a midlevel Sennheiser, like HD595 or HD555 (lots of fun and cost-efficiency for those without OCD).

chengengaun said:
One year later I am still trying to justify spending US$550 on the AirPods Max. My situation and solutions seem similar to yours: AirPods Pro for commute and Bose QC25 for travel. I am looking for a third solution for quality listening to classical music.

AirPods Max don't seem to excel in any of these things - it's bulky, heavy and difficult to carry around - does not fit well in one-bag carryon travel scenario. The sound quality seems (sounds?) decent but not great. And it is really expensive given the feature set.

Having realised that, I started to explore the possibility of acquiring a set of acoustically good headphones, DAC and headphone amps for the price of AirPods Max. However, I was (and am) no audiophile and my knowledge in this area is very limited; decision paralysis meant that the decision laid dormant for nearly a year.

After purchasing the new MBP (that can drive high-impedance headphones) the idea came to mind again and I restarted the search. The stars aligned today and I manage to acquire a pair of used Sennheiser HD-650 and JDS Labs EL II DAC and Amp for US$550. I hope that is a much more satisfactory solution than adding a pair of AirPods Max.
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Apogee Groove is a nice all in one DAC/amp solution that works on android Ios and macos. You can snatch it for <200.

Roller said:
Back in the day I bought a set of STAX electrostatics, which required a separate amplifier unit. The company called them "earspeakers" because they said the sound was much closer to high-end speakers than headphones. They were incredible, but cost more than $1,000 in the late 1980s. The company is still around, with their highest-end version going for $6,200, which will ship in 2022. The claimed frequency response is 5 - 42 KHz. But they do sell a pair for only $455 for the budget-conscious.
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I remember the type. The guy I bought my HD600 from in 2005 got an akg k1000 and didn’t use the sennheizer anymore. That was my first venture into high(er)-end audio.
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Beats Studio owner here. Yeah I know. My wife and I bought them years ago thinking they’d be awesome. While the noise cancellation was nice (our first experience with noise cancellation) - I can’t say I enjoy them. Sound quality is noticeably worse than AirPods (imo) and it makes your ears sweat after time.

I tried AirPods Pro but the tips hurt after awhile - and the compression feeling in the ears makes my jaws hurt.

So I’m a big AirPods user. 1, 2, and now 3. Absolutely love these - use them all day long for music, work calls, and jogging.

I use my Beats studios for airplane rides and when I’m helping my wife at the university in her noisy lab (where I am now).

$500+ just … it’s just too expensive cuz I’d have to buy two of them (my wife and I).

I’ve used Grado (open ear) head phones in the past so while I’m aware of quality but imo the Beats Studios just sound terrible. Bass is nice, but that’s bout it.
 
BigMcGuire said:
Beats Studio owner here. Yeah I know. My wife and I bought them years ago thinking they’d be awesome. While the noise cancellation was nice (our first experience with noise cancellation) - I can’t say I enjoy them. Sound quality is noticeably worse than AirPods (imo) and it makes your ears sweat after time.

I tried AirPods Pro but the tips hurt after awhile - and the compression feeling in the ears makes my jaws hurt.

So I’m a big AirPods user. 1, 2, and now 3. Absolutely love these - use them all day long for music, work calls, and jogging.

I use my Beats studios for airplane rides and when I’m helping my wife at the university in her noisy lab (where I am now).

$500+ just … it’s just too expensive cuz I’d have to buy two of them (my wife and I).

I’ve used Grado (open ear) head phones in the past so while I’m aware of quality but imo the Beats Studios just sound terrible. Bass is nice, but that’s bout it.
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Last time I tried Beats I got a laughing fit. It is known that (at least in the past) they put weights in the headphones to make it feel more robust and the one I tried many years ago literally sounded like speakers put on a card box.
 
I'll be honest. I'm no audiophile, but I've never gotten all the hate Beats get. I understand they are a marketing driven product, but for the style of music they are oriented towards they handle the job well enough. Would I listen to original Miles Davis vinyl with them? No. Would I listen to the latest song I brought off of itunes with them? Yes, especially if it's rap / hip hop or chillhop. They get the job done well enough with a canned sound ( as if Bose isn't canned ), and depending on your age group / personal preferences can look cool. I always get a kick out of people who don't mention Sony's taste for sweetening bass, ( evidently they pulled back on this with the WH1000XM4s ) as if they don't have their own version of what Beats do. Although I do think Sony makes the 2nd most comfortable headphones after Bose & Bose's 'meh' sound.

BTW, I actually did get a pair of the Airpods Max. Some posters @ MR mentioned monitoring Best Buy's open box sections regularly because stuff is often sold there cheap. I managed to get a pair, cheaper than all the sale prices that have come along. More than $100 off. Despite BB's claims of checking out previous products though, I found the headphones still registered to the original buyer. :cautious: Good work BB.

If you want an Apple product and don't want to wait for refurbs, check out the Best Buy Open Box section regularly or even Amazon's Warehouse. That's where I think I got my Airpods at a very good price.

The Airpods Max are a weird duck that solves no problem anyone asked about. They are decent headphones that are not more comfortable than anything Apple already sells. They are basically the home version of Airpods. Because at the price tag they sell for, you really don't want to take them outside unless to flex. Which makes them headphones for the home, but if you have option to rock a solid pair of wired headphones for better quality you will. Which basically makes them Airpods with better sound, spatial audio, and bluetooth. As if bluetooth is really an issue in the house. So basically while I do like them, I really don't use them. I have Beats Studio buds ( I prefer the fit in my ear over airpods, not the sound ) for outside, and if I am i front of the computer I have wired ( getting my first Sennheiser's this Christmas, the "intro" ones ) options ( I've even used the Sony's XM3's in a pinch ) headphones.

Do I regret getting them? No. When I've worn them watching Apple TV they've been pretty great. The problem is it's maybe once or twice a month I watch the Apple TV trying not to disturb anyone else in the house.
 
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JayMysteri0 said:
Do I regret getting them? No. When I've worn them watching Apple TV they've been pretty great. The problem is it's maybe once or twice a month I watch the Apple TV trying not to disturb anyone else in the house.
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Spatial audio might be interesting for that.


JayMysteri0 said:
I'll be honest. I'm no audiophile, but I've never gotten all the hate Beats get. I understand they are a marketing driven product, but for the style of music they are oriented towards they handle the job well enough. Would I listen to original Miles Davis vinyl with them? No. Would I listen to the latest song I brought off of itunes with them? Yes, especially if it's rap / hip hop or chillhop. They get the job done well enough with a canned sound ( as if Bose isn't canned ), and depending on your age group / personal preferences can look cool. I always get a kick out of people who don't mention Sony's taste for sweetening bass, ( evidently they pulled back on this with the WH1000XM4s ) as if they don't have their own version of what Beats do. Although I do think Sony makes the 2nd most comfortable headphones after Bose & Bose's 'meh' sound.
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Well, I could compare bass boost with salting your food. A tiny bit at the right place can do miracles, but if you salt everything continuously, you won't appreciate the real taste of food. Beats also sold $20 cans for $200 and pushed to the brink of bankruptcy headphone makers that, well, made actual headphones.
 
P_X said:
Well, I could compare bass boost with salting your food. A tiny bit at the right place can do miracles, but if you salt everything continuously, you won't appreciate the real taste of food. Beats also sold $20 cans for $200 and pushed to the brink of bankruptcy headphone makers that, well, made actual headphones.
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I for one am a fan of salty fries. Beats feeds a craving that a specific audience desires. One person's too salty fries are another's bland boring wet sticks of potatoes. Beats addresses a market that others didn't well enough & they were amply rewarded. That shouldn't be the thing that irritates others. It's the thing that clearly demonstrates there are different strokes for different folks. Some want and/or need neutral, some what bright or shiny, some will want broad or airy sound stages, others want artificially stimulated thumping bass. To each their own & their own spending.
 
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