Audiophile vs. AirPods Max REVIEW: They're Not Overpriced 

I just don't want to have to put them in a case every time I take them off my head :feelsawfulman:

Thank you for this comment!

I agree and no hiss on ANC

Build quality kills off most of the competitors.

Thanks Yogesh ✌️

My MacBook Air has the latest version of Big Sur. My iMac is still on Catalina since it's responsible for my streaming and I'm afraid early versions of Big Sur might have issues 😬 Interesting that the audio switching may be related. I can't really confirm that with my experiences as I don't typically use Bluetooth on my Macs except for Zoom calls, so the AirPods Max experience was new to me. My guess is Apple will not be satisfied with flaky behavior of brand new headphone + MacBook and are probably working on it.

Welcome to the party 🤙

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Thanks Chop 🤙 Stockton?

I think it's competitive with headphones like K371 and 99 Classics -- different sound, but about as enjoyable for music listening. Something like Sundara I think is a bit out of reach of AirPods Max. Sundara has much better detail and texturing, and IMO a more pleasing, neutral tonality.

@@SuperReview Thank you for your input!!

I had the Sundaras, but sold them because construction quality of the things is crap. One side of the headband already malfunctioning. Input into one of the ear cups also was wiggling. Just cheaply made. They did sound good though. But also remember they’re open back so if you’re in any kind of environment with noise it’s not good. Anybody around you can also hear the music. If you want good quality wired headphones I would check out Focal. But these new Apple headphones sound just as good, or even better, and I use them a lot more due to the convenience.

@@Dave_Outside Completely agree with you on the open back point. Regarding the built quality, Hifiman improved a bit on the latest 2020 version. My personal unit is as good as new since past six to seven months.

@@HiFiGOAudio im curious what dac/amp do you use to power them. I only use hip-dac using balanced output and sound good but saw feedback from users for them they started really open up when they paired with more powerful desktop amp like Zen Can. I dont do a lot of high-res or MQA so I think I may save money on Zen Dac and just get CAN paired using cheap Apple usb-c DAC adapter and may later add Modi.

Sennheiser HD 600 is my favorite headphone.

Thanks RJ ✌️

I haven't heard the Deva, I imagine it might not be a fair comparison (in favor of the Devas). An open-back planar probably gonna sound pretty different.

Got a link to the silicon band?

@@SuperReview www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RD78BN2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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No, never experienced that myself. I saw photos of one person's AirPods, but haven't heard of anyone else.

Which color did you order? Seems to affect delivery dates.

Not getting mine til March. Sky blue for me.

RIP

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Pretty interested to hear what a speaker guy thinks of AirPods Max.

@@SuperReview they just came today. Unfortunately dead on arrival. They initially connected to my iPhone but no audio. I tried everything including contacting Apple. No solutions. They are nice though. Well built. Off the go back to Amazon. I guess I am meant to only listen to my HarBeth speakers! 😂

I'll try to make a mental note next time it happens, but I don't recall that always being the case for me. But does sound like a decent theory.

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I have not tried the Aiaiai, no. TBH haven't heard much about them from audio enthusiasts.

@@SuperReview thanks, they seem quite popular with DJ’s, I cant find anyone’s who opinion I take note of such as yourself and a few other reviewers who have reviewed their audio quality, apart from apparently they are quite good 🙄. Think I’ll skip them.

I have not, no.

You should compare on RU-vid, not many people have all of those!

Other people have asked me about it in RU-vid comments, but apart from that I've never heard of them, nor heard them. Sorry.

Good question, I'm working on my review of the Pandas next. (Got them on my head at this very moment.) An obvious difference is that Pandas don't have ANC, though their passive sound isolation is pretty impressive. Sound signature between the two is pretty different, though both are tuned warm. Where the AirPods Max are what I'd call a "warm U-shape" tune, the Panda is more "warm neutral," with a relatively flat frequency response and mildly elevated midbass + mildly relaxed upper midrange giving it an overall relaxed tone. AirPods are a lot more exciting to listen to, and I think more immediately impressive. But I think the Pandas deliver detail and texture better and, while a tad boring, are a more mature sound. Still assessing them, but I expect the Pandas will get more use from me personally in the months after review.

@@SuperReview Thanks a lot. Looking forward to that review

Warning that it may be a few weeks. Drop is coming out with an app for Pandas that introduces parametric EQ functions I'm eager to test, but it's not out yet and I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'd like to use it before the review.

@@SuperReview That sounds even more interesting. Good things take time so I'm happy to wait 🙏

Yeah, I played with it a bit and I think I prefer the Vocal Range setting but didn't use it too much for this review. Largely because most of my music listening was on MacBook.

@@SuperReview which setting should i go for for classical music, jazz and vocal?

I'd say I like AirPods Max better than 99 Classics with their stock pads. But I think 99C gets better with a pad swap, at which point I'd say it's a side grade to APM -- different tuning, both have strengths.

@@SuperReview Hey, thanks a lot for this! Now I can stop poring over reviews of and looking at ads for second-hand Beoplay H9is, and start waiting for Apple to actually produce an APM or two :-)

TBH even after Apple's clarification, I'm still not sure how vital to the experience Apple imagines the case to be. IMO it's unreasonable to expect the Max case to be used the same way AirPods / AirPods Pro case is used, largely because it's bulky and unlikely to be kept in a pocket or otherwise transported wherever the headphone goes.

Interesting. No such issues with AirPods 3 or Pro.

Interesting, I hadn't heard about the headband before you said that. Wonder how much they'll charge for that repair.

@@SuperReview They are selling 3rd party replacement bands now on Amazon.

Bingo - actually I was so pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully these work with Apple TV.

Is it just Apple TV where these headphones work well with? Just bought some and they sound fantastic with Netflix and Disney plus.

@@jefferrrson1x By Apple TV, I meant the physical box and you're right it surely works very well with the apps you mentioned.

@@jefferrrson1x Not sure as I don't use the (LG) OS. With the AppleTV the audio positioning when you turn your head works really well, also pauses the stream when you take them off. I spent a fair bit of money on my Atmos surround system, but I always use them if my wife is watching something else in the other room (or if I don't want to annoy the neighbours).

No, no stains, but I also didn't end up using them that frequently.

Yeah, my guess why they chose this material is for breathability and still able to get enough seal to do ANC well. I didn't mention in the review, but the AirPods Max do bleed sound more than other ANC headphones.

@@SuperReview Interesting. I did watch a clip with a headphone recording rig and the audio from the clip showed the airpods clearly out performing the xm4's when it came to supressing someone playing live drums.

Yes I find headphones very comfortable and I have no problem with the material. It doesn’t bother me at all when wearing the, It’s not like I’m constantly moving them around once they are in position. I also have some headphones that have leather ear pads but these feel just as good to me. And yes I think they should be more breathable that is probably why they used this material. It’s also nice they are easily replaced with new one and available in colors too. You’ll probably see someone making leather ear pads for them pretty soon.

I haven't heard Powerbeats Pros. AirPods Pro are definitely closer to a neutral sound signature than are the AirPods Max. Pro has some sub-bass focus, very tame treble, and mostly neutral midrange. Max midrange has vocals recessed into the mix, with big emphasis on sub bass and upper treble.

@@SuperReview you should check out the Powerbeats pro. Although I haven’t heard the AirPod max your description sounds similar to the Powerbeats pro although the vocals are prominent in the Powerbeats.

Depends on your metric and preferences. 99Cs are stronger on stage and sound depth, but K371 tuning is more to my liking. Ultimately I find the 99Cs more engaging to listen to.

Dang my fam u took a fat L 550 for a ok quality headphones or A ps5 or xbox and a good game

@@ehjaunt6285 not all people wants ps5 or xbox fam. as a person in an apple ecosystem, having this makes everything so much easier. I bought one over those consoles. Because I want this over than those consoles. Sean Zhang didn’t took a fat L because he enjoys it like me. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

@@hayup im not saying that people should get it over the headphones im saying it is 50 bucks more expensive for a product less elaborate and more complex

@@ehjaunt6285 u should try minding your business sometimes... he bought what makes him happy that’s all that matters. Who knows he might also have a ps5 and Xbox too.

@@SupremeCyril I know and if it makes him happy its worth the buy but then are much better products for much lower cost like $550 in U.S and 1k in other countries its very expensive

I was just thinking of me being out and buying a nice van. I think you’re the sign my dude

I got it from Ikea.

Haven't heard the Devas.

Working on a separate review for Panda now. Trying to hold out for their new PEQ app.

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I'll take it 👍

I made it for this video :P super-review-merch.creator-spring.com/listing/new-airtop-max

@@SuperReview haha that's flipping epic!

will it work if you make a hole in your closed back? i'd say yes, it will sound more open, but that would change the way it sounds too, could be good, could be bad. but considering it is tuned as a closed back, i personally think it's not a good idea to make it into an open back, unless you know what you're doing. also i'll just get a open back rather than turning my closed back into open back and possibly changing the sound to a sound that i don't like edited : *not

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I highly recommend NOT putting holes in your closed-back headphones. It is likely to sound very bad. There are headphones that are designed as open-backs. An affordable way to try is the Koss KSC75, it's $15 and IMO sounds better than these AirPods Max.

I reviewed the K371BT, and I also own the original K371.

No, that's one I haven't tried yet. Seen some good signs it could be good though.

That seems consistent with my impressions -- the elevated / spicy treble I find in the mid to upper treble, 10kHz and above.

​@@SuperReview I don't know... For me there is a lack of treble over the rest of the frequency range from around 6000 Hz. I have a pair of DT 770 Pro 32 ohms which have this somewhat tiring peak at the top, around 9-10-11 khz. It's very sensitive. On my AirPods Max I have none of that. Maybe it's my pair of AirPods Max, I don't know. With the setting mentioned above, I get very close to the sound signature of a Fidelio X2HR. The bass is a little bit more punchy on the AirPods Max (but by little the X2HR is amazing in the lower frequencies for an open-back headset), a few times different soundstage between the two but overall these two headsets come pretty close. Without the setting, I lose a lot of soundstage, details, air. And the X2HR is then much more pleasant. I don't use my AirPods Max on my MacBook Pro precisely because of this. I can't access the same settings as on the iPhone. By cons I am 100% agree with your judgment on the bass and midrange. I feel exactly the same!

I've not heard the Sennheisers.

The Sennheisers. I currently have them both. You can stretch them out more with the Sennheiser EQ and your audio source EQ

@@larenzohunt thank you for reply, I think I keep my Sennheiser M3W. Maybe I'll go for Airpods Max then go on sale.

It would be awesome if they didn't need to be put into the case to fully disconnect from the phone. But they do, and I find that more annoying than a power button personally.

@@SuperReview I think it takes just a few minutes for the headphones to go into deep sleep mode without the need to put them into the case, so this option is already there.

I wouldn't count on it >_

Etymotic and Moondrop have related targets, so that one's not so surprising. The FH1s and SSP is interesting, I haven't heard FH1s, not sure if they sound similar or not.

@@SuperReview The er2xr and starfield have almost identical response, does this translate to the sound being almost identical as well?

Depends on your reference point, but no, I think ER2 midrange tuning is stronger. Might seem a minor difference in a graph, but it's more significant than that. There are other things not in graphs.

Agreed, black headband would've been nice, or even a dark green to match the pads.

Hey Alexander. I try to keep the meat of the reviews to the same ~20 minutes. Most of the extra time is just me chatting with the audience, which you can skip if it's not interesting / don't have time.

KSC75

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Sennheiser HD 600

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No, no plans, sorry.

@@SuperReview Thank you for your reply!

Like "boo-DOOP."

Yeah, that's nice I guess. Though I imagine the silicone mesh is the cheapest part of the headband, and it doesn't seem like that is replaceable without also replacing the entire stainless steel assembly, yeah?

How much does it cost to replace? 😳

@@SuperReview apple doesn’t sell the headband separately yet... so no one really knows but atleast u do have that option.

Whoa.

Wow that’s a bold statement. Excited to get mine soon, but I’m leaning I might feel the same. Everyone has different taste so all is good.

The look of the case is what's holding you back?

@@SuperReview Primarily the case. Secondly, no off/on the switch, but in that case....that is a no go for me.

Sadly I haven't heard the Momentums, so I won't be much help. Based on Crinacle's frequency response graphs, the Momentum 3 looks pretty V-shaped, probably sounds fun but looks pretty aggressive. crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/

Thank you Marc for this interesting site. I will study that. With Sennheiser Momentum 3 I heard more and I used a CD quality jazz recording.

@@SuperReview Mark I have a set of the Momentum 3’s which I’d be happy to send you for review and for comparison. I’ve A-B’d them with the AirPods Max and the Pandas. Interesting findings. I think we are getting to an inflection point with multiple product segments in market: consumer, consumer/BT +/-ANC, Audiophile, Audiophile/BT +/- ANC and DSP’d. I suspect we’ll wind up with some convergence of a few these centered around consumer and audiophile with BT/ANC and DSP added based on use case. Certainly an interesting time for audio products. Let me know if you’d like to borrow the Senns for your testing.

@@mathiaslang8022 with the following caveats I can recommend the Momentums 3: their ANC is not as good as Sony/Bose or Apple. Their BT implementation is not as good as the Pandas (they drop off more quickly) and they have the Sennheiser “house” tuning. To me they feel a bit like closed back 6XXs. I think they clearly beat the Sony and Bose offerings for overall SQ. Hope that helps.

Sennheiser soundstage definitely for me.

I do not enjoy listening to them personally.

I'm not an audiophile, but I own a couple of headphones in that price range and never use the QC35 for music listening. For me its only purpose is to be used while working with stuff like Brain.fm.

My intention is not to diminish anyone else's opinion, only to provide my own ✌️

@@SuperReview It's all good, I was just interested if they were similar, because people say the QC35 are more neutral than the XM3/4.

Maybe a bit less bass, but QC35 not really neutral IMO.

Ooh, I never tried with movies.

Got a link to news about it? Very interested.

FWIW I don't think we agree.

I'm not too worried about the looks of the case, I just don't imagine that the inconvenience of putting them into / taking out of the case is how Apple imagines people to use the Max. It's fine for transport, but too clunky for casual, daily usage. Here's Apple's clarification on the power modes. Based on this description, I think the case would not have improved battery life for me since, even in the case, they still wait 18 hours to go into ultralow power mode. And I didn't really ever go 18 hours between using them so realistically it would've never happened for me. support.apple.com/en-us/HT211886

I have the Bose QC35ii with also 20 hours but the battery last way longer than the AirPods Max because you can turn them off completely. There’s too much battery drain even in the case. People don’t wanna use a stupid “case” all the time every time they wanna stop using their headphones.

They'll work on a modern iPod Touch, yeah.

@@SuperReview can i use the ipod 7 to an dac to use tidal mqa with this airpods max? And which dac you can recommend me? Thanks

These are Bluetooth, an external DAC on your phone or iPod is not in play unless you're planning to use AirPods Max wired, in which case I'd probably point you toward something else.

It is surprising that AAC is the best Apple does. That said, I think amplifiers inside BT headphones and general acoustic design are still the biggest limitations of most BT headphones.

@@SuperReview And if I’m not wrong Bluetooth just doesn’t have the bandwidth to support higher quality audio at the moment.

Lots of audiophiles use EQ, don't sweat haters.

@@SuperReview I always wonder who else would use EQ if not audiophiles? It is such a geeky/audiophile thing. You have to understand it to even know what it does and to do correctly is a whole other world. So I never understood people who start hating you when you use EQ lol

I do use a slight EQ always, +1/2 dB to bring out what is lacking. No harm there.

Ha ha, I'm glad someone reads those shirt descriptions :P

@@SuperReview LOLed at that description too, love your sense of humour. Your shirt graphic looks like a cat wearing VR goggles to me; you can’t un-see that now. 😂

I actually kind of like the case. One thing that people fail to mention is that with this type of case you don’t have to adjust the headband every time you the case, like you do with normal enclosed cases. The reason I probably never put my headphones in a case lol.

Nice to know, but I don't really want the case to be part of the required experience. I don't really use headphone cases except for storage, when I'm not using things.

I'm not as opposed to the aesthetic of the case as some people seem. But I'm pretty opposed to the idea that I have to put the headphone back into that case every time I'm done using it. IMO it's a really clumsy thing to do every time I put them down.

@@SuperReview oh yea I completely get it lol. I think the case is hideous and when I get my pair of APM the case will stay at home. I might even find a third party case

Yeah, similar experience here with AirPods Pro as well.

I don’t know dude it works fine for me. It must be something with your devices or iCloud? I use them with iPhone, an iPad, and even Apple TV. I have no problem with switching. Absolutely no comparison to normal Bluetooth headsets and the pain in the ass with switching devices with them.

@@Dave_Outside Who cares if it works fine for some people. Tech isn't only supposed to work for some people when the stars line up just right. I've had 2 pairs of AirPods, 2 pairs of AirPods Pros and tried the Airpod Max's for 3 days and NONE of them worked properly (at best 5% of the time). Maybe the problem is one of Apples other half assed products like my flagship iPhone 12 Pro Max or my iPad Pro 11" huh? What a BS excuse that is. My Sony MX4's stay connected to my iMac and iPhone and ALWAYS switch perfectly as I move from one to the other. Apple is becoming a dirt bag company like all the rest, unscrupulous and will do anything to squeeze a couple more bucks out of it's customers. Of course I expect them to try and make money but not by ripping people off with blatantly false advertising (as it does with the all the different AirPods). P.s. I also had a terrible allergic reaction to something Apple has used in the cushions of the Airpod Maxs that caused my ears to swell up and turn and angry red. I have NEVER had an allergic reaction to the 20 or so headphones I've owned in my life. In fact I've had allergic reactions to 3 Apple products: the Apple Watch sport band, the sport loop and the Airpod Maxs (something that has never happened with any other tech product I've ever bought).

I've tried that a bit and I think I prefer it, but I didn't use it much for the review because all of my music is on my MacBook and the settings don't carry over :'(

Such a bizarre design choice.

Cheers Kazuki ✌️ Happy New Year.

Drop Panda is my favorite that I've heard. I have a review of it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GIVY24Ka7vk.html

Don't think I tried that, sorry.