Aplle Airpods Max - preliminary video

Let's not forget what this is. It's a bluetooth, noise cancelling headphone. It just needs to beat Sony-es and Bose-s of this world. It's not and will never be a audiophile headphone. The only real competitor it has is B&O H95. If it manages to beat it, it is mission accomplished for Apple.

Looks like 2021 is the return of the cybermen 😆I do like the volume button.. looks better than the plasticy press buttons you get on most headphones.

Simon Hibbert

The sound of these, well... I wouldn't bother... Maybe I am spoilt Oluv, or I don't know. But I guess that these sound really bad compared to their price. If all that money went into ANC and the design, I guess these would be nice for people who don't really care much about sound.

Solar

The Sony is really bad, it’s not a big thing to make something better. To be honest they didn’t bother me yet regarding weight. I think the Focal Elex is similar weight.

Oluv'Sone

Wow! Apple have definitely managed to blow Sony out of the water with these Wireless Headphones but then again it commands double the price of the XM4. Did the extra weight of the AirPods Max bother you or did you get used to wearing them after a few minutes?

Aayu Panday

If you could suggest me further artists I simply have not the finest experience with this genre

Oluv'Sone

not oluv here but, Marquez browslee sad in his review that they were quite heavy, and that if you would use them while walking that you would feel the weight in your head, but in confort they were ok. Design i don't really like it tho, and u can't turn them off without having to put them in the bag.

I prefer the sound of the q30.. I was not overwhelmed by the aplle 😁. For that price it must be great. Good is not enough.. For me the aplle isnt a must have.. No bad sound, though, but not the best in that price range... You did a great job by showing this live sound experience. Love seeing Vienna in your walks...

At least from the recording it sounds for me that the airpods are a bit better then the anker I'm really surprised that apple gave us nice product but i still think that they overpriced

I know its not your cup of tea, but would love to hear metal more often in these comparisons, since I find it to expose speakers and headphones really quick in my experience. Some Sabaton track maybe or Nightwish, for the patreon only videos, not sure how the youtube flagging works for private videos however :-/ As for the title - Airpods Max vs a 60dollar headphone maybe? ;)

I once bought a licence from Audiojungle I cannot remember the track name, it’s nothing commercial but if you want I’ll look it up in the evening

Oluv'Sone

"Metal is basically modulated pink noise" CLASSIC Also, what IS that metal song? I asked on YT and no one ever answered.

KlarkKentThe3rd

The bag looks """weird""" because Apple knew they needed something "fashionable" and yet "new and unusual", to generate discussion online and thus generate free publicity.

KlarkKentThe3rd

No, it’s rather the recoding, they are very airy in reality if you position them well. I just couldn’t hear it that well through my microphones how I need to place them for the best sound. Meanwhile I practiced a bit I hope my next video will be fine

Oluv'Sone

The Apple Airpod Max miss some upper treble sparkle, apart from that the default EQ seems to be really good. Still, the Anker sound better with your EQ and there's also an annoying peak in the lower treble area on the Apple.

Hi, Oluf. As usual, very nice and helpful video. They don't sound bad to me, better than Anker, though not 10x better. I would say most people will quite like the default EQ settings. The ANC is really impressive. Btw, do they have a built-in EQ? What is your overall impression considering their design, weight and comfort? Are they worth their price as a product if you sum up all their good features? Thank you! Have great holidays!

Alexander

I think the sound is still not quite there. Apple has tuned these to a more crowd-pleasing sound, with boosted bass and a slight midrange hollowness. The Anker sounds better to me, but still, not bad. The ANC is impressive and shows the level of Apple R&D capabilities. The highlight of this video? "Metal is more or less a modulated pink noise" :D Thanks for another great video and Merry Christmas!

Anker with Oluv’s EQ have best sound no doubt.

It’s from TheInThing: https://theinthing.bandcamp.com/releases

Oluv'Sone

Great video, i think you should try also the big apple homepod. Can you tell me what version of Silent night is playing? Thank you!

I think we can say for sure that the ANC is first class without a doubt , soundwise they remind me a lot of the AKG k371 (5 times cheaper) which have a slight bump in the sub low frequencies which add so much depth to the music and is something I really like . Although they sound good and the NAC is great , it's still way way over priced to the point of being insulting . Saying that if I was trapped in the iOS system and had a lot of money I would probably buy them , not so much as an audiophile item but as a fashion statement , but I am not in that kind of thing so really it's irrelevant for me . I have to admit though that as much as I hate apple philosophy, these headphones sounds quite good, on a safe side maybe , i wouldn't be surprised if their frequency Curve is not that far from the Harman Kardon reference Curve . I'm glad you ended up doing this review and what's your final verdict 👍

As Abraham pointed out, when you compare it with 10 times cheaper headphones which sound more or less equal, the result is easily predictable 😀 But there are still some details which can be highlighted, like already mentioned ANC and Transparency mode. I also somehow prefer the sound stage on Airpods Max more, in this aspect Anker sounds way off to me, the scene is unnaturally broad , especially with certain tracks. Also treble, even though emphasized on Apple, does never sound earpiercing, which is not always the case with Anker.

Unsurprisingly, Apple seems to have come out with a great pair of headphones that comes with the typical Apple price tag. The noise floor is quite impressive and that does stand out compared to the Anker, though the Anker is hardly a poor performer here. The transparency mode, that it captures your own voice, is also a nice touch. I can say, though, that I will never, ever buy a pair because of what I consider "value" in headphones, meaning how much sound quality you get for the price. Not a chance. You know, you've created maybe an unfair comparison by bringing such a high-punching, low cost contender into the ring in the Anker (ha ha). Is the sound quality better in the Apple than the Anker? I'm having a really hard time saying so. For me, the Airpods Max does not stand up to all the hype (which I also feel generally about Apple products) and when you can get comparable, if not better, sound in a less expensive pair of headphones, why on earth would you literally spend 10x??? I don't get it. I know there's quite a bit of fan-boyism that will make the Airpods Max a success for Apple, but from an objective standpoint, there's absolutely NO reason to get them, given the more reasonably priced competition. So, what to call the video? Maybe something like "Good, but worth the Apple premium?" Maybe that's too harsh. Just the feeling I'm getting from them. I'd be curious to hear if the ANC *feels* good. Meaning, I've tried a handful of headphones that have this feature, but some cause a lot of in-ear pressure while others don't. Also, other impressions like general comfort, expected battery life, frequency response, would be helpful bits of info. All in all, another great review!

That NC is amazing on the Apple, clearly a lot of RD effort was put into it. In terms of sound, the difference is not audible for me from the Anker. Thanks for the review! Merry Christmas!

Andy