One More One More Thing - Apple Unveils AirPods Max

[aditya vardan]

I saw the airpod max on the apple store they look like head phones 

[Video Beagle]

22 hours ago, aditya vardan said:

I saw the airpod max on the apple store they look like head phones 

Thanks for that johnny on the spot report!

[Pndude1000]

On 12/8/2020 at 10:01 AM, Lord Vile said:

Maybe they don't want a console... Also the consoles can't play games at 8K and barely have ray tracing if the 6000 series has anything to go by. 

 

Also you cannot get good headphones for 35. These are likely competing with the 1000MX4's from sony which go for £350 and the QC 35's which go for £300 MSRP but can be found cheaper. Interested as to how these sound personally and wonder if they can justify the price. If they can beat Bose in ANC I'll be impressed. Not that hard to beat them in sound.

Well, you get the point I was trying to make.

[s_k]

Without having heard them, I cobbled together an impression of these things from all of the reviews I read and saw. So here's my evaluation on headphones I haven't even seen, let alone heard in real life.
Of course I explain in the video what on earth I base it on:

 

[hishnash]

On 12/13/2020 at 11:37 PM, Video Beagle said:

Curiously Linus and Luke on WAN didn't even blink at the price.

Many headphones can cost a lot more than the AirPods Max. Thee real question is what is the sound quality like compared to other $400 - $600 headphones and how much do the added features provide. This may well depend a lot on your usecase, i expect if you do a lot of film/tv watching with headphones on the quality of the DobyAtoms experience on these headphones will make them a very compelling option even if for plain music playback they are not to your liking. 

[jesus123]

1 hour ago, hishnash said:

Many headphones can cost a lot more than the AirPods Max. Thee real question is what is the sound quality like compared to other $400 - $600 headphones and how much do the added features provide. This may well depend a lot on your usecase, i expect if you do a lot of film/tv watching with headphones on the quality of the DobyAtoms experience on these headphones will make them a very compelling option even if for plain music playback they are not to your liking. 

Exactly. I feel like a comparison to B&W PX/P7s or Beoplay H9is or even the 800$ new Beoplay h95 are the better comparison then those comparing it to Bose and Sony. Its not the same Category. Those listed models are equally well built and are  said to have great sound at similar prices. If the AirPods Max compare to those they are a good deal for Apple users due to the IOS integration. If not they aren't. although I prefer the design and features on those listed to be honest.

[514_AppleGuy]

I just ordered my pair yesterday, in blue color, with engraving. Estimated shipping shows 8-10 weeks, looks forward to giving them a try.

[LAwLz]

7 hours ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

I just ordered my pair yesterday, in blue color, with engraving. Estimated shipping shows 8-10 weeks, looks forward to giving them a try.

Is engraving really a good idea? I'd imagine it kills the second hand value, hence why Apple often gives it away for free. 

[Bombastinator]

4 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Is engraving really a good idea? I'd imagine it kills the second hand value, hence why Apple often gives it away for free. 

They’ve got a non removable rechargeable battery like basically all wireless devices.  As such the thing is good for a few years and is then junk.  They don’t have much used value.  I hate disposable stuff like that.  

[514_AppleGuy]

15 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

They’ve got a non removable rechargeable battery like basically all wireless devices.  As such the thing is good for a few years and is then junk.  They don’t have much used value.  I hate disposable stuff like that.  

That's true. However, because of this, Apple offers two different tiers of "Whole Unit Replacement", one "battery" price tier, and another for any other issues. Apple does this specifically because they know batteries are consumable wear items and don't want the customer to absorb the full replacement cost due to an OOW defective or consumed battery. 

 

Take any MacBook Pro made after 2012. The battery is embedded into the top case, which includes the top enclosure, keyboard, microphones, various connectors, and on certain models also includes the speakers and trackpad. The "battery" price tier for a top case is CAD $259, while the other price tier (for any other issues) is up to around CAD $549. 

 

So when the built-in battery on the AirPods Max dies, I'll be able to get a new pair of AirPods Max, but at a much, much lower cost than buying a new retail unit. Most Apple products have these separate "battery" price tiers.

[514_AppleGuy]

15 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Is engraving really a good idea? I'd imagine it kills the second hand value, hence why Apple often gives it away for free. 

It does kill the resale value somewhat. But what I would do in this case, would be to wait until the battery no longer holds a proper charge, then have Apple replace them at their lower "battery" pricing tier, which is much lower than an otherwise out-of-warranty replacement cost. The replacement pair of AirPods Max won't have engraving, and you could probably resell them very easily and for a higher value than what you paid for the replacement.

[WhitetailAni]

I'm not planning to buy AirPods Max (the main Mac I will use is a PowerPC G5 running Tiger or Leopard), but I have to admit:
They look amazing.

I guess I'm still stuck with my Logitech G430 wired headset for now.

Complete with hot-glued ear cups (yes, both have come off), loose wires, and sometimes-broken right ear speaker.

[Bombastinator]

5 hours ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

That's true. However, because of this, Apple offers two different tiers of "Whole Unit Replacement", one "battery" price tier, and another for any other issues. Apple does this specifically because they know batteries are consumable wear items and don't want the customer to absorb the full replacement cost due to an OOW defective or consumed battery. 

 

Take any MacBook Pro made after 2012. The battery is embedded into the top case, which includes the top enclosure, keyboard, microphones, various connectors, and on certain models also includes the speakers and trackpad. The "battery" price tier for a top case is CAD $259, while the other price tier (for any other issues) is up to around CAD $549. 

 

So when the built-in battery on the AirPods Max dies, I'll be able to get a new pair of AirPods Max, but at a much, much lower cost than buying a new retail unit. Most Apple products have these separate "battery" price tiers.

Still a replacement not a repair.  iPhones at least get their batteries replaced even if it’s not user performable.  What you’re describing sounds like an obfusticated subscription service and assumes there will even be an available replacement when the battery dies.  What if apple cans the product?

[514_AppleGuy]

7 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

Still a replacement not a repair.  iPhones at least get their batteries replaced even if it’s not user performable.  What you’re describing sounds like an obfusticated subscription service and assumes there will even be an available replacement when the battery dies.  What if apple cans the product?

Apple usually supports products up to 7 years after the last date of retail availability. If I use them heavily, I'll probably go through two batteries and will be able to get 2 replacements. After that, if the battery gets consumed again, I'll probably just get an extra-long charging cable and use them while connected to power. 

[Kisai]

18 hours ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

Apple usually supports products up to 7 years after the last date of retail availability. If I use them heavily, I'll probably go through two batteries and will be able to get 2 replacements. After that, if the battery gets consumed again, I'll probably just get an extra-long charging cable and use them while connected to power. 

 

Honestly, the price sticker doesn't surprise me so much as the claims. No wireless headphones are superior to wired headphones. Period. Having that extra weight of batteries on your head? Bad for your head and ears. Even the earbuds are generally a bad idea, you simply do not want batteries in your ears. I'm sure there's been no reports of the batteries overheating, yet, but given the experience of damn near everything with batteries, I wouldn't want wireless headphones at all.

 

What I want from "good" headphones is a detachable analog/digital cable, detachable microphone, and a headband that doesn't leave a dent in my hair after wearing it for an hour.

 

 

[Bombastinator]

23 hours ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

Apple usually supports products up to 7 years after the last date of retail availability. If I use them heavily, I'll probably go through two batteries and will be able to get 2 replacements. After that, if the battery gets consumed again, I'll probably just get an extra-long charging cable and use them while connected to power. 

My understanding was there was no hard-wired connection.  That might only be audio though I suppose.  Also the claim that the system seems to be a discount being offered on a new model rather than the battery actually being replaceable.  Or at least such a solution was described by another poster. 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Bombastinator

[514_AppleGuy]

2 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

My understanding was there was no hard-wired connection.  That might only be audio though I suppose.  Also the claim that the system seems to be a discount being offered on a new model rather than the battery actually being replaceable.  Or at least such a solution was described by another poster. 

A product replacement due to a consumed battery is very heavily discounted. 

[saltycaramel]

One common theme of Airpods Max reviews: tech youtubers having trouble understanding that the 35$ “cable” is an ADC.

And wondering why they can’t just use a DAC, or why if you use the ADC “cable” you lose track skipping controls but you still can control the (post-DAC) volume in the cans... (just watched Linus latest video on these)

[And Im Javert]

Seem alright, wouldn’t buy them till I’ve listened to a pair but the price seems fairly justified if they can beat out the W1000 in sound, ANC and have the other bells and whistles too. 

[CTR640]

APM looks damn ugly, sorry but at such prices there are better options. Even the Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless is cheaper and yet it provides superior sound and it can be used wired too so if battery is degraded too much, you can use it wired. And there are many many other options out there.

[wanderingfool2]

On 12/30/2020 at 11:22 AM, saltycaramel said:

One common theme of Airpods Max reviews: tech youtubers having trouble understanding that the 35$ “cable” is an ADC.

And wondering why they can’t just use a DAC, or why if you use the ADC “cable” you lose track skipping controls but you still can control the (post-DAC) volume in the cans... (just watched Linus latest video on these)

I think one of the issues was the concept that you need a lightning to 3.5mm jack for the phone, then 3.5mm to lightning for the headphones (instead of using a single cable).  This compared to ones like Bose which have the 3.5 mm jack just working.

[saltycaramel]

Yeah, it is pretty funny to think about the fact that this is happening:

 

iPhone -> lightning digital out —> DAC in the lightning-to-jack dongle —> analogue —> ADC in the jack-to-lightning cable —> DAC of the headphones —> amp of the headphones —> analogue sound —> ears

 

in other words: DAC > ADC > DAC

 

but it’s the product of the ligthning port lacking the legacy analogue output pins (that were present on the old iPod connector before 2012)

 

crucially, it works virtually lagless (for all intents and purposes), fortunately