Airpods Max: an Android User's Perspective

[James]

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Are Apple’s Airpods Max wireless headphones still worth their $550 price tag for Android users who don’t get all the features (including their awesome Spatial Audio)?

 

 

[Commodus]

So eager to post the video isn't up!

 

(Edit: now it is, clearly just wasn't ready yet)

[514_AppleGuy]

Honestly, I wouldn't get them if I had an Android phone. No point in spending the premium just so you get miss out on features. I tried Spacial Audio with my iPhone SE and AirPods Pro, and it works damn well. 

[TempestCatto]

Can I just say, I find it distracting when the background music is too low? Maybe it's my ADHD, but my brain tries to listen to it and end up tuning out the presenter, then I miss the context of what's going on. There's a happy medium between the two, videos of yesteryear were pretty good about this. The overall music volume needs to come up a few clicks or so.

[SenKa]

7 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

Can I just say, I find it distracting when the background music is too low? Maybe it's my ADHD, but my brain tries to listen to it and end up tuning out the presenter, then I miss the context of what's going on. There's a happy medium between the two, videos of yesteryear were pretty good about this. The overall music volume needs to come up a few clicks or so.

Not just you! Mind you, I also have pretty bad ADHD.

[Commodus]

Having watched the video, there's not much to disagree with — moreso than regular AirPods, there's no real reason to get the AirPods Max if you aren't deep into Apple's world.

 

I'd love to have these myself as I don't anticipate leaving the Apple ecosystem, but I'm also not in the market for over-ears. If I get any Apple audio product it'll likely be the Powerbeats Pro for that time when it's safe to go to the gym again.

[SenKa]

Seems im too early to see the warfare of "apple bad" vs "apple good" in the comments, but I'll put in my two cents as somebody who is certainly crotch deep in the ecosystem. In no specific order I own:
2014 Macbook Air

2011 Macbook Pro 13"

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Apple Watch Series 4

iPad Pro 12.9" + Magic Keyboard + Apple Pencil

Airpods Pro

 

The only things im missing that I want are the apple card (I am aware so far as credit cards go it's nothing spectacular. but I use CC's as debit cards i pay once a month, so it doesn't matter), and the magsafe wallet. Notice the Airpods Max arent on that list. Thats because I don't wear over ears in public anymore, and Im very happy with my propods to the point where I can't justify $550 on headphones.

 

I feel for *most* people, excluding those who use headphones as a fashion statement and those who just still think it's the early 2000's when over ears in public was a thing, the propods are probably the better buy. But, the airpods max seem super cool and I might buy them second hand in a year or two.

[Amias]

1 hour ago, SenKa said:

Seems im too early to see the warfare of "apple bad" vs "apple good" in the comments, but I'll put in my two cents as somebody who is certainly crotch deep in the ecosystem. In no specific order I own:
2014 Macbook Air

2011 Macbook Pro 13"

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Apple Watch Series 4

iPad Pro 12.9" + Magic Keyboard + Apple Pencil

Airpods Pro

 

The only things im missing that I want are the apple card (I am aware so far as credit cards go it's nothing spectacular. but I use CC's as debit cards i pay once a month, so it doesn't matter), and the magsafe wallet. Notice the Airpods Max arent on that list. Thats because I don't wear over ears in public anymore, and Im very happy with my propods to the point where I can't justify $550 on headphones.

 

I feel for *most* people, excluding those who use headphones as a fashion statement and those who just still think it's the early 2000's when over ears in public was a thing, the propods are probably the better buy. But, the airpods max seem super cool and I might buy them second hand in a year or two.

Is this satire?

[Video Beagle]

First, I applaud this video...it was rather well done and even professional like. Much less of the..childishness...that often hits LTT's Apple based videos.  Especially the title. It's a REALLY good one. (though maybe lay off the use of the "arrogance" word in rants about Apple....Linus calling out someone else for arrogance is a bad look.)

 

Second, I've not tried the Max, but seen other videos..LTT's conclusion matches MacRumor's video pretty closely.  They're VERY GOOD and sound incredible etc. BUT not so much that they're worth getting if you're not in the Apple ecosystem. Can't say LTT is anti-Apple with the same opinion that MacRumors, which I'd say would maybe just maybe slightly lean pro-Apple has.

 

Third, I'm a long time Apple user of all stuff. (I personally would not get these as my hearing isn't good enough to spend $55 on headphones much less $550). And I think LTT is DEAD RIGHT on their complaint that android users (or just PC users) have such a reduced feature set. While some stuff, like the 3d sound which the video points to being a function of the phone rather than the headphones makes sense, that at a bare minimum Apple doesn't put out an android app themselves for the configuration stuff is really just wrong.

 

13 hours ago, SenKa said:

I want are the apple card (I am aware so far as credit cards go it's nothing spectacular. but I use CC's as debit cards i pay once a month, so it doesn't matter)

When I got my new iPhone (se2020) that could do ApplePay, I signed up for the AppleCard, in part, cuz I really just wanted a metal credit card to kill with   It quickly saved my butt though, as I'd gone to the grocery and realized as I was checking out I'd forgotten my wallet, and thus used the iPhone to pay  with a little cash back. so worth it for a few clicks on a website

[RejZoR]

16 hours ago, 514_AppleGuy said:

Honestly, I wouldn't get them if I had an Android phone. No point in spending the premium just so you get miss out on features. I tried Spacial Audio with my iPhone SE and AirPods Pro, and it works damn well. 

People keep saying this with Apple ecosystem this and Apple walled garden that. But it really depends on the use. I use my AirPods 2 exclusively on Windows 10 computers and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. Sound is great, I have additional control over bass via Windows controls, I can use Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos on them, hell, touch controls even work with MusicBee media player. Not that I use them, but I did try them once. Maybe if you're planning on using them with Android, then sure. But there are use cases where they may work great, like in mine with Windows 10. They work so well I actually game with them in the evenings coz they are just so comfy and have great sound.

[captain_to_fire]

I didn’t know that Linus listens to WAP lol  

I guess Linus is “a certified freak, seven days a week”...

 

/jk

[bruhsfx2]

In the video (3:34) Linus mentioned that it is because AAC is more computational demanding that Android devices cannot match the quality on iPhone when paired with AAC-only BT headsets. This is true, however there's another reason at play: the encoder itself. 

 

All Apple devices, including Hackintosh macOS, use CoreAudio AAC encoder, which produces the best perceived quality.

Android since 4.1 adopted FDK AAC encoder, which comes second at quality ranking among all AAC encoders. However I don't know if Android uses FDK AAC to encode AAC-LC. 

Windows uses MediaFoundation AAC encoder, which is pure garbage at below 160-Kbps, compared to previous 2. 

Libav/ffmpeg native AAC encoder comes at last (default Windows OBS AAC encoder). 

[hishnash]

On 1/2/2021 at 1:34 AM, bruhsfx2 said:

this is true, however there's another reason at play: the encoder itself. 

Yep and for ACC it is not just the output bitrate it is also the quality of the audio processing. ACC was developed with the idea of removing parts of the audio track that you will not hear so that there are more bits for the range of audio you can hear.

The ability to run this type of processing over the audio stream and correctly identify what is redundant data that can be dropped is not easy and apples CoreAudio ACC is by fare the best at this task. It would not even surprise me if apple tweak the algorithm slightly depending on what headphones you are using based on the sound profile that the devices can reproduce (aka not waisting bits on data that is not reproducible by the driver).