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Apple Announces $550 Headphones

Durask

Member
No bass?

wat

You do get some bass if you turn off noise reduction completely, but to me it is still on the thin side.
They (QC35) are good on the plane and also when I need to talk on my phone for a long time so I use them for video conferencing these days, but for music I don't like their sound that much.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
I just heard that a friend of mine worked on these as their main job for the last 6 years. Insane.

You heard it here first


9to5 Mac said:
It’s not clear what Dave’s role was, but his degree is in graphic design. It’s likely that engineering work began before there would be a need to involve a graphic designer, so four years is a minimum time – development may have been going on for significantly longer.
 
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CAB_Life

Member
Swapping to Android's ecosystem this year looking more and more like the sane choice. Apple continues to be the official supplier for artisinal soy boys with more money than sense.
 
People who can't afford them will buy them up to give the appearance they are important and rich. I bet you can get better sounding headphones for a quarter of the price. Sad sad apple sheeple.
 
I remember laughing at a quote Dr. Dre gave when attempting to differentiate his product from other available brands. “Most people often lose that specific sound when listening to music through inferior hardware. With Beats, you hear the music the way the artist intended, the way I do.”

What a load of bullshit 😂😂😂.
 
I don't know how everyone is jumping to the conclusion that these are terrible or overpriced considering no one has even used them yet. There are no reviews. People laughed at the HomePod too, but it turned out the audio quality was good for the price.

$550 is certainly a lot to spend on headphones for a typical person, but if you care about audio quality, it might be a reasonable price. So let's just wait to see if they actually sound good. I bet they do. As good as other headphones in the same price point? Who knows.
 
Everything from apple is overpriced tho.

I would love to do a challenge with some Lidl headphones.
It's all subjective. When people call Apple stuff "overpriced" they tend to just focus on only the factors that matter to them and ignore the parts they don't care about. Are there wireless in-ear headphones that sound as good or better than the AirPods Pro for $250? No question. But people who buy AirPods Pro aren't doing it solely for sound quality. They are doing it for style, convenience, something that fits into the ecosystem they are already using, and added features that other headphones don't have.

There are certainly some ridiculously priced Apple products but not all of them are.
 

Bogey

Banned
Nah, I just make a fuckload of money and buy lots of nice stuff.

I'll be honest, I never understood that logic.

I make... Multiples of a fuckload of money. I wouldn't mind spending a fair bit of money on good audio equipment. But I'm not gonna waste it on inferior products.

Some people seem to equate "nice" with price or maybe public image, rather than with actual product quality.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Still don’t know what the fuck they were thinking with that “case”

I was thinking that today. I will need a second case on top of this “case” to prevent the band and sides from getting scuffed up in my bag. But I also need this thing to put them to sleep mode. Truly a baffling design choice.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
I'll be honest, I never understood that logic.

I make... Multiples of a fuckload of money. I wouldn't mind spending a fair bit of money on good audio equipment. But I'm not gonna waste it on inferior products.

Some people seem to equate "nice" with price or maybe public image, rather than with actual product quality.

You don't know that's inferior, though. And if it turns out that they are, back they will go.

The case, however, oof...that's a tough one.
 

supernova8

Banned
Fuck paying that much for headphones, I've never had a pair that didn't start breaking in some way, big or small, after two years

I've got a set of JBL Tune BT 500 for about $40 and they're doing just fine. I would never spend $500 (or even $100) on a set of headphones. Fuck that I'm not a music producer. I don't need to hear people sneezing in the background.
 

Sandy8992

Neo Member
How did they sound when you listened to them?

If you ask me about Sony the sound signature is too good. Worth every penny that you pay for. Also, these headphones have pretty good battery life.
They are perfect for me and I would also recommend you guys the same. You won't regret paying for them.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
UtOOGlM.png



Got mine today. Here are some impressions

Music
- Bass. Positively surprising slam, helps that they are closed back. Reminds me of my Foster TH-600s bass performance, better than I have had for a travel headset. Tested song: Royksopp - Skulls
- Soundstage and localisation. A surprisingly airy and large sound stage with strong separation, but less strong localisation. Tested songs: Coldplay: Magic (Live at Enmore), Yosi Horikawa: Bubbles
- Mids and highs. Very clear and open. Reminded me initially of my Oppo PM-3s, however the bass end is much more potent than in them. Suzanne Vega: Luka, Depeche Mode: Enjoy the Silence

Gaming
- Dolby Atmos on Xbox. These worked extremely well with Xbox, with a strong sense of space and pleasant explosions. Tie fighters make an awesome sound. Shame that you need to buy the $30 cable to use the AirPod Max with consoles, surely it would not have killed their BOM to include one in every box. Tested games: Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Cyberpunk 2077

Films
- Spatial audio.
Really fantastic audio performance in Star Wars, takes me straight into the film even on my iPhone 12 Pro Max small screen. Blade Runner with Vangelis sounds fantastic as well, those loud echoing beats in the opening credits have a lot of space, and the explosions of fire in the flyover sound phenomenal. Tested Films: Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, Blade Runner


Design
Really like the design, feels premium yet understated at the same time, no Apple logo in sight. The engraving is in a weird place, looks like an afterthought. They are also pleasantly thin in profile so that you don't look as much like an idiot with them on. The "smart case" is utterly laughable and of no functional value in my opinion, I would not jam these into a full bag in just that, I will need to find a proper hard case.


Price / Value
The price is quite steep, but I think that compared to Oppo PM-3s which is the closest example at $469 or Bose QC35 at $250, I think the AirPods Max offer superior value. The bass and soundstage are much better, and clarity is similar. The surround sound, wireless and noise cancellation make these a better deal in my books.

Final verdict
I am moderately positively surprised with the bass and soundscape, which are personally my most preferred aspects of headphones. For me, these make a great travel and gaming headset, defintely much better than what I currently have for those purposes - Oppo PM-3, AKG 720. But in home I will continue to listen to music with my Hifiman HE-1000s and Sennheiser HD820s.

The sound signature is very similar to AirPods Pro, probably because of the live EQ algorithm. So if you enjoy their sound, this is a much more refined version of that sound.
 
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BeardGawd

Banned
UtOOGlM.png



Got mine today. Here are some impressions

Music
- Bass. Positively surprising slam, helps that they are closed back. Reminds me of my Foster TH-600s bass performance, better than I have had for a travel headset. Tested song: Royksopp - Skulls
- Soundstage and localisation. A surprisingly airy and large sound stage with strong separation, but less strong localisation. Tested songs: Coldplay: Magic (Live at Enmore), Yosi Horikawa: Bubbles
- Mids and highs. Very clear and open. Reminded me initially of my Oppo PM-3s, however the bass end is much more potent than in them.

Gaming
- Dolby Atmos on Xbox. These worked extremely well with Xbox, with a strong sense of space and pleasant explosions. Tie fighters make an awesome sound. Shame that you need to buy the $30 cable to use the AirPod Max with consoles, surely it would not have killed their BOM to include one in every box. Tested games: Star Wars Fallen Jedi, Cyberpunk 2077

Films
- Spatial audio.
Really fantastic audio performance in Star Wars, takes me straight into the film even on my iPhone 12 Pro Max small screen. Blade Runner with Vangelis sounds fantastic as well, those loud echoing beats in the opening credits have a lot of space, and the explosions of fire in the flyover sound phenomenal. Tested Films: Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, Blade Runner


Design
Really like the design, feels premium yet understated at the same time, no Apple logo in sight. The engraving is in a weird place, looks like an afterthought. They are also pleasantly thin in profile so that you don't look as much like an idiot with them on. The "smart case" is utterly laughable and of no functional value in my opinion, I would not jam these into a full bag in just that, I will need to find a proper hard case.


Price / Value
The price is quite steep, but I think that compared to Oppo PM-3s which is the closest example at $469 or Bose QC35 at $250, I think the AirPods Max offer superior value. The bass and soundstage are much better, and clarity is similar. The surround sound, wireless and noise cancellation make these a better deal in my books.

Final verdict
I am moderately positively surprised with the bass and soundscape, which are personally my most preferred aspects of headphones. For me, these make a great travel and gaming headset, defintely much better than what I currently have for those purposes - Oppo PM-3, AKG 720. But in home I will continue to listen to music with my Hifiman HE-1000s and Sennheiser HD820s.

The sound signature is very similar to AirPods Pro, probably because of the live EQ algorithm. So if you enjoy their sound, this is a much more refined version of that sound.
You're throwing me off by saying these have nice bass (a must in my eyes at this price range) but then say they remind you of the Airpod Pros which have barely any bass at all..
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
You're throwing me off by saying these have nice bass (a must in my eyes at this price range) but then say they remind you of the Airpod Pros which have barely any bass at all..

For context, I have never listened to good IEMs so my references are Apple EarPods and AirPods, compared to them AirPod Pros have proper bass slam. I guess overall the balance feels similar between Pros and Max - very clean if not austere mids (Oppo PM-3 style), paired with slammy slow bass (Fostex style).

It’s very subjective though, here are my initial Pro impressions for reference:

 

kevm3

Member
$550 is not expensive in the headphone world, but I doubt that these will compete with other offerings in its category. These will pretty much sell off of being an Apple fashion icon and if enough Celebs put these on, I'm sure Apple can ship off a decent amount.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
Considering how much people are prepared to pay for high end headphones from tiny brands, this is gonna sell really well.
This right here. Stop making it like Apple went crazy with price - people buy way more expensive shit from small micro brands that have nothing going for them. I’m heavily into mechanical watches and that industry is also getting invaded by $1k micro brands using OEM movements from ETA/Swatch. People fork cash for them then complain about Rolex prices.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
A local mall has them (about 30 min drive). A Blue and Black pair are mine and my bro. Have to wait till 7pm to get them though cause need an appointment.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
UtOOGlM.png



Got mine today. Here are some impressions

Music
- Bass. Positively surprising slam, helps that they are closed back. Reminds me of my Foster TH-600s bass performance, better than I have had for a travel headset. Tested song: Royksopp - Skulls
- Soundstage and localisation. A surprisingly airy and large sound stage with strong separation, but less strong localisation. Tested songs: Coldplay: Magic (Live at Enmore), Yosi Horikawa: Bubbles
- Mids and highs. Very clear and open. Reminded me initially of my Oppo PM-3s, however the bass end is much more potent than in them. Suzanne Vega: Luka, Depeche Mode: Enjoy the Silence

Gaming
- Dolby Atmos on Xbox. These worked extremely well with Xbox, with a strong sense of space and pleasant explosions. Tie fighters make an awesome sound. Shame that you need to buy the $30 cable to use the AirPod Max with consoles, surely it would not have killed their BOM to include one in every box. Tested games: Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Cyberpunk 2077

Films
- Spatial audio.
Really fantastic audio performance in Star Wars, takes me straight into the film even on my iPhone 12 Pro Max small screen. Blade Runner with Vangelis sounds fantastic as well, those loud echoing beats in the opening credits have a lot of space, and the explosions of fire in the flyover sound phenomenal. Tested Films: Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, Blade Runner


Design
Really like the design, feels premium yet understated at the same time, no Apple logo in sight. The engraving is in a weird place, looks like an afterthought. They are also pleasantly thin in profile so that you don't look as much like an idiot with them on. The "smart case" is utterly laughable and of no functional value in my opinion, I would not jam these into a full bag in just that, I will need to find a proper hard case.


Price / Value
The price is quite steep, but I think that compared to Oppo PM-3s which is the closest example at $469 or Bose QC35 at $250, I think the AirPods Max offer superior value. The bass and soundstage are much better, and clarity is similar. The surround sound, wireless and noise cancellation make these a better deal in my books.

Final verdict
I am moderately positively surprised with the bass and soundscape, which are personally my most preferred aspects of headphones. For me, these make a great travel and gaming headset, defintely much better than what I currently have for those purposes - Oppo PM-3, AKG 720. But in home I will continue to listen to music with my Hifiman HE-1000s and Sennheiser HD820s.

The sound signature is very similar to AirPods Pro, probably because of the live EQ algorithm. So if you enjoy their sound, this is a much more refined version of that sound.

Thanks for the feedback, man. Bubbles is such a great test track.
 

.hacked

Member
A local mall has them (about 30 min drive). A Blue and Black pair are mine and my bro. Have to wait till 7pm to get them though cause need an appointment.

thank you Santa!


now only if my lighting to headphone jack cable would show up I’d be all set (fedex was a no show today). Hope they drop it off tomorrow.
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Wow these headphone are awesome. Usally hate over ear stuff becuase it hurts my ears but these put all the weight on my skull behind ears so super comfy.
 
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