Apple introduces over-ear AirPods Max for Rs 59,900

Nalin said:
Do you think HD25 has more details then Etymotics? I like it's signature too, can HD25 compare with full size open backs like HD6XX or Sundara for example.
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That's a very good question. I've used my old Etys for onstage monitoring but possibly never in studio/ home studio.
Etys are possibly flatter than HD25 with very good detail retrieval.
HD25 are not VERY accurate, they are definitely bass boosted yet very bright with possibly a touch recessed mids.
But they scale up like a crazy monster. With good tubes ( I have very good tube amplifier) they sound glorious albeit in a very small in the head soundstage.
Unless you're familiar with this kind of signature, you may not like this kind of energy in such a small headspace. It's kind of fatigue inducing.
But it's a freaking beast, Tracking and mixing acoustic drums is a pleasure in them. The mix sounds huge in monitors/ speakers.
They sound just polar opposite to the dark yet fantastic sounding HD600.
BUT this particular signature is an acquired taste, it grows on you.
I have a special soft spot for hd25. There are cans like DT880 ( 600 ohms) Aeon ( Dan Clark) even Sundara I have/ had with brilliant sound quality, but the all plastic hd25 is indeed special.
I've never bought very expensive stuff like 800S/ Focal clear, some crazy Abyss headphones ( heard them all briefly) But I've stopped buying crazy expensive headphones. 1000 USD is the limit for me now.
 
red dragon said:
I have heard great things about it too. But beware of the QC issues. Some liked the K361 BT too.
Unless you absolutely need something wireless, stay wired. For 8.5k in India, you can buy HD25 . I bought them with double the price, even at 17-18k they were absolutely phenomenal.
You can spend buy Focal headphones for 50k-1L INR, but HD25 are more detailed. Though focal has significantly better soundstage, comfort, and almost similar details.
You can buy Sennheiser's own hd800s for around 1.5 L but HD25 will give you more details.
A sensible combination within budget is a HD560 with a tube amp ( or Topping NX4/fiio Q3 on the go)
Another very reasonable upgrade is something cheap like M40X with fiio btr3k.
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QC issues were there in non BT version which was released earlier. Atleast I assume those are ironed out by now.
I am neither an audiophile not an avid listener. Just need a good sounding headphone for Music & movies. Have considered XM2 (2nd hand), however sound quality bothered me to skip it.

After multiple YT reviews, decided on 371BT (as it have better build than 361BT). HD25 seems to be very good, wish they had wireless option. It would be great if you suggest some wireless option (budget can go till 15k)

Remember you directed me to DMS and hooked me into Akg K361/K371 series.
 
Personally I've never heard those AKGs. Have you considered Sennheiser's HD4.5 ( they have a newer model, don't know the number) ?
I would suggest you to stay away from current Sony offerings ( unless you need the best ANC) XM4 sounds very unnatural, but many people love that sound.
Audition them if possible ( XM4 is available everywhere and you may get a slightly used one in your budget, PXC 550 II is probably right within your budget too)
If you like the sound of XM4, get it used.
 
Not much idea about M60, M50 is a very average can with very harsh highs. They are not terrible for mixing though. DT770 anyday over M50. M40 Is a better option IMHO.
For mixing and monitoring NDH20 is the best I've ever heard. They are the flattest among all, extremely dependable.
 
Guys, if you want suggestions, please don't ask about just which headphones, but also tell what kind of sound signature you like.
@red dragon 's choices depends upon what sound signature he likes or has to use keeping' music production' in mind whereas you might not like the same sound signature.
I certainly didn't like the HD25 sound signature being used to the complete opposite sound of HD650. But, I knew that when going in and just wanted to try a new sound and see if it works for me or not.
So please keep this important point in mind.

Personally, I agree with him that Senn PXC 550 sound better than XM3/4 but that mighy not be true for everyone as everyone has different tastes in both the type of music they listen to and the sound signature they like.
 
Try Sundara once with a good amp..you will like it. It pretty much removed every shortcoming of HD 650.
A significant step up ( it belongs to DT880 600 ohm territory...this 600 ohm version sounds better than DT 1880 IMHO, but very difficult to find)
Sundara is possibly the only truly amazing affordable full sized can available now. HD560 is good, but not great..it sounds very different from HD600 if you listen closely and know what to look for in certain songs ( Dark side of the moon is my album to dissect headphones SQ) XM4 does miserably with this masterpiece. Listen to the song Time's intro with XM4, it will miss half the sounds completely!! This song needs very fast bass decay ( I have the original stems, with the EQ, Comp, various other effects applied but not gain staged) it has been my default final test track for any headphones...you can trust me on this, all common wireless cans **** it up completely!!
 
red dragon said:
That's a very good question. I've used my old Etys for onstage monitoring but possibly never in studio/ home studio.
Etys are possibly flatter than HD25 with very good detail retrieval.
HD25 are not VERY accurate, they are definitely bass boosted yet very bright with possibly a touch recessed mids.
But they scale up like a crazy monster. With good tubes ( I have very good tube amplifier) they sound glorious albeit in a very small in the head soundstage.
Unless you're familiar with this kind of signature, you may not like this kind of energy in such a small headspace. It's kind of fatigue inducing.
But it's a freaking beast, Tracking and mixing acoustic drums is a pleasure in them. The mix sounds huge in monitors/ speakers.
They sound just polar opposite to the dark yet fantastic sounding HD600.
BUT this particular signature is an acquired taste, it grows on you.
I have a special soft spot for hd25. There are cans like DT880 ( 600 ohms) Aeon ( Dan Clark) even Sundara I have/ had with brilliant sound quality, but the all plastic hd25 is indeed special.
I've never bought very expensive stuff like 800S/ Focal clear, some crazy Abyss headphones ( heard them all briefly) But I've stopped buying crazy expensive headphones. 1000 USD is the limit for me now.
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Look like it's not for me since Soundstage is the primary thing I am looking for, I replaced stock triple flange on Etys for Spinfits because of this. Focal clear is good but at that price range Arya is the King but since it's Hifiman I am not so sure about it's reliability. HD800S is a different beast all together, it's a must have for any audiophile if they can afford it but it needs a good amp to shine and that adds to the overall cost. Sundara should be on my target.
 
Interesting...but he is DEFINITELY NOT an audio engineer, more like a bedroom producer.
An audio engineer will even test music on a DAW, talk in details about possible DSP correction Apple went with ( that's the most crucial thing...DSP correction...as these cans have a VERY SHALLOW chamber with practically no chance of physical placement / dampening etc..Apple went nuts with DSP correction)
A group of engineers working for Abyss have posted a video, which received a huge backlash from some idiots who didn't know they have made arguably the best headphones of this decade ( Linus has a video of the cans)
They possibly made a video trying to dissect the signal chain..it would have been fun, but they didn't upload it.
Imagine Abyss reviewing such a polar opposite headphones to theirs'...watch it.
 
Spending 60K on Bluetooth headphone is massive waste of money, anyway you look at it.

Even when you factor in convenience.

Because BT headphones/earphones have very minimal shelf-life. After 1.5-2 years, the battery life will drop, making the product unusable. Thankfully, the Airpods Max has replaceable battery. But, then again it's Apple and replacements will cost huge.

And there's the obvious mediocre sound quality.

For under 60K INR you can get:
  1. Meze 99 Headphone for 26K
  2. Fiio FH3 Triple Driver Earphones for 12K
  3. Fiio M3 Pro Hi-Res Music Player for 7K
All of these will beat the AirPods Max to the Pluto and back.
 
Regarding battery degradation...it's a serious issue after 2 years. That's why I tend to prefer BTNC cans which works while charging, when the battery dies, if the cans have good DAC AMP built in, it can be used as a usb wired can a poor source like a laptop's sound card.
Sennheiser beats ALL OF THEM in the department.
Just try the pxc550 or even Momentum 3 in the USB mode with a laptop, it will blow you. The DAC AMP section is brilliant in them.
 
AINDRASIS_GUPTA said:
Spending 60K on Bluetooth headphone is massive waste of money, anyway you look at it.

Even when you factor in convenience.

Because BT headphones/earphones have very minimal shelf-life. After 1.5-2 years, the battery life will drop, making the product unusable. Thankfully, the Airpods Max has replaceable battery. But, then again it's Apple and replacements will cost huge.

And there's the obvious mediocre sound quality.

For under 60K INR you can get:
  1. Meze 99 Headphone for 26K
  2. Fiio FH3 Triple Driver Earphones for 12K
  3. Fiio M3 Pro Hi-Res Music Player for 7K
All of these will beat the AirPods Max to the Pluto and back.
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Bluetooth is a game of connivence, X can beat it under Y amount will not work because only purists like audiophile care for SQ and are willing to compromise with wires for it. Give any general consumer a choice and he will pick wireless version over wired one for the same amount of money.
 
Nalin said:
Bluetooth is a game of connivence, X can beat it under Y amount will not work because only purists like audiophile care for SQ and are willing to compromise with wires for it. Give any general consumer a choice and he will pick wireless version over wired one for the same amount of money.
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I quite disagree.

Most consumers won't know what they're missing out unless you show it to them.

This has been the case since forever. Wireless earphones/headphones are selling because they are being heavily marketed.
red dragon said:
Regarding battery degradation...it's a serious issue after 2 years. That's why I tend to prefer BTNC cans which works while charging, when the battery dies, if the cans have good DAC AMP built in, it can be used as a usb wired can a poor source like a laptop's sound card.
Sennheiser beats ALL OF THEM in the department.
Just try the pxc550 or even Momentum 3 in the USB mode with a laptop, it will blow you. The DAC AMP section is brilliant in them.
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I'll definitely invest into wireless headphones/earphones once I see the tech matures over time! Till then, I'm quite excited to discover more gems in the in-ear monitoring industry, which is expanding at a faster rate than wireless earphones/heaphones.
 
red dragon said:
Please give us some examples of newer IEMs. Always ready to give a try...love wired audio for the quality.
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Well, there's a good option around every available price point:
  1. Around 1K INR: CCA CST (Alternative: Cat Ears Mimi, which is an earbud though but great build & sound)
  2. Around 2K INR: BLON BL03
  3. Around 3-4K INR: Tin T2 Plus (great sound signature but Tin has terrible quality assurance)
  4. Around 6K INR: Fiio FD1, Fiio FH1S (Dual Driver), iBasso iT00
  5. Around 8K INR: Moondrop Starfield
  6. Around 12K INR: Fiio FH3
You can't go wrong with either of these ones.
 
AINDRASIS_GUPTA said:
I quite disagree.

Most consumers won't know what they're missing out unless you show it to them.

This has been the case since forever. Wireless earphones/headphones are selling because they are being heavily marketed.
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Wireless is the future, believe it or not. I know audiophiles hate wireless but sooner or later this is about to happen.

Also I don’t advise anyone for Chi-Fi which I know is quite famous here in India but still one should stay away from it.

Apart from Moondrop Starfield all seems to cater that flavour of the month crowd. One should straight away jump to Etymotics ER2XR or Starfield if budget is concern. But below that there is serious gap of quality iems in general.
 
Nalin said:
Wireless is the future, believe it or not. I know audiophiles hate wireless but sooner or later this is about to happen.

Also I don’t advise anyone for Chi-Fi which I know is quite famous here in India but still one should stay away from it.

Apart from Moondrop Starfield all seems to cater that flavour of the month crowd. One should straight away jump to Etymotics ER2XR or Starfield if budget is concern. But below that there is serious gap of quality iems in general.
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Prejudice isn't great when you're trying to look at things objectively. I suggest you try them out first and then judge whether Chi-Fi IEMs are worth it.

Because the thing you just recommended, i.e. Starfield, loses out to its cheaper alternative that is the Fiio FH1S in terms of imaging, treble extension and bass.

That's why I always suggest people to look at alternatives and options. You never know what gem you might find.
 
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