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

[ayaskant12]

You mean a cable worth 60K + a dedicated DAP + an external DAC for that DAP + amplifier for that DAC all rubber banded together to look like a big box isn't worth it? Come on you have horrible ears : (((

Seriously, there is a point from where it's all diminishing returns and there might not even a discernible difference in audio quality. I'm glad I don't visit that site or Headphone Zone Facebook group anymore. I got myself an Airpods pro last year and with Spotify equaliser it sounds really good to my ears. In layman's terms it's got good 'quality' bass and highs are great without any hint of sibilance and I've been really happy since. Extremely convenient and comfortable too and great for calls. I'd say it was a real steal in the US where it went for 12.5k on black friday.

Max would've been a good buy at 35k.

I have clearly mentioned I don't have the ears or brain to discern the details.
I am a very average consumer audio wise.
There must be something that audiophiles can hear, it's just that I am not blessed with those ears.

Yes after criticizing airpods I myself fell for it. Though now I am opting for cheaper good tws as the battery in those small buds doesn't go beyond 1.5-2 years. So basically use and thrown type airpods. My first Airpods died exactly after a year
But the Airpods Max and bigger headphones will definitely have 3-4 years lifespan

 

[msankadi]

Haha as I said, look at this thread. Fanbois are already here justifying this price and coming up with contorted logic and reasons : "if it sells, it must be worth it".

Later, by their faulty logic they will revert to, "if it sold the most in the US, it must be the best available at the price" or "only people who are poor, dont understand how apple products are the best"

Have never seen such a subservient relationship like the one between apple and its fanboys

I have clearly mentioned I don't have the ears or brain to discern the details.
I am a very average consumer audio wise.
There must be something that audiophiles can hear, it's just that I am not blessed with those ears.

Yes after criticizing airpods I myself fell for it. Though now I am opting for cheaper good tws as the battery in those small buds doesn't go beyond 1.5-2 years. So basically use and thrown type airpods. My first Airpods died exactly after a year
But the Airpods Max and bigger headphones will definitely have 3-4 years lifespan

There are much better options in the market at that price point if you do not have a constraint of buying only from 1 company

 

[Muathaz]

I have clearly mentioned I don't have the ears or brain to discern the details.
I am a very average consumer audio wise.
There must be something that audiophiles can hear, it's just that I am not blessed with those ears.

Yes after criticizing airpods I myself fell for it. Though now I am opting for cheaper good tws as the battery in those small buds doesn't go beyond 1.5-2 years. So basically use and thrown type airpods. My first Airpods died exactly after a year
But the Airpods Max and bigger headphones will definitely have 3-4 years lifespan

Yep, forgot to mention that aspect. You can expect at best 2 years with TWS earphones (battery drops to less than half after that).

There are much better options in the market at that price point if you do not have a constraint of buying only from 1 company

Maybe sound quality wise there are. For comfort, convenience, and call quality? probably not.

Spatial audio is a brilliant feature in addition. too bad it doesn't support netflix/prime as of now.

 

[ayaskant12]

Yep, forgot to mention that aspect. You can expect at best 2 years with TWS earphones (battery drops to less than half after that).



Maybe sound quality wise there are. For comfort, convenience, and call quality? probably not.

Oppo enco w51 is awesome for comfort as well!!
I am loving them but yeah airpods pro at 15k is still a good deal. With all the features crammed into it

2 years of regular listening with tws is wishful thinking at best bro

 

[msankadi]

Yep, forgot to mention that aspect. You can expect at best 2 years with TWS earphones (battery drops to less than half after that).



Maybe sound quality wise there are. For comfort, convenience, and call quality? probably not.

Spatial audio is a brilliant feature in addition. too bad it doesn't support netflix/prime as of now.

It is a nightmare to even use it on Android, I tried it in my office.

Not sure what you mean convenience if it only works with one ecosystem or phone

Sound quality and noise cancellation there is no comparison with the Sony ones. Battery wise again lot better options already exist.

As I said, unless you want to buy only from Apple, you have many better options

 

[raksrules]

I have clearly mentioned I don't have the ears or brain to discern the details.
I am a very average consumer audio wise.
There must be something that audiophiles can hear, it's just that I am not blessed with those ears.

Yes after criticizing airpods I myself fell for it. Though now I am opting for cheaper good tws as the battery in those small buds doesn't go beyond 1.5-2 years. So basically use and thrown type airpods. My first Airpods died exactly after a year
But the Airpods Max and bigger headphones will definitely have 3-4 years lifespan

Few years back, 2009-2012 span of time, I was swayed away by forums like ours and others which talked about high end audio stuff. There was a time when I had bought the FiiO amp, Hi Fi Man (something) earphones from some seller in China, Logitech Triple Fi 10 for around $100 from US and then I realized I actually cannot make out any difference. No offense to people who can but it is just not for me.
I can distinguish between crappy sounding earphones and decent ones but not the high end gear. I have sold all the above mentioned stuff to people on TE and around and now use things which are more value for money and sound decent enough.
When I was in US, I even auditioned the highly regarded Bose QC35 in walmart and understood nothing as to why it was good. Also had got Anker space NC (it was on clearance) for cheap and still didn't understand so sold it.

At present, I have..

Bose Soundsport Wired - At retail price, I would have never bought them. I was strolling through walmart and found these marked down to $25 so got around 3-4 boxes, flipped them for $50-$60 each and kept one for myself. They definitely sound nice.

LG HBS-A100 - I always liked Neckband earphones and LG is great company and these have mini speakers on both sides which are nice.

Samsung Level U - Bought purely from functionality perspective, multipoint - check. non in ear canal - check, decent priced - check. So bought it.

It is a nightmare to even use it on Android, I tried it in my office.

Not sure what you mean convenience if it only works with one ecosystem or phone

Sound quality and noise cancellation there is no comparison with the Sony ones. Battery wise again lot better options already exist.

As I said, unless you want to buy only from Apple, you have many better options

I believe the person you replied to is talking convenience in terms of using with other apple products, not android. Just clarifying.

 

[Nalin]

I absolutely hated AirPods Pro after buying it and happily gave it to my brother, the sound pressure it creates to achieve that magic shallow depth seal is absolutely horrible and I can't stand it for more then 30 mins. Got a bluetooth dac/amp and a wired iem as a replacement.

Edit : This is what I got

Spoiler

 

[ayaskant12]

I absolutely hated AirPods Pro after buying it and happily gave it to my brother, the sound pressure it creates to achieve that magic shallow depth seal is absolutely horrible and I can't stand it for more then 30 mins. Got a bluetooth dac/amp and a wired iem as a replacement.

Edit : This is what I got

Spoiler

View attachment 95603

Yes noise cancellation is definitely not for all. I can't use for long periods either. That sense of vacuum is very bad!

@msankadi bro don't get irritated. I am no apple fanboy. At present I sold even my lovable iPad pro for Tab S7. I just love gadgets and am very objective. If I like something I will praise it. If I don't like I will not.
As far as Airpods go, when it launched there was nothing that even came close to the convenience and quality they offered be it Sony or Any brand.
Battery life, connection, almost everything was great.
I haven't used an iPhone since ages. The Airpods were solely used with various android phones only
@raksrules Man Triple Fi 10 bass was awesome. That depth and punch was too good. But the size was so big that I had to support it to listen to them else they would fall off.
In those times I also came across ear mouldings for triple Fi 10 to be modified to your ear shape and size. That's crazy for people like us but audio nirvana for others
It's a subjective thing

 

[skoka123]

I recall an incident in US. My friend bought an expensive 5.1 Bose speakers that he could not even setup properly. I had to visit his place and setup the 5.1 audio for him. He spent around $1,000 on those speakers. A few days later he came by my place while I was listening to Hoshwalon ko khabar kya from Sarfarosh on my Ceramic Nohr 5.1 speakers. (I got them imported from Thailand where they are made for $800. This was in 2000 - 2001 period.) My friend was stunned at the vocal and musical clarity of those speakers. When I told him that for the money he spent on Bose there are much better alternatives. Guess what he did. He returned those Bose speakers only to spend $1,600 dollars to buy a more expensive Bose Speakers!!!

I guess Fanboys will always be Fanboys!

 

[red dragon]

Bose has fanboys too!!??
Yes, I'm an idiot and have bought wired earphones and headphones way more expensive than this...but given the sound quality of airpod Pros (not even considering the crazy Indian pricing) no way in hell I would go near them
For all my friends who didn't have a chance to listen to airpod pro...if XM3/4 sounds like loud farts, the Pros are slightly less louder due to worse ANC.
Can't believe a company which has a software called Logic Pro X , can come up with these kind of audio hardware!!

 

[Nalin]

Yes noise cancellation is definitely not for all. I can't use for long periods either. That sense of vacuum is very bad!

I actually wanted to say ear pressure not sound pressure. I never experienced ANC previously so it was an experience for me. I tried using it in transparency mode and even then I can feel the pressure. Like if ANC on it is 100% then at off it was 50% and transparency it was still 25%. Then I realised that it was necessary to create that shallow depth seal everyone was raving about.

I can use normal iem for hours but ANC is definitely not for me. It should only be used while travelling when it's must.

 

[Muathaz]

I believe the person you replied to is talking convenience in terms of using with other apple products, not android. Just clarifying.

Also convenience in the form of small case, easy to take out and put it back in, simply works right when taken out, no issue with right and left pairing, no disconnection issues. All these little things add up to a great no hassle experience.

It is a nightmare to even use it on Android, I tried it in my office.

Not sure what you mean convenience if it only works with one ecosystem or phone

Would you please tell me what 'nightmare' it was? I tried it on my Oneplus for a brief period of time and it worked really fine. Sound volume was much lower which is not an issue with just AirPods on 'all' android devices and a couple of features like one ear detection and battery level didn't work.

I absolutely hated AirPods Pro after buying it and happily gave it to my brother, the sound pressure it creates to achieve that magic shallow depth seal is absolutely horrible and I can't stand it for more then 30 mins. Got a bluetooth dac/amp and a wired iem as a replacement.

Edit : This is what I got

It is how ANC works on all earphones/headphones. You can choose not to use it. I personally use the transparency feature 80% of the time. It is extremely useful to me.

I actually wanted to say ear pressure not sound pressure. I never experienced ANC previously so it was an experience for me. I tried using it in transparency mode and even then I can feel the pressure. Like if ANC on it is 100% then at off it was 50% and transparency it was still 25%. Then I realised that it was necessary to create that shallow depth seal everyone was raving about.

I can use normal iem for hours but ANC is definitely not for me. It should only be used while travelling when it's must.

Transparency is exactly the feature why I LOVE my AirPods. There is no pressure or whatsoever in transparency mode and once you wear it for 15 minutes it feels like as if nothing is on your ears. I can't use a normal iem for long periods of time. And this is not just my opinion. Everyone who tried it and even my mother who hates in ear earphones said these are much more comfortable.

 

[msankadi]

Also convenience in the form of small case, easy to take out and put it back in, simply works right when taken out, no issue with right and left pairing, no disconnection issues. All these little things add up to a great no hassle experience.

Would you please tell me what 'nightmare' it was? I tried it on my Oneplus for a brief period of time and it worked really fine. Sound volume was much lower which is not an issue with just AirPods on 'all' android devices and a couple of features like one ear detection and battery level didn't work.



It is how ANC works on all earphones/headphones. You can choose not to use it. I personally use the transparency feature 80% of the time. It is extremely useful to me.

What do you mean no issues? With a low voice airpods issue, missing features how is it hassle-free and not a nightmare - after i pay 10k or 20k for earbuds, apart from compromising on sound quality you are then asking me to compromise on some features as well ?

AirPods shouldn't be used with Android phones, here's why (soundguys.com)


None of the ANC earphones like Sony and Jabra which are highly rated suffer from any disconnection or battery issues, so nothing unique to airpods.

 

[Muathaz]

What do you mean no issues? With a low voice airpods issue, missing features how is it hassle-free and not a nightmare - after i pay 10k or 20k for earbuds, apart from compromising on sound quality you are then asking me to compromise on some features as well ?

AirPods shouldn't be used with Android phones, here's why (soundguys.com)


None of the ANC earphones like Sony and Jabra which are highly rated suffer from any disconnection or battery issues, so nothing unique to airpods.

Valid point.

Sound quality is anyway compromised when you use an Android device

 

[Nalin]

It is how ANC works on all earphones/headphones. You can choose not to use it. I personally use the transparency feature 80% of the time. It is extremely useful to me.


Transparency is exactly the feature why I LOVE my AirPods. There is no pressure or whatsoever in transparency mode and once you wear it for 15 minutes it feels like as if nothing is on your ears. I can't use a normal iem for long periods of time. And this is not just my opinion. Everyone who tried it and even my mother who hates in ear earphones said these are much more comfortable.

Well ANC was just one reason, the other being the sound quality off course which is why I got real deal this time.

I am now thinking of shifting to full size open back headphones completely. AirPods Pro can't satisfy audiophile needs when it comes to sound quality.

 

[alekhkhanna]

I guess we are missing the point.

MKBHD explained it beautifully in his Mac Pro wheels video:

It's not about how many Airpods Max they sell - it's more to do with the fact that it is made by Apple (associated with high quality), it is expensive, and it will keep them in the news and on people's mind. Any mindshare is good mindshare.

Of course, you will have reviewers head over heels on it - Rene Ritchie, Gruber etc (and I am not saying it won't be good), but most reviews will just amplify the brand value of Apple, and give them more exposure and mindshare.

 

[red dragon]

It's audio after all, not a computer and will be measured against true greats..Grado has shown the world what a proper DSP correction is and what it can do ( just polar opposite to Sony's crappy DSP correction)
It Apple can pull off a solid correction ( they failed miserably with the airpod Pros ) things might get interesting.
For audiophiles this price tag is not exactly earth shattering or anything, we idiots have spent 500-600 USD for IEMs not very infrequently, and the sound quality is insanely good, but that's wired audio.
In the wirless world only Grado has been able to inject some magic...let's see..

 

[ayaskant12]

It's audio after all, not a computer and will be measured against true greats..Grado has shown the world what a proper DSP correction is and what it can do ( just polar opposite to Sony's crappy DSP correction)
It Apple can pull off a solid correction ( they failed miserably with the airpod Pros ) things might get interesting.
For audiophiles this price tag is not exactly earth shattering or anything, we idiots have spent 500-600 USD for IEMs not very infrequently, and the sound quality is insanely good, but that's wired audio.
In the wirless world only Grado has been able to inject some magic...let's see..

which grado u talk about?

 

[dissel]

Rene Ritchie, Gruber etc (and I am not saying it won't be good), but most reviews will just amplify the brand value of Apple, and give them more exposure and mindshare.

About Rene Ritchie - I’m wondering for a long time if Apple Inc ends Tomorrow what will he do ? (I know, I’m big fool and Apple will never go away)

Now Youtuber‘s are showing their Car Garage (Rolls Royace, Porche & BMW) justify the price of the Airpod Max.

For the Thread, Those who don’t able to justify the price please head over to Headphone Zone Dot IN and browse through the Brand Like Audeze, HiFi Man, Stax, Astell & Kern, Nobel Audio and Chord Electronics and many more....You will know this Apple Bra is nothing in front of those in terms of product price.

 

[red dragon]

which grado u talk about?

GW100, an open back wireless headphone...just blew me completely... availability is a major problem, I paid a lot more than the retail price ( it keeps on increasing)
I really didn't want to come out with this hidden gem. This is my absolute favourite wireless headphone...by far...and I've tested pretty much all including the Beyer's super expensive wireless range..nothing comes close ( pxc 550 ii remote second) I have/ had 4 Grados, all of them sound same, this thing has some low end...that's the absolute best for the price for me ( in wired mode it's even better when turned on)
Headphone zone is just scratching the surface..they don't even have Odin or Abyss and missing the real good Staxes people do buy.