[Zimmy68]

One thing the early reviews stated that threw me off...
Some mentioned that the ANC was so good they could not hear themselves talk.
I own the Max and have no issue hearing myself talk. There is a dampening effect which I would say is the same I hear on the Sony xm4s.
I took them on my walk last night and another nit (I love the sound and separation) is that I almost have to have them at 100% volume at all times.
That doesn't make sense to me and I wonder if there is a setting I am missing.
Thanks.

 

[tinyman392]

One thing the early reviews stated that threw me off...
Some mentioned that the ANC was so good they could not hear themselves talk.
I own the Max and have no issue hearing myself talk. There is a dampening effect which I would say is the same I hear on the Sony xm4s.
I took them on my walk last night and another nit (I love the sound and separation) is that I almost have to have them at 100% volume at all times.
That doesn't make sense to me and I wonder if there is a setting I am missing.
Thanks.

They may be comparing between ANC and transparency mode? I know with the APP both of these modes have no huge effects on your own voice (they sound like you were saying it yourself. However, if you go into ANC on the APM your voice sounds a little darker (no upper range) for whatever reason while in Transparency mode you kind of get a slight boost there (also adds a little sibilance).

100% is nearly 100-110 dB, that's quite loud. They have a warmer signature, yes, that tapers the upper midrange which in turn does make the midrange sound not nearly as loud as they are actually playing, but it's like a 5dB drop, it's very audible, but not huge.

 

[MrSushi]

Tried one. They sound like a knock off philips shp 9500, though the noise cancellation was really cool ngl

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

I tend to rarely trust manufacturer's FR charts, though there are sometimes some exceptions. A no name brand typically isn't one of them. Especially if they don't tell you what compensation they're using. If that's a raw chart (no compensation) that's going to have a very heavy V-shape to its sound signature.

I listened Valcos today. I think they FR is pretty like shown. Bass is very, very neutral, almost dry. Goes deep. Too bright for me though overalI, prefer my AKG 845bt. Better for my ears.
I believe that Valcos are bargain for person who likes very neutral bass response. There was too much sibilance for me though.
But pretty good for that price.

 

[tinyman392]

I listened Valcos today. I think they FR is pretty like shown. Bass is very, very neutral, almost dry. Goes deep. Too bright for me though overalI, prefer my AKG 845bt. Better for my ears.
I believe that Valcos are bargain for person who likes very neutral bass response. There was too much sibilance for me though.
But pretty good for that price.

Interesting. I might have to try them out.

Edit: I bought the AKG N700NC M2 for like 130 US off Woot (though Amazon has that pricing right now too). That might be more up your alley if you like the 845 BT. The ANC isn't as good as the APM as there are no inward facing microphones, but it's still decent enough. Granted I haven't listened to my 845BT in ages, the N700NC does have the standard Harman curve you'd expect from AKG at this point.

Edit 2: I've been listening to the Ananda BT I got recently, if the Valcos are indeed neutral that would probably be more up my alley as I tend to prefer a DF neutral sound.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

Interesting. I might have to try them out.

Edit: I bought the AKG N700NC M2 for like 130 US off Woot (though Amazon has that pricing right now too). That might be more up your alley if you like the 845 BT. The ANC isn't as good as the APM as there are no inward facing microphones, but it's still decent enough. Granted I haven't listened to my 845BT in ages, the N700NC does have the standard Harman curve you'd expect from AKG at this point.

Edit 2: I've been listening to the Ananda BT I got recently, if the Valcos are indeed neutral that would probably be more up my alley as I tend to prefer a DF neutral sound.

I just listened my AKG's at home, after Valcos. Valcos bass is really good. AKG sounds little muddy and slow now.
Valco is much more accurate. All the way. Maybe i test them again...

Edit: as a matter of fact i think Valco is pretty neutral all the way. I'm confused. 169euros...
Allthough without ANC Valco sounds bad. They need that DSP?

 

[tinyman392]

I just listened my AKG's at home, after Valcos. Valcos bass is really good. AKG sounds little muddy and slow now.
Valco is much more accurate. All the way. Maybe i test them again...

Edit: as a matter of fact i think Valco is pretty neutral all the way. I'm confused. 169euros...
Allthough without ANC Valco sounds bad. They need that DSP?

Their plot is neutral, but I'm not sure how that's compensated, I might email and ask. Though the fact that ANC makes them sound different enough to make them sound bad is very off-putting. A lot of older (5 years ago) ANC headphones (wired or BT) had this sort of issue where the ANC would really mess with the sound signature. There were very few headphones that would sound the same with and without ANC.

As for DSP, keep in mind that ANC itself is DSP, you have to digitally process 2 (or more) signals and combine them for the output you'd want. So it has DSP, but it probably could use some improvement on that end. To be honest, it may be difficult to get the DSP right for ANC; it's taken manufactures quite a few years to do it properly where the underlying sound signature is unaffected.

 

[Author]

One thing the early reviews stated that threw me off...
Some mentioned that the ANC was so good they could not hear themselves talk.
I own the Max and have no issue hearing myself talk. There is a dampening effect which I would say is the same I hear on the Sony xm4s.
I took them on my walk last night and another nit (I love the sound and separation) is that I almost have to have them at 100% volume at all times.
That doesn't make sense to me and I wonder if there is a setting I am missing.
Thanks.

50% volume reaches up to 75db, depending on the track’s recording level. (In my experience on an iPhone). That’s the upmost level (and some will say it exceeds the threshold) for safe hearing. Sounds like a defective unit, or a unique source from which you’re listening, or maybe you’ve got it wired with you on the walk, and whatever it’s wired to has volume control.

 

[yticolev]

At the same time, the markup for a pair of XM4 in Britain is 337 pounds/450 USD which is nearly a 30% markup.

Not a markup. VAT and perhaps duties. US has some of the lowest taxes of major economies. Of course, perhaps good and cheap healthcare and other social benefits more than makes up for that benefit.

 

[yticolev]

100% is nearly 100-110 dB, that's quite loud.

For me also, max volume is only just adequate on much of my library. Some only play at 85 dB average (crudely tested with an iPhone). Some tracks, especially orchestral I can play at 70%. I could live with them despite this, but am returning for other reasons (not SQ).

 

[Rackhour]

Yup, I figured that much. I feel like US prices don't include tax because tax varies, not by state, but by county. The 3 closest Apple Stores in my area have the following sales tax: 10.0%, 7.75%, and 7.5%. The 10% and 7.75% stores are actually about a 10-15 minute drive from one another.

That’s nuts! I’m not an American citizen or resident, so my US tax knowledge is extremely limited; I thought it was by state.

 

[fabripav]

50% volume is 73db on average on my iPhone. I tend to listen to around 80

100% volume would kill my ears very quickly

 

[tinyman392]

That’s nuts! I’m not an American citizen or resident, so my US tax knowledge is extremely limited; I thought it was by state.

Taxes are very weird in the US. As far as sales tax is concerned the store's location generally dictates what taxes are charged. The state has it's own taxes and so does the county. So the total taxes you are charged are for both. So Illinois (where I am) has 7%, Cook County (Chicago and a couple suburbs) has a 3% tax, so you get a sum total of 10%. There are exceptions to this though, and that's a state by state setup. Online sales, for example, in Illinois will require sales tax if the company you're purchasing from has a warehouse/physical business in Illinois; I forget if this changed, they were trying to change it at some point to include all online sales at one point.

There are exceptions to the rules though. One exception to the rule is buying cars. A car's sales tax is dependent on where you live as the sales tax should go to the state/county you are in for their street's infrastructure, so you get charged the sales tax where you register the car, even if you buy out of state. Some states have different taxes for cars, goods, services, etc. For example, if you live in Montana, there is no sales tax for buying cars. Hence registering your car in Montana as a ways of tax evasion became popular.

50% volume is 73db on average on my iPhone. I tend to listen to around 80

100% volume would kill my ears very quickly

My phone would probably revert me to 50% volume after about 40-60 minutes of listening at full volume with the built in protect hearing settings that are implemented in the iPhone. 43.75% tends to peak me out around 80-85 dB, but averages around 76 dB (iTunes+ 256 AAC). I normally listen a little quieter with other headphones, but the midrange drop does need that additional 5dB :/

 

[Maukey]

Rtings has finally released their review.

Rtings AirPods Max Review

 

[clerkpalmer]

So, after all this time, you buying the APM finally...you can't resisting! I hope is sufficient good for you after the price you paying. At least you must knowing we paying many more here in Europe for retail price (629€ / $775 USD)

It was always clear I was going to give them a spin. I just needed a new iPhone and iPad first!

Rtings has finally released their review.

Rtings AirPods Max Review

Punchline: the qc35, the 700 and xm4 are better. Ouch. Bring on the pitchforks.