[MayaTlab]

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

Depends on how you interpret their own measurements.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Depends on how you interpret their own measurements.

Well they are pretty objective in their testing and try to take subjectivity out of it. Personally, I think the APM sound better than the Bose and Sony. But I think a lot of folks are going to start trashing rtings now.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Depends on how you interpret their own measurements.

It’s also interesting that rtings tests over sbc only. Not sure how that may or may not impact things.

 

[MayaTlab]

Well they are pretty objective in their testing and try to take subjectivity out of it.

The scoring system though... is very much arbitrary.
And as Jude's post already highlights measurements will differ depending on test rig / methodology, particularly below 250hz or so and above 1000-2000hz. Which is why I think that Rtings in general over-interprets their own measurements and don't take them with enough pinches of salt .
This is not a dig against Rtings in general - I welcome another set of measurements done on another test rig and with a different methodology. I believe that it's quite useful to discern trends across measurements methodologies vs. features specific to a measurement methodology.
As an illustration it's becoming quite clear that the APM has a more or less subdued frequency response in the upper mids / lower trebles. But where exactly and by how much... well it's probably better that you test them for yourself on your own head before passing judgment .

It’s also interesting that rtings tests over sbc only. Not sure how that may or may not impact things.

Probably not much as far as FR curve is concerned.

 

[clerkpalmer]

The scoring system though... is very much arbitrary.
And as Jude's post already highlights measurements will differ depending on test rig / methodology, particularly below 250hz or so and above 1000-2000hz. Which is why I think that Rtings in general over-interprets their own measurements and don't take them with enough pinches of salt .



Probably not much as far as FR curve is concerned.

True but what about distortion? Also guessing they were not tested in an I device at all since you can’t force sbc over an iPhone.
I trust them more for consumer oriented cans and tws headset ms and find their reviews valuable. When it comes to higher end stuff, I don’t find the reviews very helpful. I trust the forum members more here.

 

[MayaTlab]

True but what about distortion?

No idea. But I wouldn't sweat about it, in their own measurements it's probably below what's audible.

 

[tinyman392]

Rtings has finally released their review.

Rtings AirPods Max Review

Keep in mind that Rtings uses a hybrid compensation curve which is Harman from 0-200 Hz and DF neutral from 200 Hz - 20 kHz. The Bose seems actually quite close to their target while the Sony just seems very bassy. The AirPods seem close to their target with the exception of the lower treble. Note I've never trusted their scoring system on any headphone and mainly use them specifically for measurements. The sound isolation stuff is actually quite interesting. The Sony does have an edge on the APM while the APM seems to be in line with the Bose. For whatever reason the APM seem to isolate the midrange very well. Other interesting remark is that they were able to get above the 0.1% distortion. Though they're measuring WHD while Apple and others tend to do THD; I never been able to find a solid definition of what WHD is though.

 

[Maukey]

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

Not surprised. They have the QC35 II and the XM4 as the highest rated wireless headphones out. Better than the Sennheiser Momentum 3, B&W PX7, Shure AONIC 50, and the list goes on. Never agreed with their reviews. Just thought I'd post it. I haven't met a single person who feels that the Bose QC35 II sound better than the Sennheiser Momentum 2 or 3, V-Moda Crossfade II Wireless, or Shure AONIC 50. Their sound ranking is based on neutrality, not tonality, musicality, or just pure enjoyment. The AirPods Max is on another couple of levels above the XM4 and QC35 II when it comes to sound quality in my opinion. For me it's not close. I actually had the XM4 when I first got the Max and compared them with multiple genres. The Max were clearer, more detailed, more accurate, more musical, and more spacious than the XM4. The XM4 just had more bass if that's your thing. The Max is WAAAAY more versatile to my ears.

 

[jhoelter]

My wife has the XM3s and I prefer the APM's noise cancellation, transparency mode, and sound (especially the sound). But with the weight/clamping of the APMs they had to go back.

One nice thing of the APMs is the ability to go from music playing/ANC mode to music stopped/Transparency mode with the push of both buttons at once (with one hand). Very fast to start talking to someone.

 

[tinyman392]

Not surprised. They have the QC35 II and the XM4 as the highest rated wireless headphones out. Better than the Sennheiser Momentum 3, B&W PX7, Shure AONIC 50, and the list goes on. Never agreed with their reviews. Just thought I'd post it. I haven't met a single person who feels that the Bose QC35 II sound better than the Sennheiser Momentum 2 or 3, V-Moda Crossfade II Wireless, or Shure AONIC 50. Their sound ranking is based on neutrality, not tonality, musicality, or just pure enjoyment. The AirPods Max is on another couple of levels above the XM4 and QC35 II when it comes to sound quality in my opinion. For me it's not close. I actually had the XM4 when I first got the Max and compared them with multiple genres. The Max were clearer, more detailed, more accurate, more musical, and more spacious than the XM4. The XM4 just had more bass if that's your thing. The Max is WAAAAY more versatile to my ears.

Their ratings are not based on neutrality... They use a hybrid of the Harman and DF curves which they rate on.

 

[Maukey]

Their ratings are not based on neutrality... They use a hybrid of the Harman and DF curves which they rate on.

I meant they use the term "Neutral Sound" for their rating on sound. I should've put quotes around neutrality.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Generally disappointing for a 650 eur headphone. Rtings review + condensation case + weight etc. I wonder why Apple could not make something really really better than all competition’s offerings. A huge company (sennheiser is like a kiosk in comparison referring to their turnovers), with the best engineers in the world, I guess they should be able to produce something substantially better. What’s holding them back, is really beyond me. They try to make the slimmest and lightest possible in all their products and here they go for the heaviest headphone around! I mean, what is this decision? Obviously every average consumer buying a bt anc headphone would not like to have 400 gr over his head, with all this clamping force that every other reviewer, including rtings, mentions as well. If it was wired / audiophile, it would be a different case, but to this one... I can’t understand some of the recent decisions of this company, really...

From the rtings review:

“The Apple AirPods Max are satisfactorily comfortable headphones. They're very heavy overall, and their clamping force can be fatiguing over time. That said, the ear cups are well-padded and are detachable if you need to replace them. The headband is also comfortable for short listening sessions, but some users may feel that its two metal components put pressure on your head.”

I don’t understand, was there anyone in the company questioning the comfort level of a so heavy headphone? Were they thinking that they produce a laptop or iMac?? They make the lightest and most comfortable earbuds, but the heaviest over ears!!

Again from rtings review:

“Some reports suggest that this is due to the aluminum ear cup design. This material is a poor insulator and it traps heat from your ears, creating condensation. It should also be noted that they don't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance, as Apple hasn't had them IP-evaluated.”

Whose idea was to use aluminum? Is it a MacBook Pro really?? What is wrong with plastic, used by every other bt mid range headphone manufacturer? Plastic is light and durable. Their APP are plastic and they are perfect. Did they try to reinvent the wheel here?

 

[MICHAELSD]

Generally disappointing for a 650 eur headphone. Rtings review + condensation case + weight etc. I wonder why Apple could not make something really really better than all competition’s offerings. A huge company (sennheiser is like a kiosk in comparison referring to their turnovers), with the best engineers in the world, I guess they should be able to produce something substantially better. What’s holding them back, is really beyond me. They try to make the slimmest and lightest possible in all their products and here they go for the heaviest headphone around! I mean, what is this decision? Obviously every average consumer buying a bt anc headphone would not like to have 400 gr over his head, with all this clamping force that every other reviewer, including rtings, mentions as well. If it was wired / audiophile, it would be a different case, but to this one... I can’t understand some of the recent decisions of this company, really...

From the rtings review:

“The Apple AirPods Max are satisfactorily comfortable headphones. They're very heavy overall, and their clamping force can be fatiguing over time. That said, the ear cups are well-padded and are detachable if you need to replace them. The headband is also comfortable for short listening sessions, but some users may feel that its two metal components put pressure on your head.”

I don’t understand, was there anyone in the company questioning the comfort level of a so heavy headphone? Were they thinking that they produce a laptop or iMac?? They make the lightest and most comfortable earbuds, but the heaviest over ears!!

Again from rtings review:

“Some reports suggest that this is due to the aluminum ear cup design. This material is a poor insulator and it traps heat from your ears, creating condensation. It should also be noted that they don't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance, as Apple hasn't had them IP-evaluated.”

Whose idea was to use aluminum? Is it a MacBook Pro really?? What is wrong with plastic, used by every other bt mid range headphone manufacturer? Plastic is light and durable. Their APP are plastic and they are perfect. Did they try to reinvent the wheel here?

It is a bit odd, seeing as they reportedly had over a thousand prototypes for AirPods Max. It’s a nicely-designed and premium headphone, but not revolutionary.

Regardless, if it weren’t for the veiled treble (the response reminds me of the original over-ear Momentum Wireless, which I was quite fond of) AirPods Max would have scored much higher on Neutral Sound.

 

[SparkOnShore]

It is a bit odd, seeing as they reportedly had over a thousand prototypes for AirPods Max. It’s a nicely-designed and premium headphone, but not revolutionary.

Regardless, if it weren’t for the veiled treble (the response reminds me of the original over-ear Momentum Wireless, which I was quite fond of) AirPods Max would have scored much higher on Neutral Sound.

treble score: 5,8!! words: The treble accuracy of the Apple AirPods Max is sub-par. It's underemphasized throughout most of the range, resulting in veiled vocals and lead instruments. Sibilants like S and T sounds are slightly dulled.

this is the worst treble score I ever saw on rtings for headphones I’ve been interested in. There should be others as well I guess but I have not searched for their reviews.

 

[SilverEars]

I actually hear it like Rtings measurements, and I usually found such be the case with many headphones I've heard. The Rtings measurements make better sense to me, and matches my early impressions. I usually don't agree with their written subjective impressions, but I do appreciate their measurements.