[Verificateur]

I don't think wireless BT ANC headphones are good at all unless you really have to have ANC. I personally just prefer to use iems with good tips that seal well. They work well for me on international flights.

Have you listened to the APM?

Technology has come a long way.
There are now a few very good sounding wireless/ANC headphones on the market, like the APM, B&O H95 for example.

The APM sound really good in their own right (as headphones), and the ANC/Transparency mode is just a bonus, oh yeah... and the wireless part.

When you look at it this way, they are definitely worth the price tag, to me.

 

[WhiteFox01]

Yeah I've heard the APM. They aren't bad, but I do prefer iems for their portability and price tag. I find the seal to be good enough that I don't need ANC.

 

[tinyman392]

Yeah I've heard the APM. They aren't bad, but I do prefer iems for their portability and price tag. I find the seal to be good enough that I don't need ANC.

Two completely different markets... I feel like the group people who are cross shopping an IEM with a full-sized closed, back is quite small.

Edit: I'm not saying your opinion is wrong BTW. If you need noise isolation, a lot of IEMs are far better than even the best ANC that exists in a full-sized. They tend to be more portable, but I'd also argue quite a bit more finicky to put on and use; there is also the comfort issue too. Granted none of these really bother me. But there is a reason the full-sized portable market exists. Not everyone likes IEMs and their form factors.

 

[pablohoney]

In terms of volume vs the B&W P7W where are the APM? On the P7W 40%-50% was plenty, they did not need to be cranked. Also, is the sound signature similar to the P7W or the PX7?

 

[yticolev]

If you need noise isolation, a lot of IEMs are far better than even the best ANC that exists in a full-sized.

I'm not convinced. Big earplug user here, sleep, mowing lawns, leaf blower, motorcycle, and airplanes. The APMs cancelled noise that earplugs did not (I think the max drop you can get with an earplug is 33 dB at some frequency - but that does drop many noises below audible for me). For example, with the APMs it was bizarre how many times I had to check that the door I slammed shut really had shut. That has never happened with earplugs. Mind you, I did have music playing but still...

 

[MayaTlab]

Also, is the sound signature similar to the P7W or the PX7?

Imo quite different from the P7W, but much much less so than from the PX7. Both the P7W and APM are enjoyable to listen to to me. The PX7 not so much.

 

[tinyman392]

In terms of volume vs the B&W P7W where are the APM? On the P7W 40%-50% was plenty, they did not need to be cranked. Also, is the sound signature similar to the P7W or the PX7?

On iOS the P7W gets loud very quickly for me. I'm literally listening to them at around 13% (2/16 volume). The equivalent for that on the APM is about 44% (7/16 volume) when I try to match for the midrange vocals. Note that I don't know what max on the P7W is and have only heard max on the APM by accident (buggy software that started it at max instead of what I had it at).

I don't own the PX7, but do own a PX. PX7 and PX are very different signatures; the P7W is simply a better headphone all around (which makes sense since you have to account for ANC and the auto-on/off features).

I'm not convinced. Big earplug user here, sleep, mowing lawns, leaf blower, motorcycle, and airplanes. The APMs cancelled noise that earplugs did not (I think the max drop you can get with an earplug is 33 dB at some frequency - but that does drop many noises below audible for me). For example, with the APMs it was bizarre how many times I had to check that the door I slammed shut really had shut. That has never happened with earplugs. Mind you, I did have music playing but still...

Depends on what kind of ear plug you're using. A lot of foam-based ones can actually amplify low-frequency noises. The major issue with IEMs is the microphonics so although you don't hear stuff, you still feel the vibration through the headphones. Some IEMs are better at dealing with this than others. Some IEMs require a very deep fit to get rid of this issue. Inward-facing ANC can actually get rid of that issue altogether to be honest; Sony, Bose, and Apple employ this in their TWS ANC headphones if I'm not mistaken.

That said, most IEMs tend to focus on isolating out higher frequencies while the active ANC systems do much better in the lower frequencies. That doesn't mean that an IEM can't isolate lower frequencies. But they tend to do a lot worse with microphonics than a full-sized would in general.

 

[Double-A]

Two completely different markets... I feel like the group people who are cross shopping an IEM with a full-sized closed, back is quite small.

Edit: I'm not saying your opinion is wrong BTW. If you need noise isolation, a lot of IEMs are far better than even the best ANC that exists in a full-sized. They tend to be more portable, but I'd also argue quite a bit more finicky to put on and use; there is also the comfort issue too. Granted none of these really bother me. But there is a reason the full-sized portable market exists. Not everyone likes IEMs and their form factors.

I am one who can barely tolerate in-ears. I'm currently using the Airpods Pro at work every day and I can’t wait until my APM arrive. The APP are the best in-ears I’ve owned and I can’t wait until I can put them down and never use them again.

Full-size FTW!

 

[Double-A]

Random question: How many volume steps does the APM have? 0-100?

 

[tinyman392]

Random question: How many volume steps does the APM have? 0-100?

I honestly don’t know how many steps exist. The volume knob on it seems continuous. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they did something ridiculous like 255 or something. I still use the volume buttons on my phone though.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

Am I imagining things or do the AirPods Max sound better now after the firmware update?

Perhaps I’m imagining things and I can’t A/B test for obvious reasons, but I’ve been feeling over the past couple days that my APM have been more airy and textured.

One of the weak points of the APM’s sound has been that they lack micro detail. So even though they excel in certain categories (especially tonality and sub bass), they’ve also had a sort of smoothness to them that had removed some detail.

I’d analogize it to how certain smartphone cameras have a tendency to overprocess, often making skin tones seem a little too smooth, thus removing subtle textures and blemishes in your face. The Chinese smartphone manufacturers are known for that, whereas iPhone cameras are specifically *not* known for that, in that they aim for realism.

Anyways, the APM sound signature has reminded me more of the Huawei or Xiaomi style photo processing, as opposed to Apple’s own photo processing. It’s not extreme by any means, but it’s enough that you feel like you’re losing some texture.

Well, over the past couple days, I feel like some of that processing has been scaled back a little and some of the sound naturalness and texture has been improved. It’s not a gigantic difference, but I’ve definitely been noticing something over the past couple days.

Has anyone else noticed this change or am I imagining things?

 

[geardoc]

I'm not convinced. Big earplug user here, sleep, mowing lawns, leaf blower, motorcycle, and airplanes. The APMs cancelled noise that earplugs did not (I think the max drop you can get with an earplug is 33 dB at some frequency - but that does drop many noises below audible for me). For example, with the APMs it was bizarre how many times I had to check that the door I slammed shut really had shut. That has never happened with earplugs. Mind you, I did have music playing but still...

So true. Once my ears become adapted to the noise reduction of IEMs or ear plugs, then I start getting annoyed with the little bit of noise that makes it through. This requires me to turn the music up, or choose music very few silent portions, common in some Pop, Rock or Acid Jazz genres. For additional noise reduction, I'll wear full size ear muffs over the IEMs. (eg https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Ov...id=1615829544&sprefix=peltor+,aps,174&sr=8-55 )

Active cancellation (aka Bose 700) changes this so external noises are not as intrusive, somehow, but it's not quite as good for the loudest noises as triple flanged IEMs with large external ear muffs.

 

[Martin]

Random question: How many volume steps does the APM have? 0-100?

With iPhone volume buttons there seem to be 16 steps with APM’s digital crown 127.

 

[Gamerlingual]

Am I imagining things or do the AirPods Max sound better now after the firmware update?

Perhaps I’m imagining things and I can’t A/B test for obvious reasons, but I’ve been feeling over the past couple days that my APM have been more airy and textured.

One of the weak points of the APM’s sound has been that they lack micro detail. So even though they excel in certain categories (especially tonality and sub bass), they’ve also had a sort of smoothness to them that had removed some detail.

I’d analogize it to how certain smartphone cameras have a tendency to overprocess, often making skin tones seem a little too smooth, thus removing subtle textures and blemishes in your face. The Chinese smartphone manufacturers are known for that, whereas iPhone cameras are specifically *not* known for that, in that they aim for realism.

Anyways, the APM sound signature has reminded me more of the Huawei or Xiaomi style photo processing, as opposed to Apple’s own photo processing. It’s not extreme by any means, but it’s enough that you feel like you’re losing some texture.

Well, over the past couple days, I feel like some of that processing has been scaled back a little and some of the sound naturalness and texture has been improved. It’s not a gigantic difference, but I’ve definitely been noticing something over the past couple days.

Has anyone else noticed this change or am I imagining things?

I made a post about it earlier and thought there were a few changes as well.

 

[tinyman392]

I purchased a couple stands, this being one of them, the other hasn’t arrived yet. This stand has a slot for the Lightning cable to plug into, the headphone is kind of not the most secure on there. In the long run, I feel like it’s no less worse for the Lighting port than Apple’s iPhone dock is. The black silicone feels somewhat cheap, but it does look the part. Guiding the Lightning cable through the little hole they have for it was somewhat difficult to do as it’s a very tight fit.

Edit: you can find this by just searching AirPods Max stand on Amazon. There are a few of them at different prices. Ebay and others will have them too.