[gazzington]

This thread has become a bit silly. Wireless headphones with noise cancellation are not trying to compete with things like hd800s or focal headphones

 

[Hiyono]

I got a pair of APM on launch day. I quite enjoy them.

From a battery pack that has a watt meter. When APM was near empty they were charging at 4W. When they battery was full. It would draw a constant 1w no matter what mode(transparency, off, noise cancel) and no matter what volume music was playing at.

 

[garethr]

After the great number of Beats Studio3 Wireless units Apple was able to sell for $350, they may have concluded that a steel+aluminum Apple designed headphone was a bargain at $550.

And I’d agree. Build quality and construction materials alone make them good value compared to what else is in the market.
Apple’s strategy has always been a mid-high end play because they’re concerned with margin and not volume. Anyone expecting this kind of build quality from Apple at Sony/Bose prices doesn’t know Apple very well.
If the Beats/Sony/Bose are around the 300-350 mark then the APM are really good value. They’re definitely on par with the B&O H95 and I’ve not seen too many bemoaning B&O’s premium pricing model.

I’m perfectly happy to pay the premium for higher end design and materials.

 

[tinyman392]

Still burning mine in - its very apparent on ESS transient sounds for me. Or high end percussive elements / shakers / tambos.

I think it's most highlighted on records that defeat certain mastering standards where loudness is pushed to an extreme (i work predominantly with rock and metal where this is a common)

Definitely agree with the fact that the edgy treble tames down with better recordings. The sibilance in the midrange too. I never thought I’d call a signature like this unforgiving, but here we are.

 

[tom2517]

And I’d agree. Build quality and construction materials alone make them good value compared to what else is in the market.
Apple’s strategy has always been a mid-high end play because they’re concerned with margin and not volume. Anyone expecting this kind of build quality from Apple at Sony/Bose prices doesn’t know Apple very well.
If the Beats/Sony/Bose are around the 300-350 mark then the APM are really good value. They’re definitely on par with the B&O H95 and I’ve not seen too many bemoaning B&O’s premium pricing model.

I’m perfectly happy to pay the premium for higher end design and materials.

Exactly, build quality and premium feel has always been a big deal with Apple.

 

[vkenz]

This thread has become a bit silly. Wireless headphones with noise cancellation are not trying to compete with things like hd800s or focal headphones

Seconded. APM is a headphone if you want ANC + Bleeding edge wireless audio tech. I think apple is a company that is "Tech First" and the rest of specs. But if Apple wanted to compete in the same level as HD800S then they can just buy Sennheiser yeah?

 

[Zlivan]

Hopefully, we'll never get to see an abomination like Appleheiser.

 

[bedlamite]

Seconded. APM is a headphone if you want ANC + Bleeding edge wireless audio tech. I think apple is a company that is "Tech First" and the rest of specs. But if Apple wanted to compete in the same level as HD800S then they can just buy Sennheiser yeah?

Why put out a product with a sound signature that only appeals to a niche demographic -audiophiles? It’s not like they need validation from us. Also Apple R&D aren’t a bunch of noobs, they’ve got ex-B&W staff there. Give them some credit.

edit: I own the APP and I’ve auditioned the APM for a while, I think they sound perfectly fine, they both have sound signatures the average consumer would be more than happy with. Judging from a few posters in this thread who own the APM, they have no difficulty getting lost in the music with their APMs, and that’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? Less analysing, more listening.

 

[angelom]

Hopefully, we'll never get to see an abomination like Appleheiser.

Maybe Apfelheiser?

 

[Zlivan]

Sehr gut!

 

[bobeau]

Guys we need some serious comparisons here, otherwise this thread will become useless. Or, may be we stop comparing it to any other headphones. We now know they are good, may be even better than Bose and Sony ANCs but let’s not jump off the tracks and compare them to Hd800s/Utopia etc.

The dude literally owns that gear and a fair bit more. You can look at the photos and see for yourself. I believe he's a long time head-fier who no longer posts.

Most of the people that are posting in this thread are relative newcomers. I've been here since the early days of this site... I was hosting local meets 15 years back. I've been to several canjams. I've owned a ton of gear over the years.

I largely don't hang out here much anymore, mostly at ASR now, because I've come around to the sound science of things. That's mostly a speaker site giving a lot of attention to brands, many in the pro audio space, that are on the DSP train.

To just hand wave this away is beyond silly. Please understand there is some real R&D happening here. Or don't, and just gripe and moan and be 'serious', lol.

 

[gazzington]

Mine arrived today and I’ve been using it for a few hours. Sounds great, comfortable and easy connection. Yeap it doesn’t sound as good as my rad 0 but it’s not supposed to

 

[saronian]

Sounds great, comfortable and easy connection

Can't beat that description! I've been using them for five days and the easy connection (I've got lots of Apple stuff), high level of comfort (The spring in the hinge may be a little strong, not the headband but the hinge), and the fun pleasing sound with a wide variety of compressed music make these a winner for me.

I've gone through three iterations of the Sony 1000's and while I prefer the APM's, the price makes them hard to recommend for most.

 

[striker]

Apple's website states, regarding some measurements, that they were done "After playing pink noise to initialize the adaptive system".
Were crinacle's and other measurements posted here done like this? Probably not.

 

[tinyman392]

Apple's website states, regarding some measurements, that they were done "After playing pink noise to initialize the adaptive system".
Were crinacle's and other measurements posted here done like this? Probably not.

Where is this stated. It's likely that they used pink noise to adjust and tune their Active EQ stuff during R&D. However, you typically don't use this while measuring headphones as a frequency sweep is used.