[davidmolliere]

Guys, you want to get your mind blown listen to this with the AirPods Max



Oh... my.... god!!!

 

[germanturkey]

excellently written review

Awesome write up. Thanks for going into details. i agree about the use case. Do I need these? I already own the xm3 for over ears, air pod pros for on the go, and have custom iems for higher end listening. So probably not, but I want them!

 

[JaviOFC]

I know this could be taboo here but:

You guys are aware that you can tweak the sound in iOS Accessibility Settings, right? That could compensate for some of the shortcomings based on individual preference.

Can be found in Settings > Accessibility > AirPods > (Select AirPods Model) > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations (On) then go from from there, you can do custom audio setup which has you A/B test a sound clip or you can select your own tuning preferences (fine print explains what you're modifying).

Bless me Focal, for I have sinned.

 

[ubs28]

Some measurements here of the AirPods Max.

 

[bedlamite]

^^

Crinacle wasn't particularly impressed

 

[ubs28]

^^

Crinacle wasn't particularly impressed

It is also quite interesting that he thinks the LCD-2 Classic are far better than the APM while on head-fi, the APM is considered better than the LCD2-C.

Just shows how reviews are meaningless in the end as they are all over the place.

 

[SilverEars]

Some measurements here of the AirPods Max.

Nice, looks dark with subzzzzzz. Maybe right up my alley. I like dark phones (WHXM3). But, not the kind that the upper-mids got dipped. LCDs, hint, hint...

Clarity may not be great given such a response. Will see when I hear one.

I wonder if adaptive EQ would adjust the upper-mids?

Just out of curiosity, anybody hear in passive mode? Does it work? if so, I wish crin would measure in passive mode.

This headphone got to be one of the biggest hypes I've ever encountered in Headfi. And usually hypes disappoints me.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

^^

Crinacle wasn't particularly impressed

"
and the APM sounds like what it is: a closed-back headphone. Utterly average and nothing special.
But do note that this is with non-Apple devices"

With non-Apple devices...why is he testing APM's with non-Apple devices??
Codecs could make a difference?

 

[SilverEars]

"
and the APM sounds like what it is: a closed-back headphone. Utterly average and nothing special.
But do note that this is with non-Apple devices"

With non-Apple devices...why is he testing APM's with non-Apple devices??
Codecs could make a difference?

From a frequency response measurement I've seen on sound guys AAC on Apple devices is more extended than some Androids. Hence I've said, Apple implementation of AAC is good. Question is, is it audible?

 

[pfurey89]

Yeah, pretty bad bias honestly. I don’t trust anyone with Android phones in general.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

^^

Crinacle wasn't particularly impressed

Sound impressions

• The signature: downsloping response with a sub-bass emphasis.
  ELI5: bass is the loudest part on the APM.
• The good: for the sheer amount it has, the APM’s bass is very well-done. The bass emphasis is focused mainly in the sub-bass (sub-150Hz frequencies) and so is well separated from melodic instrumental frequencies. A lot of consumer-friendly headsets tend to get this very wrong (looking at you, Sony) so thumbs up to Apple for being one of the few to get it right.
• The meh: with all the talk on DSP and other software magics, the imaging performance on the APM is… average. None of the familiar crossfeed tech seems to be at play here and the APM sounds like what it is: a closed-back headphone. Utterly average and nothing special.
  But do note that this is with non-Apple devices, so maybe the “Spatial Audio” function on Apple devices could fix this. More on that in the full review.
• The bad: in the “intangibles”, the APM does very little to justify its $550 price tag. My personal benchmark for resolution/detail for this kind of sound signature would be the $700 Audeze LCD-2 Classic, and the APM is not even close. Let’s not even talk about the Sennheiser HD800S… frankly, doesn’t even belong in the same conversation much less a comparison point in a formal review.
  The APM is probably closest to a decent $100 closed-back studio monitor; the AKG K371, the Shure SRH440, the Audio Technica ATH-M40X/M50X, maybe even the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro.

TL;DR: In consideration that it’s a wireless ANC headphone, good for $300.

 

[awisemanoncesaid]

^^

Crinacle wasn't particularly impressed

dude says ANC isn’t any good. I just can’t trust the review from that point forward. It’s objectively great.

 

[ubs28]

"
and the APM sounds like what it is: a closed-back headphone. Utterly average and nothing special.
But do note that this is with non-Apple devices"

With non-Apple devices...why is he testing APM's with non-Apple devices??
Codecs could make a difference?

Well, the APM is designed to work with the iPad and iPhone apparently. Not even on my Apple 4K TV, MacBook Pro and iMac Pro is the APM fully supported. The APM also sounds different on an iOS device for some strange reason.

 

[cosplayerkyo]

I know this could be taboo here but:

You guys are aware that you can tweak the sound in iOS Accessibility Settings, right? That could compensate for some of the shortcomings based on individual preference.

Can be found in Settings > Accessibility > AirPods > (Select AirPods Model) > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations (On) then go from from there, you can do custom audio setup which has you A/B test a sound clip or you can select your own tuning preferences (fine print explains what you're modifying).

Oh damn I didn't know this existed. Thanks! I'm liking the vocal range tune here.

 

[pfurey89]

Yeah, and the ANC is the best I’ve heard with no ANC pressure from any headphone. I don’t care about ANC, but if you do... these are the best by far.