[tinyman392]

Are those of you who are having trouble with smelly ear cups noticing the smell when you're simply wearing them, or do you have to actually sniff them to detect it?

Because I've worn mine every day for a year, and in a very sweaty climate, but haven't noticed any unusual smell, nor deterioration of the fabric.

I don't personally notice an odor on mine... Maybe if I put my nose up to it I might smell something. I do wear mine regularly, but not super heavy as they aren't the headphones I always reach for.

 

[shawntp]

Just got myself a set of the APM - $420 delivered/new which felt like the right price to give them a go. I am on a Mac all day long for work (teams/zoom) and just love the integration/handoff and creature comforts of my current AirPods Pro and wanted to go for the Max and give it a go. I currently have HD600s with an amp (that sound better) but the convenience when you are shifting gears all day long (or spinning around in your chair without cables/etc) is so nice with the max.

I prefer the phone accessibility settings for "Balanced Tone" on either Slight or Moderate but really wish I could replicate those same settings on my Mac. I have been playing around with EQ on the Mac (for music) - has anyone come up with a good or close EQ (I know Balanced Tone seems to be a little compression and EQ).

Just wondering what folks who go from iOS to MacOS are doing.

 

[angelom]

I prefer the phone accessibility settings for "Balanced Tone" on either Slight or Moderate but really wish I could replicate those same settings on my Mac. I have been playing around with EQ on the Mac (for music) - has anyone come up with a good or close EQ (I know Balanced Tone seems to be a little compression and EQ).

Just wondering what folks who go from iOS to MacOS are doing.

I don't have the APM anymore but this is my settings in my MacBook Pro that is the more close (for my ears) to Balanced Tone Slight:

 

[shawntp]

Thanks! I copied those and they sound much better on my mac than what I was using!

 

[tinyman392]

Thanks! I copied those and they sound much better on my mac than what I was using!

I know someone had measured the different audio accommodations compared to the stock. If you wanted to make an EQ, you could use the difference between those as a guideline to start with. The measurements are newer, relatively speaking. I know someone had posted them in this thread, don't remember where though.

 

[micah323]

I don't have the APM anymore but this is my settings in my MacBook Pro that is the more close (for my ears) to Balanced Tone Slight:

Any chance that you would know if this settings menu or similar is on iPhone?

 

[tinyman392]

Any chance that you would know if this settings menu or similar is on iPhone?

A custom EQ is not available on the iPhone unfortunately. You can try to hack something through headphone accommodations or use one of the built-in accommodations (one of which should be able to get you pretty close to the EQ you quoted.

 

[micah323]

Thanks a bunch. I’ll look into those options

 

[fonefan]

Not when you compare with other prosumer headphones like the B&O H95... Personally I think it's fair game and Apple didn't mark it up as much as I thought they would have.

I've had mine since release and they still look brand new, which surprised me because I expected the silicon headbands to start falling apart... Only problem is with the smell with the ear cups that had accumulated all my sweat over the year, and can be resolved with $$$~

That is a good point, although the H95 is a no holds barred, anniversary model. The APM's natural rival would be the B&O HX, especially at Amazon's $479 price for the APM. But for me, the APM's ecosystem integration, rock solid wireless connection, higher volume levels, superior ANC and Transparency makes it the more compelling choice.

I need to get some new ear pads as mine are beyond stinky now. Not even Febreze can solve it. I live in a noisy environment, so I've worn mine every day for 4-5 hours for 14 months.

Mine have held up well visually, but I occasionally get issues with them not waking up when taking them out of the bra, and/or battery drain from them not going to sleep. It seems only plugging them into a charge cable wakes them up in that situation, or a factory reset, which is annoying. I suspect the condensation we can see under the ear cups is also happening inside the aluminium casings and corroding the electronics.

Hopefully Apple will include the APM in their new Self Service program and we can swap out batteries etc, and have a peek inside and check for condensation issues.

 

[plakat]

Hopefully Apple will include the APM in their new Self Service program and we can swap out batteries etc, and have a peek inside and check for condensation issues.

That ifixit teardown doesn’t get my hopes for self repair high with the APM unfortunately: they seem rather complex

 

[tinyman392]

That ifixit teardown doesn’t get my hopes for self repair high with the APM unfortunately: they seem rather complex

Didn't iFixIt say the only major issue with them was the sealing/rubber gasket used to get into the grill that sits below the pads? It's been a while since I looked at it, besides that issue, nothing else seemed to damning in terms of repair.

 

[plakat]

Didn't iFixIt say the only major issue with them was the sealing/rubber gasket used to get into the grill that sits below the pads? It's been a while since I looked at it, besides that issue, nothing else seemed to damning in terms of repair.

Hm… my memory/impression was rather complicated, but maybe I’ll have to revisit that teardown… which I just did. Yes, it is… manageable, but far from simple (besides the glued in frontplates there is quite an amount of different screws, in part of microscopic dimensions like torx-1…). So yes, possible for a suitably proficient and determined person I guess. But I still stand by that „complex“ assessment

 

[kg4fxg]

Airpods Max (APM)
I really like them. Never have I found headphones comfortable for say 3 hours. I forget I have these on. Like pillows to my ears. I ordered after market case for them. I am impressed.

Normally I use IEM's.
Moondrop S8, Blessing 2 Dusk. Plugged in to a Schiit Stack.

No, they are not better to the IEM's but as close as it comes. I do have the Bose QC35 and others, Grado, Techniques. Later are wired.

Just opinion. Not disappointed. I can't wear IEM's in the garage where I enjoy smoking my pipe (normal pipe tobacco only).

I also have both Airpods 3 and AirPods Pro. I don't use noise cancelling or transparency mode. Nice for working in the office at work. APM beats AirPods Pro IMHO. I am a CPA who works 70+ hour weeks. Music = Therapy. No regrets with APM or AirPods Pro/Airpods 3. Major Therapy calls for Moondrop.

B

 

[phiemon]

I hope, you can help me with my search:

I'm looking for headphones or better in-ears which has the same sound signature of the AirPods Max and/or Pro. I really like how the voice is "in your face" compared to more "live-performance" sound of the Beyerdynamic T1 2. gen or Campfire Andromeda which I have. I mean, I know that the latter are technically better than the AirPods, but these are at the moment for me just more "funny".

In short: what would be a naturally, high-end upgrade of the AirPods Max and/or Pro? Is there something like that?

 

[Verificateur]

I really like how the voice is "in your face"

I would recommend Sennheiser HD600.
An upgrade in sound quality, separation and clarity with that “in your face” intimate presentation. As long as you don’t mind open-back headphones, that is.