[Ilomaenkimi]

I own both and find the comparisons humorous. They are 2 different sound types in my opinion.
The Max are closer to reproducing listening in a room with 2 speakers.
If I had to chose one I would go with the APP2 for comfort and portability but would never suggest they sound better than a full sized premium headphone.

But they do. Better than many full sized headphones.
That is pretty amazing in my opinion.
Are they better than APM is matter of taste and own preferences.

e.g. i prefer APP2 better than H95. And better than APM. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Author]

But they do. Better than many full sized headphones.
That is pretty amazing in my opinion.
Are they better than APM is matter of taste and own preferences.

e.g. i prefer APP2 better than H95. And better than APM. But that's just my opinion.

I would also say they do sound better than many full size headphones, but not at the same price point. The HD-6x series all sound better, and they are hundreds cheaper when on sale.

I received my APM on or near the day of release. Over 2 years go now. Mine are still used daily, often for hours.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

I would also say they do sound better than many full size headphones, but not at the same price point. The HD-6x series all sound better, and they are hundreds cheaper when on sale.

I received my APM on or near the day of release. Over 2 years go now. Mine are still used daily, often for hours.

I must disagree, Sennheiser are very dull headphones in y opinion, APP2 sounds much better to my ears.

 

[plakat]

While I know the Sennheiser 6 series is widely respected, it doesn’t do a thing for me… dull and uninteresting. Might be that strings and other acoustical instruments sound good on them, but that’s not what I listen to. I much prefer both the APM and the APP2 to them. But that’s exactly that: a preference. For me it’s not about what is more technically correct, but more fun and inspiring for what I listen to and want to enjoy.

I think the APP2 was a huge step forward from the original APP btw.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

While I know the Sennheiser 6 series is widely respected, it doesn’t do a thing for me… dull and uninteresting. Might be that strings and other acoustical instruments sound good on them, but that’s not what I listen to. I much prefer both the APM and the APP2 to them. But that’s exactly that: a preference. For me it’s not about what is more technically correct, but more fun and inspiring for what I listen to and want to enjoy.

I think the APP2 was a huge step forward from the original APP btw.

That is the point of all this to me also. Music is made for bringing joy and pleasure to life.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

Interesting reading the APP2 vs APM comparisons. I own both, both are outstanding imo and have displaced all my other headphones / iems. The APM sound better to my ears, the bass ‘feel’ and therefore depth just hits different for me on the APM and I prefer the overall balance. I think the APP2 are the better buy and better all rounder and if I had to choose own I would have them, but for listening at home and especially for the Apple TV, the APM are my preferred option.

I find the APP2 are simply more detailed that the APM.

The APM sounds bigger and wider and punchier and more engulfing, but my complaint with it is that it has always lacked micro detail. It almost feels like it’s been over processed, to the point that the subtle textures and details are just smoothed away. You can hear each note and they’re nice and punchy, but then within each note, they feel like they’ve been subjected to the audio equivalent of airbrushing. In other words, you can hear a string pluck, but all those micro details and vibrations and textures within that string pluck - just feel strangely absent on the APM, so even though the headphone is clear and punchy, the over processing somehow makes it sound kind of lifeless.

Compared to most consumer headphones, the APM sound excellent. But even a 6XX kills the APM for detail retrieval.

The APP2 improves upon the APM in that regard. There’s less of that airbrushed sound, more of a dynamic range (particularly the quiet in between the notes), and I just get more texture. But then on the flip side, they sound smaller and less engulfing, probably because of the simple fact that they’re an IEM rather than an over-ear.

I find both products are well built and both are very comfortable. But I generally prefer the over-ear form factor, so I listen to the APM more when I’m at home, and I take the APP2 with me when I’m out. Then the APM are better for battery life and have a better Transparency mode, although the APP2 have a better ANC.

All in all, I think both are excellent products. But if I had to pick between them on sound quality, I’d give the edge to the APP2.

 

[jasonb]

I find the APP2 are simply more detailed that the APM.

The APM sounds bigger and wider and punchier and more engulfing, but my complaint with it is that it has always lacked micro detail. It almost feels like it’s been over processed, to the point that the subtle textures and details are just smoothed away. You can hear each note and they’re nice and punchy, but then within each note, they feel like they’ve been subjected to the audio equivalent of airbrushing. In other words, you can hear a string pluck, but all those micro details and vibrations and textures within that string pluck - just feel strangely absent on the APM, so even though the headphone is clear and punchy, the over processing somehow makes it sound kind of lifeless.

Compared to most consumer headphones, the APM sound excellent. But even a 6XX kills the APM for detail retrieval.

The APP2 improves upon the APM in that regard. There’s less of that airbrushed sound, more of a dynamic range (particularly the quiet in between the notes), and I just get more texture. But then on the flip side, they sound smaller and less engulfing, probably because of the simple fact that they’re an IEM rather than an over-ear.

I find both products are well built and both are very comfortable. But I generally prefer the over-ear form factor, so I listen to the APM more when I’m at home, and I take the APP2 with me when I’m out. Then the APM are better for battery life and have a better Transparency mode, although the APP2 have a better ANC.

All in all, I think both are excellent products. But if I had to pick between them on sound quality, I’d give the edge to the APP2.

Agreed. I have since sold my APM.

 

[Author]

I must disagree, Sennheiser are very dull headphones in y opinion, APP2 sounds much better to my ears.

Unacceptable… opinion!

 

[jasonb]

Unacceptable… opinion!

I can understand this. The Sennheiser and the APP2 just sound completely different and I could understand liking the frequency response of the APP2 more.

There are tons of times when I’m home sitting on the couch and could be using my Elear with Clear pads, my K371, or Ety ER4SR, but something makes me just grab the AirPods a lot of the time.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

Apple recently updated the APM firmware and I swear it made transparency mode worse.

When listening to my APM, I get more of that claustrophobic, ear pressure feeling now. That’s common in a lot of wireless headphones with noise cancellation and transparency, but the APM were always class-leading because they somehow managed to avoid that, and feel light and airy.

But now I’m starting to get that same feeling.

Anyone else?

 

[plakat]

Apple recently updated the APM firmware and I swear it made transparency mode worse.

When listening to my APM, I get more of that claustrophobic, ear pressure feeling now. That’s common in a lot of wireless headphones with noise cancellation and transparency, but the APM were always class-leading because they somehow managed to avoid that, and feel light and airy.

But now I’m starting to get that same feeling.

Anyone else?

No, I did not perceive any change whatsoever.

 

[heathman]

Apple recently updated the APM firmware and I swear it made transparency mode worse.

When listening to my APM, I get more of that claustrophobic, ear pressure feeling now. That’s common in a lot of wireless headphones with noise cancellation and transparency, but the APM were always class-leading because they somehow managed to avoid that, and feel light and airy.

But now I’m starting to get that same feeling.

Anyone else?

I haven't felt any change.

 

[segacanyon]

Probably a dumb question, but does noise canceling (and other features) work if you're using Airpods Max wired via the Apple Lighting to 3.5mm cable?

 

[heathman]

Probably a dumb question, but does noise canceling (and other features) work if you're using Airpods Max wired via the Apple Lighting to 3.5mm cable?

Yes, all the features work just the same, whether you're using the Max wireless or wired.

 

[segacanyon]

Cool, thanks for the info. I was mainly interested in using them wired with the headphone jacks built into modern game controllers. These APMs have really proven to be a useful, versatile headphone.