The noise cancelling levels are configurable by app. Full noise cancelling mode can actually be stuffy without any audio output, so personally I keep it a notch below noise cancelling and wear it over extended durations

I love their ecosystem as well. The oldest device we own is a 8 year old MacBook Pro. And its by longevity of their computing devices that I am able to justify the high input price being paid. The day this Pro dies on me, I'll go and buy another Pro without any second thoughts.

The same cannot be said about headphones, they've never lasted long enough (2-3 years of serious usage at most). Headphones cushions are the first things that's fall part, I wonder how expensive they are for a 60K rupee headphone. Am happy to sit on the sidelines and looking forward to read your upcoming review on the AirPods Max

Thank you. I am ok with the ANC and I find it extremely useful in my office commute. What I meant was the Transparency mode is even more useful for me as I don’t need to take off the pods when I need to get into a conversation or while out for a walk (for awareness of the surroundings).

US pricing for replacement ear cushions are $70 a pair so India should be 7-8K INR.

That is a valid point which I forgot to mention in my post. Apple products generally have a much higher life compared to most other comparable products and a simple example are the iPhones/Macs which last for several years compared to their android/windows counterparts not losing their speed or performance (emphasize on this point)

However, I'm one of those not so rare apple customer who has a "must scratch itch" to upgrade every year (maximum I have waited is 18-20 months) despite the phones or headphones working amazingly well

Well, everyone has an expectation in longevity and in my books 3 years for the AirPods is decent life and also in the gadgetry world it's a lifetime and something better always comes out by that time. Having said that ours lasted much longer than 3-years for the first pairs

While I'm a fan but, not that crazed to buy whatever they release. If there is value and contribution to unique experience for the integrated ecosystem only then will consider getting them (Let us wait for some real-time user experiences come in before I decide if it's worth getting them)

Yeah this Apple strategy is ridiculous but, that's how they have been strategizing over the years to rake in more moolah and touch that $2T valuation

This carries forward to the Apple Watches too. We were so tempted to upgrade from our 4 to 6 but, I realized there is no real benefit in spending $430 for the Apple Watch 6 as the only feature that I miss in my 4 is "always on screen" rest of the new features are not upgrade worthy.

Hopefully will take the plunge for Apple Watch 7

The first reviews of the Apple AirPods Max are out:

MKBHD calls it "Luxury Listening"


Dave2D calls it "better sounding pair of headphones than Sony WH-1000MX4"

The world will crib, cry, shout themselves hoarse about how Apple has gone crazy by asking for USD 550 or INR 60k for the Max and how other headphones are better them etc etc.

Apple will keep quiet and laugh all the way to the bank as it always has with their products. They create segments and break price barriers at will.

Cheers

My sister gifted me the AirPods Max.

I'm unsure what to do as it's sound quality is equal to a Sony XM5 but, costs double the price ($600).

As some of you know, I am heavily in the Apple Eco-system, so not sure if I will like the sound quality (I'm usually critical about it), so does it make sense to keep these head-phones or return it for something else?

Also, does someone know if I open the package and test the sound quality and if I don't like it, can I return it? If yes, do I need to ship it back or go to any Apple Store with a receipt and return it?







What do you think? Will I laugh or cry at the quality of sound?

Hello Mobike008 from dull, rainy Bombay! Hope you are doing well. Super gift from your sister Lovely lilies in the vase, are these headphones a birthday gift? If yes, happy birthday!

If I remember correctly MKBHD was very appreciative of these headphones. I don’t think you will cry because of the sound or overall quality. We also know Apple products are generally expensive, we use them, so be it. Since you are entrenched in the eco system it may be a good idea to use them.

For back up, you could call a store in your area or customer care and check with them regarding the return policy on these headphones and proceed accordingly.

Do update on your decision.

Cheers

It should be better due to how Apple processes the spatial/Dolby. These are a bit heavy, but with your build, these will be perfect. Looking forward to your review here.

If bought directly from Apple or their store, you can return back in the return period by asking label or returning it to any nearest store. They will issue a credit back to the original payment or give you a gift card. No cash returns though coldsweat

Great guess. Yup, it was my birthday a couple of days ago. Thank you for your warm wishes. My sister came all the way from Boston to celebrate with us.

I hope you are enjoying the monsoons that hit Mumbai and Delhi at the same time for first time in 60 years.

Thanks for the feedback. I will definetly take them out and test it thoroughly before I take a decision.

$600 bucks is expensive for a headphone and I want to be sure that I will not regret it later.

Thanks Raj. I was given exact same advice by a fellow BHPian and a nerd. He said that nobody does the Spatial Audio and Dolby Surround better than Apple so asked me to keep it.

Glad to see the exact same feedback from you.

I will keep it and test and compare it with following (not apples to apples but, still a comparison) :

1. AirPods Pro (Wifey's)
2. Beats PowerBeats (My daily driver)
3. Sony XM3 (My once in a while side-kick)

Have the receipt and will take a call soon. But, tomorrow I am travelling out of the country for about 10 days so it'll have to wait for couple of weeks.

Thanks again for the input guys. !!!

Finally, it happened.

Yeah, what I meant was "Unboxing" of this gorgeous and spectacular looking "Apple AirPods Max".

I will post a detailed feedback after listening to it for a few days.

Initial Feedback :

1. Build Quality is second to none.
2. Does not feel heavy at all (Compared to my Sony).
3. That wire-mesh on top is super high quality.
4. Green color looks unique and upscale. Glad it was not Black.
5. Bra cover (LOL!) has got lot of flak from consumers but, it's fantastic and has a magnetic strip to close the flap which feels and works so good.







Cheers to some good music listening ahead. !!!

AirPods Max vs. Sony XM3

Well, I have been listening to a lot of music on the headphones as well as YT videos. I kept shuffling between the Sony XM3 and AirPods Max through the day.

My only source of music- Apple Music (Majority of the songs are lossless and have spatial audio)

Being old school, my favorite genre of music

- Rock Music
- Metal
- Hip Hop
- English Pop from the 80’s, 90’s
- Hindi Pop (Strings being my all time favorite)
- Ghazals (Jagjit Singh being a favorite)
- On and Off- Punjabi Music

Sony XM3
- Sound is very pleasant and neutral and not bright and loud as found in cheaper headphone options
- Lows & Mids are super clean and amazing. Bass is deep and is good till you crank up the volume (Till about 80%, it’s good then it starts breaking)
- It had set the standard for ANC (active noise cancelling in the industry)
- Comfortable headphones to listen to music for long durations
- High Quality Construction and Feels Premium

AirPods Max
- Sound is very pleasant and neutral and not bright and loud as found in cheaper headphone options.
- Lows & Mids are super clean and amazing. Bass is not as deep as the Sony so might be disappointing for people who like bass heavy sound.
- Does not crack up even at the highest volume level which is a real plus.
- I tested both Spatial Audio and Non-Spatial Audio and it excels in Spatial audio as it sounds lot better than the Sony for same songs.
- ANC is next level- Way better than the Sony.
- Comfort- Feels comfortable. Remains to be seen if it’s good for long hours of listening.
- Extremely high quality construction and feels premium than any similar product in the market.

Summary- AirPods Max and Sony are almost head-to-head in sound quality which is top-notch. Just the sonic objectives of both are slightly different. Both will appeal to amateur audiophiles. Sony will appeal to heavy bass lovers while AirPods Max will appeal to wider audience who are not nit picky and don’t understand the low, mids and treble delivery but, enjoy a clean and powerful sound.

Is it worth $550?- No way. I’m a big Apple fan but, if I was to buy with my own money. I would not buy the AirPods Max but, would probably choose the Sony XM5 (Latest Model) over it.