Apple launched its first headphones on the ear (beyond the Beats) and they are really, really attractive. There’s no doubt that the AirPods Max come with a lot of features, in addition to the typical Apple design keys (such as the dotted “L” so you know which side is which), and obviously has sound. the same quality as the best wireless headphones from Sony, Bose and Beats.
But priced at $ 629 / MXN $ 13,699, it’s hard not to see the AirPods Max as a missed opportunity. We knew they wouldn’t be cheap, but the AirPods Max cost a lot more than their closest competitors and also lag behind the features we’ve seen before.
They have the same adaptive equalization, the same active noise cancellation, the same ambient sound mode, and the same spatial sound available in AirPods Pro, as well as the H1 chip, Apple Watch digital crown, and the colors of the device. ‘iPad Air.
Along with the colors comes Apple’s impeccable design, with “breathable braided material mesh,” a stainless steel headband, and “a revolutionary mechanism that balances and distributes the pressure of each ear cup, and lets you do it. rotate as you like to fit. at the head of each user ”. The headphones are quite large, but surprisingly they don’t include the Apple logo, which makes them look very stylish.
They are also quite heavy. While 384.8g doesn’t seem like much, they’re a bit heavier than the Bose 700 noise canceling headphones (250g), Sony WH-1000XM3 (255g), and Beats Studio 3 (260g).
Apple says the headband “is designed to distribute weight and reduce pressure on your head,” but when you put something on your head, every gram counts.
The 20 hours of audio playback is fine too, but it’s not as much as the 30 hours offered by the Sony WH-1000XM3 or even the 22 hours you get with the Beats Studio 3, which cost a lot less.
Something is wrong
In terms of sound, the AirPods Max features “an Apple-designed 40mm dynamic speaker that reproduces a wide range of frequencies that captures every nuance of sound.” It sounds good and they are very likely to provide good sound, but the 40mm driver is not uncommon in HD headphones.
For example, Sony’s WH-1000XM3 wireless noise canceling headphones have 1.57 ”speakers, which is 39.878mm, while the Beats Studio 3 has a 50mm speaker.
I have no doubts the AirPods Max will sound great, but at $ 629 / MXN $ 13,699 I wonder who they are for. It is true that audiophiles spend a lot of money on high-end high-definition headphones, but they have requirements that ordinary users do not.
For one thing, they tend to prefer wired headphones, which AirPods Max doesn’t offer without purchasing the separate Lightning connector to 3.5mm audio jack cable, which costs $ 39 / MXN $ and is just 1 meter in size. , 2 m. If you add to that the 20W outlet, which is not included either, we have already hit 700 $ / 15,000 MXN $.
You also won’t have an equalizer to adjust the bass and midrange to your liking. The AirPods Max have the same adaptive equalization of the AirPods Pro which “adjusts the sound to fit and adjust the pads by measuring the audio signal offered to the user and adjusting the low and mid frequencies in real time”, but audiophiles who would spend $ 629 13,699 / MXN $ on headphones will want to customize the sound.
The AirPods Max also lacks the Apple Watch and iPhone U1 chip, which provides precise location tracking and spatial awareness. But the most missed feature on AirPods Max is the hands-free support for Siri. Although you can activate Siri by pressing the digital crown on the right earbud, you cannot do so by saying “Hey Siri”.
And what about the rumors that Apple uses leather-like fabric and magnetic earbuds that could be interchanged in different colors to personalize them.
It would have given the AirPods Max something unique that no other model offers. Right now, you can only buy AirPods Max in one color, unless you want to spend $ 629 / MXN $ 13,699 on another pair.
The AirPods Max are very pretty and I have no doubt they will sound great. But the price of $ 629 / MXN $ 13,699 seems too high regardless of your target audience. I don’t think it matters too much (especially if Apple releases a cheaper version next year), but for now all the AirPods Max will do is burn your card.
Original article published in igamesnews US.
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