A bit of time with the Airpods Max (a bit long..sorry)

[Sliced Bread]

Sorry for the delay writing this, but as promised here are my experiences with the Airpods Max sound quality. I’m going to try and be as balanced as possible and If you’re interested in the headphones it’s worth reading the whole thing as there is a bit of an unusual twist.

Firstly, please temper your initial expectations when trying the Max’s. There are a lot of reviews out there throwing hyperbole at these headphones, giving the impression they are sonically faultless, but that is not the case. Nor are they bad, they are just not as perfect as some make out.

Due to the hype, I was initially a little disappointed; I found the bass a touch too heavy, making them sound a bit muddy; the treble slightly grainy which gave a digital sound; and the mid-range was a little more recessed than I was used to. Some of this could be attributed to the fact that I’ve been using Shure IEM’s for about 5 years (SE425’s) which are generally flat but have the impression of a mid-forward balance as the treble and bass both roll off a little early. I guess this is a sound signature I quite like.
The sound staging I would also say is not as wide as some reviews would lead you to believe, but the sound does image reasonably well for headphones, but it is not exactly vast.
In terms of initial positives, separation of instruments is good and the all important timing is excellent in my opinion. As I listened more and more I started to grow fonder of the sound and two of my favourite albums (Elbow live at Abbey Road and Appetite for destruction) actually sounded quite brilliant. It was bold and powerful without losing touch with the gentler moments. which is hard to achieve with Elbows Abbey Road album). It was about now that I stopped relying on memory and went back to listen to my SE425’s and my Yamaha RX3080 / B&W CM8’s for comparison. The Yamaha RX3080 / B&W CM8 still has a superior and more fluid midrange, but then costs WAY more and the Max’s timed better and were more cohesive overall. As for the Shure's, while I was initially happy to be back with the SE425’s after a while I realised that they were actually quite congested in comparison to the Max’s though I did find the Shure’s a little more natural. As I returned to the Max’s I realised that actually they really DO have good separation of instruments and great timing, If only the bass wasn’t quite so hot. Other rock and indie music was also faring well, however due to the bass I found myself switching between the standard headphone setting and the “Balanced” settings with “slight” active in the headphone accommodations.

In an attempt to reduce the bass I decided to do some research, which lead me to the Headphones accommodations settings in IOS. Now I would normally NEVER use such a thing and see it as sacrilege, but having seen a frequency response graph of the Max’s I know for a fact that the bass is a little boosted in the standard setting, so I don’t see any harm in trying to do something about it. I had heard a few users stating that by setting the headphones accommodation to balanced they were able to lift the upper mids which in turn reduces the bass in relative terms. I did try this and it is true, however for me it was still not quite right and made the treble too prominent. What I wanted was something between the balanced and standard setting for the max’s but the standard IOS accommodations settings are too crude.

And now for the twist I was promising. Now there is very little information on this and I only found out by chance after reading it on another forum, but you are not stuck with the standard settings in Apples Headphone Accommodations. The accommodations are capable of creating a personalised profile based upon an Audiometric Graph. In other words, a hearing test!

If you download the Mimi app, which is a medical health app to measure your hearing, you can complete a 6 minute hearing test. The app measures each ear separately, then once complete all you need to do is allow the app access to write to your phones health data. NOW if you go back into the accessibility -> headphone accommodations settings and select “custom audio setup”, you are offered the option to use “Audiogram”, which is the audiometric graph from your hearing test.

And the result? Quite brilliant!
The setting for my hearing slightly increases the mid and upper mids, but without seemingly boosting the treble. The difference between the headphones standard setting and this setting is both clear but also quite subtle and natural and when I switch between standard and the Audiogram setting the change in sonic character is *just enough*. That gentle lift very much improved the midrange presence, which means I use less volume and therefore less bass. The balance actually reminds me quite a bit of the SE425’s and feels *almost* spot on. The bass is still a fraction higher than my tastes would like but is probably pretty much flat so I imagine I will adjust to it and I already now start to find the SE425’s bass a little lacking. All in all I’m really enjoying the sound now and have decided to keep them for the long term.

In conclusion, I would say:
* Temper initial expectations…at the end of the day they’re just a pair of headphones, they’re not the messiah.
* Try before you buy or buy them from somewhere you can return them.
* Download the Mimi app if the sound doesn’t quite suit you.

As for me, I begun disappointed and am now pretty happy with them…even for £500.

 

[Deleted member 116933]

A nice little review.

I guess the hype is similar to the kef ls50's wireless, they redefined a market segment and at the time nothing quite like them existed on the market. Most people that review these have very little experience with higher-end headphones, hence the hype reviews there just better then most they have heard. Apple didn't really send them out to audiophiles to review but tech reviewers like Ijustine and MBKHD. And I guess that's the point though BUT apple aimed these at the general "beats" public but priced them at the audiophile market so are in this kind of no man's land.

have you had any problem with moisture "condensation" inside the ear cups? some are complaining about this

 

[Sliced Bread]

Thank you Millennia.

I have not seen this yet, however I’ve only used them indoors. I guess it is logical though as they are metal so I could see how condensation could potentially end up there if used outside in cold damp weather.

I’ve had a bit more time with them this last few days and while I stand by my most of what I said above I might have to retreat a bit on the midrange. The midrange is actually better than I first gave credit, but it took a bit of time to acclimatise to it. It’s a little more attacking than I’m used to. This has led me to hear some tracks again in a different light.

ive always been a mellow fluid hi-fi kind-a guy, but I can hear why some prefer a different approach.

 

[Deleted member 116933]

Thank you Millennia.

I have not seen this yet, however I’ve only used them indoors. I guess it is logical though as they are metal so I could see how condensation could potentially end up there if used outside in cold damp weather.

I’ve had a bit more time with them this last few days and while I stand by my most of what I said above I might have to retreat a bit on the midrange. The midrange is actually better than I first gave credit, but it took a bit of time to acclimatise to it. It’s a little more attacking than I’m used to.

As you say i think it really depends on how people are using them, I wouldn't take them outside personally. If they are climatised are can't really see it being a problem.

I've read they're quite a strange balance in regards to presentation. I was thinking of treating my self to a pair in the future so would love to hear your further thoughts once you've had them a little longer

 

[Sliced Bread]

Yes sure, happy to feed back after a bit more time.

I agree they are indoor headphones, or at least they are for me. It’s also true the balance is not as flat as I would like. But the positives so far are out weighing that and for me the audiogram did a good job of flattening the curve.
It’s such a personal thing though, so I would recommend buying them from somewhere you can easily return them.

 

[manicm]

A nice little review.

I guess the hype is similar to the kef ls50's wireless, they redefined a market segment and at the time nothing quite like them existed on the market. Most people that review these have very little experience with higher-end headphones, hence the hype reviews there just better then most they have heard. Apple didn't really send them out to audiophiles to review but tech reviewers like Ijustine and MBKHD. And I guess that's the point though BUT apple aimed these at the general "beats" public but priced them at the audiophile market so are in this kind of no man's land.

have you had any problem with moisture "condensation" inside the ear cups? some are complaining about this

Not a bit of derision on your part eh? If you go to Apple’s blurb they are targeting audiophiles with the Max, and not the ‘Beats crowd’.

 

[Sliced Bread]

I think millennia is just saying that alot of the reviews are from tech guys rather than audiophiles and so they may not have as much experience as say sites dedicated to audio hardware.

While there are some review from audio sites (such as this one), I think that it is also largely true that most others are not.
I saw one review on you tube which was supposedly from an audiophile, but when I looked on his channel he was just clearly trying to flog any old gadget he could find via the affiliate links.

 

[Sliced Bread]

Another quick update on this.

The more I listen to these the more I’m liking them. In fact I’ve started revisiting a bunch of tracks from my youth which I thought I’d grown bored of. Through my mellow smooth sounding Hi-Fi, these tracks sound nice but not particularly engaging. I figured I’d just over heard them, but through the APM’s they’ve really come alive again. I can pin this back down to the attack these things have and the ability to bring out vocal inflections without effort. Going back a little before my youth to Blondie Parallel lines and Deborah Harry’s voice actually sounds punk in the way it’s supposed to, while on my main Hi-Fi it just sounds like gentle pop.
I’ve also found myself listening to some classical tracks and movie scores and here too, the same is true.

There is a flip side to this and that’s that the APM don’t do smooth calm and relaxed quite as well as my Hi-Fi. By that I mean I don’t think I could put on something relaxing and just fall asleep because everything feels engaging. But on balance that feels like a very good thing.

Spatial audio is interesting and definitely adds to the experience of watching movies via headphones. Here it is not quite as good as my dedicated (and more expensive) home cinema system, but the effect definitely adds space and creates a more 3D world for the film to exist in. If I had a criticism I’d say that sometimes the bass can be that bit too high. If you turn spatial audio off and on you can definitely hear a bass boost. But regardless it is still a cut above standard stereo for movies and I would rather have it on for movies than not.

I should stress that the above is all using the audiogram setting noted in my first post. I still think the bass is a little too hot without it, though I like a mid forward balance with a hint of warmth.

Now I need to do something about my separates to try and get some of that engagement into my living room. I wonder if my Yamaha 3080 can drive ATC’s?

 

[abacus]

The worst sound from any system is by not using sound processing (Which is why it is always used by professionals) as unless you have a perfect room (Or head with headphones) you will always have a substandard sound no matter how much you pay for your equipment.

Manufactures aim for a market which may not be quite what you are looking for, however a good manufacture will give you the facilities to fine tune it to how you want. (If realism has no relevance to you (You just want a particular type of sound) then by all means buy equipment devoid of any processing)

Bill

 

[Sliced Bread]

The worst sound from any system is by not using sound processing (Which is why it is always used by professionals) as unless you have a perfect room (Or head with headphones) you will always have a substandard sound no matter how much you pay for your equipment.

Manufactures aim for a market which may not be quite what you are looking for, however a good manufacture will give you the facilities to fine tune it to how you want. (If realism has no relevance to you (You just want a particular type of sound) then by all means buy equipment devoid of any processing)

Bill

As time moves forward I agree more and more on this point. Especially now DSP is improving upon its early origins. It’s good that we’re now starting to see DSP in the hi-if and head-fi world as well as the existing home cinema implementations.

 

[luxmanlover]

Another quick update on this.

Spatial audio is interesting and definitely adds to the experience of watching movies via headphones. Here it is not quite as good as my dedicated (and more expensive) home cinema system, but the effect definitely adds space and creates a more 3D world for the film to exist in. If I had a criticism I’d say that sometimes the bass can be that bit too high. If you turn spatial audio off and on you can definitely hear a bass boost. But regardless it is still a cut above standard stereo for movies and I would rather have it on for movies than not.

I should stress that the above is all using the audiogram setting noted in my first post. I still think the bass is a little too hot without it, though I like a mid forward balance with a hint of warmth.

Sliced Bread, I'm assuming you are listening with noise cancelling turned off? I was only able to test these in store and it was really loud in there. With noise canceling turned on, I found the midrange almost gone? Might have been related to how much compensation was necessary for the cancellation?

Regardless of the missing mids, I was shocked at how much they boosted the low end. I thought these weren't aimed at the "beats crowd". The less muddy for sure, but the bass is so prominent (cancelling turned on), that it buried the details struggling to emerge in the highs. I could tell they were fairly precise, but just no bloom. Again all of this might be related to the excessive noise in the store and excessive filtration for cancellation.

Knowing that the bass can be flattened a bit is encouraging enough for me to possibly buy a pair and test it out, but here's the question... Does the revised audio curve only work if you're connected to an iOS device? I'd like to be able to pair these with my Astell & Kern SE180 as opposed to my phone. On the go, (presently) I use my Shure SE535's. Like you, I find those to be nice and neutral with honest low end.

Thanks for your review.

 

[Sliced Bread]

Sliced Bread, I'm assuming you are listening with noise cancelling turned off? I was only able to test these in store and it was really loud in there. With noise canceling turned on, I found the midrange almost gone? Might have been related to how much compensation was necessary for the cancellation?

Regardless of the missing mids, I was shocked at how much they boosted the low end. I thought these weren't aimed at the "beats crowd". The less muddy for sure, but the bass is so prominent (cancelling turned on), that it buried the details struggling to emerge in the highs. I could tell they were fairly precise, but just no bloom. Again all of this might be related to the excessive noise in the store and excessive filtration for cancellation.

Knowing that the bass can be flattened a bit is encouraging enough for me to possibly buy a pair and test it out, but here's the question... Does the revised audio curve only work if you're connected to an iOS device? I'd like to be able to pair these with my Astell & Kern SE180 as opposed to my phone. On the go, (presently) I use my Shure SE535's. Like you, I find those to be nice and neutral with honest low end.

Thanks for your review.

Yeah I would not test any noise cancelling headphones in a loud room as the drivers are already working overtime to compensate for the noise.

I listen at home with noise cancelling on and off and with Transparency on too and the voicing is Pretty consistent in most circumstances. If on the other hand I am running a tap / boiling a kettle or have the washing machine on then the mids and uppers tend to take a hit.

Interestingly we both come from Shures so I understand the culture shock. If you look at my first review I also found the bass too much at first, but using the Audiogram (iOS only I’m afraid) eliminated that problem for me.

Interestingly as time moved on and I become accustomed to the sound I now no longer use the Audiogram and I enjoy them a great deal as-is.
But yes the bass takes some getting used to when coming from Shures.

On the midrange front I would say my Shure SE425’s were slightly warmer but the Max’s more transparent and better at picking up subtle vocal nuances. Something that the 425s were already good at.

Timing is also better on the Max’s IMO.

But….
…I probably still prefer the 425’s for mellow music, but the Max’s for everything else.

I think I would also like to add that for me the Max’s are a home headphone. It’s personal preference, but I would prefer to take my Shures commuting as they just fit in my pocket.

 

[Darwinia]

A nice little review.

I guess the hype is similar to the kef ls50's wireless, they redefined a market segment and at the time nothing quite like them existed on the market. Most people that review these have very little experience with higher-end headphones, hence the hype reviews there just better then most they have heard. Apple didn't really send them out to audiophiles to review but tech reviewers like Ijustine and MBKHD. And I guess that's the point though BUT apple aimed these at the general "beats" public but priced them at the audiophile market so are in this kind of no man's land.

have you had any problem with moisture "condensation" inside the ear cups? some are complaining about this

Apple did in fact send them to audiophiles. Google is your friend.

 

[Natan90NL]

@Sliced Bread thank you for sharing this info. Since I’m curious to the quality of the Apm it’s very useful.

Would u consider the sound quality on par with €100-200 headphones with cable and lossless audio from Apple Music ? With or without a dac / headphone amp.

For example grado sr80x with zen dac v2 (then even hi res lossless).

 

[FranJaureguiM]

Thank you so so much for this great review... i just made a huge effort and took the decision to buy them.... your review was the greatest and honest so far ... by the way special thanks for the musical gift that Elbows means. Im in love with magnificent (she says)... cant stop playing it!!!! . Im in musical love... And cant wait to hear it on the Airpods Max. Thank you so much for giving us another reason for us to love music so much .... take good care of you. And thank you so so much. 🌙🤍🌙