exp

Hmm, B&W says free 30 day returns. Shipping back would probably be a pain though.

DYKWIA

£550 for Apple Airpods Max

With a case that isn't actually a case.

4BandE

For the past couple of 5 hour hauls SFO-HNL and back I've been using my Bose QC30's since they are easier to use for me while using a mask and glasses while eating/drinking. For a wired connection, I use my QC20's

richarddd

How do the two of those compare for noise cancelling and comfort?

GUWonder

My auditory senses are so refined that I need to spend $550+ on those headphones so as to be able to tell the difference between whether I am listening to a Stradivarius or a 1980s' Chinese SOE-manufactured violin when listening to some random Itzhak Perlman-wannabe trying to play that most famous section of WA Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik on the fiddle.

Ok, now back to reality and a more realistic price: something available at the local Target or phone store already. There are even some more-than-decent Sony headphones available for half the price of the Airpods Max: https://www.sony.com/electronics/hea...nes/wh-1000xm4

That said, I just can't be bothered to run around with headphones that don't easily fit into a small pocket. And although I sometimes entertain the idea of taking my OTE Bose headphones on flights, I almost never do take them on flight trips during the last few years.

LordHamster

Yeah these would need to have MINDBLOWING ANC, Sound quality, and call quality to justify that price. What is the deal with that "case?" I'd also need a proper 3rd party protective case I can carabiner to the outside of my travel backpack.

DYKWIA

I bought some Bose 700 about a year ago for my trips. Of course, I only used them once before the virus kicked in.

I've got a couple of long hauls coming up, so I dusted them off last night. The firmware was upgraded, and I listened for a while.

The ANC is incredible - the best I've come across. I couldn't hear my keyboard as I was typing (it's quite clicky / noisy). They are less than half the price of the Air Pods Max.

I do do love the Air Pods Pro for general listening, but I'll skip the Max thank you very much.

deniah

it’s going to be an instant status symbol and sooooooo many Chinese clones of that is going to pop out, in the same way earbuds all became white after the iPod, and now there are a billion AirPods facsimiles out there

Duke787

Got my QC35s about a year ago for $200 (similar sale happened earlier this year). I've worn those things on flights to all corners of the planet and have spent the last few months wearing them off and on in the new COVID work from home mode. The AirPod Max would need to come with an iPad included to convince me it was worth spending the extra money.

Also curious what this means for Beats by Dre brand -- are they going to kill it? Are they going to use it as a mid-tier offering? Are they going to re-brand it?

Like others, I love my AirPods (I've got Gen 2 with the wireless case) for exercise and using when walking the dog, etc., but this seems like a step too far -- even for Apple.

GUWonder

Didn't Apple acquire Beats just for the purpose of getting more assets to get into the higher-end music and headphone game and eventually cannibalize it for Apple-branded stuff itself? That is sort of what ended up happening with Beats Music. With Beats headphones, however, Apple may have a bit more incentive to keep it around for a bit longer since Beats headphones provide Apple with additional headhphones to market at price points that aren't as high as the AirPod Max price but are lucrative enough still while doing it was meant to do: provide it sound/music development resources to get deeper into the headphones game.

When I first got the Airpods Pro, I used to keep on often using my regular old AirPods. Now, however, I find myself trying to avoid using the old AirPods and sticking with the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Max are too big for that to be the case this time around for me.

Bokehman

I've owned the QC20s since November 2018. As I was taking them out, I got a terrible squeal from the right side—the 'shell' had come apart. It appears the glue had dried out. I very gingerly put a few pieces of scotch tape on it, just to hold things together. The wiring looks like it's a molecule thick. I did a quick test and they still work.The Bose factory store just outside Toronto said there was no repair service offered for it, and offered another set for $215CDN (regular price is $329).

This is the second Bose product I'd had fall apart (the first was a set of AE2 headphones—literally crumbled to bits as I put them on). I'm pretty careful with my gear, but I'm now very iffy on the build quality. I'm torn. I do love the sound from the QC20s but now reluctant to pay the premium.

I'll attempt a repair with some Gorilla Micro Precise glue. Looking forward, I may try the Airpod Pros. I would not call myself an audiophile, and probably couldn't tell the difference between an mp3 and some hi-res format.

Dread Pirate Jeff

I had to do that with my first set of QC-20i earbuds but that was after a few years and a LOT of long-haul usage. I then replaced them with a new set when the battery life had degraded to the point that i wasn't able to last a 15 hour flight on a single charge (the QC-20s on a full charge will work for me with ANC on for a full flight from the US to Taiwan or back, which is between 12 and 15 hours each way). My second pair has lasted well and still works great, and I also use them daily for meetings and such for work. I'll probably buy another set just to keep in reserve for when I wear these out, as I haven't seen any indication that they have an upgrade planned (the other earbuds just don't have the battery life I need for those trans-pacific flights).

On my old ones, I just glued them back together with a tiny amount of gorilla glue and never had a problem afterwards.

A note about the AirPod Pro though, they only last a few hours per charge, and it annoys me to not have ANC in-flight, so I keep my AirPod Pros for daily use once I'm wherever it is I'm headed, much more convenient being cordless when out jogging, hiking, shopping, etc. Apple says "up to 4.5 hours listening time" and that is largely accurate for listen only (I have used them on a cross-country) but more realistically I get closer to 3.5-4 hours per charge. They do recharge relatively fast though, so there is that.

ng1265

I still have my QC15s (limited edition blue), I might have changed the pads twice and the cable is at its third replacement, but considering they are 8 years old it was £250 well spent!

Bokehman

I'm only an occasional user—music or podcasts a few hours per week. I almost never wear them outside the house. Even flying (just above a FOTSG level) I use them intermittently. It kind of got me wondering if I should just get an over the ear set, but I want the portability just in case. I travel very light (a Tom Bihn Synic 22). I wouldn't use them enough to justify AirPods plus an over the ear set.

For the glue, did you put a bead all the way around the rim? I read a post about the halves needing to be completely sealed in order for the acoustics to work properly, or something like that.

Dread Pirate Jeff

For the glue, yeah, very carefully (all those years as a kid building plastic models paid off, apparently), because they do need to be sealed.

My first set were QC-15s and I carried those until the QC-20 first came out. I loved the -15s but Over the Ear don't work so well for me, they just get too hot and uncomfortable after extended periods, and I also couldn't sleep with them on, even leaning against the fuselage with a pillow was problematic. With the -20s I can actually sleep even when I'm lucky enough to score a business or first class upgrade (not that I sleep that well in Econ or Econ+ to begin with). The airpods I got more for jogging and walking, and I use them pretty heavily (moreso than my Bose which I usually just use for work and flights).

Also, I should add, the glue issue only happened to me on my first set. The newer set I bought after the battery started to go have been problem free and I've used them for ... 2 or 3 years now without issue.