The Design and Features of Apple AirPods Max Headphones
I have never seen headphones that I can call gorgeous. The aluminum ear cups and polished stainless steel frame give the product a premium feel and eye-catching sheen that just can’t be found on competing plastic headphones. And while this metal design definitely adds weight, I’ve found it to be an acceptable tradeoff, since a solid feel and attractive appearance is something I value in a product. Also, Apple did a great job accommodating this extra weight by adding a stronger clamp force as well as texturizing the ear cup and headband to add friction and prevent sliding or slippage. Not to mention the foam ear cups are attached magnetically so they’re easily replaceable once worn out or if you have the desire to mix and match colors.
Now these qualities may feel a bit strange when you first put the AirPods Max on your head. But after a week, my Bose QC 2s felt loose and I began to prefer the tighter, more secure fit of AirPods Max. Also, its ear cups are more spacious than the competition, allowing my ears to fit inside without being pinned down by the foam. And the headband is breathable and prevents any pressure points. This has been a game changer for me, since my ears and head no longer develop sore spots after hours of use like they had with my QC 2s. In fact, I’ve been using my AirPods Max for 8-12 hours a day during the week with no discomfort whatsoever, which is pretty incredible considering these headphones are heavier.
Let’s talk about the infamous Smart Case. This was perhaps the second most talked-about attribute of the AirPods Max after its high price, and I was honestly pretty surprised by the hate it received. Personally, I’ve always found the cases included with Bose headphones to be overkill. Although I understand the importance of keeping expensive electronics protected. That being said, the AirPods Max are made from metal, similar to a MacBook Air. And most people don’t worry about protecting their notebooks with a hard-shell case. Instead, a sleeve is more commonly used. And I think the same goes for AirPods Max. A sleeve provides protection from scratches, scuffs, and nicks, while also being super compact and portable. Which has been very useful for me. Plus, you have the added convenience of using the AirPods headband as a handle.
Considering all of these features of AirPods Max, they’re in a fairly unique position. They’re the only headphones that successfully combine Adaptive EQ, industry-leading noise cancellation and transparency mode, Spacial Audio, magnetic ear cups, on-head detection, an all-metal design, a digital crown, and seamless integration with your existing Apple products like one tap pairing and a lighting connector so you don’t need multiple power cables. There is literally no other headphone on the market, even in the one to two thousand dollar range, that delivers such strong performance across all of these categories. And that is exactly why they cost $550. The question you need to ask yourself, is if that headphone experience is valuable to you. I think it was worth every penny. But then again, I’m deep in the Apple ecosystem and my favorite type of headphones to use are those of the over-ear variety. So AirPods Max offered a huge quality of life upgrade compared to my previous Bose headphones.
Thanks for watching till the end, don’t forget to subscribe to help decide which topics I cover in the future, and I’ll see you in the next video.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enLast December, Apple introduced AirPods Max. The latest addition to their best-selling line of headphones that’ve been in development for four years. Despite selling out just hours after its release, the product received a huge amount of criticism. Customers awaiting the product anticipated a price tag of 350 to 400 dollars, but instead, AirPods Max cost 550 dollars. And unfortunately, that price tag received most of the media attention, instead of the incredible technology Apple was able to pack inside. So in this video, I’m going to explain what makes the AirPods Max such a successful product by proving how it’s features and technology are unrivaled by any other headphone on the market today. This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video. Today’s topic was first place in the last voting poll, and if you didn’t get to participate, make sure you’re subscribed, and polls like this one will begin appearing in your mobile activity feed.Alright now the question I see come up online the most is what makes the AirPods Max worth its 550 dollar price. And while I’m going to try my best to explain why in this video, I have to preface it by saying, AirPods Max may not be worth it for you. People who prefer wearing earbuds may want to stick with AirPods Pro. People who don’t care about noise cancellation or sound quality may be happiest with the standard AirPods. And people whose priority is weight, may not like its heavier all-metal design. And that brings me to the first point I want to make: the over-ear headphone category, which AirPods Max is part of, is considered niche. Meaning those products tend to sell in lower volumes than others like earbuds. And that’s important to understand. Because while the original AirPods appealed to almost everyone and virtually all use cases, AirPods Max are designed for a more specific group of users. And it’s that group of people, who’ve likely already purchased over-ear headphones in the past, that should listen closest to this video.So what makes AirPods Max so special, is that it’s the most well-rounded headphone I’ve ever used, it may make small compromises in some areas, but the overall experience using them is unrivaled by anything else out there. So what do I mean by that. Well, AirPods Max may not have the best sound-quality in the world since reference-class headphones in the one to two thousand dollar range, like these Sennheiser HD 820s are considered the gold standard. But AirPods Max are consumer-level headphones. And the sound quality they deliver in that category is incredible, mainly because of its adaptive EQ feature. A technology only the AKG N90Q previously had. A pair of headphones that cost 1,500 dollars. The functional purpose of Adaptive EQ is to actively listen to what the user hears with inward facing microphones, and adjust the frequency to optimize the listening experience for each individual. This feature alone is a large contributing factor to the AirPods Max 550 dollar price. But this is only the beginning.Now let’s talk about perhaps the second most important feature of over-ear headphones; noise cancellation. Previously, Sony’s XM4s were considered to have the best noise cancellation available on consumer-level headphones. But with the release of AirPods Max, many reviewers noted it’s ability to dampen background voices better than the XM4s. Something I’ve definitely noticed coming from the Bose QC 2s. And when it comes to Transparency Mode, I don’t think there’s a consumer headphones that comes close to the AirPods Max. With the push of a button, you’re able to hear everything going on around you. Without any fishbowl effect or delay that made the mode unusable on my QC 2s. And then there’s Spacial Audio, something standard headphones outside of the gaming and VR world don’t have. It’s a software feature that surrounds you with a 3D soundstage. Using built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers, the AirPods Max, only while connected to an iPhone or iPad, tracks your head movement relative to the device’s position. Giving the illusion that you’re sitting in a big surround sound theater. It’s really a magical feature that has to be experienced to be believed. And it’s a huge advantage of the AirPods Max, despite most content not supporting the feature yet.Now everything I just covered are only software features. But even those have proven to outperform competing headphones, and they aren’t even my favorite things about AirPods Max. Because in my opinion, the best thing isn’t how they sound, it’s how they work. When you use Bose 700s or Sony XM4s, you’re forced to manage the device’s power state. You turn them on while in use, and turn them off when you’re done. This may sound trivial, but it adds a layer of friction that doesn’t exist with any model of AirPods. When you remove them from their case, they automatically turn on. And when you put them back in, or even set them down while outside their case, the earbuds will enter a standby mode to preserve battery life. And that’s part of the magic of AirPods. You don’t have to think about anything except putting them in your ear and taking them out when you’re done. And I’m happy Apple was able to bring that same functionality to AirPods Max. It doesn’t have a power button like every other pair of over-ear headphones, and this upset some people when the product was introduced. Complaining that battery life would be wasted, or that they’d have to use the Smart Case which automatically put the headphones into an ultra-low power mode. And while yes, you may lose two to three percent of battery when leaving the headphones out overnight, it’s an imperceptible tradeoff that allows you to enjoy a completely seamless headphone experience.Kind’ve like how you want people to have a seamless experience when visiting your website. Which is why I designed and built mine with Squarespace. They have a drag and drop interface that’s so simple even I can use it. Plus, Squarespace automatically optimizes your website for mobile devices, so you don’t have to waste time creating a desktop and mobile version of your site. They have built in analytics tools that report page views, traffic sources, time on site, most read content, and more. You can create an exclusive paid membership area just like on YouTube, and you can even create an entire e-commerce store to sell physical or digital products. I actually did that a couple years ago to sell merch and it was way easier than I imagined. Also, if you Google Apple Explained my website is one of the first results. Thats because Squarespace has the best search engine optimization tools that’ll make your website more visible to more people. So go to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you’re ready to launch, go to squarespace.com/appleexplained to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Alright now thanks to the lack of a power button, Apple was able to keep the number of buttons on AirPods Max to a minimum of two. And that’s impressive considering Apple didn’t sacrifice tactile controls for touch controls. Something Sony and Bose did with their latest headphone models, and many users found frustrating. With AirPods Max, there’s one button to toggle between noise cancellation and transparency mode, and a digital crown that behaves just like on the Apple Watch. Rotating to adjust volume, pressing to play and pause, and long pressing to invoke Siri. It’s an incredibly well implemented solution to the clumsy audio controls that’ve always plagued over-ear headphones. And of course, AirPods Max have on-head detection that pauses audio when they’re removed, and resumes playback when you put them back on.Now let’s talk about design. While looks are subjective, I think these are the first pair of headphones I’ve ever seen that I can call gorgeous. The aluminum ear cups and polished stainless steel frame give the product a premium feel and eye-catching sheen that just can’t be found on competing plastic headphones. And while this metal design definitely adds weight, I’ve found it to be an acceptable tradeoff, since a solid feel and attractive appearance is something I value in a product. Also, Apple did a great job accommodating this extra weight by adding a stronger clamp force as well as texturizing the ear cup and headband to add friction and prevent sliding or slippage. Not to mention the foam ear cups are attached magnetically so they’re easily replaceable once worn out or if you have the desire to mix and match colors. Now these qualities may feel a bit strange when you first put the AirPods Max on your head. But after a week, my Bose QC 2s felt loose and I began to prefer the tighter, more secure fit of AirPods Max. Also, its ear cups are more spacious than the competition, allowing my ears to fit inside without being pinned down by the foam. And the headband is breathable and prevents any pressure points. This has been a game changer for me, since my ears and head no longer develop sore spots after hours of use like they had with my QC 2s. In fact, I’ve been using my AirPods Max for 8-12 hours a day during the week with no discomfort whatsoever, which is pretty incredible considering these headphones are heavier.Now, let’s talk about the infamous Smart Case. This was perhaps the second most talked-about attribute of the AirPods Max after its high price, and I was honestly pretty surprised by the hate it received. Personally, I’ve always found the cases included with Bose headphones to be overkill. Although I understand the importance of keeping expensive electronics protected. That being said, the AirPods Max are made from metal, similar to a MacBook Air. And most people don’t worry about protecting their notebooks with a hard-shell case. Instead, a sleeve is more commonly used. And I think the same goes for AirPods Max. A sleeve provides protection from scratches, scuffs, and nicks, while also being super compact and portable. Which has been very useful for me. Plus, you have the added convenience of using the AirPods headband as a handle.So considering all of these features of AirPods Max, they’re in a fairly unique position. They’re the only headphones that successfully combine Adaptive EQ, industry-leading noise cancellation and transparency mode, Spacial Audio, magnetic ear cups, on-head detection, an all-metal design, a digital crown, and seamless integration with your existing Apple products like one tap pairing and a lighting connector so you don’t need multiple power cables. There is literally no other headphone on the market, even in the one to two thousand dollar range, that delivers such strong performance across all of these categories. And that is exactly why they cost $550. The question you need to ask yourself, is if that headphone experience is valuable to you. I think it was worth every penny. But then again, I’m deep in the Apple ecosystem and my favorite type of headphones to use are those of the over-ear variety. So AirPods Max offered a huge quality of life upgrade compared to my previous Bose headphones. But I hope you learned enough from this video to make a confident, well-informed decision for yourself.Alright guys thanks for watching till the end, don’t forget to subscribe to help decide which topics I cover in the future, and I’ll see you in the next video.\n"
