@Resolve’s AirPods Max Review is now live. Skip to 26:26 if you’d like to skip to the Angry Rant section of the video
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Oooh, spicy. 26 min of angry Resolve? That’s must see TV in my book.
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Call it a rant, but I enjoyed Andrew’s honesty. Many tech review sites are gushing over this simply because it’s an Apple product, and that’s extremely misleading to consumers. Andrew did a fantastic job of breaking things down and giving an explanation of both the objective and subjective.
I am still waiting for a wireless noise-cancelling headphone that actually sounds really good! Apple has the R&D budget but it seems they still didn’t get it right; kind of seems like nobody has yet to be honest. In my opinion, perhaps Apple should stick to personal computers and phones and really polishing the performance of those products instead. 
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Angry Rant is the name of the section of the video that begins at 26:26 
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Lol, I didn’t even notice that haha.
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Ive actually been avoiding any online reviews of this as I feared a lot of apple ass kissing. After I get a chance to watch this I might cast my eyes at other reviews to see where I can channel my disdain.
Im looking forward to the closed back hifiman for over 5K review!
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Thankfully there have been a number of more balanced and sober reviews coming out from fellow reviews like DMS and Crin - so it’s not all just hype trains haha. And you know what, there are bound to be people who really like it too. I think it’s probably worth it for people to check out a broad range of takes, rather than just the one reviewer who says it’s bad / good. I was just thinking about that earlier today, like… it’s great that we have differing impressions on stuff because there are bound to be people who also have different preferences. Maybe that’s a bit of a platitude, but I like that this stuff isn’t taken as gospel, even for the stuff I produce.
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I thought it was a very measured and balanced review, just the excellent sort that I have come to expect from @Resolve. It gave me the key points that I need to make an informed purchase decision. I am very appreciative of the effort.
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After watching most of the available reviews out there, ranging from just regular tech reviewers to a few audiophile reviewers my take is that, these are a no brainer for people deep into the Apple ecosystem due to all of the conveniences associated with the seamless communication between the APM and other Apple devices. Don’t expect $549 in terms of sound quality, that cost is spread among build quality, top notch ANC capabilities, Spacial Audio and most importantly, the Apple ecosystem features which cannot be found on any other pair of Wireless ANC cans and decent sound quality for most consumers out there - of course mediocre or not good enough for the audiophile crowd.
If you’re just a singular apple device user (iPhone or Mac or iPad), it might not be worth it, because your needs can be easily fulfilled by the competition (read Sony XM4, Bose NC700, Shure Aonic 50) at much lower costs.
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Both @andrew and I had a pair arrive today.
Initial thoughts is that they are decidedly average when it comes to sound. Nothing offensive but nothing to write home about either. I’ve got to play around with the presets a little more but I wasn’t a huge fan of balanced or treble presets.
The spatial audio is neat but I do wish it was compatible with Mac at launch and not just iphone / ipad.
Comfort isn’t great for me personally but YMMV with that. I find the ear cups create a pressure point right below my temple. However, I’ve only used them for 2 hours now so comfort can change.
I will say the mic on it is the best from Apple yet. I’m used to talking to Andrew with his Pros where it sounds like he’s consistently swimming through mud but that’s not the case with the Max.
ANC was nice but the last ANC headphone I tried was the OG PXC 550 so its been a while and I don’t have any comparisons to recent ANC for a useful comparison.
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It seems to me that the reviews and opinions are exactly what one should expect from a lifestyle, fashion brand that purchased Beats and then invented the boob-purse expressly for this product.
Sound…hmmmm
Comfort…hmmmm
I get a lot of attention when I carry these in public…yeahhhhh
I don’t look like the old guys wearing bland Bose on the plane…double yeahhhhh
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The funniest thing I saw was a FB post or maybe even a Twitter where someone was complaining about the price being way too high when she knew that the best headphones in the world are made by Bose and Sony at hundreds less.
Hard to say if she was talking straight ANC or not but I dont think she was. It is all about perspective!!
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Ohhh yeah there is a lot of madness out there these days with that stuff.
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I think, this is worth watching if you haven’t done so far
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That’s surprising. I use Airpods Pro for teleconferencing at work all the time. One of my co-workers also used the Airpods Pro but switched to the Airpods Max recently. To me it sounded like he switched from a decent podcasting mic to a speakerphone. Most noticeable was the Max picking up lots of room reverb. I guess if you have a treated room it would sound better than the Pros though.
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Having any condensation issues?
And I like that TT2 back there 
… Enjoyable?
As follows from my earlier comments, the case lifts and separates at a perky angle. The cups are held firmly to prevent sagging.
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My pair finally arrived, 6 weeks later…
I came across this review, thought it was interesting in terms of how he measured it and was wondering if @Resolve could weigh in to explain as I am ignorant on these matters.
https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/blogging-on-audio/264-brent-butterworth/936-how-well-do-the-apple-airpods-max-headphones-measure
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