AirPods Max review: Mind-blowing performance and comfortable for long usage
The ear cups - made with anodised aluminium - have stainless steel arms at both ends.
By Aabhas Sharma, TOI Contributor | Updated:
AirPods Max
GET IT FOR: Rs 59,990
HIGHLIGHT: Excellent sound quality
Pardon the cliché, but Apple ended 2020 with a bang. In December, the AirPods Max — Apple’s first over-the-ear headphones — arrived and soon became a talking point for two reasons. First, they cost a whopping Rs 59,990 — a lot for headphones; and second for its quirky design. The price will obviously be a dominating factor in the AirPods Max narrative, but it doesn’t take away the fact these headphones give stunning audio quality.
The AirPods Max encapsulate the best of Apple’s design philosophy. Instead of the usual cushion bands, Apple has used a mesh canopy. Not only does it look strikingly different, but it is also extremely comfortable. One can wear these for 6-8 hours — which we did — at a stretch and not feel too much fatigue.
The ear cups — made with anodised aluminium — have stainless steel arms at both ends. The ear cups feel heavy at times but did not make us overtly uncomfortable. Apple has given a Digital Crown — like in Apple Watch — which can be used to adjust the volume or skip songs. There’s a button next to the crown to turn off/on noise cancellation. You expect a `60,000 headphone to be the cat’s whiskers and the AirPods Pro Max can carry that off with aplomb. Listen to the acoustic version of Guns’n Roses Patience on the AirPods Max and it almost sounds surreal. The instrument separation is nicely done and vocals sound really good.
The Who’s Baba O’Riley — the intro moves from left to right — and you can actually hear the motion on the AirPods Max. Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall is another song where the highs are crisp, lows are deep and the bass is as punchy as ever. Rival headphones from Bose and Sony — costing at least Rs 25,000 less — are really good but the AirPods seem to have that extra edge in output. Noise cancellation is really good on the AirPods Max. The battery life is solid for 18-20 hour.
The flaw? The smart case. It looks quirky but lacks the deftness of Apple’s design touch. The AirPods Max aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, simply because they are too expensive. If you have the cash, go ahead and splash as the AirPods Max are worth it.
The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
GET IT FOR: Rs 59,990
HIGHLIGHT: Excellent sound quality
Pardon the cliché, but Apple ended 2020 with a bang. In December, the AirPods Max — Apple’s first over-the-ear headphones — arrived and soon became a talking point for two reasons. First, they cost a whopping Rs 59,990 — a lot for headphones; and second for its quirky design. The price will obviously be a dominating factor in the AirPods Max narrative, but it doesn’t take away the fact these headphones give stunning audio quality.
The AirPods Max encapsulate the best of Apple’s design philosophy. Instead of the usual cushion bands, Apple has used a mesh canopy. Not only does it look strikingly different, but it is also extremely comfortable. One can wear these for 6-8 hours — which we did — at a stretch and not feel too much fatigue.
The ear cups — made with anodised aluminium — have stainless steel arms at both ends. The ear cups feel heavy at times but did not make us overtly uncomfortable. Apple has given a Digital Crown — like in Apple Watch — which can be used to adjust the volume or skip songs. There’s a button next to the crown to turn off/on noise cancellation. You expect a `60,000 headphone to be the cat’s whiskers and the AirPods Pro Max can carry that off with aplomb. Listen to the acoustic version of Guns’n Roses Patience on the AirPods Max and it almost sounds surreal. The instrument separation is nicely done and vocals sound really good.
The Who’s Baba O’Riley — the intro moves from left to right — and you can actually hear the motion on the AirPods Max. Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall is another song where the highs are crisp, lows are deep and the bass is as punchy as ever. Rival headphones from Bose and Sony — costing at least Rs 25,000 less — are really good but the AirPods seem to have that extra edge in output. Noise cancellation is really good on the AirPods Max. The battery life is solid for 18-20 hour.
The flaw? The smart case. It looks quirky but lacks the deftness of Apple’s design touch. The AirPods Max aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, simply because they are too expensive. If you have the cash, go ahead and splash as the AirPods Max are worth it.
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The writer is with gadgetsnow.com
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), an annual tech affair, kicked off 2021 with an astonishing line-up of ingenious updates. We weren't prepared for what the show had in store for us as the event went online this year due the pandemic. Usually a glitzy spectacle held in Las Vegas, the all- virtual -expo left no stone unturned as it came zapping with everything from flying cars to smart masks to innovative home care systems.
With the electric vehicles and flying cars launched at CES, it's safe to say that the future of driving looks brighter than ever.
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