I said I'd never buy Airpod Max headphones

Vulture · Post by **Vulture** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 11:25 am

And then I did like a week ago. They sat in the box for days before I decided I should pull them out and start using them on a trip out of town, and now I can't stop using them. Although I already understood what they were capable of in terms of features, actually using them is very impressive in how they seamlessly work with all your devices. The sound quality is not disappointing at all, and since I'm already very familiar with SONY MDR-7506 headphones for critical music listening and mixing, these headphones are very comparable. The right ear buttons are easy to use and the build quality is impressive, plus the three listening modes are great for different situations. The fact that I can talk easily on the phone with them is way better than my previous yelling at the speakerphone method, the wireless aspect alone is very freeing, and I still haven't set up the spatial audio feature. I used to think I'd be a douche wearing these, and now I am one.

ConnertheCat · Post by **ConnertheCat** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 12:55 pm

I bought some for a series of flights I took a few years ago, and back when I would mow the lawn. Impressive noise cancelation. I currently don't have a need for them in my life (I have AirPods Pro 3s for when I'm out and about); but yeah - great tech.

deyncourt · Post by **deyncourt** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 1:45 pm

Personally I have no shame about having earphones with a cord to connect them together, so while this company does have fully wireless earphones I have bought and continue to use:
https://treblab.com/collections/all/pro ... blab-xr500
Can't beat the price of 31 bucks plus tax and shipping.

ConnertheCat · Post by **ConnertheCat** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 2:54 pm

deyncourt wrote: Fri Feb 20, 2026 1:45 pm
Personally I have no shame about having earphones with a cord to connect them together, so while this company does have fully wireless earphones I have bought and continue to use:
https://treblab.com/collections/all/pro ... blab-xr500
Can't beat the price of 31 bucks plus tax and shipping.

I have a 10 year old pair of LG Tones for biking. Looks like they don't make them anymore, which is a real shame - they were so excellent for that.

Zapski · Post by **Zapski** » Fri Feb 20, 2026 5:40 pm

I bought the AirPods Max about a year ago for a trip to California. I really hate flying these days, and wanted to go a silent as possible. I still use them when I want to listen to certain albums (Prog Rock requres over head cans). But I also have AirPods Pro 2, for general around the house listening and yard work, and some regular old ANC AirPods for when I’m out in public and don’t want to be too isolated. Also they work better for me for calling friends when I’m out on a walk or something ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Link · Post by **Link** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 12:57 am

I have defiantly avoided buying Airpods of any kind or Beats headphones. I'm sticking to my Sennheiser Momentum 3. Better sound quality than the Airpods although the ANC is marginal.

I'm glad you're liking them though.

ame · Post by **ame** » Sun Feb 22, 2026 4:44 pm

I am more of a Powerbeats Pro girl. They stay put, though I wish they were louder.

Ernest · Post by **Ernest** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 5:16 pm

Link wrote: Sun Feb 22, 2026 12:57 am
I have defiantly avoided buying Airpods of any kind or Beats headphones. I'm sticking to my Sennheiser Momentum 3. Better sound quality than the Airpods although the ANC is marginal.

I'm glad you're liking them though.

He asserts after making it sound like he’s never used any AirPods or Beats…

Ernest · Post by **Ernest** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 5:22 pm

Never could get myself to pay for the AirPods Max. Have heard great things about them, but just can’t justify the cost. I have a pair of Beats Studio Pro I picked up at a really good discount from Costco. I grabbed them for the 11 hr+ cross-pacific flights where the AirPods aren’t going to cut it for battery life, and I leave them on my desk at work the rest of the time, though I don’t use them much there. I actually did some thorough testing vs Bose and Sennheiser, and in the end they were pretty comparable experiences, so the value of Apple integrations like Spatial Audio made the final decision.

The AirPods Pro are my daily go-to, and I use them a ton. I still don’t love the in-ear ear plug style, but they are a really exceptional blend of convenient and solid quality. I was given version 3 for Xmas, and I found the improvements from version 2 to have been overblown.

Vulture · Post by **Vulture** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 8:29 am

I like that the AirPods Pro have a feature for hearing loss where they act like hearing aids if you want. I personally don't need that, but at least I know that friends who might have moderate hearing loss could use these possibly if they already own them and didn't know.

Alien · Post by **Alien** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:35 pm

I have the AirPods Pro 2, and it’s stunning how much more user friendly they are than other Bluetooth audio devices. I’m stuck using Windows for work, and it’s night and day.

That said, I still use my Shure SE846’s for music listening, because damn. Those sound better than anything else.