Is There a Difference in Build Quality Between the Old and New AirPods Max?

Question

I’m looking at the new AirPods Max and asking if the construction or materials allow any distinction from the older version?

Answer 1

It seems that the build quality and materials of the AirPods Max have not undergone any changes from their predecessor. What stands out as the primary change is the additional color choices and the fact that charging now utilizes USB-C.

Comments

Why didn't they at least upgrade to the H2 chipset?

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I went to the Apple Store and tried the new model... I might be imagining this, but I noticed something interesting. The metal headband feels a bit stiffer, so the ear cups seem to press against the ears more, relying less on the mesh. Also, the mesh itself feels slightly springier. I was able to compare because they still had an older generation on display. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?

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Mark i found on you tube how to tighten the mesh headband.
With a small paper clip or apple pin press the small hole near the top of each headphone.
Then pull gently and the ear cup will pull away from the head band.
You can then wash the head band in warm water with a little soap nothing with softener as you want the mesh to pull tight when dry. Leave to dry naturally over night and the mesh should have tightened.
I have done mine twice now also i washed the removable ear cups washed and dried in the same way.
I hope this helps

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I bought these and I am happy with my purchase. I got them for the seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem and they have no competitor in this area, particularly for working with the Apple TV which I like to watch late at night. Note I also have a pair of "audiophile" wired headphones — Sennheiser 800S — which cost 3 times more than this Apple Max set. I mix music with the Sennheiser pair, I would never do that with the Apple Max. So far as enjoying listening to music, the Apple AirPods Max fall short for instrumental solos because there is a dip in the EQ exactly where they tend to occur: when the obligatory guitar solo hits, that solo is pushed into the background; however, vocals reign supreme. So the Max don’t come through on my favorite parts of songs, and, to be honest, they simply don’t get loud enough to satisfy when you want to blast out your favorite song. They do have a wonderful warm sound with plenty of bass, and the sound stage is quite good.

So, for general Apple ecosystem integration there is no peer to the AirPods Max, but for lovers of, say, classic rock music the big instrumental solos will be disappointing because they are pushed back in the mix. So if you can go with the ecosystem in general with the Max and have a separate set of cans for really focusing on enjoying music then you have the best of all worlds.

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Had these and the Sonos Ace for 2 days now to decide which ones to get. And it just doesn’t make sense to me. I wanna love the the Max’s, I really do, but (for me) it just doesn’t make sense. The only thing the Max’s have over the Sonos is the sound quality. They sound clearer, but its not a huge difference. With the Sonos you get an actual case, they work wired (with the cable you get with it), they have an actual off button and imo they are much more comfortable. With Sonos you get the full headphone package, while the Max just focuses on sound.
Gonna send back the AirPods and gonna enjoy my lovely (less expensive) Sonos Ace.

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Didn't have the lightning. Got the USBC. Is it good? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Is it worth it? 100% NO. Compared to my APP2, the sound is definitely better and has slightly better noise cancellation on the max. However, you get a lot more for a lot less on the APP2. The transparency mode on the APP2 is definitely better, you get adaptive audio among other features and only a marginally worse audio and noise cancellation. I still maintain my stance that the APP2 is probably one of the best bang for your buck audio accessory for iPhone users. I would only recommend anyone to get the Airpods Max if the APP2 just wouldn't stay in your ears and you have money to spare.

Regarding the telescopic arm, mine does not seem as loose as yours. I think there is some sort of manufacturing tolerance going on here making it inconsistent. Maybe it will get tighter over time? or it might get even looser. We shall see.

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I find your point of view and AirPods Max (the old one) a bit too rough. I bough them in august and  they are my second favorite apple product I have just behind my 16 inch M2 pro MacBook Pro (which says a Lot). They are better than my AirPods Pro 1 and 2 and home pod mini. I'm sorry but there are more pros about them  beside what you already said : they are extremely modular (you can separate all the parts to clean them), changing battery is super easy for an apple product, they work the best with Apple Music and any kind of dolby atmos movies, I can wear them and WORK  probably 6 to 8 hours non stop without issues which is 2x more than AirPods Pro( can't focus with). ok AirPods Pros and 4 have more features but they are far from working flawlessly : fragility, charging problems, connection problems,  listing modes that won't work on one of the two, the case scratching in 2 days etc... I believe airpods Max will have superb longevity if you take care of them so you can resell them (can't do that with AirPods).

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Do the new AirPods Max still have the same condensation problem?

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Good for you for trying them out, but I would be sending them back, especially as they still have that ridiculous and terrible 'case' and the headband mesh is bound to get saggy again. Not a great design. Disappointing product overall.