In the Bluetooth settings for the Max, you can set the button to toggle between ANC and Off, or whatever you like. Might be useful if you’re using Off a lot
One thing might have affected on the difference between Spotify / Apple Music is AirPods Max uses AAC codec for Bluetooth Audio. Spotify audio has to be re-encoded to AAC before it gets transferred wirelessly, but Apple Music gets sent directly without any further compression.
@@dagboh3958 TIDAL doesn't use AAC, but they use loseless codec. So even when they get encoded to AAC it probably wouldn't be a problem - but it wouldn't be too much better either.
@@elmomertens Tidal sounds way better on the mastered tracks i can tell you. I used all 3 at the same time for months to decide which ones ill keep , First spotify had to go , applemusic was there because the search was a lot better than the tidal search algorythm but tidal sounds way better .
Hey bro, nice video. Another thing that makes a big difference in how open and airy the Maxs sound is in the Accessibility menu in settings. Go to settings on your iPad or iPhone, then to Accessibility, then scroll down and select Airpods. Then select the Airpods Max. Then select Audio Accessibility Settings. Then select Headphone Accomodations. Toggle that setting on and leave everything at the default settings which are Balanced Tone and Slight. You will definitely get a more open, airy, atmospheric sound qualify to what you’re listening to. I can’t go back to the way they sound without this setting on. It also improves the sound of Airpods Pro.
Yes !!! I did essentially the same thing, but going through the custom configuration (I'm French, I don't know what the iOS translation is). In the first step I chose option 2. For the following ones, I did not modify anything. I don't know if it's exactly equivalent with the only "Slight" option. But I also have a sound that I find much more airy, the soundstage is improved, etc. It's the sound I have on the Fidelio X2HR that I really like. And there it is almost even better!!!
That’s a great tip fella, I’ll check that out because I got AirPods max yesterday and as soon as I listened to a Norah Jones track on Dolby atmos it was stunning.
I just purchased a pair of AirPod Max's and thought the sound was out of this world. But your tip set them over the bar. You are right, that setting you suggested gave it that nice airy sound which made the music sound even clearer. Such a great suggestion. Thank you!
But don’t the Earpod Pro Max connect at a limited bit rate that won’t take advantage of the higher quality Tidal streams? I run tidal through portable DAC (Chord Mojo) and is awesome through wired headphones but not so through BT ones
@@darranmoore WiFi through Homepods sounds amazing but also very noticable with BT through the Maxs - the Tidal sound is richer, the base smoother and the sound less fatiguing. And Qobuz tracks sound better than Apple Music too but subtly different to the Tidal ones!
I tried it. I preferred with Noise Cancelling on. I understand turning of NC creates the air but with it on, I just hear more music. So I prefer NCon. What made more of an impact for the audio quality for me was to go to iPad or iPhone’s Settings - Accessibility - Airpods - Airpods Max - Audio Accessibility Settings - Headphones Accommodations (turn this on) then choose Balanced Tone and Slight. I am listening to music, remastered in iTunes, sounds great. Without these settings used, the Max sound dull. I am comparing my Max to my Bose Quiet Comfort 35’s, version 1 which sound muddy compared to my Max. Balanced keeps the mids but the high’s are still there. Have used my QC35’s for years. Time to move on. Hope this helps.
I had ignored the “Off” option (No Transparency, no Noise Cancellation, just physical seal) but I’ll try using it when I’m trying to focus on my music. I assumed Noise Cancellation would be the best experience but maybe not!
I just got Apple AirPods Max. They sounded really good, but not as dynamic or even loud as in the store. I already have Apple Music, so I made the two quick changes you suggested, and wow… that’s the sound I was expecting. It really makes a significant difference. Thank you! They sound like the pair that convinced me to buy them. Subscribed.
You can make them a lot louder if you go into settings, music, and disable sound check and EQ, that instantly boosted the volume a ton, i’m not sure if it takes away from sound quality tho, to me it doesn’t sound like it does, i also believe this only works with apple music considering it’s in the settings section for the Music app
@@a7_blockeyblue529I LOVE YOU FOR THIS! - Thank you so much for this advice, instantly made a huge noticeable difference in volume, even at full volume. Now it's much louder and actually has a punch to it. Everyone needs to be aware of this. Thanx!
Definite difference in sound quality - And i do prefer the Apple lossless - Again its the old adage - Apples’s Hardware and software working together in perfect Harmony
It’s worth explaining why Apple music sounds better than Spotify on the AirPods Max. Under the Bluetooth spec, headphones need to choose a codec with which to transfer audio files between the iPhone and the headphones. AirPods Max only support AAC, which is actually part of the MPEG 4 spec (which is a lot more modern than MP3, which is part of the MPEG 1 spec). if you listen to MP3 source material, your iPhone needs to trans-code to AAC before using Bluetooth to send the file to your AirPods (Max or otherwise). That is why you are getting quality loss. I don’t believe Bluetooth supports MP3 as a native codec, so I don’t think any headphones natively support MP3 over Bluetooth.
I absolutely love the active noise cancellation particularly in public. I am going to try the Apple Music because I have the apple one package but haven’t used Apple Music because all my playlists are on Spotify.
These guys are click-baiting you. Airpods max are best in the ios system. I have them and they are best for their intended use. If you want perfect studio sound, the bluetooth connection will not support it. The sound using bluetooth connection has some limitation due to the data transfer. If you want perfect quality, buy yourself a sound studio and not a pair of headphones. The noise cancellation is killing completely my neighbour’s kids. Perfect!
@@putinismaffiotstatec8725They are not clickbating. The AirPods Max is an objectively badly tuned headphone. The upper midrange and treble are literally nonexistent on its frequency response measurements
I did my own comparison of Spotify and Apple Music and you are correct. Apple Music has more dynamic range - scintillating highs, tight bass and an airiness that gives that something extra Spotify lacks.
Another little tweak that affects the sound quality (I altered this and it made the sound quality even better) is with your headphones connected to your iPhone, go into: Settings/Accessibility, scroll down to the Physical And Motor section and touch the AirPods option. Next select the AirPods Max. Next touch Audio Accessibility Settings. Next touch Headphone Accommodations, and in the section where you see Slight, Moderate, Strong, alter between Moderate and Strong. The default setting is Slight. I found altering it to Moderate, noticeably improved the sound quality.
Just got max’s today and after setting them up…I’m blown away. As a current Beats and Bose owner, these made me smile involuntarily once I cranked them more than any other. Love them.
For real! He plugged all these videos coming soon so I checked his channel and literally NOTHING since this video five months ago. Like are you alive?!
@@matt_waddy I’m sure he’ll return at some point Perhaps he has taken a break because he’s got other priorities that he needs taking care of, or maybe the stress of life is getting to him But most likely he’s on a mountain somewhere listening to Dr Disrespect with his AirPods Pro in meditation 🤣 We hope he’s doing well, and comes back soon !!
AirPods Max aside. I can remember when I was in the market for a music streaming service, and I was trying out Spotify, Apple Music before deciding which one to keep and which one to cancel. I was using a pair of Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless (which are a high end pair of headphones). I ensured I was using the highest quality streaming setting on Spotify. I added the exact same album to both Spotify and Apple Music. I could tell right away that the Spotify version was noticeably lower sound quality. It lacked the detail and sparkle and overall fullness of the Apple Music version. I can remember mentioning this online at the time on a forum, and was told, like you said in the video, the AAC format Apple Music uses is a more efficient format to what Spotify uses, and this is the reason for the better sound quality.
I once did a sound test of a few songs in both MP3 and Apple’s AAC format with $200 Etymotic headphones. It was obvious and incredible the level of separation and depth of all the layers of the AAC tracks. The MP3 versions all felt flat. They literally sounded compressed. It is for this reason that I’m an iTunes Match subscriber.
I agree it definitely sounds better on Apple Music. Of course if you're listening through computer or phone speakers you won't hear the difference. I wonder if Tidal would sound much better.
Ive tried them all with Max...Amazon music Ultra HD (free 3 months...and they just announced that all their music will be hd next month !) They really shine!
I've always maintained that Apple Music AAC sounds miles better because it uses psychoacoustic compression as opposed to MP3 and OGG. But no one would listen to me because as a fan boy it sounds like I'm schilling. Glad to finally hear someone prove this.
I already use Apple Music over spotify but thanks to your video, i do find that turning off transparency/anc mode does make a big difference. I’ll definitely be listening to my airpods max this way when i’m just chilling at home
Always love you reviews and energy man, but you really out did your self on the recording in this one. The in ear mics illustrated the difference so well. Great job!
For those of you wondering what happened to Erfon: He’s now hosting a podcast called “The Cultcast” (as of August 2022). Please bring the videos back Erfon. We miss you!
You said in the video that Spotify uses MP3 codec, but then you corrected yourself by displaying the OGG Vorbis label while playing your samples. Fair enough. However, the Ogg Vorbis codec is in no way inferior to that of the AAC codec. Let's just get that out of the way. The small differences you're hearing probably have nothing to do with the codec, but other things, more notably the difference limiting and compression settings between these two platforms. It's very likely that the track you played was mastered very loud and ended up getting more limited on Spotify which can account for the difference in sound.
Love the doc and the fact that u love em too is extra points, your review are underrated u should be at top of review channels, your hilarious and unique while giving a great detailed review
*_"Turn off noise cancellation and turn off transparency mode"_* ... AND be in a quiet room. NC mode is a *_compromise_* for when you're in a noisy environment instead of a quiet space, like on an airline flight. Also, as I'm over 60-years old, I suffer from some high-frequency hearing loss. So I've used the Settings -> Music -> EQ and selected "Treble Booster" to give me back those higher sounds. That made a world of difference to me. BTW, this can also be done on a Mac by going to the Music app and typing Option-Command-E on the keyboard or clicking on the Window menu -> Equalizer. The Mac equalizer is much more nuanced than the menu-only equalizer on iOS.
Don’t have my AirPods max yet, but I did compare Spotify to Apple Music with the AirPods Pro, and you’re right the audio quality on Apple Music does seem to be better!
I'm glad someone else has noticed this difference with AAC. Put this down to something else as well. That is Apple knows the internals of AAC since it is theirs and the processing engine in the Airpods Max takes advantage of this to deliver a sound that is more open and inviting compared to what you get with Spotify. The way I did my testing was by using a Thinkpad with a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC and the Apple $35 cable to connect and get BT out of the way (along with the LDAC vs AAC arguments). I also listened to other sources such as Amazon HD Ultra. Everyone's ears are different along with what they like but carefully listening to the same tracks on AAC directly connected as I indicated vs Amazon Ultra HD did not show a difference. I also have other phones to use such as HiFiman 400s, Westone studio in-ear and Sony WH1000-XM4 as comparison. My preference after listening a lot was between the Airpods Max and the HiFiman units depending on whether i an in a noisy environment or not. I have also used the Cobalt DAC plugged into my iPhone 12 Pro Max using the adapter or to USB-C on the iPad Pro. I don't currently see a way to go to the OFF position that you suggest when not being used with an Apple device such as my Thinkpad testing.
Budyyyy, you left the most important tip out. Go to Settings, Acessibility, Audio/Visual, Headphone Accommodations. Then you turn it ON, select “Balanced Tone” and set it to Moderate Level (on Strong you might face a little distortion). Now play your favorite songs, turn it on and off and be amazed with the difference ;)
I was just watching videos about airpods max as I just got one and came across your video. I have never seen someone review a headphone with mics like those and also loved the humour. Sub right away! 👍🏻 good job
Heyhey… just found your Channel and I love your content and way to present stuff… what happened that you don‘t put new videos out for over a year? Are you ok?
Just go with Amazon Music HD and play Ultra HD you will see the difference on both apple music and spotify. Tidal cost 19.99 while amazon music cost 12.99 and you have access to Hd and ultra HD hi res audio
Good video! One thing that made a huge difference for me was to also turn off Spatial Audio. It's nice for things that are encoded for it, but for things that are not it messes with the right/left mix and gives an inferior experience.
USE THEM WIRED! This isn't talked about enough. Use the Apple lightning to headphone cable with the DAC built in and a good quality analog headphone amp for best SQ. Wireless bluetooth standards are still using lossy compression.
😢 you need to look at Max Tech’s videos to understand why you don’t get many views. You need a hook, an intro, some foreshadowing, a teaser, just hook us for 10 seconds so you can get the algorithm going. You are so entertaining I hate to watch it go unnoticed!
Issue actually is that Spotify is using OGG while the Airpods only support AAC (guessing), so OGG is being recompressed to AAC . Also Apple fibs a little bit on that 256kbps, the profile used for compression is called constrained variable bitrate and from I have seen (from iTunes store purchases) the bitrate varies from 256kbps to 500kbps.
I totally agree with you. After buying the Airpods Max, I immediately tested Spotify, apple music and Tidal extensively to get the most out of the new headphones. To my amazement, Spotify failed every song. Apple music and Tidal were up the same, so I decided on apple music just because of the price. I am firmly convinced that the APM is the best place to be in the apple ecosystem.
You’re awesome! I’ve always known that ANC degrades the sound and always keep it off when doing critical listening on my other wireless headphones - but with the APM it seemed like Apple had made the decision for you and you could only toggle between the two filters. With ANC turned off now they sound way closer to the XM5s in terms of instruments sounding richer, more nuanced and true to life. Thanks to you I’ll no longer be returning the APM this weekend! If anyone is still skeptical listen to Solo Cello: Contemporary Hits (feat. Trevor Exter) - Get Lucky.
You can edit what that noise cancellation button does on the headphones in the setting of the headphones on iPhone so that it will toggle between all 3 and not just transparency and noise cancellation
I discovered everything you talked about here on my own when testing my Bowers & Wilkins PI7’s… And naturally applied the same to my AirPods Max. Another tip: Electronic EQ makes the music sounds much much better.
@@TechWiz1983 man no, it sounds bad. It doesn’t make sense to spend so much money on a pair of b&w and ruin the sound signature of this legendary brand by using an eq which changes completely the sound. Man they cost 400€ and you going to tune them like a pair of 20$ earbuds? I love their warm sound and the powerful bass
Bonus trick to make the AirPods Max sound better
Go to Settings, Accessibility, Audio/Visual, Headphones Accommodations and enable it.
Wow u right and transparency mode clearer
It dose sound better. Nice looking out for us fellow Max users. 💯🙂
I really hope macOS to support Headphones Accommodations in near future.
Thank you!! Great tip 👍🏼
Wow. The Headphones Accommodations is like a quick EQ. Crazy. I don’t even know how to set it. LOL
Stumbled upon your page when looking up HomePod reviews and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Listen to his podcast "The Cultcast" its really good
Same
@@CameronKinvig I was about to recommend this, definitely something I look forward to each week.
Same here - really funny guy 😆
Same
In the Bluetooth settings for the Max, you can set the button to toggle between ANC and Off, or whatever you like. Might be useful if you’re using Off a lot
One thing might have affected on the difference between Spotify / Apple Music is AirPods Max uses AAC codec for Bluetooth Audio. Spotify audio has to be re-encoded to AAC before it gets transferred wirelessly, but Apple Music gets sent directly without any further compression.
Is that the same for TIDAL?
@@dagboh3958 TIDAL doesn't use AAC, but they use loseless codec. So even when they get encoded to AAC it probably wouldn't be a problem - but it wouldn't be too much better either.
Is it still like this with Spotify?
It’s all compressed so you loose a lot of frequencies.
@@elmomertens Tidal sounds way better on the mastered tracks i can tell you. I used all 3 at the same time for months to decide which ones ill keep , First spotify had to go , applemusic was there because the search was a lot better than the tidal search algorythm but tidal sounds way better .
Hey bro, nice video. Another thing that makes a big difference in how open and airy the Maxs sound is in the Accessibility menu in settings. Go to settings on your iPad or iPhone, then to Accessibility, then scroll down and select Airpods. Then select the Airpods Max. Then select Audio Accessibility Settings. Then select Headphone Accomodations. Toggle that setting on and leave everything at the default settings which are Balanced Tone and Slight.
You will definitely get a more open, airy, atmospheric sound qualify to what you’re listening to. I can’t go back to the way they sound without this setting on.
It also improves the sound of Airpods Pro.
Yes !!! I did essentially the same thing, but going through the custom configuration (I'm French, I don't know what the iOS translation is). In the first step I chose option 2. For the following ones, I did not modify anything. I don't know if it's exactly equivalent with the only "Slight" option. But I also have a sound that I find much more airy, the soundstage is improved, etc. It's the sound I have on the Fidelio X2HR that I really like. And there it is almost even better!!!
Yes
That’s a great tip fella, I’ll check that out because I got AirPods max yesterday and as soon as I listened to a Norah Jones track on Dolby atmos it was stunning.
I just purchased a pair of AirPod Max's and thought the sound was out of this world. But your tip set them over the bar. You are right, that setting you suggested gave it that nice airy sound which made the music sound even clearer. Such a great suggestion. Thank you!
I had this on and I didn't even realise
Dude. Tidal and Accessibility/Audio/Visual Headphone Accommodation will melt your mind.
Yeah I’m trying Tidal for the first time and the master quality audio is super nice.
And Qobuz
But don’t the Earpod Pro Max connect at a limited bit rate that won’t take advantage of the higher quality Tidal streams? I run tidal through portable DAC (Chord Mojo) and is awesome through wired headphones but not so through BT ones
@@darranmoore WiFi through Homepods sounds amazing but also very noticable with BT through the Maxs - the Tidal sound is richer, the base smoother and the sound less fatiguing. And Qobuz tracks sound better than Apple Music too but subtly different to the Tidal ones!
@@xenonexe2558 can u hear the difference on the airpods max?
I tried it. I preferred with Noise Cancelling on. I understand turning of NC creates the air but with it on, I just hear more music. So I prefer NCon. What made more of an impact for the audio quality for me was to go to iPad or iPhone’s Settings - Accessibility - Airpods - Airpods Max - Audio Accessibility Settings - Headphones Accommodations (turn this on) then choose Balanced Tone and Slight. I am listening to music, remastered in iTunes, sounds great. Without these settings used, the Max sound dull. I am comparing my Max to my Bose Quiet Comfort 35’s, version 1 which sound muddy compared to my Max. Balanced keeps the mids but the high’s are still there. Have used my QC35’s for years. Time to move on. Hope this helps.
Saw this ages ago, but the YT algorithm recommended it again! You totally called it. New music service to take advantage of the hardware.
I had ignored the “Off” option (No Transparency, no Noise Cancellation, just physical seal) but I’ll try using it when I’m trying to focus on my music. I assumed Noise Cancellation would be the best experience but maybe not!
I know i’m very late with this, but if you have background noise going on the noise cancellation will always be the better sounding option :)
“I’ll do anything for a click” 🤣🤣 i love the honesty, just subscribed 👍🏽🎯
I just got Apple AirPods Max. They sounded really good, but not as dynamic or even loud as in the store. I already have Apple Music, so I made the two quick changes you suggested, and wow… that’s the sound I was expecting. It really makes a significant difference. Thank you! They sound like the pair that convinced me to buy them. Subscribed.
You can make them a lot louder if you go into settings, music, and disable sound check and EQ, that instantly boosted the volume a ton, i’m not sure if it takes away from sound quality tho, to me it doesn’t sound like it does, i also believe this only works with apple music considering it’s in the settings section for the Music app
@@a7_blockeyblue529I LOVE YOU FOR THIS! - Thank you so much for this advice, instantly made a huge noticeable difference in volume, even at full volume. Now it's much louder and actually has a punch to it. Everyone needs to be aware of this. Thanx!
I can’t hear shit differently but still love the video.
😂
Fr tho. I really be watching these sound quality videos knowing that i am deaf af
Definite difference in sound quality - And i do prefer the Apple lossless - Again its the old adage - Apples’s Hardware and software working together in perfect Harmony
It’s worth explaining why Apple music sounds better than Spotify on the AirPods Max. Under the Bluetooth spec, headphones need to choose a codec with which to transfer audio files between the iPhone and the headphones.
AirPods Max only support AAC, which is actually part of the MPEG 4 spec (which is a lot more modern than MP3, which is part of the MPEG 1 spec).
if you listen to MP3 source material, your iPhone needs to trans-code to AAC before using Bluetooth to send the file to your AirPods (Max or otherwise). That is why you are getting quality loss.
I don’t believe Bluetooth supports MP3 as a native codec, so I don’t think any headphones natively support MP3 over Bluetooth.
I absolutely love the active noise cancellation particularly in public. I am going to try the Apple Music because I have the apple one package but haven’t used Apple Music because all my playlists are on Spotify.
So I'm gonna pay $600 for noise cancelling headphones and turn off active noise cancellation to make them sound better??? Wut???
Thats usually the case with most noise cancelling headphones, that includes my sony XM3 and BW PX7.
These guys are click-baiting you. Airpods max are best in the ios system. I have them and they are best for their intended use. If you want perfect studio sound, the bluetooth connection will not support it. The sound using bluetooth connection has some limitation due to the data transfer. If you want perfect quality, buy yourself a sound studio and not a pair of headphones. The noise cancellation is killing completely my neighbour’s kids. Perfect!
@@putinismaffiotstatec8725 thank you
@@putinismaffiotstatec8725They are not clickbating. The AirPods Max is an objectively badly tuned headphone. The upper midrange and treble are literally nonexistent on its frequency response measurements
That's apple for you lmaooo
I did my own comparison of Spotify and Apple Music and you are correct. Apple Music has more dynamic range - scintillating highs, tight bass and an airiness that gives that something extra Spotify lacks.
Another little tweak that affects the sound quality (I altered this and it made the sound quality even better) is with your headphones connected to your iPhone, go into:
Settings/Accessibility, scroll down to the Physical And Motor section and touch the AirPods option. Next select the AirPods Max. Next touch Audio Accessibility Settings. Next touch Headphone Accommodations, and in the section where you see Slight, Moderate, Strong, alter between Moderate and Strong. The default setting is Slight. I found altering it to Moderate, noticeably improved the sound quality.
Thanks it helped me alot with my new pair . 😃
@@ngokayn6615 you are very welcome. 🙂
Thanks mate
@@x__ace you are very welcome 😀
Dude, don’t know who you are but thank you! Wish I could hug you! This really helped with my poor ears ! Sound feels way more natural
Just got max’s today and after setting them up…I’m blown away. As a current Beats and Bose owner, these made me smile involuntarily once I cranked them more than any other. Love them.
thanks to you I discovered new music there. played it non stop today on my APMs!
That red light through your knurls… hypnotic 😂
Go into iPhone/iPad settings and turn eq to flat. The APM overly boosts the highs to the point they are harsh sounding and the flat setting fixes this
Tidal sounds the best…. If…IF you have an android and can use the awesome codecs.
Where are you man ! We need regular uploads !! You’re hilarious 😆
For real! He plugged all these videos coming soon so I checked his channel and literally NOTHING since this video five months ago. Like are you alive?!
@@matt_waddy I’m sure he’ll return at some point
Perhaps he has taken a break because he’s got other priorities that he needs taking care of, or maybe the stress of life is getting to him
But most likely he’s on a mountain somewhere listening to Dr Disrespect with his AirPods Pro in meditation 🤣
We hope he’s doing well, and comes back soon !!
Really enjoy the content, keep up the GREAT work. 👍🏼
Aye aye captain!
Yep the Headphones Accommodation setting makes a huge difference 😀😀
Watching this a year later, he mentioned apple making a new music service and now we have spatial audio which sounds amazing on AP Max
I literally bought those two dr. Disrespect songs because I hear them in your videos so much
Hey Erfon! It's been a while since we last heard from you, buddy! I hope all is well!!! Can't wait for your next vid :)
I wonder what happened to him. Pity if he stops this channel
AirPods Max aside. I can remember when I was in the market for a music streaming service, and I was trying out Spotify, Apple Music before deciding which one to keep and which one to cancel. I was using a pair of Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless (which are a high end pair of headphones). I ensured I was using the highest quality streaming setting on Spotify. I added the exact same album to both Spotify and Apple Music. I could tell right away that the Spotify version was noticeably lower sound quality. It lacked the detail and sparkle and overall fullness of the Apple Music version.
I can remember mentioning this online at the time on a forum, and was told, like you said in the video, the AAC format Apple Music uses is a more efficient format to what Spotify uses, and this is the reason for the better sound quality.
And what about Deezer and wired headphones with an external dac?
I once did a sound test of a few songs in both MP3 and Apple’s AAC format with $200 Etymotic headphones. It was obvious and incredible the level of separation and depth of all the layers of the AAC tracks. The MP3 versions all felt flat. They literally sounded compressed. It is for this reason that I’m an iTunes Match subscriber.
It's so funny to me that you seriously think you could hear the difference between mp3 and AAC
I need to say this. The thumbnail used for this video is what captured my attention first. Good job on that 😂
I agree it definitely sounds better on Apple Music. Of course if you're listening through computer or phone speakers you won't hear the difference. I wonder if Tidal would sound much better.
Ive tried them all with Max...Amazon music Ultra HD (free 3 months...and they just announced that all their music will be hd next month !) They really shine!
I've always maintained that Apple Music AAC sounds miles better because it uses psychoacoustic compression as opposed to MP3 and OGG. But no one would listen to me because as a fan boy it sounds like I'm schilling. Glad to finally hear someone prove this.
great comparison, thanks for pointing out the differences, and showing your results. great quality video and recordings.
Man you were spot on! Now that Apple Music has the new spatial audio with Dolby atmos!! Great prediction!!
I have but I wish they were louder
We need more Erfon Elijah!!!
I already use Apple Music over spotify but thanks to your video, i do find that turning off transparency/anc mode does make a big difference. I’ll definitely be listening to my airpods max this way when i’m just chilling at home
Always love you reviews and energy man, but you really out did your self on the recording in this one. The in ear mics illustrated the difference so well. Great job!
For those of you wondering what happened to Erfon: He’s now hosting a podcast called “The Cultcast” (as of August 2022). Please bring the videos back Erfon. We miss you!
You said in the video that Spotify uses MP3 codec, but then you corrected yourself by displaying the OGG Vorbis label while playing your samples. Fair enough. However, the Ogg Vorbis codec is in no way inferior to that of the AAC codec. Let's just get that out of the way. The small differences you're hearing probably have nothing to do with the codec, but other things, more notably the difference limiting and compression settings between these two platforms. It's very likely that the track you played was mastered very loud and ended up getting more limited on Spotify which can account for the difference in sound.
Love the doc and the fact that u love em too is extra points, your review are underrated u should be at top of review channels, your hilarious and unique while giving a great detailed review
I love your endless enthusiasm. Amazing and love the videos.
I loved it so much when he started vibin out to the music lmao
Erfon Elijah??? He is the simply the best! Selten so gute Präsentationen mit Witz und Laune gesehen! Bitte weiter so Erfon👏
This works on Beats Solo Pro as well 😁
*_"Turn off noise cancellation and turn off transparency mode"_* ... AND be in a quiet room. NC mode is a *_compromise_* for when you're in a noisy environment instead of a quiet space, like on an airline flight. Also, as I'm over 60-years old, I suffer from some high-frequency hearing loss. So I've used the Settings -> Music -> EQ and selected "Treble Booster" to give me back those higher sounds. That made a world of difference to me. BTW, this can also be done on a Mac by going to the Music app and typing Option-Command-E on the keyboard or clicking on the Window menu -> Equalizer. The Mac equalizer is much more nuanced than the menu-only equalizer on iOS.
Where you at, bro?
It's time to come back, HomePod 2 is out
It’s 1 year since u posted new subscriber here
Don’t have my AirPods max yet, but I did compare Spotify to Apple Music with the AirPods Pro, and you’re right the audio quality on Apple Music does seem to be better!
this was amazing, I'm listening with the same headphones
That is quite nuanced. Have you tried tidal?
Love your videos.... you should do more just talking about tech things and whatever you like it and moves your channel
great 👍 content is superb, we really miss you, please 🙏 we need some content….this channel must survive.
I’m planning my comeback….. 💋
@@ErfonElijah This is very exciting 👍
I'm glad someone else has noticed this difference with AAC. Put this down to something else as well. That is Apple knows the internals of AAC since it is theirs and the processing engine in the Airpods Max takes advantage of this to deliver a sound that is more open and inviting compared to what you get with Spotify. The way I did my testing was by using a Thinkpad with a Dragonfly Cobalt DAC and the Apple $35 cable to connect and get BT out of the way (along with the LDAC vs AAC arguments). I also listened to other sources such as Amazon HD Ultra. Everyone's ears are different along with what they like but carefully listening to the same tracks on AAC directly connected as I indicated vs Amazon Ultra HD did not show a difference. I also have other phones to use such as HiFiman 400s, Westone studio in-ear and Sony WH1000-XM4 as comparison. My preference after listening a lot was between the Airpods Max and the HiFiman units depending on whether i an in a noisy environment or not. I have also used the Cobalt DAC plugged into my iPhone 12 Pro Max using the adapter or to USB-C on the iPad Pro. I don't currently see a way to go to the OFF position that you suggest when not being used with an Apple device such as my Thinkpad testing.
Budyyyy, you left the most important tip out.
Go to Settings, Acessibility, Audio/Visual, Headphone Accommodations. Then you turn it ON, select “Balanced Tone” and set it to Moderate Level (on Strong you might face a little distortion).
Now play your favorite songs, turn it on and off and be amazed with the difference ;)
I was just watching videos about airpods max as I just got one and came across your video. I have never seen someone review a headphone with mics like those and also loved the humour. Sub right away! 👍🏻 good job
Heyhey… just found your Channel and I love your content and way to present stuff… what happened that you don‘t put new videos out for over a year? Are you ok?
Finally got my AirPod Max’s and watched this video with them on and the difference was really noticeable
You’re insane they sound well worth the money. Nothing beats them yet.
Heard the difference on my headphones! That sparkling sound def sounds clearer and more vibrant on apple music - real interesting. Thanks a lot!
Omg I just really dug watching you jam out! More please
Holy sh*t, transparecy mode on the airpods sounds brutal
Thank you !! I was about to send take these back and purchase the Sonys again.
when he said apple music better than spotify... Tidal "Left the chat"
Dr.D just gave you a new sub.
RRRRAAAAUUULLL!
Just go with Amazon Music HD and play Ultra HD you will see the difference on both apple music and spotify. Tidal cost 19.99 while amazon music cost 12.99 and you have access to Hd and ultra HD hi res audio
How can you hear a difference since APM transcode your music to AAC 256 anyway?
Bro where are you? Your reviews are the best.
Go into settings go to the music tab and u can play with the EQs for whatever specfic genres u may like (iphone users)
Good video! One thing that made a huge difference for me was to also turn off Spatial Audio. It's nice for things that are encoded for it, but for things that are not it messes with the right/left mix and gives an inferior experience.
This is top 5 most Duche baggy people I’ve ever witnessed
I totally agree, even with AirPods pro changing from Spotify (free) to Apple Music lossless made a huge difference !
We miss you! Come back!!!
Your videos are great! Bring them back Erfon 🙌
Why’d you quit making videos? Your channel was taking off!
he has a podcast he does now instead, cult of mac.
@@OhBronco oh nice! I’ll check it out
Where have you been?
I like how you react to the music you listen. You have got the soul 😍
AMazing tip... applemusic makes these 10x better no lie
Sad thing is that many don’t care for better quality sound ☹️ and are happy with Pandora like sounding music
In Italy we call these suggestions "the discovery of hot water" 😂
USE THEM WIRED! This isn't talked about enough. Use the Apple lightning to headphone cable with the DAC built in and a good quality analog headphone amp for best SQ. Wireless bluetooth standards are still using lossy compression.
😢 you need to look at Max Tech’s videos to understand why you don’t get many views. You need a hook, an intro, some foreshadowing, a teaser, just hook us for 10 seconds so you can get the algorithm going. You are so entertaining I hate to watch it go unnoticed!
Great tip!
I love his reviews he looks like the guy from the show after party on Apple TV
Bro! You were right...they added lossless and spatial audio support. I think in a future update the Airpods Max can stream lossless over AirPlay.
I just got AirPods max .. is there a burn in time ? For the drivers to wake up ?
Issue actually is that Spotify is using OGG while the Airpods only support AAC (guessing), so OGG is being recompressed to AAC . Also Apple fibs a little bit on that 256kbps, the profile used for compression is called constrained variable bitrate and from I have seen (from iTunes store purchases) the bitrate varies from 256kbps to 500kbps.
I Love your videos man your so awesome! You the man!!
I only use Apple Music, it’s just always felt more alive compared to other platforms
This goes for any noise cancellation headphones. Once NC is activated, you’ll lose some quality in the sounds.
I totally agree with you. After buying the Airpods Max, I immediately tested Spotify, apple music and Tidal extensively to get the most out of the new headphones. To my amazement, Spotify failed every song. Apple music and Tidal were up the same, so I decided on apple music just because of the price. I am firmly convinced that the APM is the best place to be in the apple ecosystem.
where did you go??
I’m gonna make a video about it lol. I’m coming back soon!
@@ErfonElijah awesome!!!
@@ErfonElijah can’t wait!!!!!!!
Is it really that much better with the mics turned off? I gotta try tomorrow
Waiting for my headphones to come. Will take your advice. 👍
You’re awesome! I’ve always known that ANC degrades the sound and always keep it off when doing critical listening on my other wireless headphones - but with the APM it seemed like Apple had made the decision for you and you could only toggle between the two filters. With ANC turned off now they sound way closer to the XM5s in terms of instruments sounding richer, more nuanced and true to life. Thanks to you I’ll no longer be returning the APM this weekend! If anyone is still skeptical listen to Solo Cello: Contemporary Hits (feat. Trevor Exter) - Get Lucky.
You can edit what that noise cancellation button does on the headphones in the setting of the headphones on iPhone so that it will toggle between all 3 and not just transparency and noise cancellation
Trying out now on my new Max from one Trekker to another!
I discovered everything you talked about here on my own when testing my Bowers & Wilkins PI7’s… And naturally applied the same to my AirPods Max. Another tip: Electronic EQ makes the music sounds much much better.
What is electronic eq? A specific app? Or do you mean an eq in general?
@@dreamfloors5099 It’s an EQ built into the iPhone. Settings>Music>EQ>Electronic.
@@TechWiz1983 man no, it sounds bad.
It doesn’t make sense to spend so much money on a pair of b&w and ruin the sound signature of this legendary brand by using an eq which changes completely the sound.
Man they cost 400€ and you going to tune them like a pair of 20$ earbuds?
I love their warm sound and the powerful bass
Where have you gone? Need more of your videos