AirPods Max

AirPods 3 Unboxing and a Short Review

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AirPods 3

The 3rd Generation AirPods (AirPods 3 from here on) are finally here. Ordered a pair the day they became available locally, and after testing them for the last few hours, I am impressed. AirPods Pro owners who love the increased sound quality and spatial audio but are not a fan of the in-ear tips will love the AirPods 3. In fact, ar least from my testing, they actually sound better for some genres than the AirPods Pro in a quiet room.

Working from home these days, I rarely use my AirPods Pro as I have no need for the in-ear tips and the noise cancellation when I am in the serenity of my room, and the tips give me hearing fatigue after wearing the AirPods Pro for over an hour. I have therefore been using my AirPods 2 mostly for the last year, but after the last few hours the AirPods 3 will be my main earphones going forward. If the price goes down (from third parties of course) I will definitely look at getting another pair to use when my main pair is out of battery.

I have always been irritated by the fact that the AirPods 2 don’t come with a wireless charging case by default, and I cannot bring myself to pay more for the wireless case. So it helps that the AirPods 3 comes default with a wireless charging case, and the fact that it is also MagSafe compatible is just icing on the cake.

Do you need the AirPods 3? Maybe. If you have abandoned the AirPods Pro because of the in-ear tips, then you definitely need a pair. If you have been using the AirPods or AirPods 2 but want spatial audio, definitely get a pair. Hell, if you can afford a pair, why not? They are AirPods for gawd’s sake.

Enjoy the rest of the unboxing photos.

AirPods 3

AirPods 3

AirPods 3

AirPods 3

AirPods 3

AirPods 3

The AirPods Max (Sky Blue) – Unboxing and a Short Review

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AirPods Max Sky Blue

I know this is way past the AirPods Max’s launch period, but I was not able to have access to one until very recently. I have been testing it heavily for more than a week already, and I can not find anything bad about it (other than the price, which obviously is going to be higher than the flimsy plasticky headphones that the tech community are familiar with).

It is way more comfortable than all the full size headphones I have, the sound quality is great, and most importantly spatial audio and the transparency mode is way beyond what the competition can offer.

No doubt that it will be an expensive purchase, even with the recent discounts, but the AirPods Max will be well worth your money, especially in a year when most have all the time at home to enjoy the Max.

Comfort

I tend to have problems with wearing full size headphones. The cushion headbands on those put pressure on the top of my head andI will feel a dull pain on my head after wearing headphones for a hour or so. Not so with the AirPods Max. The mash headband does not feel like it is there at all, even after two or more hours. Normal headphones’ ear pads usually puts pressure on the side of my ears and makes my ears feel like they are suffocating, the fabric earpads on the Max for some reason do not do the same, my ears feel like they can breath.

Sound Quality

Way better than both the Bose QuietComfort 25 and 35 (Bose headphones have terrible sound), and the Sony XM3s (I have not tested the XM4s, but I have heard that the sound is similar). Some reviewers prefer a punchier and more “exciting” sound (that the Sonys provide by its default sound signature), and thus rated the Max’s sound as not as good. However, if you use an iOS device, you can use the headphone accommodations settings to tune to sound into something similar to the Sonys, I recommend the “Slight – Brightness” setting.

Headphone Accomodations

You can access the headphone accommodations setting in Settings > Accessibility > AirPods>AirPods Max (or the name of your AirPods) > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations > Custom Audio Setup.

Cons

The aluminium ear cups are so nice and they feel like they can be accidentally scratched if you were not paying attention. You will likely need to buy covers for them to feel at ease. Also there is simply no way to have a pure analog input into the AirPods Max, even with the Apple 30USD cable. If you want to use this with your high-end DAC it is a no go.

Unboxing

Here are the unboxing pictures.

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Beats Flex in Flame Blue

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Early this year Beats finally released the last two colours of the Beats Flex line – Flame Blue and Smoke Grey. Flame Blue was always my first choice of colour for the Beats Flex, but as it was not available at launch I bought the Beats Black color instead. Today I am finally able to take a look at the Flame Blue colorway.

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The compact Beats Flex packaging

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The blue is stunning!

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Minimal instructions

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The usual accessories

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All the available tips

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In action

There is absolutely no difference in functionality and sound quality to the Beats Black version I bought last year during the launch, so check out the review if you need a refresher. Basically it is pretty decent for the price, and should be your first choice if you want to use bluetooth earphones/IEMs on iOS on a budget.

If you don’t mind forwarding from the United States, they are available on Amazon US for 49.88USD right now, which is very slightly cheaper than the local price. Sometimes they can go as low as 20% off as well.

First look at the AirPods Max

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They are now available for trying at the various Apple stores in Singapore, in case you are living in a well. Here’s a look at the Space Grey and Green Pairs

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No review, because I did not test them out (I value personal hygiene a lot especially during these times). Hopefully someone I trust will buy a pair eventually for me to test them out with separate earcups.

I said first look, not first listen, didn’t I?

If you want to order a pair, Amazon US has silver ones for next week (February 10) shipping right now. Or if you rather have the same features in a much more portable form factor, the AirPods Pro are now 199USD.

The AirPods Pro are Available at their Lowest Price Ever (Again)!

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The AirPods Pro deal of the century (exaggerated) is back again! For a limited time you can get the AirPods Pro at their lowest tracked price of 199USD on Amazon US. Roughly the equivalent of 265SGD, it represents a savings of over 100SGD from the MSRP of 379SGD in Singapore. Forwarding the AirPods from the US should not cost much either, and since it’s below 400SGD no taxes will be incurred.

The AirPods Pro are the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your girlfriend or wife. Considering the lead time for package forwarding from the US, the perfect time to buy is now.

The Powerbeats (4th Generation) Review (and Some “Beats by Apple” History)

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PXL_20201214_215959075.NIGHT@0.5xSimilar packaging to the Powerbeats Pro

PXL_20201214_215400370.NIGHT@0.5xBlack Box Now

PXL_20201214_215438056.NIGHT@0.5xThe red Powerbeats looking good

PXL_20201214_215534910.NIGHT@0.5xEverything else in the box

PXL_20201214_215549240.NIGHT@0.5xOnly tips and a black Lightning cable

PXL_20201214_215629546.NIGHT@0.5xFlimsy fabric pouch

PXL_20201214_215714882.NIGHT@0.5xBeats sticker and literature

The AirPods Max came out today. But unless you already have a pair on the way, you will likely be waiting until March 2021 for a pair since both the online and retail are fully sold out. What should you buy if you need to find a pair of iOS friendly headphones for your loved one this Christmas?

Let me tell you a story.

Some history

A long time ago, there was a headphones brand by the name of Beats by Dre. They were very popular among the youth and those who value the looks of a headphone over the actual sound. Any self-respecting audiophile or wannabe stayed far away from them.

Then in May 2014, Beats by Dre became “Beats by Apple” (Apple purchased them).

For a long time since the purchase Beats just kept doing its own thing, as the Apple then was mainly interested in what is now Apple Music.

Then in 2016, with the release of the iPhone 7, Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone port from the iPhone. On top of the AirPods they introduced at the same iPhone 7 event, Apple also mentioned that a bunch of Beats headphones will be introduced and updated with their W1 chip that was powering the first generation AirPods.

Those Beats headphones were the Beats Solo 3, the Beats Studios 3, the Powerbeats 3, and something new in Beats’ lineup – the BeatsX.

The BeatsX

The Beats Solo 3, Beats Studio 3 and the Powerbeats 3 were, as far as anyone could tell, still tuned by Beats, and they, well, continued to sound like shit headphones muddy with too much bass. The BeatsX, however, was an entirely different animal. It sounded exciting, with a decent sound stage, and pretty well instrument separation. There was bass, but it was just the right amount, and the mids and highs were pretty balanced. As it was reviewed as a tech accessory, some in the tech world just dismissed it as another Beats headphone. To some others, the Beats X was the successor to the famous ADDIEM, the Apple Dual Driver In Ear Monitors, also known as the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. Everything released by Beats after the Beats X eventually received the same high level of sound tuning.

What Apple is not

Many people are mistaken about Apple. The arseholes out there think that Apple is an arrogant company that makes overpriced lousy products that only people who were hypnotised by the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field bought. The PC die-hards think of Apple as another PC company that sold overpriced assembled PCs on commodity hardware and they only achieved the success they have because their computers are made of aluminium and/or white plastic.

What Apple is

Apple is an audio company. And they are one of the best audio companies. Apple did not just start making audio products in 2016. There were the iPods, the iPod hifi, and hell, remember the iSub (later part of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks)? People who were aware of this history were afraid that Apple’s audio quality would go down the drain through the Beats acquisition. In reality, the opposite happened. Beats by Dre is shit. “Beats by Apple” is genuinely a very good audio company.

That is a lot of words unrelated to the actual Powerbeats headphones review.

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The (new) Powerbeats

The Powerbeats (4th Generation), was released earlier this year, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not garner much attention, for the world today likes to focus on “true wireless”, whatever that means. Most people had other issues to deal with then too. The Powerbeats Pro, released one year before, was universally well received for having both passive sound cancellation and the best sound in Apple’s headphone lineup then (this was before the AirPods Pro existed).

The easiest way to describe the Powerbeats is that they are “Powerbeats Pro with a wire”.

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“Powerbeats Pro with a wire”

There are many in the audiophile world who will put the sound of the Powerbeats Pro above that of the AirPods Pro, so you know that the Powerbeats have really good sound. From my testing that sentiment is generally accurate, even if I prefer the AirPods Pro overall for various reasons (ANC, easier to seal).

Powerbeats, very affordable

The Powerbeats also happen to be the most affordable pair of headphones with the H1 chip in Apple’s line up (even cheaper than the AirPods second generation). This means that it has auto device switching with firmware 3A283, like the AirPods and AirPods Pro. If you have multiple iOS devices, you already know how magical this feature is. Beats branded products are also easily available with decent discounts, unlike the Apple branded AirPods. They are often on Amazon US for only 99.95USD, 50USD off their usual retail price. Plus they come in colours other than just white.

For the smaller price tag, the Powerbeats took features off the Powerbeats Pro. There is a wire across the two headphone pieces, so it is not “true wireless”. There is no wireless charging case to top up the battery charge when they run out of power. The “case” they come with is a cheap looking fabric pouch.

That is about it. And they are 100USD cheaper than the Powerbeats Pro’s retail price.

The potential issues

However, there are two points you must consider before you decide to purchase the Powerbeats. Like the Powerbeats Pro, it has the ear hooks, which makes wearing the Powerbeats uncomfortable for some people, especially over long periods. And like the Powerbeats Pro, the “buds” are angled at a specific angle that will make it difficult for some people to get a proper seal with the rubber tips. A bad seal results in bad sound. If you do not have a problem with the Pro’s fit, you will not have a problem with the Powerbeats either.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Powerbeats are a superb buy. If you have a loved one on iOS but who has yet to make the jump to wireless headphones, the Powerbeats will be a good choice of present this Christmas.

Pros
-Very good sound quality (way better than the cheap Beats Flex, which is just acceptable)
-Sweat-resistant
-Very affordable for Apple’s line up
-Comes in colours other than White (like the superb Red in this review)

Cons
-Earhooks are annoying
-Some ears might find it hard to get a decent seal on (resulting in bad sound)