Hi everyone, I was really interested in buying the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, but I was wondering if we could see the AirPods 5 any soon (2025?) and if it could be worth the wait

For some reason I hated wireless headphones. After 5 years tried AP1 and was surprised how good they are. They are second hand but still very happy (got them as a gift from seller after phone purchase).

(Used to have the 2nd gens)

After having my AirPods Pro 1st gen, I’m shocked how well they’ve aged throughout the 5 years. At first In 2019 I was unsure if almost $300 was worth it at the time. Now that answer is overwhelmingly YES! Recently they fell in a bowl of pasta sauce. So I cleaned them for the first time in 5 yrs. I use Castile soap, hot water and multiple Lysol wipes to then learn that was wrong. Today I popped them in after letting them dry and they still work! Throughout the years these pods and I have gone through a pandemic 3 car accidents, 2 fights, a fall down a down the steps. Also washing and drying twice in my pants pockets. And they still work perfectly fine. Outside of a few scrapes on the case they look amazing. I play basketball, shower, sleep (sometimes) run, hiking once in the blue and etc. they’ve taken a beating and yet they still last the test of time. Outside of scratches on the case and only getting 2.5 hours of ANC. But after half a decade later these earbuds have shown their worth. What do you guys think? Any of you have your OG AirPods Pro?

Splurged a little on Prime Day.

I’m sure this has been asked a million times before but which ones should I keep?

If it makes a difference I have an iPhone.

What’s important to me is sound quality and noise canceling.

I’ve not seen anybody talk about the next version of the regular AirPods.. for me the AirPods 4 are perfect since the pros fall out my ear and the noise cancelling is pretty good. However AirPods 5 would be great with volume control added to them 😄

So, I am looking to buy AirPods for myself for my birthday. I was wondering what AirPods I should buy? I am going to use them pretty often, such as when I am exercising, walking or doing random stuff.

Can you possibly make a few recommendations based on the primary needs being comfort and connectivity/call functionality? I’ll primarily be using them for talking on the phone. Thanks!

For anyone with any type of AirPods, how long did you have it? I just bought the APP2 after being an Apple wired headphone user for years. Usually those wired headphones would last me 5-6 months before breaking. I’m new to these types of headphones too, so help a brother out.

As a pretty invested audiophile going on 5ish years now with many wired headphones and IEMs, I have to say that I hold these in high regard above most other wireless headphones out today. They have a very modern Bauhaus-inspired design with a great quality build, and of course a very deep, rich cinematic-type sound that is detailed but a lot of fun to listen to.

I’m going to start with sound as that is the most important to me; I personally own both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM4, and these absolutely *demolish* them. The AirPods Maxes have some of the most detailed and cleanest sub-bass extension I’ve heard in a headphone period. Even when comparing to other high-regarded wireless headphones like the Focal Bathys, I would still pick the Maxes simply for their slimmer, more discrete profile, and a cleaner more impressive low-end kick, not to mention the better noise-cancelling and transparency functionality. The Maxes do have some mid-range and vocal scoop present, but it doesn’t feel *dirty* or masked like the Sonys. And, if you have an iOS device simply enabling the “balanced tone” + slight accessibility setting brings back those higher notes in a more natural and pleasing way. (Though for me personally, it does introduce some shimmer to the treble, so I like the more meatier vocal presentation in its default configuration)

Where the Maxes gave me grumbles at first was with its comfort and USB-C lossless functionality. These gave me wicked ear and head pains for the first couple of days, but seemingly overtime that completely went away. I can now wear these all day with no issues, but I would still say that this is where most other headphones excel at better. I found that the trick to have the best fit is to make sure the lower part of the ear cup doesn’t touch the upper part of your jaw. The USB-C functionality used to be bugged when it was first introduced, but with a recent firmware update it now works flawlessly on windows. However, it is still picky about certain DAPs.

So to sum up, these headphones are excellent! It may be hard to justify these in terms of price, especially when things like the AirPods Pro 2s exist, but I don’t think anything will give you the same type of movie theatre-like low end. These are incredible for watching Atmos content in, and do an excellent job at providing a nice coloured sound response that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to suffocate you with muddy bass or shrill highs.

If I were to consider this headphone as an all-in-one package (sound, ANC, comfort, smart features), I would put these at #1 above pretty much everything else on the market. Others may excel in certain areas, but no headphone will do all of it, as well as the maxes in my opinion.

Now some quick comparisons:

Sony WH1000-XM6: I can actually see these being a very good alternative to the maxes if you need something lighter, and more space friendly. The XM6s have much more natural sounding tuning than its predecessors, but It still sounds “compressed” and dull compared to the maxes. The maxes seem to sound “bigger”, with easier to separate details and better overall perceived technicalities.

B&W PX7 S3: If you took my maxes away and forced me to use a different headphone, this would be it. It is B&Ws best tuning and headphone yet, it’s super slim, sleek, rich design, and good feeling materials in hand. The sound is much more exaggerated but it does so in a way where you don’t lose detail, it sounds as or more wider than the maxes at times with its much more brighter highs. The bass is a tad boomy, but it feels textured and fun. Some quality of life features also surprised me, like when you move one cup off the side from your ear, the music will automatically pause.

Bose QC Ultra: The QC ultras are more comfortable and lighter than the maxes, but don’t do much to inspire me sound wise. Very bland, and sometimes too bass heavy with thin vocals. It feels more like a “tool” for travel rather than a headphone to enjoy.

Momentum 4: I did not like the momentum 4s at all. Super boosted sub-bass that masks the rest of the frequency response, and what sounds like a scoop in the upper mids. Design and ANC also leave a lot to be desired.

Focal Bathys and MG: Right off the gate the MGs just did not do it for me, sounded very tubby and echoey, heavy, big, mediocre ANC, and what felt like an overall worse product than the cheaper Bathys. I would still choose the APM over the bathys for being cheaper, and better a noise cancellation while still providing that really deep and rich bass response.

Super useful device highly recommend!