AirPods Max vs Sony XM4 vs BeoPlay H9: The Best Bluetooth Headphones at Each Price?

[@kiano1920]

I always appreciate honest comments like yours , especially on sound quality. You are so right about XM4 SQ ,regardless how I try to EQ it doesn’t sound as great and as enjoyable as H9 .

[@NorbReviews]

Thank you for the comment! Glad you found the commentary useful. As for XM4, yeah, it can be tuned nicely (in my XM4 video I show the EQ setup I use), but the H9’s are just miles ahead.

[@bern9067]

H9 all the way

[@junpaworlanes]

Yeah I agree with your review. I have both XM4 and APM. I first bought the XM4 since they are highly praised by famous youtubers but they didn’t really talked about the overall user experience. The XM4 is good after you tweak the eq but not all consumers know how to do that. Out of the box they sound bad. Bad in a sense that they are bass heavy. I love bass but only if the music that I’m listening to is intended to be bassy. When I got the APM it was good out of the box. And being in the ecosystem it is really good. I love that after I connect it to my iphone, it also connect to all my apple devices. I don’t mind it being heavy at all. I just love the way APM sounds to my ears. Although it is very expensive, the overall experience is really good so to me it kinda justifies the price. Thank you for your great review!

[@NorbReviews]

Agreed. Honestly, after a few months of use (and I'm doing a video on this), if I had to choose one pair of over-the-ear headphones, it would be the APMs: I tend to use them far more frequently than I do any of the others. And yeah, the weight has not been an issue in the least for me. My wife, however, is a different story: she finds the clamping force to be too much, and despite the mesh, the weight bothers her. She has a pair of Sennheiser PXC 550-II's which she prefers. (The only problem with those is that the way connections happen when paired to multiple devices can get REALLY wonky. I've experienced some hiccups with the APMs, but nowhere as many as she has with her Sennheisers.)

[@7CHUGI]

Great honest comparison. I would add about Sony XM4 that they have this whistling noice in one of the earcups that turns of by turning on noice cancellation. Also mine broke only after 1.5 years. Furthermore I feel like it’s irrelevant for average person that they have travel case as thats one of the main times when you wanna use them and also they would take up more space in backpack with the case…

[@NorbReviews]

Huh, I’ve never experienced the whistling noise. I’ll have to look for it in mine, see if I spot it. I wonder if yours might be having an electrical connection issue? Still, weird. Unfortunately, the Sony warranty is only 1 year. I disagree on the case, but if that’s how you travel, then yeah, definitely irrelevant to you. Thank you very much for watching!

[@MrTynTyno]

And recommend H9 3rd vs Sennehiser Mommentum 3 wireless? I love pop ballad, country, some time electronic music. Thank you!

[@NorbReviews]

Neither is a bad choice. Of the two, I slightly prefer the Momentum 3 because the H9 may be too warm to really make the electronic music pop. Plus the Momentum 3 has a DAC mode, which makes listening wired fantastic.

[@terryd8530]

Picking up H9 3rd gen for £160, can't beat that XD

[@NorbReviews]

Solid deal!

[@MrWes3187]

I was blown away after spending £150 for the h9s.... they wipe the floor sound wise with the Sony mx3s I had before them.

[@12thpls]

Really appreciate your review.

[@NorbReviews]

Thank you!

[@techandy1747]

Which sound better? Sennheiser momentum 3 or AirPods max pls help…I only care bout sound not anc

[@NorbReviews]

Both are on par. I like the bass on the Momentum 3’s a little more. (You have to use the EQ to get there.) They also sound less sibilant. But the AirPods Max sound more open, and the sound is more controlled. When you use the cable with both, I like the AirPods Max better. Assuming you have Apple products, the AirPods will give you a better overall experience. They were also CONSIDERABLY more comfortable to me. But the Momentum 3 will save you some money.

[@techandy1747]

@@NorbReviews I’m confused cos Sennheiser can output Lossless audio when wired and AirPods can’t the aux to lightning downscale the audio for audio computation(AAC)

[@NorbReviews]

It’s strictly personal preference for me at that point. And I can only speak from my own experience in comparing the two. Both are great, and you’re not going to go wrong with either when it comes to sound. From a technical perspective, when you play a lossless track from into the AirPods Max using the cable, the audio is converted to analog and then re-digitized to the same bitrate/khz. That re-digitization step is why Apple can’t say you’re hearing pure lossless audio; it’s not an identical match to the source. (There may be a 192kHz cap with the reconversion, but I’m not sure. I think I remember reading that once, but I may be wrong.) Here’s the thing about lossless: it’s excellent for archive/storage for later conversions, but for human listening, it’s just a luxury: most people won’t be able to really hear-or feel, since that’s actually important-the difference past a certain point. So yeah, the sound differences are minute, and you’re not going to go wrong with either. It’s just down to what you prefer. Sounds like you’re favoring the Momentum 3’s, and if sound is your only metric (and you’re not considering other features like noise canceling, spatial audio, etc), then yeah, go for the Momentum 3’s, since they DO do lossless and you should be able to find them for a fair amount less. (The cheapest I’ve found APMs are ~$470 new, while I’ve found the Momentum 3 for ~$250 new.) Ultimately, there’s no wrong answer here as far as your enjoyment is concerned. What you enjoy is what you enjoy, and that’s really the only thing that matters. And both are excellent units. (In all honesty, though, when it comes to sound, I’d forgo both and go for the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay HX. I just like it’s sound + comfort better, and it’s in the same price ballpark.)

[@techandy1747]

@@NorbReviews Thank you🤝

[@xultratube]

@@techandy1747 Apple enabled Lossless for all your music in Apple ecosystem. The APL do lossless

[@harmymd]

I find it difficult to see beyond the apple fanboyism here... how can u praise a pair of headphones that are that heavy on the head? The lighter weight of the Sony XM4 was intentional and u should give them props for that. I wear mine all day long and practically forget they are on. Let's also not forget the price difference... Good review but not honest enough, ur love for apple clearly sips through...

[@NorbReviews]

1. Have you ever actually tried the APM’s? They honestly feel shockingly comfortable, even despite their weight. In fact, I actually find them more comfortable than the XM4 because I feel the XM4 cause too much ear heat. 2. I stand by my opinions. Check out my long term review on the APMs if you want to see me lay into some of the issues. 3. I didn’t forget the cost. It’s why I called the XM4’s the best overall value in the video, though I think they’re overpriced at $349. Good thing Sony drops them to $279 and under on the regular.

[@harmymd]

@@NorbReviews I have actually. Switched with a friend for a couple of days and I just couldn't keep using it. Have u tried hanging them on ur neck for long? Apart from the battery dying off (as they don't go off automatically after 15mins like the sony), they are heavy and uncomfortable. The cups get easily soaked with sweat and stain too easily (the rubber cups on the Sony just need wiping and u are good to go). U are right about the ear heat on the XM4s though, especially during long continued use or workouts...but the APMs aren't at all comfortable to work out with. I also hate how the APM cups bang on each other when off the ears. The "bra" casing is just sh*t. The battery life on the XM4s are out of this world, I use them everyday and charge about once a week and some times after 2weeks. My XM4s are very durable as I have dropped then several times and they are still as clean and solid as they were out of the box. Don't get me wrong, the APMs are awesome headphones, they aren't rubbish for sure but, for that price point, totally not worth it in my opinion. Frankly, even at the same price, I'd still pick the sony XM4s. The fact that I can connect two of my devices at the same damn time and switch seamlessly, not being tied down to any eco system is just awesome. The sony XM4s....the sound, the comfort, the feel, the battery, the durability, the ANC, the weight, the overall design, the functionalities, the portability, dependability, the options....all top notch. Totally worth every penny. Yes, by a small margin, the XM4s are better than the APMs.

[@NorbReviews]

@@harmymd Never had an issue with them around the neck, but I don’t keep any headphones around my neck too much. (I just don’t like the feeling.) As for the battery, honestly, the power management is OK on the APMs, but the fact that it HAS to go in the case is annoying. (I lay into this in my long term review) I know what Apple was going for, the seamless experience in addition to the Find My tracking. But the seamless part goes out the window with the terrible case requirement (and the 50/50 chance the battery will be drained the next day.) The Find My is magnificent, though. I’ve also had issues with the XM4’s powering off seemingly randomly (I guess the on ear detection doesn’t realize I’m wearing them?), so it’s not perfect with Sony, but I do like the battery life on the Sony better, agreed. (I guess I use mine more often, though, because I have to charge them every few days, whenever I’m favoring them.) I don’t use either when working out, so I can’t speak to that. (I usually use cheaper headphones for that because… well, obvious, I think.) Because of that, I’ve never had an issue with their getting soaked with sweat. But they’re fabric, not leather, so that’s not surprising. I tend to prefer fabric to leather for general usability and comfort. Then again, I live in a hot, humid climate, so things get gross. As for the banging… I mean, the XM4’s do the same, but no one cares because they’re plastic. (Aluminum was a very odd choice. Attractive, but odd.) I disagree about the sound on the XM4’s over the APMs, though. They can be tuned magnificently, so that’s great, and the app is top notch. But out of the box, the tuning on the XM4 felt muffled when compared to the clarity of the APMs. Ultimately, you hit it on the nose: it’s a matter of taste. The XM4’s are an excellent value, and one of my top recommendation for the vast majority of people precisely because they can be found so relatively cheap right now and provide such a great experience. The APMs provide a better experience for a specific kind of audience. Ultimately, this was my conclusion in my long term review (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqvVY6uartCYeLs ). Thanks for the good chat and the thoughts! All the best!

[@harmymd]

@@NorbReviews very well put, you just got a new subscriber. I'll also refer ppl to your channel. Do keep up the good work. Cheers

[@NorbReviews]

Thank you!

[@RIZFERD]

Apple products are average bias. Honestly. Apple to compare to Bang & Olufsen is like Day and Night. B&O is real High-end Audio Visual limited quantity.

[@NorbReviews]

This really depends on what you’re focusing on. Sound? I 100% agree, B&O is going to be better. Noise canceling and features? Apple wins, hands down. All in all, the B&O H9’s are my favorite headphones: they’re what I like most to travel with, the ones I most enjoy listening to, and what I like most to relax with (although the Bose QC35ii give them a run for their money due to comfort Vs cost). But overall, the APMs are more useful. Still, every headphone in this video is a fantastic choice.

[@patricksimanjuntak4830]

@@NorbReviews thank you, your video’s very helping. May i ask, if my focus is the sound quality and listening experience, which one would you consider buying APM or the H9 (as i already had airpods pro for daily)? And is the noise cancellation on H9 not even near the APM? Thank you