Here’s a quick comparison between two of the most popular ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) headphones 🎧
Apple AirPods Max Vs Sony WH-1000XM4
As guessed the most commercialised and celebrity fav would be AirPods Max but which out of the two takes the cake? I repeatedly saw a few bloggers with these headphones too and with their growing popularity they’ll be soon becoming a hit amongst youngsters & teenagers who already have the most expensive toy in their hands - the iconic Purple iPhone back in time, rich kids had a pony. Nowadays due to peer pressure and social media whether rich or poor parents have to spoil their kids with such devices.
Sony ANC WH-1000XM4 24990/-
AirPod Max - INR 60000/-
To keep it short & sweet, Sony XM4 has a better shape than it’s successor so I’ll be discussing about that, the latest one is very bulky and this pair is more cool.
They look more like those typical 90s “Reclusive guy headphones” like that sketchy dude who’d always keep to himself and his notepad & then head to the skater park in a pair of baggy jeans… the kind which would look great if you are a music junkie who’s also a lot into streetstyle.
I finally got a pair of headphones after 10 long years... but guess which one?
I had to get an early birthday present cuz of Thor, here’s the story, I was never like this like a scaredy cat but nor was the thundering, it was never this volatile or deafening, it sometimes shakes me up and I heart extremely low pressure I start piling cuz I’m all alone and I fear the worst, I feel as if the world I coming to an end… I know it’s due to climate change but it’s scary. I ordered a pair of ear plugs for 250/- they come corded in a tiny little carry case and I was surprised to receive almost 10-15 pairs lol they came in a big bag and they are easily washable. I can wear them at night but I missed having headphones, I was not in the mood but I ordered mine due to this reason and they arrived within 12 hours of placing it, I was surprised cuz they were here the next morning itself. I had tried buying something in 2017 or so but they came defective so I returned them and got a refund as they had a 10 day return policy, after that I didn't buy anything. They were for 3500/- Now I finally got a chance to buy another pair that too in the longest period ie. after a decade.
I won’t be covering all those boring technical details as I’m not an audiophile, I’m a cinephile but I can share a few important differences and the first would be between Active and Passive Noise cancellation ANC & PNC. ANC headphones mostly have a button (which is optional) to block out all the outside noise they won’t work on default which is great because it’s bad for your hearing capabilities although there are no "harmful rays" as such but even stuffing something as light as cottons balls can numb you out after a while. Your ears take times to adjust to the natural sounds later on so it’s not good for daily use.
PNC on the other hand are just a regular pair of headphones, anything which would cover your ears and muffle out all the other sounds with their padding alone or music.
Although I love certain Apple products and I do feel like they have a lot of potential in this industry I’m not a huge fan of their latest segment. Most of their devices are fully equipped with everything you need even for professional use you even get a colour coded right within your Mac to switch from RGB to CMYK, a font book, you can also add videos to your e-prints/mags, etc. there’s nothing you don’t have there but physically their products are very delicate and fragile, the aluminium might be durable but the keys or the track pad, their mouse and even the iPhone’s rim are all very flimsy. Almost every iPhone or device also comes with some or the other internal issue, they spoil within the warranty period, I know I’m sharing all this but at the same time I’m planning to take an iPhone Pro in the distant future for the camera because like I said for the first time in 10 years I’m impressed by their camera quality even with my iPhone 12 mini’s 12 megapixel camera, the new one has a 48 megapixel count and after seeing ZV-1/1F’s quality it's Sony’s vlogging camera, the one manufactured in my country as the quality always differs which is exactly why I feel Apple shouldn’t manufacture anything here, I got cheated with Canon in 2016; I realised that the quality was way worse than what I had 10 years ago, it has deteriorated a lot and I am thinking of saving some money as in the same amount I would’ve spent on the vlogging camera to get the iPhone but that will be in the future because I have to get better first. However, I got 2 gimbal sticks for 2290/- one for 1499 and the other for 790, one is white and the other is black they both have a built in option which can work as focus lights, 3 shades 6 tones white, natural and warm light, one of them is more sturdier as a tripod and has a bigger better quality light but the other is more expandable and it weighs less. As for the iPhone or any other thing, I feel Apple should work on the durability of their products both the hardware as well as internal issues and they will have to do something about the prices as well, the numbers keep adding up but rest everything gets subtracted from the box. Each year something or the other is removed, no adapter, no headphone jack, no SIM card slot, no Charging port either… I’m not sure if it has happened with the iPhone yet but they are saying that you would require a wireless charger, my MacBook has no USB port because it would’ve ruined the “beauty” of their product which was supposed to have a super sleek slim design, did I ask for it in Size 0? I had to buy a separate connector for it and that is what they intend to do… make you buy additional stuff for simple things like that. No wonder it is said Apple has more money than the entire US government.
I’ll be coming to their headphones after this:
Sony’s WH-1000XM4
People are sharing raving reviews regarding it's sound quality and overall music experience although the audio/call part is not that good. It comes in Black, Silver & Blue. Silver isn’t actually as creamy or beige as they are advertising, it’s more of a rubbery matte grey. I have shared about the look before - “They are like those typical 90s “Reclusive guy headphones” like that sketchy dude who’d always keep to himself and his notepad & then head to the skater park in a pair of baggy jeans… the kind which would look great if you are a music junkie who’s also a lot into streetstyle”
They not only look cool but they are cool… they have added gestures which can be quite helpful such as swiping forward will play the next song, backwards means your previous track, tapping once will stop the music, and if you want to answer someone or listen to what they have to say then you won’t have to remove them, that is something we usually do to talk to people, you’ll simply have to clamp them down by covering the right side with your hand. They weigh 250 gm and they are said to have a 33 hour long battery life but you get max 30.
They are being called one of the best ANC headphones in the market, I can’t comment much as I’ve not tried them yet but I do believe those coming of age features and other benefits such as all the controls that they’ve added below the ear cups justify their 20-something price tag. As per my logic they are on the heavier side so they are more appropriate for men because even though I act like a tomboy at times, I know they’ll look too big on me. One of the receptors is exposed and a few people have already complained about that because it hurts their ear after wearing it for a long time.
AirPods Max - Just like the name suggests, these are Maxi headphones 🎧 to fit our new generation's eccentric trends & styles, they are not like your regular ones, they look different and they stand out a lot. They come in a variety of “fancy” shades such as Green Apple 🍏 Coral Salmon, Starry Silver, Space Grey & Pretty Cloudless Sky Blue which should have been named Denim Blue according to me, they can also be customised because the ear muffs are detachable, they are magnetic.
They are also probably sweatproof but NOT waterproof, the reason why I said that is because they are not made out of leather, which eventually wears out due to sweat. But you can change them at an additional cost for “hygienic reasons” like they’ve recommended. Having no leather means there’s not much cushioning or the level you might expect after using leather ones.
What I don’t like about this line is the fact that because they are not some “legit” headphone manufacturer company they’ve simply tossed up something using rehashes from other products, to explain it better you know when Domino’s or McDonald’s any fast food outlet comes up with a new dish? They just use an amalgamation of what they already have to create something “new and original”… but we already what it would taste like cuz it’s a mixed version of their pizza dough and toppings in a brand new look or avatar. They too have used the same material such as aluminium + glossy steel rods to adjust the height so the headband is partly made of that, the button they’ve added is the same from the Apple Watch (they themselves have claimed that) the top area has nothing but mesh, so these might not be the most comfortable headphones to wear, there’s no cushioning at all neither on the ear muffs nor the headband, it also weighs 390 g which is not easy to carry on your head especially with that stiff mesh band on top, it comes in a unique looking pouch which some have claimed look just like a sleeping mask, I personally feel like look more like a sun glass case especially due to the magnetic closure, once the flap is shut the headphones are alerted that they are not in use or in a static position so they shut down on their own but until they’ll go inside this case they’ll be on cuz there’s no on/off button, they can get into sleep mode but the battery will keep draining nonetheless. My MacBook has an automated system now, there’s a button but that’s only for emergency use, the mac opens on its own as soon as you lift the top/flap and I’m not very fond of it because even if it opens up slightly while it’s in the case the MacBook turns on and consumes all the battery & it’s dead when I open it later on for use. That’s a huge catch along with other issues which I’ve highlighted there.
People are rampantly buying these headphones 🎧 hence whatever I've written won't be affecting their sales. The lack of proper cushioning makes them useless and those mesh portions everywhere are straightup crappy, the headband which weighs you down with 395 gm (almost half a KG) has no soft cushioning on top, their ear sockets too are lightly lined with a perforated fabric which collects more dirt than you can imagine and the speakers hardly have any covering or layers due to which they easily blast your ear drums with piercingly high velocity music. They should have designed a pair of Luxury headphones not this... sorry.
I truly adore them on her because of the way she's carrying them especially the look in the first pic
The headphones look one of a kind but I’m not a huge fan of this new deviant (eccentric) culture I don’t particularly like such abstract concepts with maximalist stuff or alternative themes. I don’t think I would want a mixture of my aluminium laptop + the watch button & strap + some recycled iPhone case. Sorry I do believe in recycling but this is exactly like the new item on their menu as in the examples that I gave before and I can’t spend 60k on that. The music might be great, they are ANC they aren’t waterproof nor are Sony’s but they have no gestures like them (you can scroll back and read that) moreover they can be very uncomfortable which is my main concern cuz they have zero cushioning. Sorry but this product failed to impress me 👎🏼
There is a small coincidence, so I taken a bag on one if my previous birthdays probably in 2019 and I was never able to use it (not because of the pandemic, you all know why) that bag was important to me cuz I have mostly baguette purses an entire collection which I wasn’t able to use either, almost 25 baguette purses and 18 pairs of hoops I’ll be thrilled to use them, slim, bold, thin, cuffs, medium, small and those glamorous Maxi hoops too, I should’ve been the first to wear all this cuz I wanted both of these things since before they were in trend and no matter how much they’ll halt your life *the truth doesn’t change* people can copy from here and there but no one can have your knowledge or style. Anyway like I’ve said I’ve got many bags, some even on 70% + 10% disc. which not only made up for the customs & duties but still saved a lot of money + free shipping too yay. I’d taken them long back and they were brand new fresh pieces but all in all I only had baguette purses… which in my opinion can’t be worn with athleisure or sporty wear such as sweatshirts, boyfriend jeans, hoodies etc. so I got a bag as my birthday gift in 2019 which was in a unique Espresso brown shade (it was from Zara) the nylon strap was inspired by LV it was dual toned, its a single shoulder with a small coin purse attached to it. I also have a lot of varsity clothes (Yale merch) such as leggings, their classic cropped bulldog hoodie, I got another muscle tee with a hood too which is not easy to find in the girls section... with those raw cut arms, it was cheap cuz this one was not Yale’s but it still matches everything I’ve got from there, I purchased it for barely 500 bucks cuz I had a 300 coupon, it’s from one of my fav stores. Too bad I can’t blog or go out, they’ll steal your life and give it to undeserving cheap people (vulgar girls have more respect than us these days) they just copy everything from internet; it's unfair when your life is stalled it’s been like this since the past 10 years, as if I do do my deserve to live I have no right simply because I wanted to marry someone of my choice & caliber that too in a country like India which is filled with pervs and creeps where you don’t always get the best suitor… is this fair? I was hoping to be with one of those who had shown interest in me as in the ones who liked me, I never knew they were such clichés for them popularity, money & fair skin or cheapness had the upper hand. That’s superficiality to the core. This bag will match all my sporty stuff. I wanted something exactly like this, I had a rucksack when I was 20 and I would carry it often with such things but I outgrew it and now I wanted something different, coincidentally whatever I got this year as my birthday gift it matches this bag (2019 gift) it’s the same shade and it will also go with all my sporty stuff or streetwear.
They remind me of my Beats by Dr. Dre which I had when I was in my teens, I had the bigger version and it was too huge for me, when I tried my brother’s Solo I found them lighter and much more comfortable although I was missing the loud thumping of the beats. I had them for years in my rebellious teens but I felt like I should have focused more on my comfort level. When I was 10 or so some shopkeeper saw me with ear plugs and he was telling me and my parents that it is very damaging and unhealthy cuz it can affect your brain waves and I now feel like he was not wrong. A lot of people believe that and for all the right reasons which is exactly why speakers are better than headphones or earplugs/pods the latter is super unhygienic and they keeping falling out of everyone’s ears, they also say wearing earphones can increase your risk of ear infection by 70% I would prefer headphones over that.
I feel everyone is made differently some of us are touch while some others are more hypersensitive so as long as “affecting your brain waves” is concerned I do feel like it doesn’t apply for all but it’s not that advisable either, for me, I got something which has those beats and treble but without being too loud or creating all that cacophony like the ones which start blaring all the music and you can hear them even before putting them on. I like my music the way they play on these ones. They go with my personality and they encapsulate that whole grungy, vintage underground reggae vibe… they have that old fashioned square shape and telephonic spiral chord (optional) it’s actually not inspired by telephones but old radio transmitters.
They look really cool, they are light and soft just like those Beats Solo but with a little bit of thumping or treble like 60% of the bigger Beats. They can go without charging for 2 months thanks to the 80 hour battery life. At this point I could only afford top of the ear instead of over the ear headphones although I’m not a huge fan of the metal or plastic adjusters on the side, I wish they would’ve come in a carry case like they had initially with the brass logo (they keep deducting things like Apple) no brass except for the control knob, no carry case I loved the previous one in grainy leather with the red velvet lining which was literally the best, it looks straight out of a garage studio haha it’s so cool and vintage, it’s got that Indie Rocker band vibe. Why did they stop making them?
People have even requested them to keep that case as a separate accessory… they’ve reduced the price along with the brass content but only in this product, the Acton remains expensive and their Est. has now gone on top due to the barely visible brass border. I really wish that case would’ve been available for purchase cuz I love it. They have passive noise control and luckily because my head is smaller they almost fit me like over the ear so the adjusters don’t bother me and they weigh only 198 gm which is cool cuz they are the lightest but with the longest running battery life (80+ hours) and they are very soft and comfortable, just like how people had described they were skeptical too since they are top of the ear but they were very happy and so am I. I'll be using my old Beats carry case for now until I find something as pretty as that official Marshall's one. I just can't get over that.
For now I've got this pouch in a plush micromink fabric & I think this will definitely go with my coffee brown headphones
I couldn't share an unboxing video but it contains a USB charger and a spiral chord which I’ve already described above. The shipping was quick and it arrived within 12-24 hours ie. the very next morning. The packaging is cute, it comes seal packed, as soon as you open the box, you know you are in for a small treat. It looks quite adorable and it’s a perfect gift for youngsters or anyone from Gen-Z it was an early Birthday present which I gifted myself.
Signing off
Xx Zara Sauleh
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