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Apple AirPods Max vs HiFiMAN Sundara

Reddit prefers HiFiMAN Sundara โ€” higher sentiment (88% vs 50% positive).

#25 in Headphones

Apple

Apple AirPods Max

50

Pros

  • +Best transparency mode on the market
  • +More comfy in the ear (compared to 3s)
  • +Reliable tool
  • +Pretty well-tuned in-ears

Cons

  • โˆ’Implied inferior sound compared to koss porta pro
  • โˆ’Not doing anything magical
  • โˆ’Ruined sound
  • โˆ’Sound like shit
โ€œAPP2 transparency mode was already the best on the market. I also find the APP2 a little more comfy in the ear.โ€
Full review
#10 in HeadphonesReddit favorite

HiFiMAN

HiFiMAN Sundara

88

Pros

  • +Great for gaming
  • +Drivers are fast
  • +Take an eq preset very well
  • +Instrumental songs with violin hit different

Cons

  • โˆ’Can get hair stuck causing buzzing
  • โˆ’Replaced in the mindshare by other headphones
  • โˆ’Implied need for eq to reach full potential
  • โˆ’High price point
โ€œI've been pretty careless with my Sundaras and they are fine. But now that I read that, it makes sense that I can sometimes hear a very small rattle now and then when I leave them lying on my desktop.โ€
Full review

Specifications

SpecApple AirPods MaxHiFiMAN Sundara
Driver40mm Apple-designed80mm Planar Magnetic
Noise CancellingYes (Adaptive + Transparency)โ€”
Battery Life20 hoursโ€”
Weight384g372g
ConnectivityBluetooth 5.3, Lightning3.5mm (with 6.35mm adapter)
Codec SupportAAC, SBCโ€”
Spatial AudioYes (head tracking)โ€”
Frequency Responseโ€”6Hzโ€“75kHz
Impedanceโ€”37ฮฉ
Typeโ€”Open-back
Driver Typeโ€”Planar Magnetic
Priceโ€”โ€”
Reddit sentiment50%88%
Mentions78
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