When I look over the Airpod Max’s and their cost and sound quality after wearing the Bowers and Wilkins I don’t think I would have wasted 1 day with them if I had the B/W’s first. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the sound at all and wouldn’t have given it time to grow on me. That $600 could have been much more helpful elsewhere and now all I can do is sell it on eBay for a loss if I don’t want to keep them. Or I could just decide since I made the mistake I don’t deserve the B/W’s even though they feel better, look better, last better, and sound better.
If I could do this whole thing over, would I pick the AirPods Max again? That’s the question I asked myself. Because a big part of me knows I most likely wouldn’t make the same choice again, knowing what I know now. I most likely would just stick with the Bowers and Wilkins px7 S2.. aka “Bruce Wayne” and never look back at the Airpod Max, while still in love with my airpod pros, iPhone , and iPad min.
And so after days and many hours struggling and going back and forth, I came up with my final choice, The Bowers and Wilkins s2! And strangely enough, just like my football team Liverpool, you actually don’t pick your team, your team picks you in a strange way. So is this similar with this headphone. I just found myself reaching for them without thought and feeling more comfortable with it. It was if they were made for me and have been with me for months. It was just natural in every way possible for me. It didn’t matter if it was ASMR, Rap, House, Classical, or just a Podcast, it all was just more natural and instinctively for me. And unfortunately over time, the Airpod Max became a forced action that I had to convince myself to take.
Every time I picked up the AirPod max it was only because I felt I had to to make sure I wasn’t being overly favored to the B/W. And it, over time became something that was more of a burden and not natural. The ANC pressure even started to hurt my head and the clamping force became harder over time instead of the opposite. It had gotten so bad that I would get blood pressure spikes in my head due to the clamp around my face and head and all I could feel is blood pressure and hear heart beating in my face. And yet these things weren’t present before I got the B/W. I think my body got more used to not having to deal with the pressure and it adapted to this result to the point where mentally I rejection harder results produced by the AirPods Max (if that makes sense). So the old saying stand true. Don’t allow yourself to get use to something easier if you want to continue to enjoy the harder way.
It’s probably why fighters try to remain hard driven and avoid too many luxuries while training because when they get use to the easier life, they put themselves in danger of losing the eye of the tiger sorta speak. And I think that’s what happened to me. Once my body got use to the lighter weight and the easier clamping force as well as the almost unnoticeable pressure creation on the ANC of the BW, going backwards wasn’t an option anymore. And it was then when I realized my choice was made, even over all the functions the Airpod Max has over all other earphones if you have a iPhone. The comfort and sound are just at the two top of my list and if you can’t win in those you can’t win period. And that’s before you take into account the battery life advantages and the more unique direction compared to the herd of Apple followers. I have too much already, it’s probably a good thing to have some diversity:) .
To wrap this up, I really still think that the Apple Airpod Max are still the best overall headphone for iPhone users. However, depending on your needs and where you place your priorities, a headphone like the Bowers and Wilkins s2 could just be the best headphone you can buy for your needs and shouldn’t be overlooked at all. For me, the comfort, sound (mids, bass, treble, intimacy, tonality, separation and timber), battery life, and cost, are my top areas followed by ANC, phone call quality, and transparency modes, not the other way around. So for me the BW prove themselves as the best for my needs for the most important areas first. Your needs and result could easily be different.
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