As a rule, you must by no means imagine something you see on social media. And you must actually by no means imagine something somebody says in a video with a TikTok Store hyperlink, as a result of they’re nakedly attempting to promote you one thing. From sweet to headphones to dietary supplements to energy instruments, TikTok has constructed a exceptional system: creators publish movies selling or reviewing merchandise, TikTok blasts them onto For You pages all over the place, and when viewers click on the hyperlink and purchase the product, each the creators and TikTok get a reduce. All the pieces’s on the market and everybody’s on fee.
I do know all this to be true. So the primary time I noticed a video of an influencer hawking Picun F8 Professional headphones, which I instantly clocked as a convincing AirPods Max knockoff, I scrolled previous it. However after weeks of video after video after video raving about how nice these headphones are, I caved.
I saved listening to that Picun headphones had been roughly nearly as good because the AirPods Max for a fraction of the value. A number of TikToks I noticed argue that you simply’re not the issue for those who purchase knockoffs — you’re the issue for those who’re spending $500 extra simply to get a model identify. Some movies purport to carry out scientific noise-canceling assessments; others simply maintain up a pair of AirPods Max after which a pair of Picuns, as if the side-by-side proves the purpose.
All of the sales-creators made it clear that I wanted to purchase these headphones now. Some movies unfold a rumor that Apple was suing Picun over the design, so that they is perhaps off the market quickly. (This isn’t the case, so far as I do know — Apple didn’t reply to a request for remark.) Others constantly declare that the headphones are about to be taken off the TikTok Store; I’ve been seeing that for weeks, they usually’re nonetheless on the market.
I don’t imagine any of it! And but, after just a few faucets I barely even bear in mind, I’d spent $63.58 to get a pair shipped to my door. I additionally ran to the Apple Retailer and dropped $581.94 on blue AirPods Max. I had testing to do.
I’ve been utilizing each for the previous a number of weeks, and I’ve come to a conclusion I didn’t anticipate. The Picun F8 Professionals sound a smidge worse than the AirPods Max, however in just a few methods, I truly choose them, and given the value I’d simply choose Picun. The bass within the F8s is a bit more pronounced than I like, and generally is a little muddy on extra-thumpy songs. They had been crisper on the excessive notes in a music like “Welcome to the Black Parade,” although, and for essentially the most half each manufacturers sound fairly related.
The limiting issue for headphones, I believe, will not be the headphones themselves however the context. Purchase all the nice gear you need, however for those who’re nonetheless streaming Spotify playlists over Bluetooth, there’s solely a lot constancy accessible. Sure, the AirPods Max now assist lossless audio over a wired connection, however that’s not how most individuals hearken to music. Most pay attention on loud subways, within the health club, or whereas strolling the canine; until you’re in a devoted listening atmosphere, I’d wager that good-enough sound is often ok. Particularly for the value.
However then there’s the whole lot else. All of the little issues, and some huge ones, that make headphones not simply sound good however work effectively. And in that respect, Apple destroys Picun, and the perfect manufacturers often beat the knockoffs.
The headphones might look related on my TikTok feed, however there’s no mistaking the 2 in individual. The AirPods Max are extra spectacular the second you are taking them out of the field. They arrive with a case, which the F8s don’t have. The mesh within the Max headband is precise, breathable mesh, whereas the F8 is only a barely textured (and really sweaty) cloth. Apple’s cushions pop off with a satisfying magnetic thunk, however it’s important to yank the F8s’ cushions off with true power. Which is ironic, as a result of I believe I may pry the F8s themselves aside with two fingernails.
I’ve by no means discovered the noise canceling within the AirPods Max to be significantly spectacular (although my smarter colleagues may disagree). But it surely’s higher than the F8s, which reduce some noise, however let noticeably extra by means of. You’ll be able to hear the continued processing in a reasonably ugly method, too: Sounds are compressed and decreased a bit too slowly, so some issues sound like crappy sound results relatively than actual noise. Apple takes a good greater win with Transparency mode: the AirPods Max have the perfect transparency of any headphones I’ve tried, whereas the F8s are… trash. They really make noises louder and extra annoying in transparency mode, whereas Apple realistically pipes exterior sounds by means of. I’d fee the mics about equal in good situations, however the Max are much better in noisy spots.
From the F8s’ unusual startup sound — a lady breathily asserting “Energy on!” — to Picun’s unusable companion app, you may inform the corporate cares much more about manufacturing than design. The Max are much more nice to make use of. There are additionally uniquely Apple-y issues that solely first-party gadgets can do, resembling easy cross-device pairing and hands-free Siri. This isn’t a operate of worth a lot as firm coverage, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a win for the Max.
There are, to be truthful, a few locations I truly recognize Picun taking the straightforward method out. The F8s are 100 grams lighter than the Max — a full Magic Mouse of weight distinction! — and really feel extra snug on my head. The F8s undoubtedly go the “can I put on them on a whole cross-country flight” take a look at. The F8s have an precise energy button, that means you may truly flip them off as an alternative of coping with Apple’s dumb guesses as as to if you’re carrying them. The battery life is ridiculous: Picun says you may get 60 hours of listening with noise cancellation on a single cost, and I’m charging my headphones as soon as each two weeks at most. The AirPods Max solely final a 3rd as lengthy.
Put all of it collectively, and are the F8 Professionals nearly as good because the AirPods Max? No. They do crucial factor fairly effectively, however fall various ranges of brief in nearly the whole lot else. The large query is, how a lot is all that value? Are all the small print value 9 instances the value? The large manufacturers higher hope so, as a result of now, due to issues just like the TikTok Store, knockoffs are seemingly as accessible because the model names. They’re accessible at impulse-buy costs, and at impulse-buy velocity. I don’t should go to AliExpress or hunt by means of Amazon or Temu. I simply click on a hyperlink in a video that’s being proven to me each sixth scroll.
On this social way forward for procuring, the place advertisements and content material are completely indistinguishable and critiques are almost unimaginable to belief, it feels more durable than ever to determine what’s good and what isn’t. On condition that, selecting the cheaper possibility typically looks as if the safer possibility. And it’s not clear how huge manufacturers will compete. A number of months in the past, Bose introduced its headphones can be found on the TikTok Store — and the gross sales numbers look fairly dismal. You undoubtedly can’t purchase real-thing AirPods Max on the platform, and I’m unsure I’d imagine the itemizing if I noticed one. For now, I’m pleased with my F8 Professionals — I returned the Max, and turned my knockoffs into my yard-working and dog-walking headphones. They’re not nice, however they’re low cost. And I hear they’re going out of inventory any minute now.
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