As a rule, it’s best to by no means imagine something you see on social media. And it’s best to actually by no means imagine something somebody says in a video with a TikTok Store hyperlink, as a result of they’re nakedly making an attempt to promote you one thing. From sweet to headphones to dietary supplements to energy instruments, TikTok has constructed a exceptional system: creators put up movies selling or reviewing merchandise, TikTok blasts them onto For You pages in all places, and when viewers click on the hyperlink and purchase the product, each the creators and TikTok get a lower. Every thing’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 have been roughly pretty much as good because the AirPods Max for a fraction of the worth. Just a few TikToks I noticed argue that you just’re not the issue when you purchase knockoffs — you’re the issue when you’re spending $500 extra simply to get a model title. Some movies purport to carry out scientific noise-canceling checks; 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, in order that they may be 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 repeatedly declare that the headphones are about to be taken off the TikTok Store; I’ve been seeing that for weeks, and so they’re nonetheless on the market.
I don’t imagine any of it! And but, after a couple of faucets I barely even keep 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 a couple of methods, I really want them, and given the worth I’d simply decide 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 have been crisper on the excessive notes in a tune 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, is just not the headphones themselves however the context. Purchase all the nice gear you need, however when you’re nonetheless streaming Spotify playlists over Bluetooth, there’s solely a lot constancy out there. Sure, the AirPods Max now help lossless audio over a wired connection, however that’s not how most individuals take heed to music. Most hear on loud subways, within the gymnasium, or whereas strolling the canine; until you’re in a devoted listening setting, I’d wager that good-enough sound is often ok. Particularly for the worth.
However then there’s every thing else. All of the little issues, and some large ones, that make headphones not simply sound good however work nicely. And in that respect, Apple destroys Picun, and the very best manufacturers often beat the knockoffs.
The headphones could look related on my TikTok feed, however there’s no mistaking the 2 in particular person. 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 pressure. Which is ironic, as a result of I believe I might 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 would possibly disagree). Nevertheless it’s higher than the F8s, which lower some noise, however let noticeably extra by. You possibly can hear the continued processing in a fairly ugly manner, too: Sounds are compressed and decreased somewhat too slowly, so some issues sound like crappy sound results slightly than actual noise. Apple takes an excellent larger win with Transparency mode: the AirPods Max have the very best 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. I’d charge 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’ll be able to inform the corporate cares way more about manufacturing than design. The Max are way more nice to make use of. There are additionally uniquely Apple-y issues that solely first-party units can do, corresponding to easy cross-device pairing and hands-free Siri. This isn’t a perform of value a lot as firm coverage, but it surely’s nonetheless a win for the Max.
There are, to be honest, a few locations I really recognize Picun taking the simple manner 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 move the “can I put on them on a whole cross-country flight” check. The F8s have an precise energy button, that means you’ll be able to really flip them off as a substitute of coping with Apple’s dumb guesses as as to whether you’re sporting them. The battery life is ridiculous: Picun says you will 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 pretty much as good because the AirPods Max? No. They do an important factor fairly nicely, however fall various ranges of brief in nearly every thing else. The large query is, how a lot is all that value? Are all the main points value 9 occasions the worth? 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 out there at impulse-buy costs, and at impulse-buy pace. I don’t need to go to AliExpress or hunt by 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 totally indistinguishable and evaluations are almost inconceivable to belief, it feels more durable than ever to determine what’s good and what isn’t. Provided that, choosing the cheaper choice usually looks as if the safer choice. And it’s not clear how large manufacturers will compete. Just a few 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 proud of 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.
