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After a long lead-up of rumors, Apple managed to squeeze in the AirPods Max just under the wire as its last big hardware release of 2020. It wasn’t surprising to see the company launch its own over-ear, noise-canceling headphones after the meteoric rise and popularity of AirPods, which have come to define the category of true wireless earbuds; nobody really managed to crack it before Apple. The AirPods Max are entering a very different space, where many other companies have excellent options available.
There have been a lot of initial reactions to the AirPods Max, but the one that’s dominated them all is sticker shock: the $549 price is hundreds more than what established competitors like Bose and Sony are charging for their quite excellent noise-canceling headphones. And that’s the crux of the challenge Apple faces: unlike with AirPods, it’s late to this game, and there’s a lot to prove if consumers are going to be sold on spending so much more.
The price tag of the AirPods Max sits far above mainstream noise-canceling headphones, but there are many headphones that go for the same amount and beyond — wireless ones, too. I don’t think it makes sense to compare these against thousand-dollar (and wired) open-back headphones you’d plug into a DAC for listening sessions with a hi-fi music collection; fundamentally, these are Bluetooth headphones aimed at a large consumer audience.
Even so, Apple has tried to match that upper echelon of boutique headphones in terms of build quality and craftsmanship: the AirPods Max have a design heavy on aluminum, steel, and fabric that’s the polar opposite of something like Sony’s plastic-everywhere WH-1000XM4 headphones. There’s nothing wrong with plastic; those Sony cans have taken a beating in my bag and still work great. But everything about the AirPods Max exudes precision — even their unibody metal ear cups, bland as they might seem. (The widely ridiculed carrying “case” is antithetical to this whole notion, but I’ll get to that later.)
This isn’t a review where I’m going to say that the AirPods Max are the best headphones for most people. They are not. If all you want is a good, reliable set of noise-canceling headphones for commuting, travel, or working from home, save your money and stick with something like the Sony 1000XM4s, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, or the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, all of which cost at least $200 less. You’ll be well served by any of them.
That said, the AirPods Max will make sense for certain people who can immediately find a reason they’re “worth it.” The comfort and feel are top notch, they sound wonderful, the noise cancellation is up there with the very best, and they offer unique features like spatial audio that you really can’t get elsewhere. At least, not quite like this. So it’s worth breaking down some reasons why the AirPods Max could be worth buying if you’ve got the disposable cash.
Fit and finish top the list of pros. The AirPods Max have a stainless steel headband that’s wrapped in a soft polyurethane material. A knit mesh canopy does a good job of keeping the substantial weight of these headphones from putting irritating pressure on the top of your head. The rotating, pivoting aluminum ear cups are attached by telescoping steel stems that take some effort to extend but always stay in place at whatever length you leave them. (The headphones can’t fold up for more efficient storage, unfortunately.)
The ear cushions are made from acoustic memory foam with a breathable mesh layer on top. Hopefully, that’ll make for less sweaty ears in warmer months. They attach magnetically, are easy to take off, and popping them back into place is immensely satisfying. The ear cushions are large and oval-shaped, so they won’t uncomfortably press against your ears like some circular ear pads can. Replacement sets (and other colors) are available for $69 a pair.
I’d recommend steering clear of the silver or other lighter colors; the white ear cushions on my review unit are already starting to look a bit dirty after just a few days of wearing them. Going for space gray or the blue color would be my recommendation. The trade-off of Apple’s high-style design is that these materials won’t stay pristine; the company provides basic cleaning instructions, and the ear cushions are easy enough to pop off and wipe down, but I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do if, say, the headband fabric gets mucked up.
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Apple AirPods Max review: luxurious sound for a luxury price
Apple’s over-ear headphones have tremendous build quality and sound, but there’s no denying they’re expensive
By Chris Welch, a reviewer specializing in personal audio and home theater. Since 2011, he has published nearly 6,000 articles, from breaking news and reviews to useful how-tos.
Dec 16, 2020, 7:00 PM GMT+5
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After a long lead-up of rumors, Apple managed to squeeze in the AirPods Max just under the wire as its last big hardware release of 2020. It wasn’t surprising to see the company launch its own over-ear, noise-canceling headphones after the meteoric rise and popularity of AirPods, which have come to define the category of true wireless earbuds; nobody really managed to crack it before Apple. The AirPods Max are entering a very different space, where many other companies have excellent options available.
There have been a lot of initial reactions to the AirPods Max, but the one that’s dominated them all is sticker shock: the $549 price is hundreds more than what established competitors like Bose and Sony are charging for their quite excellent noise-canceling headphones. And that’s the crux of the challenge Apple faces: unlike with AirPods, it’s late to this game, and there’s a lot to prove if consumers are going to be sold on spending so much more.
8.5
Verge Score
Apple AirPods Max
$549
THE GOOD
High-luxury design
Terrific, balanced sound quality
Very effective noise cancellation
Dependable and foolproof controls
Spatial audio for immersive entertainment
THE BAD
Heavier than many competitors
No 3.5mm jack
Wired listening requires $35 cable
Case is an abomination
Apple Music can’t make the most of these headphones
$549 AT BEST BUY
$549 AT B&H PHOTO
$549 AT AMAZON
$549 AT APPLE
How we rate and review products
The price tag of the AirPods Max sits far above mainstream noise-canceling headphones, but there are many headphones that go for the same amount and beyond — wireless ones, too. I don’t think it makes sense to compare these against thousand-dollar (and wired) open-back headphones you’d plug into a DAC for listening sessions with a hi-fi music collection; fundamentally, these are Bluetooth headphones aimed at a large consumer audience.
Even so, Apple has tried to match that upper echelon of boutique headphones in terms of build quality and craftsmanship: the AirPods Max have a design heavy on aluminum, steel, and fabric that’s the polar opposite of something like Sony’s plastic-everywhere WH-1000XM4 headphones. There’s nothing wrong with plastic; those Sony cans have taken a beating in my bag and still work great. But everything about the AirPods Max exudes precision — even their unibody metal ear cups, bland as they might seem. (The widely ridiculed carrying “case” is antithetical to this whole notion, but I’ll get to that later.)
This isn’t a review where I’m going to say that the AirPods Max are the best headphones for most people. They are not. If all you want is a good, reliable set of noise-canceling headphones for commuting, travel, or working from home, save your money and stick with something like the Sony 1000XM4s, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, or the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, all of which cost at least $200 less. You’ll be well served by any of them.
That said, the AirPods Max will make sense for certain people who can immediately find a reason they’re “worth it.” The comfort and feel are top notch, they sound wonderful, the noise cancellation is up there with the very best, and they offer unique features like spatial audio that you really can’t get elsewhere. At least, not quite like this. So it’s worth breaking down some reasons why the AirPods Max could be worth buying if you’ve got the disposable cash.
Fit and finish top the list of pros. The AirPods Max have a stainless steel headband that’s wrapped in a soft polyurethane material. A knit mesh canopy does a good job of keeping the substantial weight of these headphones from putting irritating pressure on the top of your head. The rotating, pivoting aluminum ear cups are attached by telescoping steel stems that take some effort to extend but always stay in place at whatever length you leave them. (The headphones can’t fold up for more efficient storage, unfortunately.)
A close-up shot of the Digital Crown on a silver pair of Apple’s AirPods Max headphones.
Apple’s craftsmanship is on full display with the AirPods Max.
I’d recommend steering clear of the silver or other lighter colors; the white ear cushions on my review unit are already starting to look a bit dirty after just a few days of wearing them. Going for space gray or the blue color would be my recommendation. The trade-off of Apple’s high-style design is that these materials won’t stay pristine; the company provides basic cleaning instructions, and the ear cushions are easy enough to pop off and wipe down, but I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do if, say, the headband fabric gets mucked
Look around the AirPods Max and you’ll find just two buttons: there’s the Digital Crown — a much larger version than the dial on the Apple Watch — and a button that switches between noise canceling and transparency modes. I’ve really come to like the crown for controlling volume and playback; you don’t get the false inputs or missed swipes that can happen with touch gestures. It’s also easier to use with gloves in cold weather. You press it once to play / pause, twice to skip tracks, or three times to go back; holding it down will activate Siri. Sometimes my fingers will hit the steel stem when feeling for it since they’re close together, but that’s a minor gripe that muscle memory should overcome.
You’ll notice I said nothing about a power button, and that’s because the AirPods Max lack one. They power on when placed on your head, and automatically pause music if removed (or if you lift one ear cup). Take them off fully, and they’ll go into a sleep mode when left on a table or around your neck for a few minutes. When slid into their case, the headphones enter a deeper ultra-low-power mode. I’ve left the AirPods Max out overnight several times without the case and they’ve barely lost any of their charge, so you don’t need to worry about battery drain. This design quirk has been deemed “very Apple” by some, but I wish they’d just stuck a power button somewhere for simplicity’s sake.
There are a lot of cutouts for microphones and sensors around the AirPods Max — there are nine microphones in all, with eight of them used for noise cancellation — and behind those ear cushions are powerful, custom-designed 40-millimeter drivers. Apple says the “dual-neodymium ring magnet motor” backing each driver is inspired by floor-standing speakers and is the reason you won’t hear any distortion even when the Max headphones are cranked to peak volume.
On that note, the second pro for the AirPods Max is sound quality. These headphones make for delightful listening. Apple has struck a great balance between the highs, mids, and lows, and there’s a broader soundstage with these than you’d get from the Sony or the Bose cans. The bass isn’t going to rattle your skull, but in my tests, I’ve consistently found there’s always enough to make songs shine as they’re supposed to.
Apple uses “computational audio” with the H1 chips in each ear cup and the aforementioned mics to constantly measure what you’re hearing from the headphones, and it adjusts EQ to account for how the headphones fit your head and seal against your ears. The company says it aims for a faithful reproduction of your music, but don’t mistake these for flat or neutral studio headphones. If I had to pick two words to describe them, I’d say tight and refined. You get ample bass, and higher frequencies never sound harsh or fatiguing. Complex, multi-layered arrangements from Bon Iver or Phoebe Bridgers are immersive and uncluttered. Acoustic guitars come through with satisfying warmth and clarity. The low end is never muddy — regardless of genre — and the AirPods Max do a great job of showcasing every element of a well-produced track. With these headphones, you get the best of everything Apple has learned about audio.
But a lot of people want to know whether the AirPods Max sound so much better to justify their high price. And there’s no easy answer. If you’re nitpicky about audio quality, you’ll notice how great these sound. But the Sony 1000XM4s are popular for a reason, and one of them is booming bass, a criteria where they can still handily beat out the AirPods Max. Other noise-canceling headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless also give Apple a run for its money on sound quality.
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