Apple’s AirPods Max headphones offer great audio performance, top-tier noise cancellation, and a host of useful features in an absolutely gorgeous design, but that’s at an uncompetitive price.
When Apple first revealed its new AirPods Max noise-canceling headphones, many people naturally balked at its price and its oddly shaped Smart Case. Engineers and designers working on Apple’s over-ear noise-canceling headphone project had produced some “spectacular-looking” prototypes that were too expensive to manufacture without first charging more than $1,000 for it to be a viable project.
But even though that figure dropped to nearly 50%, a lot of people probably bought them anyway. And so they have: The first batch of AirPods Max sold out in all five color options, with wait times online stretching to three months or more. (However, you may have better luck at individual Apple Stores.)
Is it worth the investment? Ultimately, that will be up to you. In this review, though, you’ll learn about the core features of these headphones that seem to have premium qualities like top-notch sound, rock-solid wireless connectivity, and noise cancellation that’s possibly a touch better than what you find on budget models. competition at the high end.
Leaders in Active Noise Cancellation?
Many people simply will not believe that the noise cancellation of the Max can be better than the noise cancellation against the Sony WH-1000XM4, which until now, in case you did not know, enjoyed the title of a champion as the king model of the noise cancellation since its launch earlier this year.
The AirPods Max’s noise cancellation is possibly the best you’ll ever experience, slightly outperforming both Sony’s WH-1000XM4 noise cancellation as mentioned, and the Bose 700 noise-canceling headphones. To be clear, these are very subtle differences, and most of the time people don’t sit with noise cancellation and hear nothing, which is how you should test noise cancellation.
All three earphones are very close in terms of their noise-canceling performance. Where the AirPods Max has a slight edge is in the amount of hiss they produce when canceling noise. It sounds a bit cleaner. There’s a slight hiss usually associated with noise cancellation and it’s barely noticeable with the AirPods Max. Also, the AirPods Max do a slightly better job of alleviating the sense of pressure some people have with noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro works fine with that, they’re vented to relieve pressure, just like the AirPods Max.
Another observation: AirPods Max adaptive noise cancellation seems better than Sony’s adaptive noise cancellation. With Sony, you’ll often switch to fixed noise cancellation in the Sony companion app because when the noise cancellation mode changes (it suits your environment), the change can be jarring and noticeable. The AirPods Max’s adaptive noise cancellation feels smoother and less intrusive.
Tests were conducted testing high-traffic avenues, approaches to noisy air conditioning units, and gatherings near water sources. Once again, Sony’s noise cancellation was excellent overall, but based on benchmark tests, AirPods Max end up offering a slight differentiation for reasons beyond their cushioning powers.
If you’re wondering how the noise cancellation in these earbuds compares to the surprisingly good noise cancellation in the AirPods Pro, it’s not as big of a difference as you might imagine, but it’s a significant difference; again, the nod goes to the AirPods Max, considering the use of foam tips on the AirPods Pro to try and get a tighter seal.
AirPods Max Design
The Apple AirPods Max comes in a minimalist design typical of the tech giant, with sleek lines and a stainless steel frame. They come in a range of stylish colors including space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink that decorate the rather unusual figure of the headband.
The headband is made of a knitted mesh fabric, which Apple says is “designed to distribute weight and reduce pressure on the head.” While some consumers might not be entirely convinced by the look of the mesh headband, there’s no denying that AirPods Max was built to sit comfortably on top of the skull when worn, and if it sounds strange, the headband isn’t all that conspicuous when you’re wearing the headphones. helmets on, which further strengthens the relevance that Apple instills in its products and its minimalist touch.
The headband frame itself is made of stainless steel, with telescoping arms that you can adjust to find a good fit. The frame feels sturdy and well-made, but it’s not heavy enough to put pressure on your head.
Memory foam ear cups also feel quite comfortable. Apple says they’re connected to the headband with a mechanism that “balances and distributes pressure on the earcup, allowing it to independently pivot and rotate to fit the unique contours of the user’s head.”
The AirPods Max’s in-ear controls are minimal; Interestingly, Apple repeated the Digital Crown dial from the Apple Watch, which it says allows for precise volume control, as well as letting you play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.
You can simply turn the dial on the top of the right earbud to adjust the volume, or press once to play/pause your music, press once to answer and end phone calls, press twice to skip to the next track, and press three times to jump back.
We liked the tactile capability a dial provides, and it definitely feels like a more precise way to adjust volume rather than a button or sliders. In fact, we’re quite pleased that Apple hasn’t opted for touch-sensitive cases; in our experience, they can be temperamental and it’s hard to remember all those different gestures.
The right earcup also houses a noise control button that lets you switch between active noise cancellation and transparency mode, which allows some ambient noise to pass through the earcups, while the bottom of the earcup houses an Apple Lightning port for charging.
What is not included is a 3.5mm audio port. So if you want to listen with a wired connection, you’ll have to fork out for a Lightning to 3.5mm audio adapter additionally. It’s annoying that this doesn’t come bundled with the headphones when you consider how expensive they are.
Included with AirPods Max is an unusual-looking smart case, which puts the earbuds into an “ultra-low power state” that Apple says helps preserve battery power when the earbuds are in use. So far, bewildered Twitter users have compared the Smart Case to a bra, a sleep mask, and a handbag.
The case is made from a rubbery material and wraps around the AirPods Max earphones, making it easy to snap into place magnetically and leaving the headband exposed, adding to the ‘purse’ look. The case also leaves the Lightning port exposed, so you can charge the AirPods Max without taking them out.
While we appreciate the fact that the case puts the AirPods Max into a low-power state, we’re not sure it will do much to protect them if you want to store them in a backpack while not in use. There’s nothing to stop debris from reaching the earbuds, and at this price point, we’d really expect a hard case that reliably protects the AirPods Max from damage.
SmartCase
Apple estimates the battery life of the AirPods Max to be around 20 hours, assuming a mix of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) and audio playback. Ultimately, your results will vary with your use of ANC and your volume levels. When the headphones are stored in the included Smart Case, they go into an ultra-low battery consumption/sleep mode.
Speaking of the Smart Case, it sure looks great, but it’s strange that it does very little to protect the headphones: many of the earcups’ side panels and the entire headband (and potentially tear-friendly canopy) are exposed.
Almost every competitor offers a more traditional case that may not look as good, but it does the job of protecting the earphones more thoroughly. The rubberized surface of the case is also a magnet for dust; it would have been better (especially at this price point) to see a material here that works less like a Swiffer, like a smooth leather or fancy fabric.
Pairing AirPods Max
Like AirPods and AirPods Pro, AirPods Max will automatically appear on your iPhone or iPad screen, ready to pair, when they’re turned on and placed nearby. Even if this only removes one step from the usual Bluetooth pairing process (going to the Bluetooth menu to pair manually), it’s always a good way to start. You can also use the physical button mentioned above for manual pairing with non-Apple devices.
The settings menu, accessed by tapping AirPods Max in the Bluetooth menu when paired, has several useful features. You can name the headphones here, adjust what the ANC button toggles between (ANC, Transparency, and Off; you can select two or all three), and adjust how the Digital Crown scrolls (back to front or front to back).
You can also disable/enable automatic head detection (this automatically transfers audio from a connected device to the headset when it is placed on your head), turn spatial audio on or off, and access the Disconnect and Forget This Device options. The menu also has your serial number and model/version numbers.
Audio Performance
Playing Little Simz’s Selfish, we found the bass to be warm and punchy but controlled enough not to be affected at the other frequencies. The romantic flourishes of the violin are sweet and clear, while Simz’s voice is soft and prominent in the mix.
The soundstage generally feels quite wide, with room for all the instruments to really shine; it doesn’t have that “closed” feeling that over-ear headphones sometimes impart.
Inside the earbuds are 40mm dynamic drivers, which are powered by a dual neodymium ring magnetic motor that Apple says allows AirPods Max to “maintain less than 1% total harmonic distortion throughout the audible range.” ”. They certainly sound clear and there is no noticeable distortion even at higher volumes.
Despite the high price of the AirPods Max, support for Hi-Res Audio files is limited to Apple’s Apple Digital Masters tracks, which are only available through Apple Music. Again, this makes it seem like we’re being fooled a bit, as we’d expect full codec support at this price.
Like the AirPods and AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max comes with the Apple H1 chip in each earbud, which features no fewer than 10 audio cores to enable adaptive equalizer, active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and spatial audio.
Launched as part of iOS 14, the Spatial Audio feature first came to AirPods Pro and works in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos, which places the sound around you inside a virtual sphere; This means that, for example, if you are watching a Dolby Atmos movie that shows a plane flying overhead, the sound effect will accurately simulate the action, just as if the plane were passing overhead in real life..
At this point, from what Apple’s new jewel is showing, it is already emerging as the rival to beat over other premium headphones that do not offer support for object-based audio, in addition to making them ideal for watching movies.
Should You Buy the Apple AirPods Max?
If you equate weight with value, which was once the case with audio products (speakers in particular), AirPods Max certainly feels like they’re worth more than Sony or Bose. However, the weight of the AirPods Max can also be seen as their biggest weakness, even if, as said before, they may be the most comfortable heavy earphones you’ll ever try.
For most, the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are the most practical and attractive value options, particularly Sony, which has lowered its cost.
Sony’s headphones probably offer a warmer sound compared to the AirPods Max, but they still sound great (just like the Bose ones), particularly for wireless noise-canceling headphones. They are also lighter and for some people, this can make a difference when choosing and opting for comfort as a basic principle.
So are the AirPods Pro. Much lighter. And while they don’t sound as good as the AirPods Max, lacking overall clarity and bass power (with better definition), for most people, they’re still perhaps the best alternative. At least until Apple introduces a more affordable over-ear noise-canceling AirPods model or the Max touts a more competitive price, which could be a considerable time before that happens.
But if a high-end experience is your goal, the AirPods Max offers one, if not the best. You can think about what you want about the price, but at least they are different and stand out in a very competitive and crowded field when it comes to producing new wireless earphones.
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