AirPods Max long-term review
They are the most expensive headphones I’ve ever owned. But they are also the best headphones I have ever owned. Are they worth it, though?
This spring, I ordered the AirPods Max. To be honest, I did not have a good reason to buy them, especially after I very consciously decided in November to get the Sony WH-1000 XM4 rather than the then rumored Apple Studio headphones that turned out to be the AirPods Max. When Apple launched the AirPods Max, I was more than content with my decision but intrigued by the product nevertheless. So, about five months after that calculated Sony Headphones purchase, I found myself still thinking about Apple’s high-end headphones. Hence, in a moment of weakness, I ordered them.
Now that I had them for seven months, how do they hold up?
The Sound
Apple’s main selling point for the AirPod’s Max is outstanding sound combined with the AirPods’ ease of use. While I am no audiophile by any means, I have to admit, they delivered on this promise because the AirPods Max just sounds terrific. Unfortunately, I don’t really understand the frequency response curve and other quantitative methods of explaining how headphones sound myself, so they are not in this article. However, I can give you my subjective experience.
I have yet to find a song that sounds not good on the AirPods Max. In pop songs, the voices are crisp and clear and clearly distinguishable from the other Instruments. The Instruments themselves are also easily distinguishable from one another and sound nicely spaced out. In hip-hop songs, where the bass is needed, the AirPods Max will provide a full and rich bass that does not wholly dwarf the other instruments despite its fulness. In short, listening to music with the AirPods Max is a joy.
Whether you’re listening to music or watching videos, the AirPods Max make it sound amazing
While listening to music is amazing, the experience gets even enhanced by Apple’s new spatial audio features. Listening to music with spatial audio is an interesting experience, but not immediately better than in stereo. However, watching movies with spatial audio is fantastic and hence, watching movies with the AirPods Max on is a superb experience. Sounds appear from all around the soundstage, and they remain crisp and clear. The experience is very immersive, and you’ll feel like you’re right there in the scene.
To conclude, in my experience, the AirPods Max are the best sounding headphones I have ever listened to. I feel like they provide the best differentiation between instruments and voices, and they hardly ever distort sounds. Also, they are excellent for media consumption, as the technology they support provides for an immersive experience.
The features & usability
While the sound is outstanding, the active noise canceling is so as well. As the AirPods Max are ANC headphones, they can actively use their microphones to block unwanted sound from your surroundings, allowing you to focus on what’s playing. Whereas in sound quality, the AirPods Max comfortably beat the Sony WH-1000 XM4, in my opinion, they are highly comparable in active noise canceling. I personally do not notice a difference between the two headphones, both basically mute your environment. No matter where I am, once the ANC is activated, you’re immersed in your tunes.
It is a different story for the transparency mode, though. In this mode, the Microphone actively funnels the environments’ sounds into your ear, allowing for quick conversations to order coffee or to hear announcements on trains and airplanes. Here, the AirPods Max are unrivaled, and the Sony’s don’t even come close. This is not to say that the Sonys don’t have a decent transparency mode, but Apple has mastered it. With the AirPods Max in transparency mode, you feel like not having the headphones on when it comes to hearing sounds. There is no noticeable lag, and you can even decently tell from which direction the sounds are coming.
However, the AirPods Max features don’t stop with the ANC and transparency mode. They include is the spatial audio feature. And like mentioned previously, this feature, despite only being, in the early stages, is fantastic when you listen to content that supports it.
A final feature that the AirPods Max have is adaptive EQ. While you cannot directly influence the EQ of the AirPods Max as quickly as other headphones, Apple claims that the Adaptive EQ adapts how the headphones sound according to how you wear them and the content you’re listening to. I’ve found that feature to be very unobtrusive, and I haven’t noticed it, but as the AirPods Max sounds excellent, I figured that this feature also works well without doing any damage.
With that variety of features, there are many possible use cases for these headphones. I use them mainly for listening to music while working on my Laptop or to watch movies and series. Also, when I am editing a video or producing a podcast, I use these headphones as the wireless lag is negligible despite being pretty picky about it while editing and producing. So far, I have used them as my studio headphones that combine as my content consumption headphones while in the house. However, in the coming weeks, this may change as I may also change my principle of the AirPods Max not leaving the house as I’m currently thinking about selling my Sony’s and making the AirPods Max my full-time ANC overhead headphones.
The reason I have hesitated so long with that step has two main reasons. On the one hand, I purchased the Sony’s just barely a year ago and wanted to somehow hold on to them, and on the other hand, I felt that the AirPods Max weren’t really made for venturing around with. However, after using them for half a year, I feel like their build quality can withstand pretty much, and if I get a case to protect the mesh headband, they should hold up just fine.
Overall, the fantastic noise-canceling and transparency mode combined with the versatile usability of the AirPods Max makes them a great package.
The design & comfort
At first, the design of the AirPods Max didn’t appeal that much to me. I could see the engineering and precisions that went into the stems and the size adjustment system, but they did not look outstanding, in my opinion. However, after having them in my hands and using them for over half a year, the design definitely has grown on me. As expected, the way you adjust the headphones’ fit is impressive and feels exceptionally well-engineered. However, also the form of the earpieces, despite being enormous, is comfortable and provides an excellent seal.
Furthermore, the all-metal construction makes the headphones quite a bit heavier than the one of the competition, like the Sony WH-1000 XM4’s has its upsides. Despite tipping the scales 385 grams, they don’t feel uncomfortable or especially heavy on your head as the weight is distributed nicely. However, the added weight is clearly noticeable, and you’ll always feel that you have the headphones on, but it also provides a secure fit to the headphones without requiring a lot of clamping force. In my experience, I have noticed that the AirPods Max sit a lot more secure atop your head than the Sony’s, and I believe that this is directly correlated to the extra weight.
In conclusion, the design is still very special and industrial, but it has its purpose and makes the pair of headphones very durable while at the same time very premium feeling.
The rest
While the sound, the features, as well as the design and comfort are excellent, there is one aspect of the AirPods Max that isn’t close to as great as the other aspects: the case. Regardless of the comparisons, it has gotten, the smart case of the AirPods Max is the only bigger issue I have with these headphones. What troubles me the most is the fact that the most vulnerable part of the headphones is exposed. The smart-case does nothing to protect the mesh headband, which is why I used the AirPods Max as more of a pair of studio headphones rather than use them all the time. This issue can be fixed with a 3rd party case for the AirPods Max but to be honest, paying extra for a third-party accessory when the headphones themselves are at such a premium price is not something I really like to do.
The second category in which the AirPods Max aren’t superb is connectivity. First and foremost, they do not have an AUX input. The only port the headphones have is a lightning port. Hence, in order to listen to your music with a wire, you’ll have to get the additional lightning to AUX cable on Apple’s website. Furthermore, while all of the other AirPods charge with lightning, having a USB-C port to charge on the AirPods Max would’ve been preferable.
While the case and lighting port are arguably inferior options to the competition, Apple also chose another way to control the headphones compared to the Sonys. Rather than relying on a touch-sensitive earpiece, Apple put an upsized Digital Crown and a regular button atop the right earpiece to control your media. In my opinion, this way of interacting with your headphones is better than the touch-sensitive option Sony has on their headphones. As a result, I feel more in control, and I can change the track and the volume quicker on the AirPods Max than on the Sony WH-1000 XM4’s.
Verdict
The AirPods Max is the best sounding pair of headphones I’ve ever owned. They’re feature-rich, comfortable, and unique in their design. However, they are also very special in their price, with it being very high.
If you’re deeply in the Apple ecosystem and superb sound quality is your highest priority, the AirPods Max are for you. However, if you’re on a bit of a tighter budget or want to get the most bang for the buck, the AirPods Max aren’t it.
As always, stay safe
Raffael
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