Apple AirPods Max review
Our Verdict
The Apple AirPods Max are among the best-sounding headphones we've ever tested, they're easy to use, and their noise cancellation can easily stand up to the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Racket Cancelling Headphones 700. However, their high toll, limitations for Android users, and lack of 3.5mm audio port means we'd only recommend them to iOS users with a lot of money to spare – and no interest in Hullo-Res Audio.
For
- Unbelievable audio performance
- Fantastic user experience
- Vivid extra features for iOS
- Great noise cancellation
Confronting
- Very expensive
- No 3.5mm sound port
- Limited features for Android
- Ineffective carrying case
TechRadar Verdict
The Apple AirPods Max are among the all-time-sounding headphones we've e'er tested, they're easy to use, and their racket cancellation can easily stand upwards to the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. All the same, their high toll, limitations for Android users, and lack of iii.5mm sound port means we'd only recommend them to iOS users with a lot of coin to spare – and no involvement in Howdy-Res Audio.
Pros
- +
Unbelievable audio performance
- +
Fantastic user experience
- +
Vivid actress features for iOS
- +
Dandy racket cancellation
Cons
- -
Very expensive
- -
No 3.5mm audio port
- -
Limited features for Android
- -
Ineffective carrying example
Ii-infinitesimal review
The Apple tree AirPods Max were the most hotly-anticipated headphones of 2020, having been the subject of rumor and speculation for 2 years.
As the first Apple over-ear headphones, expectations were high, especially because the success of the Apple AirPods and the AirPods Pro, which have quickly become the most easily-recognizable wireless earbuds bachelor today.
Since 2018, nosotros heard rumors that the AirPods Max would exist the well-nigh advanced wireless headphones ever to exist released, with speculation that they would come with futuristic features like air gestures that wouldn't require you lot to touch the headphones at all to command them.
If the AirPods Max had come with those game-changing specs, their $549 / £549 / AU$899 price tag may have been justified – unfortunately that's not the case.
In reality, the Apple AirPods Max are more ordinary than many expected; albeit with boggling audio quality and brilliant quality of life features for those already devoted to the Apple ecosystem.
Allow's accept a look at the positives showtime; the best thing nigh the AirPods Max is their sound, which is null brusque of outstanding. They tin can hands compete with the Sony WH-1000XM4 in this regard, with a wide, immersive soundstage and carefully balanced profile, with crisp trebles, smooth mids, and powerful bass frequencies.
With high levels of detail and clarity, the AirPods Max reveal elements in your favorite songs that you may not have noticed before – and that's the mark of a pair of really fantastic-sounding headphones.
The agile dissonance cancellation is too class-leading, sitting shoulder to shoulder with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 – and the Transparency style is undeniably handy when you need to apace tap into your surroundings.
The design, although divisive, is another win for Apple. With large, flat earcups crafted from hunks of stainless steel, the AirPods Max look unmistakably 'Apple', focussing on simplicity and functionality.
They feel premium, more so than the Sony WH-1000XM4, which are largely made from plastic, though that stainless steel build does hateful the AirPods Max are rather heavy. Apple has included a mesh headband that's designed to reduce the pressure on your head during use, just there'south no escaping their density; if y'all're particularly sensitive to on-caput force per unit area, the AirPods Max may non exist the right headphones for you lot.
Saying that, we did observe them comfortable enough during our tests, and we appreciate the utilize of physical controls every bit opposed to the voguish swipe controls that nigh wireless headphones seem to favor these days. Nosotros particularly liked the reprisal of the Apple tree Sentinel'due south Digital Crown, which allows you to precisely accommodate the volume and hands command your music playback.
That's the affair about the AirPods Max, and Apple products in general: they just work. Pairing is incredibly easy, we didn't experience any annoying connection dropouts, and Apple has eschewed engineering science like swipe controls that it doesn't deem good enough for its products for the sake of keeping upwards with the competition.
One rather big design issue is the lack of a 3.5mm sound port; if you want to heed to music with a wired connection, or hook upwardly the AirPods Max to an amp or DAC, you'll have to trounce out for a USB-C to three.5mm audio port adaptor. That seems rather miserly when you consider the price – and if Apple tree wants to marketplace these as a pair of premium headphones, the inability to utilise them with an amp straight out of the box is unfortunate.
Some other affair that will put off the audiophile oversupply is the lack of support for Hi-Res Audio codecs, which is limited to Apple's own Apple Digital Masters.
It begs the question: Who are the Apple AirPods Max for? Despite their premium price and fantastic sound quality, they certainly haven't been marketed towards audiophiles who want to eek out every concluding driblet of sound fidelity from their headphones with the apply of Hi-Res Sound codecs and amplifiers.
Yet, their price means the AirPods Max are hardly a mass-marketplace product either, as many casual music listeners volition be unwilling to shell out then much for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
The decision we've come to is that the AirPods Max are aimed squarely at Apple devotees; those who already have an iPhone, use Siri regularly, and accept perhaps already invested in a pair of AirPods in the by.
There are so many benefits open up to Apple users that Android users aren't privy to, including immersive Spatial Audio, the power to automatically switch between iOS devices, 1-tap setup, easily-gratuitous Siri activation, and Audio Sharing. Mail service-launch updates include Chat Boost, the ability to announce notifications with Siri, and integration with Apple's Find My feature.
For Android users, the AirPods Max are merely a loftier-performance pair of noise-cancelling headphones with an unusual design, as fantastic as they may sound – and for these users, we can't run into how the high toll is justified.
But, if you lot're a menu-carrying member of the wider Apple tree ecosystem, you have a lot of coin to burn, and you don't care about Hi-Res Audio, you lot won't notice headphones that sound better or are easier to utilize than the AirPods Max.
- AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Apple AirPods Max price and release appointment
The Apple AirPods Max toll $549 / £549 / AU$899 and were officially released on December xv, 2020.
That cost makes the AirPods Max far more expensive than many of the best over-ear headphones on the market, including our current favorite cans, the Sony WH-1000XM4; anyone hoping for a budget-friendly price, equally we saw with the recently-launched HomePod mini, volition be disappointed.
A year on from their launch, and we're starting to meet some good discounts on the AirPods Max, and so you'll probably find them cheaper than their original RRP.
There are rumors that Apple tree is planning to release a cheaper, sports-friendly variant of the AirPods Max, only even and then yous can await those to cost a pretty penny.
Design
Later the cost, the next biggest controversy surrounding the Apple tree AirPods Max is their design; they await quite unlike whatsoever other headphones on the market correct now, with large flat earcups crafted from stainless steel, and a carrying instance that's instantly recognizable.
There's an unmistakably 'Apple' quality to the earcups; some may describe them as stylishly minimal, while others might say they're rather featureless. Those that are looking for a scrap more than impact from their headphones may want to endeavour the AirPods Max in i of their brighter colour options, which include, silver, sky blue, dark-green, and pink
We weren't certain about the overall design at kickoff, but we accept to say it'southward grown on u.s.a.; they do expect rather special compared to the competition, with a build quality that feels suitably premium for the price.
Special though they may exist, those stainless steel earcups mean that the AirPods Max are quite heavy, coming in at 385g – for comparison, the Sony WH-1000XM4 weigh 254g. Certain, that extra heft does brand the AirPods Max feel every bit though they're sturdy and well-made, simply it'due south a lot of weight to exist conveying around on your head all mean solar day.
To offset that added weight, the Apple AirPods Max come up with a headband made from a knitted mesh fabric that'due south designed to reduce on-caput pressure level. The look of the headband is certainly novel, simply after spending time with the AirPods Max, we've come to capeesh it – they're very comfy to wear despite their relative heaviness.
Are they as comfortable equally the Sony WH-1000XM4? We don't retrieve they quite measure out up to the best headphones you can purchase today in that respect, just the AirPods Max don't come with that uncomfortable clamping feeling that some over-ear headphones cause.
The headband frame itself is fabricated from stainless steel, with telescoping arms that you lot tin can adjust to find a good fit – they'll stay in identify once you suit them, so you won't be constantly little with the fit. The frame feels sturdy and well-fabricated, but it's not and then heavy as to put pressure on your caput.
The memory cream earcups also feel comfortable, and tin can pivot independently to fit your head. The earcups are easily removable, snapping in place via a magnet; yous'll exist able to buy replacement earcups for the AirPods Max for $69 / £75 / $99 from the Apple tree Store.
The on-ear controls on the AirPods Max are minimal; interestingly, Apple has reprised the Digital Crown punch of the Apple Scout, which information technology says enables precise book command, every bit well as allowing you to play or intermission audio, skip tracks, reply or end phone calls, and activate Siri.
You can but turn the dial on the top of the right earcup to adapt the volume, or press once to play / break your music, printing once to answer and finish telephone calls, printing twice to skip to the next runway, and press three times to skip backwards.
Nosotros liked the tactility a dial provides, and it definitely feels similar a more precise way of adjusting the volume every bit opposed to a button or swipe controls. In fact, nosotros're quite pleased that Apple hasn't opted for touch-sensitive housings; in our experience, they tin can be temperamental, and information technology'south tricky to remember all those dissimilar gestures.
The right earcup also houses a dissonance control push button that allows you to switch between active noise cancellation and Transparency mode, which allows some environmental noise to pass through the headphones, while the bottom of the earcup houses an Apple Lightning port for charging.
What isn't included is a iii.5mm audio port. So, if you want to listen with a wired connexion, y'all'll have to fork out for a Lighting to 3.5mm audio adapter for an additional $35 / £35 (about AU$45).
Information technology'southward frustrating that this doesn't come included with the headphones when you consider how expensive they are – if you're paying $549 / £549 / AU$899 for a pair of headphones, you lot might (quite reasonably) wait to be able to plug them into an amplifier or DAC to squeeze out every final drop of fidelity right out of the box.
Interestingly, the lack of audio port isn't the nigh divisive pattern aspect of the AirPods Max; that honor goes to the unusual-looking Smart Instance, which puts the headphones in an 'ultralow ability state', preserving the battery while the headphones aren't in use.
So far, the Smart Instance has been compared to a bra, a sleeping mask, and a purse by bemused Twitter users, and we can't say that nosotros blame them.
That design wouldn't be so egregious if the case actually did what it's supposed to do: protect your headphones. Instead, the Smart Case leaves the headband of the AirPods Max totally exposed, and while an opening at the lesser of the case does get in like shooting fish in a barrel to charge the headphones without removing them, it leaves them vulnerable to debris finding its mode inside.
The rubberized material is likewise a magnet for smudges and scrapes, and just placing the Smart Case in a bag is plenty to ruin the pristine wait you get straight out of the box. Over again, we''d await more than from Apple at the cost; while lightweight and compact, a hard instance with a zip would provide far more protection and peace of mind.
- Apple AirPods Max vs AirPods Pro: which are better for you?
Audio operation
The audio quality offered by the Apple AirPods Max is simply outstanding. They come with a wide, well-balanced soundstage that leaves plenty of room for each instrument to really sing – pair that with cool extra features like automatically pausing your music when yous remove the headphones and Spatial Audio, and you've got yourself a very special pair of cans.
Listening to Phoebe Bridgers' Garden Song, and her soft vocal sounded smooth and clear, with every particular meticulously conveyed by the AirPods Max. The glitchy picked guitar had a lovely rich quality to it, with a fantastic sense of rhythm and stereo separation.
Moving onto Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs, the glockenspiel sounded bright and vivid, while the tightly-controlled bass provided a solid bedrock for the guitar and vocals. Equally we turned upwardly the book, we didn't experience any issues with distortion, partly thanks to the neodymium ring magnet motor inside the headphones that powers its 40mm drivers.
The AirPods Max are great for listening to pretty much any genre of music, whether you lot're into sparkly pop with strong vocals or hip-hop with punchy basslines – and dissimilar the AirPods Pro, they can handle classical music, too. Equally we listened to Mozart's Jupiter, the raucous opening sounded expansive and corrupt, while the quieter flute passages were handled delicately with accuracy and precision.
Despite the high price of the AirPods Max, support for Howdy-Res Audio files is limited to Apple tree's own Apple Digital Masters tracks, which are just available via Apple Music. Again, this makes it experience every bit though we're being somewhat shortchanged, every bit nosotros'd expect comprehensive codec support at this toll - and at present that Apple Music offers Lossless Audio, the lack of lossless streaming support is unfortunate.
Spatial sound
Like the AirPods and AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max come with the Apple H1 chip in each earcup, which features no less than 10 audio cores to allow for Adaptive EQ, active racket cancellation, Transparency style, and Spatial Audio.
Released as part of iOS fourteen, the Spatial Audio feature first came to the AirPods Pro, and works for content in 5.1, seven.one and Dolby Atmos, which positions sound all around yous within a virtual sphere – this means that, for example, if y'all're watching a Dolby Atmos film that shows a plane flight overhead, it will audio equally though the plane really is passing above you lot.
Something that's unique to Spatial Audio is the fact that the AirPods Max are able to track your head movement using inbuilt accelerometers and gyroscopes, equally well as the position of your iOS device; that means that equally you motility your head, the sound volition ever sound every bit though it's coming from the screen.
To try it for yourself, you only demand to find content that'due south available in the aforementioned surround formats – Apple Telly Plus, Disney Plus and HBO Max all allow for Spatial Audio, though the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime number Video are however to follow accommodate and add surround sound back up for their iOS apps.
Happily, it's possible for stereo content to be converted to Spatial Audio while using the AirPods Max or AirPods Pro by opening the headphones' settings on your device.
Nosotros tested out the Spatial Audio feature on the AirPods Max with content from Apple Boob tube Plus, and we have to say it's very effective. No, it'due south not equally convincing as a true Dolby Atmos surround setup, but it does make moving-picture show-watching feel far more immersive – and it's a fantastic extra feature for those that lookout a lot of TV shows and films on an iPhone or iPad.
- Read our Apple AirPods Pro review
Noise cancellation
The dissonance cancellation provided past the Apple AirPods Max is very potent, and we'd say it's on par with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
Each ear cup features three outward-facing microphones to observe ecology noise, while 1 microphone inside the ear cup monitors the sound reaching your ear.
Apple tree says the AirPods Max apply computational audio to continuously suit their noise cancellation performance based on "the headphone fit and move in existent time". It certainly seemed constructive when we tested them out in a range of situations.
During a commute, nigh of the rumble from the train was blocked out, and with our music playing, we couldn't hear information technology at all. Y'all truly get a sense of peace when using the AirPods Max in noisy environments, whether you're working in your kitchen with the washing machine roaring abroad in the background, or trying to steal a few moments of solitude on a decorated journey.
The Transparency way is useful, too; you only demand to printing the noise cancellation button on the correct earcup to permit environmental noise to laissez passer through the headphones, allowing you to tap into your surround.
It's certainly handy if you demand to have a quick conversation with someone without having to stop your music, and it worked actually well in our tests, making information technology feel as though you're not wearing headphones at all.
- Bank check out the all-time noise-cancelling headphones
Battery life and connectivity
Apple tree says the AirPods Max provide up to 20 hours of loftier-fidelity audio, talk time, or film playback, which usually wouldn't seem a huge amount; however, given that this is with Active Noise Cancellation enabled, it's a pretty respectable figure.
The best over-ear headphones will usually hit effectually 30 hours of battery life, although many very good models simply get in to around 20 – either mode it'southward enough for a full day or two's utilize, depending on how wedded they'll be to your ears.
The stated battery life seems well-nigh right to united states, and nosotros like the fact that the Smart Case puts the headphones into a depression ability style; however, the disability to actually turn the AirPods Max off is puzzling. Still, having left them in the Smart Case overnight several times, we didn't notice a significant drop off in bombardment life.
Connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth five, and as such, pairing is fast and stable, and you shouldn't lose your connection every bit you motility away from your source device (as long as you don't go further than 800 anxiety / 420 meters, or put several thick walls between the AirPods Max and your telephone).
Apple says the AirPods Max require Apple devices running iOS xiv.iii or afterward, iPadOS 14.3 or later, macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, or tvOS 14.3 or after – while they'll work with both Android and Windows devices, yous won't exist able to employ Spatial Audio or Automated Switching without ane of the aforementioned Apple devices.
The Automatic Switching characteristic means y'all can easily switch between iPhone, iPad and Mac when jumping between music listening and taking calls, while 1-tap setup will mean you can get upwards and running with your new cans pretty swiftly. We establish the setup to be incredibly like shooting fish in a barrel using both an Android device and an iOS device, though iPhone users do benefit from the power to toggle Spatial Audio and other control settings.
You tin can as well share audio between ii sets of AirPods from pretty much any Apple source device – even the Apple TV 4K or the iPod Touch – so you and a friend tin listen to the same music simultaneously.
As ever, Apple has included support for its smart assistant Siri too, significant you lot can use voice commands to play music, make phone calls, suit the book and get directions when you're on the move, among other things. Siri tin also read your incoming letters, which is useful if you don't desire to dig your phone out of your pocket, bag or wherever you may have left it.
Since their release, Apple tree has brought a new feature to the AirPods Max: Chat Boost. This characteristic dials upward the volume of conversations happening in front end of the user when y'all're in transparency style. While anyone tin do good, it finer allows people who are hearing impaired to better empathise what people are proverb in a conversation.
Over again, these features are limited to iOS devices, which means many of the things that gear up the AirPods Max autonomously from the competition won't be available to Android users.
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Should I buy the Apple AirPods Max?
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Don't buy them if...
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Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/airpods-max
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