AirPods Max are the greatest headphones of all time!

Big claim! I know but, if I being straight it really comes down to what matters. Over this past half year of owning these, I’ve had the chance to test out all the competition for the AirPods Max including the new XM5. The AirPods Max I don’t think are direct competition but, I can understand why they would be compared to them.

First i’m going to start with the downsides.

The Weight.

These Headphones are so heavy! They are unforgivably heavy. The mass on your head is so noticeable and this isn’t an exaggeration. I’m a 100/200m sprinter. I run and occasionally jog but when i put these on for testing purposes, my top speed was reduced by 3.7 kph! Of-course, Its ridiculous to run with big headphones on your head but, for testing purposes I had to do it. They give you a neck workout whenever you step out of the house. Honestly, when you travel with these you will feel the effect. 385 grams extra on your head cannot go unnoticed.

Next are the hinges, they don’t have clicks so they never ever line up on both sides and it affects the noise cancelling. Honestly, I find my self having to adjust them every time!

Last is the cleaning process. The ear cushions are made of mesh textile cushions that get so dirty. The silver AirPods Max should be avoided at all costs. They look old very quickly just because no one ever cleans them.

Now that that is out of the way, Let’s get to why these are the best which they haven’t always been by the way.

It all comes down to this software update. 4E71 as they call it. The AirPods Max are not the best because they are the best at everything, they are the best because they succeed at what matters the most best.

Let’s start with battery life. I don’t understand why people start comparing products side by side and say that battery life is the deciding factor. That’s ridiculous! Yes, the Sony XM5 can last over 30 hours but is that a justified reason why it’s better value? Battery life just has to be good enough to last you till you can access a charger so If it can last a whole day, no one will care! The AirPods Max will last a whole day of use comfortably.

Next, Build quality and this one goes without saying. It has an anodised aluminium build with a stainless steal band. The cups are cold to the touch and feel like pure expense. The surprising thing is that the band is actually not hollow. There’s no cable running through it but it can transfer power through the material which is so cool. It’s surprisingly easy to detach so if there’s a problem, the band can be replaced so easily which already makes it more sustainable than the competition.

The Intelligence

The two air cups are completely disconnected from each other. they are like the smaller AirPods in a sense. Each cup has an H1 processor with 10 cores each. What on earth does that mean? these things are intelligent! I love this thing that it does when there’s an annoying loud noise like an ambulance, Even if its in transparency mode, it will mute the ambulance. its kind of dangerous but its like its protecting your ears.

The volume isn’t dangerously loud too. The AirPods Pro are much louder but, loud doesn’t mean better or more enjoyable which ill explain. They keep making constant adjustments and with the way the transparency mode is calibrated, its one of the best features about these headphones. The transparency mode is as if you aren’t even wearing headphones. If it weren’t for the weight, you can completely forget.

The abundance of sensors means the headphones know when you’ve put them on, how you’ve put them on, when they are in the case, when an iPhone is near by, The details such as auto switching to whatever device you use and the fact that they are on whenever you put them on is what makes these headphones masterpieces.

Now that we have addressed the features and mainly transparency, what about the other modes? Off-mode I still thing is shouldn’t exist. No one needs off mode. I have never noticed an increase in battery life and it still reduces sound quality. So make sure you disable it after you buy them.

Now, I know you want to hear about the noise cancelling and I have to the you, its low key dangerous! I kid you not, I put these on in my room in Oxford and it was so quiet I could head my heart beating loudly! They are some frequencies it cannot completely shut out but they are probably important frequencies e.g someone screaming. When you turn on any form of music though, you won’t hear a thing. Some say the Sony XM5 have similar to better noise cancelling but thats cap. It is not noticeable at all and even if it was, why would you want your headphones to be any more quiet than this!!!

Sound quality

Now, I thought the noise cancelling would have been the best feature on the Max but it has nothing on the sound quality. other Headphones come close in Noise cancelling and some are better in battery but, when it comes to sound quality, they all don’t stand a chance and I shall explain why.

Remember how I wrote a blog on the Max a few months ago? That was before they released the updates specifically 4E71. It was like a new set of headphones after that. After that update ladies and gentlemen, even if these headphones were $600 they would be worth it.

The addition of spacial audio but in a fixed position has made things spicy. They completely change the experience! Now to have a fair perspective you would have to compare it to the competition. Bose NC700 and Sony XM5 are the most notable ones. I’ve tried a few from B&O and Beats headphones too. The AirPods Max sound good in Spotify and on Android but you are really doing them a serious injustice by doing that. Once it’s connected to an iPhone with Apple Music then the sound quality cannot be touched.

The Sony XM5 have a similar sound profile and are the closest to the AirPods Max out of all the competition. If I was using Android and Spotify then I’d be happy with the Sony XM5’s but, the AirPods Max have this richness. I cannot properly emphasise this but, there’s a sense of depth and solidity to the sound. It’s a natural yet pronounced sound. B&O are more bass heavy and so on but the max have a natural rich bass that can make you hate B&O. The Max also have the richest sub bass ever! They are amazing for Music but they are even better for movies. The AirPods Max can change your Movie watching experience because of the sense of theatre.

They are not that loud but the sound quality is so good that event 60% volume you can enjoy them. Honestly, it’s a sense of occasion whenever I go out with these things. You just feel happy. Sometimes I leave them home in order to not draw too much attention to myself and take out something else but I always miss them. In fact, there’s a time I walked into the gym and walked straight out just because I didn’t bring my AirPods Max. I had to go back home to get them. I had other earphones but the experience is ruined for me because the AirPods Max sound quality is so good, you will always miss them.

I’m sure that you can get better sound quality with Audiophile headphones but honestly, that’s a ridiculous comparison to make. Audiophile headphones are thousands of dollars and guess what? they are hugely impractical.

This brings us on to the full package. Audiophile headphones need amps, they also need to be plugged in, they don’t have noise cancelling, they bleed sound so everyone around you will hear that Doja Cat. They don’t look particularly spicy and they are even bigger and more expensive! They could even be triple the price! Does that sound like something compelling to use on a plane or in real life use? nooooo. Audiophile Headphones are meant for a different more functional purpose and hence should not be compared to AirPods Max. It’s like comparing a Hummer H1 to a Range Rover Sport. Where’s the sense?

The AirPods Max are serious. I’ve watched teardown videos and honestly, the inside looks like a Mac or an iPhone while the competition look like children’s toy laptops. If you add the sensors, features, build quality, sound quality presentation quality and attention to details. $550 is okay especially considering that B&O H95 are $800, the Max are good value for money despite the high price tag.

And this hasn’t even covered the badge Kudos and aesthetics. However much we hate to admit it, Badge Kudos and looks are important. So many people ask questions about these and casually make comments and assumptions. And that Bra case that everyone hates further accentuates its cool factor. Surely something has to be different to stand out! They are just something people always wonder about even when they don’t know what they are. It’s like a Bentley Flying Spur for the ears! It’s hard to fly under the radar in these especially in Blue or Pink.

The AirPods Max are pretty much the MacBook Pro of headphones. Expensive for a reason and if you can afford them, I urge you to buy them because, they are so worth it. Truly!

About Author