Apple AirPods Max Review

Our Apple AirPods Max Headphones Experience

The Max embodies Apple's signature style of simplicity and minimalism, prioritizing high quality and stellar performance that works as intended. The headphones feel substantial, have removable ear padding, sleek controls, and a unique carry bag. We aren't a big fan of the carry bag, preferring the zip-enclosed hard cover cases we see in other high-end options. The overall experience is polarizing, with some loving the simplicity and others longing for more.

The AirPods Max connectivity is so-so. Connecting to iOS was a breeze with One-Touch Pairing, simply by holding the device next to our iPhone and tapping “Connect.” Unfortunately, they also try to pair with other iOS devices nearby when not in their case, which can be mildly annoying or lead to frustrations on an airplane as your headphones try to pair with the phones of strangers. You also can't turn pairing off.

The connection is reliable, and connecting two Apple devices simultaneously using the Multipoint feature works incredibly well. Audio Sharing allows you to share media with multiple devices or connect to an Apple TV. Android or Windows users have a more cumbersome pairing process, lose Apple-only perks, and the Multipoint feature refuses to connect to Apple and Android devices simultaneously. We think most multi-operating system users are better off with a different pair.

The longer we wore the Max, the more we felt the weight on our head and neck, as well as the pressure on our ears. Wearing them with glasses or sunglasses is even worse. We averaged less than an hour of wear time with glasses and four without. Despite a strong clamp, their weight still caused slipping with a deep back stretch.

The battery life was a disappointment, with a measured time of under 23 hours. We often struggle to remember to charge our headphones, and more than once, we've had to take advantage of the quick charge to keep listening. Given that many competitors last almost twice as long, they may not be the best choice for those seeking the longest listening life.

We missed having a power button to preserve battery life. The only option is to place them in the Smart Case, which enables them to enter an ultra-low power state. They will go into sleep mode without the case, but the Bluetooth remains active, and the Max constantly tries to pair with any nearby Apple product. Only stowing them in the case will stop this.

Sound Quality

Wow! That's how we feel about the sound of the AirPods Max. They feel incredibly immersive! It surrounds, soaks up all the space, and expands with beautiful warmth and wonderful clarity. Volume up or down, the sound is crisp, detailed, and pleasing.

This outstanding performance is due to masterfully crafted 40-millimeter dynamic drivers that minimize harmonic distortion. Adaptive EQ technology helps automatically tailor the sound, faithfully reproducing every musical note. The sound mix is rich and inviting, with a slightly sculpted quality, but could use a bit more in the highs. The headset delivers an appetizing blend of elevated bass, thick and fleshed-out mids, and decent highs that could use more sparkle. The R&B track “Lemonade” by Iris Temple is silky smooth. The bass line and kick drum punch through the layers to hit with sweet vibes. The brass, synth, and electric guitar flow like liquid gold, rich and syrupy in the mids. The vocals float above the mix with clarity and depth.

The lows have a pleasing weight and body that permeates the mix without overpowering it. We loved listening to R&B, soul, pop, and dance artists like Leon Bridges, Chris Lake, and Meghan Trainor, but the bass wasn't thumpy enough to fully enjoy hip-hop. The mids are present and clean, pushing vocals and instruments like guitars forward. Indie and alternative tracks were our favorites, but the emphasized mids sound excellent with country, soft rock, blues, jazz, and pop genres as well. The highs are crisp and never become fatiguing, allowing full enjoyment of jazz, electro-acoustic, and classical instrumentals from artists like Yussef Dayes, Natalie Tenenbaum, and Kai Schumacher.

The frequency response graph visualizes the sound signature of the AirPods Max and aligns with our expert's opinions. Relative to our Target Response Curve, the Max mimics the shape in the low to mid-range but becomes deemphasized in the highs.

It demonstrates why we feel the highs lack some luster. However, the on-point lows and mids result in a groovy listening experience that complements mellow genres like indie and R&B. It also sounds great with pop, alternative, soft rock, blues, jazz, and classical. EDM or rap lovers may yearn for more power and excitement in the bass and treble ranges.

Soundstage

The AirPods' soundstage envelopes you with a richness and depth not shared by many competitors.

It transports you front and center. Instrumental voices come from a wide, tall soundstage with excellent stereo spread and clean separation. Its dimensionality is dramatic and powerful. This experience is available without enabling Apple's Personalized Spatial Audio feature.

Comfort and Fit

As one of the heaviest in the group, the Max isn't the best for all-day comfort. Possibly as a result of the weight, the clamping force is stronger than that of most headphones, and some users found it to be too strong.

The AirPods Max are solidly built with a stainless steel frame and anodized aluminum earcups. This increases the weight but enhances durability and gives the Max a sleek and sophisticated look. The earpads and headband have unique, breathable mesh that helps evenly distribute the weight and clamping.

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The earcups are among the most spacious, measuring 62 x 41 millimeters, so they should fit most ears. They're replaceable, but the easy interior access raises concerns condensation death, which describes how sweat collects inside the earcups and potentially causes damage.

It's unclear whether this experience is due to manufacturer defects or consumer misuse, but like most headphones, the Max is not waterproof, and should not be used during heavy sweating. We've owned a pair since 2021 and haven't had any condensation issues.

Noise Cancellation

The Max offers some of the best Active Noise Cancelation (ANC), with only a few competitors blocking more sound than the Max. Six exterior and two interior microphones work with advanced computing algorithms to diminish exterior sounds by 30 decibels across the frequency spectrum.

While it's not absolute silence, it's close. Without music playing, we could barely hear the keyboards and the space heater. While music was playing, we couldn't hear microwave beeps or door knocks.

Even passively (without ANC), the Max does an excellent job blocking background sounds. We were impressed with their ability to block low, monotonous airplane hums or office chatter.

If you need to hear past the noise cancellation, Apple also has a transparency mode. Apple's Transparency mode is so effective that it's like you're not wearing headphones. You'll have surrounding awareness whenever you want it.

App and Controls

The AirPods Max offers limited sound and noise-canceling customizations, with no presets or EQ sliders. If you stream through Apple Music from an Apple device, you can access a few EQ presets; however, these presets were designed for the streaming service, not the headphones, so they do not significantly impact the sound. There's also no option for upgraded Bluetooth codec support. You're stuck with the built-in sound mix. We do like the Personalized Spatial Audio, which provides a 3D listening experience akin to movie theater surround sound.

The Max uses built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers to track head movements to personalize the audio to your ear shape. However, Spatial Audio only works when streaming Dolby Atmos content from services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, or Disney+.

Controls

In typical Apple fashion, the controls are minimalistic. Rather than buttons or a touchpad, the AirPods Max headphones have a dial that controls volume, media, and phone calls. It's super intuitive and consistent.

A noise control button, located opposite the dial (digital crown), allows you to switch between ANC and Transparency modes or put the headphones into pairing mode. Your device's settings menu controls everything else, like enabling head detection, Passive mode, or a Bluetooth connection. Sadly, Android users won't have access to the iOS settings.

Battery

The AirPods Max battery life is unimpressive, with a measured playback of 22.8 hours.

They don't support passive playback, so you can't plug them into your device if the battery dies. However, five minutes of charging provides 1.5 hours of listening time.

Call Quality

The AirPods Max performed above average in terms of call quality. While the voices are clear and loud, we experienced distortion and some interference.

Whether making simulated calls from a noisy or quiet setting, or actual calls from a private office, our caller's voice was easy to understand despite some distortion and background sounds. Although the clarity wasn't as good, we were still happy with the result, and the voices were loud and clear enough to converse easily.