Apple AirPods Max Review: Exceptional but expensive

Headphones are a little bit like wine. A $20 bottle is often significantly better than a $5 bottle. A $50 bottle will be nicer than the $20 bottle. But as you start to spend more, you really need to know what you're looking for to appreciate the extra expense you've spared - otherwise you're just wasting money. It's a classic case of diminishing returns.

Headphones are the same. There's a massive difference between a pair that costs less than $100 and a $300 set. But as price tags climb, you're not going to see the same magnitude of improvement with each step. This brings us to the AirPods Max, Apple's brand new noise-cancelling headphones that beg the question "what exactly makes a pair of cans worth $899?".

A praise chorus

Priced at $899, it's not unreasonable to expect the AirPods Max to be accompanied by an angel chorus the first time you listen to a song. A hallelujah moment where you finally understand why they cost so damn much. A killing blow to all other headphones, which you've retroactively decided sound like garbage. Praise be to Tim.

Of course, that's simply not the case.

The AirPods Max are the best sounding headphones I've tested, but as with the wine, you'll the differences become more subtle as the price comes higher. 

In terms of sound, Apple says the AirPods Max are designed to offer a "faith representational" of the music you're listening to - the old "hear it as the artist intended" spiel. But in this case, Apple's delivers. The AirPods Max are crisp, clear, and detailed. You don't miss anything. They're the kind of headphones where you'll notice something new about songs you know like the back of your hand. I didn't realise the varying pitch of the sub-bass in Carly Rae Jepsen's "Runaway With Me" until yesterday.

And take for example the unbridled death metal chaos of Blood Incantation's "Slave Species of the Gods", a raw bombardment of breakneck guitars and drums. Despite the aural assault, every instrument rings out clearly. It's an impressive showcase of how balanced the AirPods Max are.

Also impressive is the sheer depth of bass. The AirPods Max skew toward neutral in terms of their tuning (rather than favouring low or high-end frequencies), but they still deliver some of the best bass I've heard on a headphone. It's tight and restrained, but always present. Where the AirPods Max really delivers is on songs that rely on sub-bass frequencies, offering deep, resonant pulses. Tracks like Run The Jewels’ "Talk To Me", Billie Elish's "Bury a Friend", and Childish Gambino's "3005" all tickle your brain.

The AirPods Max tout a noticeably wider soundstage than most headphones. It's easy to let songs like Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and Zola Jesus' "Wise Blood" envelop you.

There's absolutely no distortion when you max the volume (for the sake of your ears, don't do this for an extended period of time) and they're just as pristine if you're listening at lower, more aurally responsible audio levels. The vast majority of consumer headphones can't handle high volumes without impacting the quality. In the same vein, you'd typically start to lose detail if you dial the volume too low. Given most of us tend to only use a small part of the volume slider spectrum, the fact the AirPods Max don't distort at high volumes is much of a muchness. It's just something that speaks to Apple's audio prowess.

Of course, it's hard not to compare the AirPods Max to the Sony WH-1000XM4s - my go to over-ear headphones and our longstanding recommendation for noise-cancelling cans. The XM4s retail for $499 outright - $400 less than the AirPods Max - and have gone as low as $3550 on sale. That's already a big win.

When it comes to audio, the Sony XM4s have a warmer tuning. They're more bass driven, with low-end frequencies given a bit of tasteful oomph. In my testing, I found that flicking between the AirPods Max and the XM4s didn't always make much of a difference. On some tracks, there was barely any difference between the pairs. Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American" was evidently a little more bassy on the XM4s, but otherwise the two were all but identical.

On the other hand, there were times the AirPods Max had a slight edge. Robust high end performance added meat to the searing lead in High on Fire's "Snakes for the Divine", which felt a bit thin by comparison on the XM4s. In a similar vein, Devin Townsend's operatic vocals on Kingdom came across as fuller on the AirPods Max. It's not like this dramatically changed either song, however. Many would barely even notice or care. 

These were subtle differences, but it's these kinds of subtle differences that give the AirPods Max an edge. The small details that make the AirPods Max just that little bit nicer to listen to. It may not be what you'd expect a $400 price difference to represent, but the AirPods Max simply deliver some of the best sound of any consumer headphones. In reality, Apple isn't really trying to compete with consumer headphones, the AirPods Max are more of an alternative to the kinds of audiophile grade headphones that will set you back $1,500 - if not more.

Noise-cancelling is the other part of the AirPods Max audio equation, and it just works really well. Sony has a slight edge when it comes to blocking out sound, but the AirPods Max are nonetheless top-tier. Where they really shine is an excellent transparency mode. Toggling on transparency blends in environmental noises into the headphones, so you can still hear the real world. Most importantly, it does so in a very natural way. There's no weird lip sync or artificial gain. It doesn't sound like someone is yelling at you, and there's no uncomfortable digital quality to it. I've not seen any other headphone manufacturer achieve a transparency mode that works this well.

Heavy as a really heavy thing

There's more to headphones than sound quality; design is equally important. If you're going to be wearing your cans for an extended period of time, you want them to be comfortable. I've tested plenty of otherwise promising headphones that were let down by being too tight or too heavy.

Fortunately, the AirPods Max are lovely to wear for the most part, even if they weigh more than most headphones. The pair measure in at 385g thanks to a stainless steel and aluminium design. That's over 100g heavier than the Sony XM4s and the Bose NC 700s. You'll definitely feel the extra weight when holding the AirPods Max in your hands.

On your head, it’s a different story. The AirPods Max distribute their weight well, and I didn't find them too different to any other pair of headphones. The memory foam cups are especially lovely. You won't forget you're wearing them, but my ears and head felt fine after listening for hours at a time. 

The weight can make itself apparent in other ways, however. If you recline too hard, the AirPods Max will start to slip, and I wouldn't recommend vigorous headbanging. The sheer heft also means they're not ideal for exercise, but given the lack of water-resistance, you wouldn't want to risk getting them sweaty anyway.

Everyone's head is different however, so I'd recommend trying these in-store first. My colleague Anula found them heavier on her head than I did, for example. She didn't find them uncomfortable, but said was acutely aware of the weight the entire time. 

Notably, Apple has eschewed touch and gesture controls for an Apple Watch like digital crown. If you're not familiar with the digital crown, it's essentially a small dial. Spinning it adjusts the volume, while pressing it in can start and stop your music. A double tap goes to the next track, a triple tap takes you back, and holding it down fires up Siri. Not only does the crown have a lovely tactile feel to it, it's so much more reliable than the gesture controls we've seen on most other over-ear headphones.

Nickel and dime

While high-end headphones are normally bundled with a few extras, the AirPods Max box is a little empty by comparison. All you get is the headphones themselves, and a "smart case" that barely qualifies as a case.

You don't get a 3.5mm cable, so if you want to use the AirPods Max as wired cans, you'll need to fork out extra. Specifically, a further $55 for a Lightning-to-3.5mm cable from Apple (the AirPods Max don't have a 3.5mm port). There's also no airline adapter in the box, another mainstay inclusion you'll find with most other high-end headphones. A Bose airline headphone adapter will set you back $13.50. It's easy to argue that most will be happy to use their AirPods Max wirelessly, but there are still times when being able to make your wireless headphones wired is incredibly useful, and it shouldn't come at a further premium when you're already paying $899.

The included "case" is similarly baffling; it's more of a sleeve than anything. Built from the same silicone and microfibre used for iPhone cases, the sleeve covers the AirPod Max cups but leaves everything else exposed. Other than keeping them folded flat (and forcing the headphones into low power mode immediately), there's very little benefit to actually using the AirPods Max case. I would have much rather Apple include a proper case that genuinely protects your cans. Especially at this price point. There are already third party manufacturers trying to fill the gap, but it's not something that should cost you extra.

I didn't just come here to dance

In terms of battery, Apple says you can get about 20 hours of battery life from the AirPods Max with noise cancelling on. From my testing, that feels about right. While 20 hours is pretty reasonable, it does fall short of the 30 or so hours you can get from Sony XM4s .

Unlike most other wireless headphones, you can't use the AirPods Max passively when they're flat - even if you sprung for the Lightning-to-3.5mm cable. This makes sense given the headphones' reliance on computational audio black magic, but it's just something to be aware of. If they run flat, Apple says a five minute charge will get you up to 90 minutes of play time.

Given the $899 asking price, it's worth acknowledging that AirPods Max battery will degrade over time - as with all batteries. If you're considering the pair with the goal to keep them or ten or so years, the battery will slowly have a lower maximum capacity. Apple is however able to replace the battery in the AirPods Max if it becomes an issue.

The garden

The AirPods Max unsurprisingly feature the same kind of magic you'll find in any other pair of AirPods. Instant pairing, instant on, seamless device changes. You don't need to think about them, and it makes it very easy to just start listening when you feel like it.

Of course, this means the AirPods Max work best with iPhones and other Apple devices. You miss out on a lot of functionality on Android (and other non-Apple devices), and there's no companion app that will enable it (unlike with Apple's Beats range).

This kind of ecosystem lock-in isn't surprising from Apple - after all, you can't use your Apple Watch with an Android smartphone if you decide to turncoat - but is worth considering if you want to be beholden to a platform because of your headphones.

AirPods Max - The final countdown

At first, I was ready to write off the AirPods Max as a status symbol. After all, $899 headphones just seem unnecessary. Most of us shouldn’t simply shouldn't spend that much money on headphones, especially when there are so many excellent pairs available for around $500. But even if AirPods Max are excessively pricey and somewhat of a flex, they genuinely sound incredible. Once again, they're quite possibly the best sounding headphones I've listened to, the noise-cancelling is excellent, and the build quality is top-tier.

The AirPods Max themselves are quite hard to fault, but they're also hard to justify - especially when the overall package feels incomplete. The included case barely can barely be called a case, there's no 3.5mm cable in the box, and there's no airline adapter. These are standard inclusions on most over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, and it just feels awful to get nickel-and-dimed on extras when you're already spending this much.

If the AirPods Max were just a little cheaper - even $749 - they'd be that little easier to splurge on. Alternatively, it would be great to see more "affordable" AirPods SE down the line with the same kind of sound quality, but a plastic build and no included case just to bring the price down.

As it stands, the AirPods Max are exceptional but expensive headphones. If you're firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, have money to burn, and love music more than you love life, I have no doubt you'll adore the AirPods Max. But for everyone else, a more affordable pair like the Sony XM4s, the Bose NC 700s, or even the in-ear AirPods Pro is simply a smarter purchase.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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