AirPods Max

As a pretty invested audiophile going on 5ish years now with many wired headphones and IEMs, I have to say that I hold these in high regard above most other wireless headphones out today. They have a very modern Bauhaus-inspired design with a great quality build, and of course a very deep, rich cinematic-type sound that is detailed but a lot of fun to listen to.

I’m going to start with sound as that is the most important to me; I personally own both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM4, and these absolutely *demolish* them. The AirPods Maxes have some of the most detailed and cleanest sub-bass extension I’ve heard in a headphone period. Even when comparing to other high-regarded wireless headphones like the Focal Bathys, I would still pick the Maxes simply for their slimmer, more discrete profile, and a cleaner more impressive low-end kick, not to mention the better noise-cancelling and transparency functionality. The Maxes do have some mid-range and vocal scoop present, but it doesn’t feel *dirty* or masked like the Sonys. And, if you have an iOS device simply enabling the “balanced tone” + slight accessibility setting brings back those higher notes in a more natural and pleasing way. (Though for me personally, it does introduce some shimmer to the treble, so I like the more meatier vocal presentation in its default configuration)

Where the Maxes gave me grumbles at first was with its comfort and USB-C lossless functionality. These gave me wicked ear and head pains for the first couple of days, but seemingly overtime that completely went away. I can now wear these all day with no issues, but I would still say that this is where most other headphones excel at better. I found that the trick to have the best fit is to make sure the lower part of the ear cup doesn’t touch the upper part of your jaw. The USB-C functionality used to be bugged when it was first introduced, but with a recent firmware update it now works flawlessly on windows. However, it is still picky about certain DAPs.

So to sum up, these headphones are excellent! It may be hard to justify these in terms of price, especially when things like the AirPods Pro 2s exist, but I don’t think anything will give you the same type of movie theatre-like low end. These are incredible for watching Atmos content in, and do an excellent job at providing a nice coloured sound response that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to suffocate you with muddy bass or shrill highs.

If I were to consider this headphone as an all-in-one package (sound, ANC, comfort, smart features), I would put these at #1 above pretty much everything else on the market. Others may excel in certain areas, but no headphone will do all of it, as well as the maxes in my opinion.

Now some quick comparisons:

Sony WH1000-XM6: I can actually see these being a very good alternative to the maxes if you need something lighter, and more space friendly. The XM6s have much more natural sounding tuning than its predecessors, but It still sounds “compressed” and dull compared to the maxes. The maxes seem to sound “bigger”, with easier to separate details and better overall perceived technicalities.

B&W PX7 S3: If you took my maxes away and forced me to use a different headphone, this would be it. It is B&Ws best tuning and headphone yet, it’s super slim, sleek, rich design, and good feeling materials in hand. The sound is much more exaggerated but it does so in a way where you don’t lose detail, it sounds as or more wider than the maxes at times with its much more brighter highs. The bass is a tad boomy, but it feels textured and fun. Some quality of life features also surprised me, like when you move one cup off the side from your ear, the music will automatically pause.

Bose QC Ultra: The QC ultras are more comfortable and lighter than the maxes, but don’t do much to inspire me sound wise. Very bland, and sometimes too bass heavy with thin vocals. It feels more like a “tool” for travel rather than a headphone to enjoy.

Momentum 4: I did not like the momentum 4s at all. Super boosted sub-bass that masks the rest of the frequency response, and what sounds like a scoop in the upper mids. Design and ANC also leave a lot to be desired.

Focal Bathys and MG: Right off the gate the MGs just did not do it for me, sounded very tubby and echoey, heavy, big, mediocre ANC, and what felt like an overall worse product than the cheaper Bathys. I would still choose the APM over the bathys for being cheaper, and better a noise cancellation while still providing that really deep and rich bass response.