Apple AirPods Max Wireless Headphones Review

The Apple AirPods Max have a refined and minimalist design that reflects their premium status and high-end materials. The ear cups have a sleek aluminum cover with a satin finish and the headband is wrapped in athletic knit webbing, which adds texture to the look. They come in several colors to better suit your style: Space Gray, Sky Blue, Green, Pink, and Silver. You can also buy additional magnetic ear cushions from Apple separately if you prefer to mix and match colors.

The Apple AirPods Max are satisfactorily comfortable headphones. They're very heavy overall, and their clamping force can be fatiguing over time. That said, the ear cups are well-padded and are detachable if you need to replace them. The headband is also comfortable for short listening sessions, but some users may feel that its two metal components put pressure on your head.

The Apple AirPods Max have a very good control scheme. Since there are only two buttons, it's very easy to use. There's an ANC/Ambient/Off button that controls the ANC. You can also press and hold this button to enter pairing mode. There's also the 'Digital Crown', which is found on the top of the left ear cup, which controls volume when turned. If you press it once, you can play/pause and answer calls. Double pressing it skips the track forward while triple pressing it skips the track backward. You can also press and hold it to activate Siri. There are audible beeps to let you know when you're connected or disconnected and the Digital Crown makes clicks when adjusting the volume. Unfortunately, there isn't any audible feedback when pressing the crown. There's no power on/off button either, which some users may find frustrating.

Update 04/06/2021: We've tested breathability.

The Apple AirPods Max have passable breathability. Due to their over-ear design, they trap in some heat, which could become uncomfortable over time. While it shouldn't be too noticeable while working at your desk, they can make your ears especially warm if you're wearing them while working out.

The Apple AirPods Max have disappointing portability. They're bulky and can't fold into a more compact format. While they come with a carrying case, it doesn't make them easier to take with you on-the-go.

The Apple AirPods Max have a just mediocre carrying case. It's a sleeve that only fits over the two ear cups, so their headband isn't protected at all. This is by design, as Apple advertises that the headband can be used as a carrying handle. There are magnets near the inside of the case that automatically put the headphones into a low-power sleep mode.

Update 04/20/2021: Thanks to user feedback, we have clarified our statements regarding condensation build-up in the ear cups.

Update 01/11/2021: We've raised the scoring of this box from 7.5 to 8 to better reflect the materials used to construct these headphones. They have a premium look and build thanks to their aluminum and metal build. However, we consider the mesh headband to be the weak point, especially as they act as the carrying handle, and lowered their score in this category to better reflect this detail. We previously judged this too harshly and have adjusted the score to better reflect the premium feeling.

The Apple AirPods Max's build quality is great. Compared to other premium headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 or the Sony WH-1000XM4 which are both made from hard plastic, the Apple are made with premium materials and have an aluminum exterior with a metal and silicone headband. However, these materials also have different pros and cons than traditional plastic builds. The mesh screen surrounding the headband feels very fragile as it can rip or become damaged, especially if you're using the headband as a handle when carrying the headphones around. That said, the ear cushions are held in place by magnets, so you can easily replace them if they get damaged.

There have been reports from users about condensation forming on and inside the drivers after wearing them for a few hours. This can occur even if you're wearing them at your desk or if you live in a dry climate. Some reports suggest that this is due to the metal ear cup design, which may trap heat from your ears, and create condensation. It should also be noted that they don't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance, as Apple hasn't had them IP-evaluated.

The Apple AirPods Max have alright stability. While the cups form a good clamp on your ears, the headband can move around a bit if worn during moderate physical exercise.

• Apple AirPods Max
• USB-C to Lightning charging cable
• Carrying case
• User guide

Update 04/06/2021: Apple has released firmware 3C39, which some users have reported has changed the headphones' sound profile. We had some trouble getting them to update to the current firmware as this process can't be done manually. To update the headphones, they have to be connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth, placed in their case, and be plugged in to charge. That said, upon retesting them, firmware 3C39 performs very similarly to the original firmware's sound profile. You can see a graph comparison of our results here. As a result, there has been no change to our review.

The Apple AirPods Max have a neutral although slightly warm sound profile, which is suitable for a variety of audio content. They have a touch of thump and rumble that should especially please fans of EDM and hip-hop. However, the dip in the low-treble veils vocals and lead instruments.

These headphones use Apple's Adaptive EQ, which adjusts their sound to the fit and seal of the headphones on your head. iOS and iPadOS users also have access to three different EQ presets in their phone's settings menu.

The Apple AirPods Max have a satisfactory frequency response consistency. Some users may experience inconsistent bass and treble delivery, as it can vary depending on the headphones' fit, seal, and positioning. You may also experience a drop in bass if you have thick hair or glasses.

The bass accuracy of the Apple AirPods Max is excellent. There's a small bump in the low-bass, which results in a bit more thump and rumble in your mix. The mid-bass is quite neutral with a touch of extra punch and body. There's also a little bit of overemphasis in the high-bass range, adding boom that shouldn't be too overwhelming.

The mid accuracy is outstanding. The range is very even and neutral, resulting in clear, present, and detailed vocals and lead instruments.

The treble accuracy of the Apple AirPods Max is sub-par. It's underemphasized throughout most of the range, resulting in veiled vocals and lead instruments. Sibilants like S and T sounds are slightly dulled.

The peaks and dips performance Apple AirPods Max is decent. There's a peak in the low-bass, which adds thump and rumble. Another peak in the high-mids can make vocals and lead instruments sound a little harsh. However, a large dip towards the end of the low-treble veils the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments, dulling their clarity and detail.

The Apple AirPods Max have good imaging. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers of our unit are also well-matched in phase response, ensuring a stable stereo image. However, the amplitude and frequency response are slightly mismatched, so some objects like voices or footsteps may not be accurately placed within the stereo image. Note that these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

Note: Unfortunately, we couldn't test the left and right drivers at the same time, as we normally do. These headphones use Apple's Adaptive EQ, which adjusts its sound profile to the fit and seal of the headphones on your head. This feature can't be turned off unless ANC or Ambient mode are turned off as well. We ran the left driver separately from the right driver to test with the ANC on. While we don't know how comparable the results may be due to this change in our methodology, the results of this test are still valid.

These headphones have poor passive soundstage. Just like many other closed-back headphones, their soundstage sounds unnatural, closed-off, and as if audio is coming from inside your head, rather than from speakers placed around you.

Update 01/11/2020: We originally reported that these headphones didn't have a head tracking feature. However, you can turn this feature on and off through the Spatial Audio feature.

They have a Spatial Audio feature. However, we don't currently test the capacity of this feature. You can also turn it on/off by going into your iPhone's Bluetooth settings, or when you connect to them for the first time with iOS 14.3.

The Apple AirPods Max's weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. There's a small peak at normal listening levels in the low-treble, but it can be hard to hear with real-life content. They also perform well at max volume, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

Update 01/11/2020: After user feedback, we've retested the frequency response using AAC codec. We first tested them by placing them on our Head Acoustics HMS, and using a PC with SBC codec, we ran a sweep. Without changing the position of the headphones, we then connected to our iPhone 11 Pro (iOS 14.3) with AAC and ran another sweep. From our measurements, we didn't detect any significant changes to the frequency response and our results haven't changed. You can see the graph here. For over-ear headphones, we also do a sweep with humans and match the crossfade. Ignore anything below the 200-300hz range on this graph, as this was entirely measured on our testing equipment. The review still reflects the results measured with SBC.

These are the settings we used to test the Apple AirPods Max, and our results are only valid when using this configuration.

The noise isolation performance of the Apple AirPods Max is superb. Thanks to their ANC, they can cut down a lot of background noise from the low rumble of bus or plane engines to ambient chatter. They also reduce a lot of high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit.

The Apple AirPods Max have a decent leakage performance. They leak a bit of sound across the range, but most of it falls below the noise level of an average office. It's unlikely that it should bother those around you, even if you're listening to audio at a high volume.

These headphones have an integrated mic.

The Apple AirPods Max's mic has an alright recording quality. Your voice sounds thin and a bit muffled, but you should still be understood by whoever's on the other end of the line.

The noise handling of the Apple AirPods Max's microphone is subpar. It struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise around you, even in only moderately loud environments.

Update 04/06/2021: There have been user reports that firmware 3C39 has improved their battery performance. However, after updating our model to this firmware, we received similar results. The scoring of this box hasn't changed.

The Apple AirPods Max have a great battery performance. They have a continuous battery life of over 21 hours and charge quickly. Apple also advertises a 5-minute quick charge that can give you up to 1.5 hours of playtime but we don't currently test this. While the headphones don't technically turn off unless you completely drain the battery, they enter a very low-power state when they're placed in their carrying case. They also go into a low-power mode when in an idle position for five minutes. If you don't want to be away from your audio for too long, you can use them while charging.

Update 01/11/2020: We originally reported that these headphones don't offer any sound enhancement features. However, Apple allows you to adjust their sound through Headphone Accommodations in iOS and iPadOS 14. You can find instructions on how to access these features here. This interface allows you to tune audio for 'Balanced Tone', 'Vocal Range', and 'Brightness'. This interface is only available for select Apple and Beats headphones and it only works on iOS and iPadOS 14. You won't be able to use it on macOS, Android, or Windows. Due to this limited compatibility and because these features are found outside the headphones' interface settings, we don't consider these to be EQ presets for the headphones. The scoring of this box hasn't changed.

They don't really have a companion app but have an interface that only works on iOS and macOS devices. On the iOS screen, you can switch between ANC, Ambient mode, and off. You can also reconfigure the Digital Crown wheel to adjust the volume by going up and down or down and up. You can also turn the Spatial Audio feature on or off. You can also access the same controls on macOS via your headphones' Bluetooth settings.

The Apple AirPods Max have decent Bluetooth connectivity. While they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing, they use an H1 chip which allows you to seamlessly pair with other Apple devices. They also have low latency on iOS and Android. Their latency on PC is a bit high, though, which may not be suitable for streaming video or playing video games. That said, some apps and devices compensate for audio latency differently, so your experience may vary.

These headphones are Bluetooth-only.

Right out-of-the-box, they can't be used wired and only come with a Lightning to USB-C cable for charging your headphones. However, if you want to use them wired, Apple advertises that you can purchase a Lightning to AUX cable separately.

Update 04/06/2021: We have tested these headphones for Xbox Series X compatibility.

These headphones aren't compatible out-of-the-box with the Xbox One or Xbox Series X consoles. If you want to use them wired, Apple advertises that have to purchase a Lightning to AUX cable separately.

These headphones don't come with a base or dock.