Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Customer Reviews (10)

1. 

   Felix Bomgartner – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Best Over Ear Headphones (if you have an iPhone)

   They work very well, audio quality is high, battery is long lasting, very light weight and comfortable, noise cancellation is top tier, and the physical controls on the top beat all of the stupid motion and tap controls of other headphones. Only worth it if you have an iPhone, the integration is flawless.

   7 people found this helpful
2. 

   Felix Rivera Felix Rivera – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Spectacular Sound and Premium Comfort — Worth Every Penny

   The AirPods Max exceeded my expectations from the very first moment. The sound quality is impressive: deep bass, balanced mids, and crisp highs. The noise cancellation is one of the best I’ve experienced — it truly isolates you even in very noisy environments.Comfort is another highlight. The ear cushions are soft, the headband distributes the weight well, and I can use them for hours without discomfort. The connection with Apple devices is instant and stable, and the Transparency Mode feels very natural.Although the price is high, the quality is noticeable in every detail. If you’re looking for a premium audio experience and long-lasting headphones, they are definitely worth the investment.

   16 people found this helpful

   

3. 

   Richard Yau – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Can’t “unhear” these and be satisfied with anything else again. GET THEM if you can!

   I am a certified audio engineer for music/films so this review is coming from that perspective.EXEC SUMMARY: if this fits in your budget or you can stretch these, GET THEM! Omg! The sound. The comfort. The battery life. Wow. Now onto the specifics.I’ll start with the one negative I’ve consistently read/heard from reviews: the weight. They are noticeably heavy taking them out of the box. BUT- not a worry. You will never feel this weight wearing them b/c they are SO COMFY. You actually do forget that there is even a headband (probably the biggest reason they are so comfy, but the extra large cans also as it never interferes with your ear). As i write this now I’ve been wearing these for 18 straight hours. Still don’t feel them or am cognizant of them being on beyond the sound coming into my ear (and especially with Spatial Audio since it mimics the audio as if it’s coming from your surroundings).CLARITY: We’ll start with the sound first (why we buy these things right?) UNREAL. As a certified audio engineer i can’t believe this sound is possible from headphones. Imagine the best surround sound experience in a theatre you ever experienced- believe it or not this is even better than that. The sub-woofer effect is better than any sub-woofer experience I’ve had regardless of form or venue or location. That’s “holy cow how is that possible” component #1. #2 is the spec i read that convinced me to get these- automatic multi-band compression. This is stuff only the most advanced audio engineers do but so complicated and easily F’s up your mix even if everything else is perfect. Basically different components to sound are where different things sit mostly, like vocals, high ends, sub-woof rumbles, filler/thickness of sound. Those are what the “bands” mean. To automate and smooth out each band/category so it’s always at the optimal level is just… freaking next level. Most audio engineers dont’ even touch this (myself included) it’s so intricate. THESE HEADPHONES DO IT AUTOMATICALLY! And yeah.. wow. The cleanest, clearest, yet deepest, thickest, intricate sound I’ve ever experienced.CONNECTIVITY: can’t speak for droids as i am apple ecosystem. It auto detects if you put these on or not and that’s better than the earbuds who connect as soon as you take them out of the case/charger. it immediately disconnects and stops when yo lift them off your ears. Nice.FUNCTIONALITY: Apple ecosystem-ish here too. I prefer HEY SIRI which I’ll explain later. One weird thing is this. Sometimes when I’m playing a DOLBY ATMOS or surround selection, the settings say “SPATIAL AUDIO NOT AVAILABLE” and is greyed out as if it’s off, yet it’s actually clearly working and on. So if you’re a Spatial Audio person and turn it on, just know it is always working when anything is actually mixed to be so- no worries.CONTROL BUTTONS: The one gripe i have is here. The volume scroll button is way too easy to accidentally touch and thus I’ve turned up the volume quite a bit many times not meaning to. HEY SIRI works great so i just do that instead. 2 buttons: operation (scroll wheel for volume that is also a button for music/phone control- start/stop/forward/back or answer/end/hold, etc), mode button (noise cancellation enable/disable/off <- to save battery). But everything except Spatial Audio (that i can tell) can be done via HEY SIRI.DURABILITY: obviously i can not test this having these for less than 24 hrs but what I CAN say is what everybody else has said- the quality of build and materials is OBVIOUS. No plastic. The fabric/flexi headband is not only comfortable but also won’t disfigure or crack or break. Other parts are metal so will hold up better also. And because it’s so comfy you won’t need to be adjusting or moving it like you do most other ones (or at least i do) so less touching and adjusting means less human wear and tear. Oh and i love that the actual ear pieces are magnetic which means if either ear piece/speakers go bad, it probably means we can buy replacements and keep these going as long as we want without needing to buy a whole new set down the road. LOVE IT!SUMMARY: yeah. If you can afford or splurge- so way and above better than anything else I’ve tried. And I’ve tried a lot over the years (mostly earbuds). My go to previous to this (and will now use as my gym set) are the Bose QuiteComforts. They don’t even compare in sound, comfort, battery life, controls, build quality, noise cancellation/isolation, and just that “it factor” in experience. IMMEDIATELY noticeable. And that’s from a certified audio engineer of music/film perspective.WHO WON’T LIKE THESE: those that want boomy boomy heavy bass (as most people do). These are just as deep and thick, but tighter and cleaner so you can “hear the frequencies better” rather than have any frequencies “muddy” up other frequencies and cross lines. It’s’ an audio engineering thing. lol. But even those people may appreciate just how awesome these sound in the low end especially come movie watching time (you can still clearly hear vocals and high end without the boomy bass muddying what people are saying).

   73 people found this helpful
4. 

   Christopher MaulChristopher Maul – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Great product, highly recommend!

   These are premium headphones and they sound amazing. They have great ANC and are super comfortable. They pair perfectly with the Apple ecosystem, and while they are a little pricey, the build quality and experience make them worth it.

   9 people found this helpful

   

5. 

   FirasFiras – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Excellent for long study sessions.

   Overall still your best option even in 2025. As a medical student who’s used them 12 hours a day for a few months of use here is my review.Transparency mode is the best on the market, noise cancellation is also outstanding. The accommodating ear cups are very comfortable unlike the shallow cups of the Sony MX6s. The build quality is second to none. The sound quality is exceptional and more vivid and immersive than AirPods pro 3 thanks to the bigger more capable drivers. Even with that being said I would have loved if they updated this 2024 release with the H2 chip, a lighter design, and better battery life/ANC, but even still they are on top.If you have more than two apple products like say a mac and iPhone and want headphones (not ear buds) these are a no brainer. I use my AirPods pro 3 for working out and phone calls but these for long study sessions as the silicon tips of AirPods build up ear wax after some time and for that reason are uncomfortable for me for extended use. I don’t feel the weight becomes an issue for long use, but I do take them off for at least 5 mins an hour so I can take a quick break.I will say out the box they are quite tight but you can modify that search on google “Finally solved the AirPods Max clamping force tightness” and read the post on that. After stretching them out on my 15 hour study days I wear them about 12 hours.The 20 hour battery life for my purposes is excellent. They go into low battery mode after 5 minutes of not being on, even when not in the case, however the low power mode is slightly more efficient in the case as the bluetooth turns off, but this is negligible, and overall I will say the idle battery life is amazing. As far as the smart case, I like it, it’s simple and effective, but its not fully protective so I wouldn’t be throwing your AirPods in a bag with anything sharp that can damage the mesh headband. I also would be careful to order a light colored one if you wear anything on your skin often or expect them to get dirty/stained.Overall very happy with these airpods and use them everyday when I study.

   36 people found this helpful

   

6. 

   David W. – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Bose Noise Canceling 700 vs AirPods Max vs Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra

   UPDATE OCT 2023: Here is my original review which still holds true now that I have owned the Bose NC 700 for a couple of years. Last week, I bought the new Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra over-ear headphones. I added that review and comparison at the bottom.————————Original review……For the past ten years I have enjoyed and been dependent upon noise canceling headphones. With that has come a journey into the audiophile community with others who are on a quest for high-fidelity sound. My journey led me to many headphones that sound absolutely pristine but none with noise canceling and few are wireless. Until late, the Bose Noise Canceling 700 are my compromise for great sound and noise canceling in a wireless headphone. So, when Apple announced the AirPods Max, I had to try them to know how they compare to my Bose 700. Here are my conclusions so far…STYLEThe fit and finish on the AirPods Max is absolutely beautiful! Love it much more than the Bose. I just like the way they look and feel. Before I purchased the AirPods I probably watched 50 unboxing and review videos. So, I thought I had a good idea of how they looked. They are nicer in person. Sleek, premium, modern and minimalistic.COMFORTComfort is about the same! AirPods Max are definitely heavier but do not necessarily feel much heavier on he head as the weight is balanced well. I have larger ears and the ear cups on the Bose 700 go a little deeper to make room for my ears. So, over several hours, the Bose do feel slightly more comfortable. The Bose also do not get as warm as the Apple.TRANSPARENCY MODETransparency mode, in my opinion, is actually more natural on the Bose. The Apple headphones actually amplify the sound around you a few decibles too much. In other words, things sound louder than they actually are with the transparency mode on the AirPods Max. Also, the Bose reproduces your own voice much more naturally when in transparency mode.SOUND QUALITYSound quality at certain volume levels is almost exactly the same. Kind of unbelievable. It is as though Apple reverse engineered the Bose 700 and copied its sound signature and noice canceling to within 5 percent. There is a definite sound quality difference though that changes with the volume level. This is all about the DSP. Of course, the digital signal processing (DSP) is called Computational Audio on the Max and Volume Optimized EQ on the Bose. This is what works differently and what accounts for sound differences dependent on the volume. Basically, the Bose sound better at 60 percent volume and below. Bose just has it dialed in so that everything sounds rich and balanced. I usually listen to music at about 55 percent volume on my iPad. So, I prefer the sound of the Bose. The sound at 60 percent and below on the AirPods Max suffers from a veiled upper midrange. An alto saxophone, for example, will sound as though it is being played behind a wooden door.Now between 60 and 70 percent volume is where both headphones sound virtually the same. It is uncanny! Both sound absolutely wonderful. Probably the best you will ever hear on wireless noise canceling headphones (yes, the Sony has an amplified and unnatural mid-bass making them sound deep but not high fidelity).At 70 percent volume and above the Bose DSP begins to lower the bass response to avoid distortion. The bass gets progressively quieter as you increase on the Bose to where there is virtually no bass at about 90 percent volume. The AirPods Max, on the other hand, handle bass very nicely from 70 all the way up to 100 percent. In fact, they sound perfectly balanced all the way from 60 to 100 percent volume with no sound quality degradation. If there is a fault it is that the bass loses a little nuance. In other words at high volumes the bass is a little over controlled. The softer vibrations like on the trail of a bass string get lost a little.So to summarize the sound comparisons. The two headphones sound equal from 60 to 70 percent volume. The Bose sound bette at 60 percent volume and below. Finally, the AirPods sound better (by quite a bit, it’s not even close) at 70 percent volume and above.CONTROLSThe final comparison are the controls. Apple wins in my book. The Digital Crown has a perfect feel to it. It rotates very smoothly with a perfect amount of resistance. It presses well also. Apple has hyper dialed-in these controls. It makes me never want to have to use the touch-pad on the Bose 700 ever again.WHICH ONE IS FOR ME?Everything is comparable on these two headphones, but in the end, sound quality at my preferred listening level wins out. Since I listen to at about 50 percent volume, the Bose continue to be he choice for me. I just have a fixed routine for when I use noise canceling headphones.Now, I am sure that Apple could probably update their firmware to adjust the computational audio in order to fix the balance issues below 60 percent volume. If they did, then the fit and finish and controls might win me back over to the AirPods Max. But, the slight compromise in long-term comfort would cause me to hesitate a little.ONE LAST THINGOne last thing, the spatial audio is pretty Amazing. If I had to watch movies on my iPad these headphones would be a must. The surround sound effects are as good (slightly better) than my Bose home theatre system. The overall sound quality for movies is slightly less (more sterile and hollow sounding, probably because of the limited Bluetooth codec) than my Bose home theatre system.—————————-BOSE QUIET COMFORT ULTRA VS BOSE NC 700 (and AirPods Max)Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra HeadphonesSeveral years ago, I discovered Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. My first pair wore the QC15 and I have owned every iteration since then. Until now, the best of the best have been the Bose NC700 which are spectacular headphones. Now, I find myself the proud owner of the company’s newest over-ear headset, the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra. After thorough comparison, I can confidently say that the new Ultra are an upgrade in every way. There is especially one aspect which causes the Ultra to make them an absolutely must-have for music lovers. I will get to that in a moment, but first here are my thoughts on how the NC700 and QC Ultra compare:COMFORTI am very happy to report that the Bose QC Ultra are more comfortable than the NC 700 headphones. They are lighter, there is less clamping force and the headband distributes weight better on the top of your head. I used to consider the NC 700 headphones as the second most comfortable pair of over-ear headphones second only to the QC45. Well, the Ultra now take this 2nd place spot and they are almost as comfortable as the 45. Very Great!NOISE CANCELINGYes, Bose has also improved the noise canceling. When in quiet mode the headphones put you in a place where the world simply disappears. Each iteration of Bose headphones through the years has improved upon the previous in this area. The Ultra are no different. In fact, when I was testing them out my wife was standing 3 feet from me and trying to talk to me. I never even knew she was talking. This has never happened with my older NC 700.SOUND QUALITYThe QC Ultra are more of a spiritual successor to the NC700 than they are the QC45. The sound is much more similar to the NC700. What they retain is the excellent clarity and instrument separation. The mids are just as perfectly present. Also the highs have a very pleasing ring without ever sounding harsh. What was great on the 700 but even better on the Ultra is the bass. Bose says that the new Ultra are now taking samples of sound inside the ear ups and then actively adjusts the bass to sound best dependent on the shape of ears, the seal of the pads, etc. This really does make a difference. I wear glass which compromises the acoustic seal. The Ultra compensates for this and makes the bass sound deeper and have a greater punch than my NC700. So, the sound signature overall is better and gets WAY better with immersive audio. But, we are getting to that.IMMERSIVE AUDIOThis is the feature! If you are a music lover then this is the feature which gives the biggest incentive to upgrade from the NC 700. Music with immersive audio just sounds better. I have several setups of actual stereo bookshelf speakers around my house. I always preferred a good pair of music monitors over headphones. Why? Because you can hear and imagine the soundstage in front of you. Good recordings place an orchestra or band members several feet from each-other as you listen. With live listening you can hear the music spread throughout the venue and this is what immersive audio on the Quiet Comfort Headphones does. It places the band a couple feet in front of you. It feels like you can point to and reach out and touch the various vocalist and instruments. It is so great! It is exactly like advertised. Immersive audio makes it sound like you are listening to a good pair of speakers in a room acoustically ideal for premium audio. Now that I have heard it, I can never go back to regular headphones.CONCLUSIONThere is so much more good that I could say about the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra headphones. The buttons are well placed and are useful – even the touch-sensitive volume slider works well enough! The app also just works and all the needed settings are there to easily adjust. The carrying case looks premium and is compact. It is smaller than the NC700 case and even more compact than the QC45’s storage option. There are some things I do not like about the headphones. For example, immersive audio for movies is still not as good or immersive as Spacial Audio on Apple’s AirPods Max when watching Dolby content. Also, the placement and function of the buttons is different than what I am used to on the 700. In the end though, I am ecstatic with what Bose has done in their newest iteration of Bose over-the-ear noise canceling headphones. My NC 700 are going on eBay and I look forward to many great years with the Ultra. Well done Bose!

   998 people found this helpful
7. 

   Cody Allred – January 24, 2026

   Rated 4 out of 5

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Best in class headphones, Stupid bra case

   Worth the money. Transparency is freaky good; ANC is right up there with Bose.Sound is clean and balanced—tight bass, super clear mids/highs. Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos is a nice addition. On the heavier side, but never got uncomfortable.Apple’s Transparency Mode still sounds the most natural to me. Bose QuietComfort Ultra edges it in pure ANC, but the gap is small IMHOWhat a joke of a case. Offers little protection and forces the weird “always-on unless in case”.Pros – Best-in-class transparency; excellent ANC – Clean, non-fatiguing sound + Spatial Audio – Apple ecosystem pairing/switching is instantCons – Heavy – Smart Case is sillyI recommend to Buy if you’re on iPhone and want the most natural Transparency with top-tier ANC. If you prioritize max ANC or lighter weight, check Bose QC Ultra; if you want USB-C, grab the new colorways instead of Pink.

   One person found this helpful
8. 

   Dakota Martin – January 24, 2026

   Rated 5 out of 5

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Once you try them, you will never want another pair of headphones

   Absolutely amazing headphones super premium quality. I love the material on the air cups and headband. It is super soft and comfortable. The ear cups are very soft on your ears and I believe the headphones are mostly aluminum with very strong plastic as well. They connect to your iPhone, practically instantly The noise cancellation and transparency mode is top-tier with transparency mode on and having a conversation it’s like you don’t even have the headphones on the type C charging is super convenient and charges really quick and on top of all that these are absolutely without a doubt the best headphones you’ll ever hear. I tried the nothing headphones the beat studio pro Sennheiser momentum for and these AirPods Max are for sure the best in all categories.

   2 people found this helpful
9. 

   Jay HashJay Hash – January 24, 2026

   Rated 4 out of 5

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Excellent headphones, made in the typical “first draft” Apple way

   Full disclosure: I purchased these headphones back in April 2021 and gave them some break-in time (until June 2021) before I reviewed them, so this is my experience of having them for more than 90 Days.I owned a pair of Beats Studio Wireless 2’s for about 4 years, and they were a useable set of cans. They had some pretty smart wired connections, good battery life, and were rather comfy to wear… but their wireless connections were a nightmare, the integrated Mic awful, and the noise-canceling mediocre. I was looking for a change, and being a consumer of Apple Products and with the generally good reviews I had seen for the Airpod Max, I decided to take the (kind of) expensive plunge. And honestly, I was not disappointed.As with any good review, we’ll break it down into the Pros & Cons and explore both.BUILD QUALITY/DESIGNPROS:The build quality on these headphones is nothing short of phenomenal. They are made of Metal and some nylon or rubber here and there (for the headband and earcup padding) and they feel VERY SOLID. The piston style adjustments on the headband always feel super tight and mechanical (still even months after using them). The earcups are always tight on my head, allowing the headphones to clamp down on my ears and prevent noise leakage. The Earcups are built out of what looks to be a rubberized polycarbonate and padded mesh fabric and are held in by MAGNETS, making them easy to replace if they get soiled or if you want a different color.Also, found out after the fact, the headband is ALSO replaceable if you want a different color later on down the line. The metal the speaker boxes are made from are the standard matte Apple aluminum, and the control buttons on the right speaker box are on par with the dials and buttons included on their Apple Watches (in fact, I’m pretty sure they’re the same buttons, just “upsized” in the CAD program when making this device). It all feels very expensive and well built, and even 100+ days after initial use, still feels “brand new” and solid.CONS:Whereas I love the build quality, there are some pretty glaring design flaws and comfort issues that come along with this first outing from Apple.First, whereas the headphones still fit like they were brand new, I’d hope for some relief on the hard clamping aspect present in them. When I first wore them, I was finding the clamping done by the headphones very tight and threatening to give me a headache if I wore them too long since it was like a vise on my head. This has lessened slightly over time, but it is still very tight. I don’t know of a fix for this outside of constant wear to try and get them to bend a flex to a less tight shape on my dome, but so far they still hurt a bit when wearing them for an extended time.Second, even though I like the good piston mechanics on the ear height adjustment with the headband since it takes some force to properly adjust them, sometimes you have to grip on the speaker boxes and pull downwards on them while pushing upwards on the headband with your cranium to get them to adjust to your liking. This wouldn’t be an issue if the dial and button were on the bottom of the headphones, but since they’re on the top of the right speaker box, it is notoriously difficult to adjust them on your head and not accidentally press one of the buttons, causing playback or the headphones to go into pair mode (which happens if you hold down the buttons for too long). You’d think, “oh, just grab the sides of the speaker boxes”, which makes sense, however as I stated they are made of Apple’s standard aluminum, and to add to that the edges are very rounded, so getting a grip on the side of the headphone speaker boxes is difficult at best.SOUNDPROS: The sound quality on these is an absolute beast, and it’s by far the best pair of headphones I’ve ever used. The audio is clear, and you can hear highs, lows, and everything in between. However, I will be the first to admit, while I am musically inclined and love listening to audio, I’m by no means an Audiophile or claim to be able to hear what types of sounds are being emitted cleanly and loudly, and which aren’t. I usually can if I have good reference, but as these are the best headphones I’ve ever owned, so they become the new baseline. Also, the built in noise canceling is the best in the business right now, and is definitely better than its closest competitor. The reason why it is so good is due to the multiple microphones established in the soundbox housing, which not only work EXTREMELY well for the ANC, but also for phone calls. The phone calls made from these headphones are nearly studio mic grade in how they sound, and are much better than most things included on computers or competitor headphones nowadays.CONS: Though I am not an audiophile, there is something that I can tell— when there is killer bass and when there isn’t. And to my ears, these don’t have a superheavy bass that will rattle your fillings, which is *fine*, but I thought there would simply be *more* bass in the audio. The bass may be enough for most music, and what it has is ok, but nothing akin to the huge bass I was *expecting*. The nice thing is that if you delve into the Accessibility Settings for your Apple product, you can set an audio profile for the headphones so it’ll enhance the audio based on how well you hear (so already, this enhancement is *proprietary*; not a big deal for me as I own nothing but Apple devices, but YMMV).EASE OF USE/ACCESSORIESPROS: If using Apple products, the handoff of the headphones to the other devices works really, really well and hasn’t needed to be paired more than once to each device it is used on. The pairing process is nicely simple if it does go wonky, and doesn’t have nearly as many issues as other BT that gets locked into a single device. The equipment/accessories that it comes with are acceptable (charging lightning cable, bra-esque “case”). The stop/start/volume dial is very responsive and easy to click using the same click sequence that Airpod Pros have used for a while (Double click to advance, triple-click to go back, quad click, etc…). If you take them off your head, the headphones have a similar light sensor that other Airpods have to determine if they’re in your ears or not, and will halt the music accordingly or start playing if they recognize they’re back in place on your head. The lightning cable to charge the headphones is embedded in the base of the right-hand speaker box, and charges using the same style cable that your iPhone and old Airpods do, so you should already have at least one cable for it if you own Apple products.CONS: Hooo boy, ok. So with any early adopter technology, there’s always going to be some bugs that need working out, or some design flaw that (where not crippling) makes the headphones more of a chore and less fun to use. This may be our longest section, but please take these with a grain of salt— none of these are dealbreakers for *me*, but since I’m not you, YMMV. Here are the issues I found in no particular order, but NEED to be discussed as I’ve often seen them glossed over elsewhere—- Analogue Connection. There is no direct analogue connection with these headphones. As most audiophioles claim, digital (especially wireless digital) will never be an acceptable connection replacement for analogue. And most high-grade cans have some sort of analog 3.5mm jack that can be plugged into a normal headphone port that will allow you to use these headphones with devices that don’t transmit via BT, like a Record Player, or high-end sound system. The Airpods Max unfortunately have no such analogue connection. “But!” you may exclaim, “You can always use the Lightning port and plugin a Lightning to 3.5mm converter cable!” This is true… to an extent. First off, to get that feature to work, you need to get a SPECIFIC cable— Apple’s Lighting to 3.5mm cable. The reason? Because that cable, and seemingly ONLY that cable, is BI-DIRECTIONAL. This means that no matter what end you plug your source into, that cable will translate the audio both ways. Most to all third-party cables (that I was able to find in my research) are like an annoying 13-year-old listening to music in 2011: all they play is ONE DIRECTION. Also, to top off the annoyance, when you DO use the Apple Cable, it takes the analogue source, transfers it to the headphones, whose signal is then converted to digital. Automatically, mandatorily, every time. This may be a problem for some people who demand their Analogue output to be heard in its original analogue glory. Also, the Apple cable that you HAVE to use is super cheap feeling and thin, instead of the normal thick or braided casing most headphone cables use. Did I mention that Apple also DOES NOT include this cable with the headphones? It’s extra. Like about $30-$40 extra. So you may be better off with another set of headphones if you want a good, wired, analogue signal.- The “Case”. I feel like the case that is included with these headphones will go down in history alongside the 1998 iMac USB Puck mouse, the Apple Newton, and the Magic Mouse Lightning port as one of their more GLORIOUSLY STUPID design decisions. The “case” is made of what I can assume is leather, but for a set of ~$550 headphones, that’s about the only “premium” feature they boast. There is minimal padding. There supposedly is a magnet included in the area where the headphone edges touch that triggers an internal reed switch to put the cans in standby mode. Half the “case” is exposed to the elements and doesn’t fully cover the electronics, so it isn’t ideal as something to protect from inclement weather. And lastly, and most egregious, is that there is no way to use the case to carry around the headphones or attach them to anything— no belt clip or loop, no hanging clip, nothing. So believe me when I say that you’re gonna need a case for these things if they’re ever gonna leave your home, and it’s almost imperative if you live in a place with inclement weather. I bought a full zip case that has a built-in magnet for the reed switch, has a few pockets for cables, and is very padded. It was worth the cost to make sure that my headphones that cost *half a thousand dollars* stay safe. Apple’s lack of protection has not only garnered users’ ire, but made the Airpod Max case into little more than a joke, and I really can’t see a counterargument to either of those things.- Lack of Lossless audio on their own products. So as many know, Apple has just announced that it will have lossless audio on its Apple Music platform soon, which is a boon to audiophiles everywhere. But in everything I have read about it, they always have the caveat that the lossless audio currently doesn’t work with the Airpod Max headphones. Even if you buy the bi-directional cable from Apple. And there has been no “we plan to support it soon” soundbite, or “we will be updating the Airpod Max firmware to be compatible in XXX of 202X”. So, if that is super important for you, just know it may not be supported on this model of Airpods Max, possibly at all (Apple is notorious in doing this, and will just release it in the next version). So if it is released eventually, I wouldn’t expect it on this model, and you’ll have to plunk down another half a thousand bucks to get a set that will work with the feature.WRAP UP/FINAL THOUGHTSIn the end, I’m really pleased with these headphones. They are some of the finest pieces of audio equipment that I have ever owned, and I love all the premium features they included. Certain areas leave something to be desired on them, but they are niggling feature issues or design kinks that will be worked out later. I am hopeful that these headphones will stay the same for a few revisions and the firmware/software will evolve to support more features, as well as the accessories (and third-party solutions) to be able to work more universally with non-Apple products or be more robust in their construction. To be fair, for a first draft Apple product, they are the accessory that I’ve had the least amount hassle with.All in all, I highly enjoy and recommend these headphones, and if you are an Apple Fan and budding audiophile, I believe you will too. Let’s just hope that Apple keeps improving these models to make them feel like they were worth the ~$550 price point.

   1,813 people found this helpful

   

10. 

    RizSher – January 24, 2026

    Rated 3 out of 5

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Check warranty on these …read up on liquid damage

    Two things happened… Within 5 months of buying and using, the headphone started acting wonky – wouldnt turn on, and randomly, when they would turn on, wouldnt connect to the phone.I thought maybe a phone issue, removed from 0hone, added again, connection issue disappeared, for a while, on/off stayed intermittent.Took to the Aple store to be looked at by a genius at the end of month 7, and thats when I found out, ky warranty had expired – on the devcice details on my phone, it shows Apple Limited Warranty expired in June 2025, for airpods bought in December 2024. The apple guy said he was helpless, I can try calling 1800Apple and explaining, if they see my amazon receipt, they may entertain.I contacted Amazon instead, where a number of agents first toldme the return wondow had expired 2 or 3 weeks agtr purchase, and I should contact Apple. Even qfter explaining multiple times the issue was warsnty duration, the script junkies didnt really understand. Asked for the case to be raised to next level support. The next level also expressed sympathy for the fruststion I was feeling, and wished me best of luck – at which point I probably showed my frustration even a bit more, and was told the issue has been raised to “Leadrship” and I should get a response in a couple of days.The leader resp9nded, initially offering a refund, but the enxt email said send it back at your cost and we will issue a refund – all this while they were making it sound like I was being done a favor.Explained again the warranty issue and said, just give me 12 months warranty as stated on the product page, and I wont ask Amazon for anything else. In the end, i was also given 15$ for shipment, along with the purchase price ( still waiting as I had moved to Canada in the meantime, snet it by UPS, got stuck in some bureaucratic mine, had to send original invoice before relased).3 things:1) Read up condensation Gate of liquid gate or something like that on Airpods, it appears to be a real, though not widespread or reported issue2) Apple support is not what it used to be3) Amazon Customer Service has degraded beyond recognition. Dont count on Amazon for fixing issues easily any moreAnd 4… The warranty issue persists, I then bought another Airpod Max from Amazon Canada, got delivered, bought 29th of August 25, delivered 30th، checked warranty, expires 1st of August 2026 – a full 1 month short. Contacted Amazon support, this time rather quickly, was told either i can get a retrun refund, or get 50 (canadian$), i took the latter as too much hassle returning .Further… In shipping the package from Canada to US, the package got held up by US customs for audit for a full 7 days. Got delivered to the Amazon warehouse on the 12th of Sep, since then I contacted Amazon a coupe fo times aa no refund was issued. Got told everytime it can take upto 1 month, but dont worry, it will happen. Last time was 1st of October when i got told if there is non refund by the 4th, contact us.Contacted again on the 4th, only to be told that my account has been flagged for “fraudulent” acticity and I should submit a government issued ID..so, I uploaded my passport…contact again, yeah.. please send a copy of the original UPS received which shows the package details and the amount you paid for shipment. Posted over a month ago, I no longer have that – sent a pciture of the package I had taken at the UPS store, along with the UPs tracking details whcih show delivery at amazon warehouse.The agents became outright rude – simply said, without the receipt, there is no refund, and disconnected the chat – in a aplit second, i couldnt even take a screen shot.Horrible horrible CS from Amazon(I contacted the “Exec Relations Team” agent who had initially authorised the refund after the online customer reps had fobbed me off initially, someone from the team pickedup the email and did issue a manual refund)