Pretty Great, Pretty Loud, Pretty Expensive, Pretty Heavy, and Pretty
Some thoughts on the AirPods Max…
I am not an audiophile. But I am an AirPodphile. I loved the first version. I loved the Pros. And so when the AirPods Max were announced in a “one more thing” twist on 2020 — finally, in a good way — I knew I would get them. I’m not going to lie, $550 did give me pause. Precisely because I’m not an audiophile. Why pay that much for a pair of headphones?
Some thoughts on the AirPods Max…
First and foremost, they look nice. Very minimal, but I like the aesthetic. I opted for the ‘Space Gray’ variety, but I was very tempted by the ‘Sky Blue’. I’m honestly sort of surprised Apple went with so many color options for the highest end of the line, but it’s a pleasant surprise.¹
Putting the AirPods Max on for the first time is sort of weird. It’s very hard to pull down the ear cups. At first, I was sure I was doing it wrong. I was not. The “telescoping arms” are just tight — for “fit and seal” says Apple. To that end, putting them on they felt tight. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but very snug. Much more so than, say, the Bose QC35s (more on those in a second). I should mention that I have quite a large head. I’m told it’s my Norwegian heritage. So I won’t fault Apple too much here.
But more so because I do think this close of a fit makes for a great seal. These have by far the best noise cancelling I’ve ever heard — or not heard, as it were. Again, I’m far from an expert here, though I have been a happy owner of the aforementioned QC35’s for years at this point. Those are nice. These are better. And more expensive, of course. I also have the AirPods Pro which have solid noise cancelling for their size. But this is next-level.
Of course, the true test of that may be on an airplane. Something which, sadly, 2020 has not allowed me to test thus far. But even if it did, I’m not sure I would because of the purse.
I speak, of course, of the carrying case for the AirPods Max. Yes, it’s mildly ridiculous. But I think less for the look — warranted purse jokes aside — and more because it just doesn’t seem like they’ll really protect a $550 pair of headphones in a travel bag. The QC35’s come with a case that seems as if it could stop a bullet.² It was a strange choice Apple made here…
Luckily, the third parties are quick on the draw. I have already ordered the Waterfield AirPods Max Shield Case, which certainly looks the part of what I’m looking for. But I’m clearly not alone in thinking that as they’re quite backordered at the moment. So it will be a while before I know for sure.
Interestingly, the purse does serve a purpose beyond not really protecting the premium headphones: they help put the AirPods Max to sleep. (The Waterfield case has the required magnets to make this happen too.) Yes, this is also a little weird. And yes, Apple has had to clarify this bit. Long story, short: your very expensive headphones should be fine battery-wise even if you fail to purse them. But they’ll do better in purse form.³
The battery itself seems solid in use. No issues or complaints there, save one: I assume the reason why the AirPods Max cannot hold a connection to two devices at once is about the battery. Perhaps I’m wrong here. But I’ve long-wondered why other headphones do this and yet no Apple wireless headphones (including Beats headphones) do — most people point to battery life. With the original versions of the AirPods, I get it, they’re tiny. The AirPods Max are not tiny.
Yes, yes, the quick switching for iOS devices (and Macs) is all well and good (though often quite buggy, in my experience), but I would still like to maintain connection to two devices at once.
Other hardware bits of note: the bridge — sorry “canopy” — between the ear cups is impressive.⁴ It seems very well engineered to alleviate the weight of the AirPods Max, which is substantial. The digital crown, which serves to change the volume as well as play/pause when pressed, is fantastic. Yes, borrowed (and embiggened) from the Apple Watch. I like it a lot. I also like having a simple button to swap between noise cancellation and transparency mode. Yes, I know the AirPods Pro have this too in the stems, but this is more seamless. Also, yes, the transparency enhancement seems… enhanced here. It’s really good.
That leads back to the main purpose of these things: sound. Again, I’m hardly the person you should listen to in this regard, but they are fantastic to my ears. Better than the QC35s and certainly than the smaller AirPods (as you might hope given the price). I’ve turned them up loud, they not only get loud, they do not seem to distort.
So are they worth $550? I suppose that’s really a question of what $550 is worth to you. My guess is that for most people, they’re going to be too expensive. Perhaps less so because of the actual cost and more because of the way Apple has made them decidedly unportable. I would imagine that most people would be far better suited to get a pair of regular AirPods or the AirPods Pro and save the money here. But if you’re looking for a very specific at-home, high fidelity use case, then sure. In particular if you’re as into Apple products as I am, and want features such as spatial audio — which is pretty amazing (but amazingly does not work with the Apple TV).
It also occurs to me that with the branding, Apple has left the door open for an “AirPods Pro Max”. I fully expect a pair of 50-pound headphones, plated in platinum, and costing $5,500 somewhere down the road. Until then, the AirPods Max are pretty great. Pretty heavy. Pretty loud. Pretty expensive. And just plain pretty.
¹ Especially since color varieties are one of the hallmarks of Beats, that other Apple brand that makes headphones. But I guess those are more “fun” while these are more serious? Unclear what the line will be going forward. Also unclear if it really matters…
² I have also not tested this.
⁴ Also impressive: how easy it is to detach (and re-attach) the ear cushions on the cups magnectically. This is very satisfying to do.
