Apple AirPods Max review: Is it really worth $549 or Just a hype created?

Apple new product is in the market. AirPods “MAX”. As the name suggest the price is also MAX. This is not the first time when we are focusing on the price of Apple’s products. It’s their USP whenever Apple launch it’s gadgets. The first thing that make buzz around is always “price”. The best part of apple’s product is that you can hate it or love it. but you can’t ignore it. It will always grab your attention.

As a matter of fact, One more thing, Apple said, “Let there be AirPods Max.” Possibly Apple’s last big reveal of 2020, the Apple AirPods Max are over-the-ear headphones with a wild price tag. Well, for those of you who can put a price on luxury, It has priced these at $549. We decided to do an AirPods Max Review roundup to see how they held up.

We’re hearing common things like the AirPods Max are at least $200 expensive than the nearest competitors. Is that a surprise now? That’s the thing about Apple products. Let’s have a look at the AirPods Max reviews and see if they justify their “Max” price.

Apple AirPods Max Specifications

Apple AirPods Max Price And Availability

Finally, with this headphone, Apple is stepping into the headphone arena. So far, we had the AirPods, which sounded average, and the AirPods Pro, which were surprisingly amazing yet costly.

Above all, Apple literally made headphones that cost more than the iPhone XR ($339), and the second-gen iPhone SE ($399), and just $50 than iPhone 11 ($599). In addition, the AirPods Max are priced at $549, and you can buy them from the Apple Store online.

Is it built by platinum?

Firstly, after the price, the next biggest controversy surrounding the Apple AirPods Max is their design; they look quite unlike any other headphones on the market right now. Secondly, it comes up with large flat ear cups crafted from stainless steel, and a carrying case that’s instantly recognizable.

Obviously This is not made by the platinum. However, the first thing you’re going to think about a $500 pair of headphones is the build quality. In addition, the AirPods Max sport a stainless steel frame covered with soft-to-the-touch material. For instance the ear cups are made of anodized aluminum and come with telescopic arms that let you adjust the frame.

The canopy or the headband is breathable knit mesh, which the company says helps in weight distribution. With the steel and aluminum build, the AirPods Max stands at a heavy but luxurious 13.6 ounces (384.8 grams).

The AirPods Max feels sturdy and well-made, but it’s not so heavy as to put pressure on your head.

So in terms of the build, the Apple headphones are a step-up from the plastic build of their competitors, but they need to further refine it.

Thunderstorm Sound?

The audio quality offered by the Apple AirPods Max is simply outstanding. They come with a wide, well-balanced sound stage that leaves plenty of room for each instrument to really sing pair that with cool extra features like automatically pausing your music when you remove the headphones and Spatial Audio, and you’ve got yourself a very special pair of cans.

As a matter of fact, It is a headphone end of the day. Therefore, we have to focus on the sound quality. It is like addressing the elephant in the room, the sound of $500 headphones. It is powered by the Apple H1 chip in both ear cups. Above all, the AirPods Max sport custom 40 mm dynamic drivers with computational audio. Firstly which fine-tunes the sound several times per second. Further, these come with 9 microphones (8 for active noise cancellation or ANC, 1 for voice). However, the AirPods Max suffers an ANC fluctuation if there’s a sudden noise. Fully charged, the headphones deliver about 20 hours of playback.

In addition, the reason for this might be that Apple or any other active noise cancellation headphones do the job by creating white noise to block the sounds from outside. In conclusion, that’s why they need 8 or 9 mics to function properly. However, a software upgrade or perhaps more refinements in the future might make it better.

Are they as comfortable as the Sony WH-1000XM4? We don’t think they quite measure up to the best headphones of 2020 in that respect, but the AirPods Max don’t come with that uncomfortable clamping feeling that some over-ear headphones cause.

Battery life and connectivity

Apple says the AirPods Max provides up to 20 hours of high-fidelity audio, talk time, or movie playback. Which ordinarily wouldn’t seem a huge amount; however, given that this is with Active Noise Cancellation enabled, it’s a pretty respectable figure.

The best over-ear headphones will usually hit around 30 hours of battery life, although many very good models only make it to around 20 – either way it’s enough for a full day or two’s use, depending on how wedded they’ll be to your ears.

Connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth 5, and as such, pairing is fast and stable, and you shouldn’t lose your connection as you move away from your source device (as long as you don’t go further than 800 feet / 420 meters, or put several thick walls between the AirPods Max and your phone).

As a matter of fact, these features are limited to iOS devices, which means many of the things that set the AirPods Max apart from the competition won’t be available to Android users

We have different options?

If you don’t mind a plastic build and a more conventional headphone design, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is an excellent alternative. Another one is the Bose Headphones 700, which is around $100 cheaper than the AirPods Max. Lastly, if you’re looking for a luxury headphone with a signature sound, you can take a look at the Master & Dynamic MW65.

Pleasant Experience of apple?

If you’re thinking of going for the AirPods Max, you’re not just paying for a good pair of headphones, but an experience. If you have an iOS device or a Mac, pairing these and switching between Apple devices will be a breeze. However, if you’re an Android user, you’ll miss out on the spatial audio feature.

If the AirPods Max had come with those game-changing specs, their $549 / £549 / AU$899 price tag may have been justified – unfortunately that’s not the case.

In reality, the Apple AirPods Max are more ordinary than many expected; albeit with extraordinary audio quality and brilliant quality of life features for those already devoted to the Apple ecosystem.

There’s no denying that the Apple AirPods Max sound good – they sound incredible in fact. But if audio fidelity is your sole concern, you could spend your money on a pair of high-spec reference headphones with an open-back design, balanced connection, and the ability to plug into an external amp.

The bottom line

The Apple AirPods Max are the most hotly-anticipated headphones of 2020, having been the subject of rumor and speculation for two years. 

So, are the headphones justifying their price? In addition, according to this AirPods Max review roundup, we’ve found that the Apple headphones are high quality, good sounding headphones with a premium build. The Apple AirPods Max are among the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever tested, they’re easy to use, and their noise cancellation can easily stand up to the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. However, their high price, limitations for Android users, and lack of 3.5 mm audio port means we’d only recommend them to iOS users with a lot of money to spare – and no interest in Hi-Res Audio.

Final verdict on Apple AirPods MAX

In the conclusion, summing up my AirPods Max review roundup, if you don’t mind shelling out $500 for Apple headphones, these are a good and solid choice. On the other hand, the chance of audiophiles shelling out that money for the AirPods Max is fairly slim. That’s what makes me wonder if Apple will also come with a pair of AirPods Max Pro, just like they did with the regular AirPods. Anyway, the AirPods Max review roundup says they’re fairly good, fairly premium, around the $500 sound territory, but not squarely there