Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Apple AirPods Max review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT in 2025. I’ll also be comparing the AirPods Max vs the competition.
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I’ve owned these headphones for a little over 3 years now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Apple AirPods Max Headphones review in short
The Apple AirPods Max has excellent sound quality, particularly in the midrange for genres like Pop, Rock, Classical, Jazz, and pleasing, detailed highs without any of the harshness. The noise cancelling is not the best for plane rides in my opinion, but it works great in any typical office or coffeeshop setting.
In short, the AirPods Max is a very good Bluetooth headphone in isolation, but with the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Beats Studio Pro, and Sony WH-1000XM5 being currently available for under $300 on sale, compared to the APM’s $477 sale price tag, it certainly diminishes its value.
Last thing I want to say is that the APM has a formidable competitor in the AirPods lineup itself, as some might prefer the Apple AirPods Pro 2, due to the comfort and ease of the tiny earbuds.
Apple AirPods Max Pros and Cons
- Best-in-class sound quality
- Very good noise cancelling
- Switches easily between Apple devices
- Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
- Expensive!
- Worse noise cancelling than Sony/Bose
- Heavy, less comfortable than Sony/Bose
Order the Apple AirPods Max for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
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AirPods Max Sound Quality: 8.6 / 10
Make no mistake, despite the hefty pricetag, the Apple AirPods Max is excellent when it comes to sound quality, as far as Bluetooth wireless headphones go.
I think where the APM excels the most is the entire midrange, which allows vocals and vocal-forward music to shine.
Vocals jump out and sound quite full and detailed, especially male vocals.
I’d say one reason advantage for the APM’s sound quality is due to Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.
Spatial Audio gives a massive boost to the soundstage by giving a “3D” effect to music. From what I read, Dolby Atmos separates music into “objects” and allows much clearer separation of certain instruments/vocals in songs.
But it’s important to note that there is a limited number of songs that actually have a Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio version to experience. However this number has grown a ton since I first got my pair in 2021.
The highs are also surprisingly detailed for a Bluetooth closed-back headphone, and they’ve tuned out the harshness so the sound is never offending, shrill, or sibilant.
For the audiophiles, they do lack the airiness, openness, and realistic timbre of higher-end audiophile headphones like Hifiman Arya and HE1000SE. But those are $1,000-$2,000 wired open-back planar headphones, so not “apples” to Apple at all.
I find the stereo separation and layering to be quite good actually, being able to pinpoint and separate the layers of vocals and instruments with relative ease.
This is typically a challenge for closed-back headphones due to lacking the open-back headphones’ acoustics and physics.
Now my biggest nitpick with the sound quality is probably the bass region, and for those audiophiles, an entirely average soundstage.
The recent headphones I have been daily-ing are the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and the Meze Neo 99, both of which are superior in bass response and soundstaging.
At least compared to those 2, I find the APM’s sub-bass extension and soundstage to be less impressive.
UPDATE: After some time going back and forth, I’ve concluded the APM has very solid punchy bass, and adequate sub-bass that is much more “accurate” than the overly-boomy stock sound of the Sennheiser Momentum 4. The APM is indeed more balanced.
Of course, the excellent mid-range came at a cost, and Apple chose the mids over bass and treble regions.
What this translates to for music listeners is an excellent all-arounder that can do any genre capably well.
Comfort: 4.0 / 5
The AirPods Max are HEAVY weighing in at 387.8 grams on my scale.
For comparison, the popular over-ear wireless Sony WH-1000XM4 weighed in at just over 251 grams, over 50% lighter than the AirPods Max.
But, I’ll give credit to Apple, they are much more comfortable than this heavy weight suggests.
Starting with the positives, the top-band suspension design is awesome for minimal pressure on top of head. Something that the Sennheiser Momentum 4 sadly lacks, and instead you feel pressure from the headband.
But I think the pressure is instead applied to the clamping force of the earcups.
These definitely aren’t like the Sony WH-1000XM5 that “you almost forget that you’re wearing them”, no way.
Also, the material of the earcups is not my preference. Apple states they use “acoustically engineered memory foam and mesh textile”, but I’d much prefer they just stick to memory foam leather or pleather which is much softer on the skin.
My biggest gripe with the comfort of the APM is definitely the clamping force and my ears can get warm within less than 1 hours of listening. I rarely wear these for over 2 hours at most at a time.
Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 / 5
From a design standpoint, the AirPods Max are beautiful.
Very distinct Apple-esque design that is easy to pick out from a crowd, and on YouTube thumbnails.
My only gripe is that I think the earcups are just about 10-20% too large in size.
I think if they were closer to just barely fitting around the ear, they would be even sleeker and the best looking headphones ever.
Before writing this review, I would have thought that the APM absolutely HAD to score a 5/5 for the features category.
But what keeps it from a perfect score is the ANC and the poorly-designed “smart case”.
Next, the “smart case”. I have written “smart case” in quotes this entire article to emphasize the irony in such a contraption.
There is nothing “smart” about this case, having to put your headphones into a case to truly turn them OFF is incredibly bad user experience.
For the most part, I don’t like to keep the case of my headphones close-by, and I hate having to put them in and out.
Just give us a simple on/off power button or toggle.
Where the APM is redeemed is in the Apple ecosystem connectivity and ease of switching between Apple devices and computers.
If you are an Apple ecosystem user like myself, it’s a night and day difference to other headphones that have trouble switching from device to device.
Also, Spatial Audio is a nifty feature and can enhance certain listening experiences such as enhanced audio that supports it, TV, and movies.
AirPods Max Noise Cancelling Performance
First off, the ANC is pretty good for your typical office and coffeeshop environments.
If I had to criticize, it’s not as good as the competition for airplane travel and flights – which is where I truly value ANC.
I still remember the first time I took these on a flight, excited to truly test them out for travel.
Sadly, I was a bit disappointed within the first hour of the flight. Doesn’t drown out as much noise as other ANC Bluetooth headphones I have tested in the past such as the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
I have one theory that the reason for this is due to the rigid earcup material and rectangular-ish shape of the earcups. I think due to these factors, the passive noise isolation is not as good because the earcups are not completing sealing your ears (at least for my head shape).
Also, there’s no option to dial in and choose the specific level of mix between noise cancelling and ambient noise like most competitors.
Value: 3.5 / 5
I’ve emphasized this earlier but, it has to be restated.
The leading competitors to the APM, the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Beats Studio Pro, and Sony WF-1000XM5, are currently available for under $300 on sale, compared to the APM’s $477 sale price.
That’s over 50% more expensive, and I don’t see anywhere on the APM that you are receiving 50% more value.
It would be hard to argue that you are receiving anything that the Sennheiser or Sony’s don’t offer other than the Apple ecosystem and brand.
Where the APM value gets redeemed is the best-in-class sound quality, unmatched Apple Ecosystem simplicity, decent ANC, exterior looks, premium materials, and Spatial Audio.
Again, the APM is a decent Bluetooth headphone in isolation, but that high pricetag is truly hurting the value part of the equation.
Scoring Breakdown
Sound Quality: 8.6 / 10
Comfort: 4.0 / 5
Features / Battery / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 / 5
Value: 3.5 / 5
Total: 20.6 / 25
Are the Apple Airpods Max Worth it?
I really, really wanted to love the AirPods Max, as a fan of the Apple ecosystem and the regular AirPods earbuds.
(And for the price I paid, anything short of love would be a disappointment.)
After owning my pair since late 2021, now closing in on close to 3 years of ownership, I have to say that while I initially had a love/hate relationship with them at first, I’m currently using them daily in 2025.
On the other hand, I do think that the competition from Sennheiser and Sony is just too good these days.
Factor in the price, and I’m probably reaching for the Sennheiser Momentum 4 instead.
I still do think that for the target market that Apple is most likely focused on, the APM checks all the boxes and unless you’ve tested the competitor’s thoroughly, would be perfectly content.
Order the Apple AirPods Max for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save an additional $30?
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
AirPods Max Frequently Asked Questions
Are the new AirPods Max 2 coming out soon?
There is no official release date for the AirPods Max 2 at the time of this writing, but it is rumored to be before the end of 2024.
Which is better, Airpods Max or Airpods Pro (gen 2)?
The Airpods Max have superior sound quality and are wireless over-ear headphones as opposed to Airpods Pro, which are wireless in-ear buds. This will depend on your preference and needs, as the Airpods Max are more bulky.
Can Airpods Max make and answer calls? Does it have a mic?
Yes, the Airpods Max has 3 microphones and connects via Bluetooth to your iPhone to make and answer phone calls. You can pickup calls by clicking the digital crown on the headphones themselves.
How long does the Airpods Max battery last?
The battery lasts up to 20 hours of listening time, and a quick 5-minute charge can last up to 1.5 hours of listening time.
Does Airpods Max leak sound?
The Airpods Max doesn’t leak much sound due to the closed-back over-ear design, although the seal is not as tight as some other headphones due to the square-ish shape of the earcups.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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