AppleAirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Active Noise Cancelling, Transparency Mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone – Space Gray

I am an Apple fanatic, so I will say that my review isn't completely objective. This is not a sponsored review. I spent my own money on these. I will be honest, I had so much hesitation prior to purchasing these headphones based on some of the reviews. The biggest concerns were all the reviews that mentioned connectivity issues and the condensation issues. I can honestly say, after using these for a solid month, that I have not experienced any of these issues whatsoever. They connect automatically once on my head, and when I am using multiple apple devices, they will switch automatically based on whatever device is playing audio (except my MacBook Pro, but I do not mind manually connecting them. I literally takes two clicks...). The audio quality is probably the best of any headphones that I have ever owned. My favorite features are the immersive seal and the noise cancellation. The design of the headphones allows for your ears to be completely enveloped in sound, and when that seal is combined with noise cancellation, it is like the world around you disappears. I love them. They are pricey, but I have ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS purchasing them. I saved up for them, and they are, in my opinion, worth every. single. penny. I did purchase Applecare+ for an additional 60 dollars. That's a no-brainer, seeing as how expensive these things are. I also bought a thin silicon covering to protect from scratches. All in all, if you have the money, and you love apple products, and you like that premium apple feel, BUY THESE! Totally worth it.UPDATE:2 months in, and they still work great! After a recent update on my Mac, I’ve noticed that the headphones now connect automatically. Hand-off is now seamless with my iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro. A small update, but a good one!

After I perused the specs and got over the sticker shock of the price tag, I thought, “These might be worth the investment for me.” I have high-end hearing loss, and because of that, most speakers, earbuds, and headphones don’t do much for me. I have an especially hard time hearing dialogue on our TV unless the sound is being pumped through our HomePods. That is what caused me to pause and really consider the purchase. “What if the AirPods Max is like putting HomePods on your ears?” That was worth it to me.After setup was completed, I put the headphones on my ears and heard the first sounds through the AirPods Max. It was a Christmas song that I had heard dozens of times before. The sound was so rich, deep, and clear that it was like I was hearing the song for the first time. “Ok, there is no way these sound this good.” At that moment, Robyn, my fiance, walked into the room and said, “So, are they like having HomePods attached to your ears?” All I could do was nod yes. She gave me a look and I handed them over to her. She put the headphones on her ears and scrolled through my library until she found something she wanted to play. She then said she had to have a pair.When I test headphones, I have a few go-to songs I like to try out so that I can get an idea of the listening experience of the headphones from every angle. The songs are pulled from a variety of genres including soundtracks, rock, grunge, punk, classical, and even a bit of rap. The AirPods Max does an incredibly nice job with all of them. The headphones keep a nice, deep bass sound while protecting the integrity of the rest of the track. I also found that vocals are crisp as well and I really love that as I turn up the volume, that I don’t get any distortion. That’s not been the case with other headphones I’ve used.Overall, I’ve been impressed with all the features of the AirPods Max. Here’s a brief rundown of my thoughts on the main features of the headphones.Active Noise Canceling (ANC): Until I used the AirPods Max, the ANC on the Sony headphones was the best I’ve ever used. I took the Sony headphones on a flight a few years back and never heard the airplane’s engine noise. Therefore, I’ve always regarded the ANC on the Sony MDR-1000X as the ‘best’. While I haven’t taken the AirPods Max on a plane yet, I can say that it deadens ambient noises like dogs barking, vacuums, and TVs that are left on in the background.Mesh Headband: I love the look of the headband. I think it looks very clean and it accentuates the lines of the AirPods Max. The design is right up my alley.Weight: I’ve heard some people say that the weight of the headphones is an issue for them. I have noticed that they feel a bit heavier than other headphones I’ve used, but the weight seems evenly distributed to me and so it doesn’t bother me. I’ve worn the headphones for several hours at a time and have not had any issues with headaches or soreness.Buttons: I am a big fan of the buttons. This is odd for me to say since I never thought I would be a proponent of moving to analog from digital, but Apple did a nice job of blending in the Digital Crown and the ANC button.Smart Case: This is one thing I would have reconsidered if I were designing the AirPods Max — the Smart Case. I really consider it more of a ‘sleeve’ than a case because — well, that’s what it is. The sleeve is made with a single piece of what seems to be polyurethane material and utilizes magnets for the closure. While the sleeve does protect the metal earpieces of the headphones from getting scratched up, for the most part, it doesn’t protect the headband and there is even a cut out on the bottom that leaves the headphones exposed to the elements and potential damage. I also noticed that when I take the headphones out of the sleeve that the AirPods clink together. The only way I’ve been able to stop that from happening is if I physically place my hand there.Even though there might be a few minor things I would like to see improved about the AirPods Max, I’m absolutely thrilled with them. They are far superior to any other listening experience I’ve had and think that their price tag is worth the investment. Even though the cost is prohibitive for many, if you want the ultimate listening experience, I can’t recommend the AirPods Max enough.

Since I mostly work from home and listen to music when I'm not on the phone I use several bluetooth ear pods including AirPod Pros.The Max version has always intrigued me but I have quite a few over ear headphones so until they went on sale there was nothing compelling me to purchase them.I've had them long enough to break in the drivers to some degree. Yes like most dynamic headphones these need to be broken in for 20 to 50 hours before they can be judged for sound quality.1. I'm a headphone guy so sound quality is my first priority. This is an excellent headphone. They blow away my bluetooth Sennheisers on sound quality. They even compete with some wired headphones. They may not reach the level of my Grado 325's but they are much more comfortable. My Focal Clears, which incidentally match well with the output voltage of my iPhone, are superior but are much more expensive. And wired. BTW you can't get Lossless audio through Bluetooth so a wired headphone has that advantage. And you can't talk through the Clears. My wired Sennheisers don't really have the output levels to match an iPhone so they are not in the consideration. These have a wide range sonically and reproduce all kinds of music well. And unlike some Beats models they are not bass heavy. I think they work best with Spatial Audio off. iMy only complaint is that the midlevel sound stage is a bit compressed regardless of volume. Apple did their home work in designing these headphones. I'd go so far to say that you will not find another headphone wired or not that has as good as sound for the money.2. Comfort/Fit. One goes with the other. The head band is comfortable for my large head and does not squeeze my ears. The ear pad material is not what I'd like but it is surprisingly comfortable. Typical of any headphones they are best used without glasses for maximum comfortable. If you use glasses put the pads on your ears with the glasses on for maximum comfort. I do not notice any weight - these are much lighter than most wired headphones. The ear space fits my large ears although ideally a couple of extra mm's would be better.3. They connect easily once you go through the initial connection procedure. Most importantly they have excellent battery life. They have double or more battery life than Pros. Put them in the case when you are through with them for the day as it is the only way they turn off. You will otherwise lose battery life as they are otherwise constantly scanning for possible bluetooth targets. The case is not great but it works well for being put into a bag or backpack. Generally they do a good job of picking up your voice in telephone or FaceTime mode.4. They are an excellent value. Usually a substantial discount means that there is a newer model is coming out. My research suggests that is not the case. There is likely to be a newer model of the Pros coming out which explains their greater discount.I am very pleased with these headphones and I think that you will be equally as pleased.