Jacob Krol/TheStreet
So let’s set the scene. I’m about 36,000 feet in the air on a plane, and I have a window seat. There’s an engine outside my window that I’ll be hearing for about five hours, and I’m sitting pretty peacefully.
Yes, it’s my first time on a plane in a bit, but also, it’s an excellent time to put Apple’s AirPods Max through their paces. Yes, the Cupertino-based tech giant’s $549.99 over-ear headphones. They launched in 2019 but recently have become the “hot girl” product of the summer and reached new levels of TikTok fame.
I’ve already spent a ton of time with these on the ground, and while they’re pricey, they’re some of the best headphones available. But after two flights with the AirPods Max, they’re a traveler’s dream if you have an iPhone.
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Strong ANC and TransparencyOne of the biggest appeals of AirPods Max is its promise of noise canceling and transparency modes. And powering the experience are two processors (an Apple H1 chipset in each ear cup) and eight microphones dedicated to canceling out or picking up on outside sounds.
When you engage ANC (active noise cancellation), the processors kick in to listen to external sounds and block them out. That way, you’re just left with the vacuum of sound. You can, of course, fill it with music or talk to yourself in your head. It’s class-leading ANC that can also cancel out lower or middle frequencies like HVAC, an engine, footsteps, or a cart rolling down a hallway. Similarly, it performs pretty well with higher frequencies, though playing music also helps to get to complete silence. It’s ultimately an ANC experience that’s on par with Sony’s WH-1000XM5, but the AirPods Max are more comfortable.
Where Apple steps things up is with the Transparency mode. This listens to external sounds and lets them in, but it doesn’t pipe them in with a digital layer that leads them to sound compressed. Instead, the transparency sounds natural, and you won’t notice any robotic changes. The AirPods Max can also pretty easily swap between these modes.
Great Sound and Simple SetupAnd these two listening modes pair with just resoundingly great-sounding audio from the AirPods Max. Each track offers a crisp, vibrant, and bold sound that immerses you in. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 comes close, but there is something about the overall package for those who use an iPhone.
AirPods Max works seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem. Once you unbox them, you’ll hold them next to your iPhone to pair them, and they’ll sync with all your Apple (APPL) devices through iCloud. This lets you quickly swap which device they’re connected to — an iPhone, Mac, iPad, or an Apple TV — and you can monitor battery life from whichever device you’re connected to. You can also use hands-free Siri to control various things, from lights in your home to sending a message, making a call, or hearing a notification read aloud.
And when you’re traveling, you don’t need to fuss around with making sure the AirPods Max are connected, as they’ll auto connect once they’re on your head. And if you’re working with an iPhone and Mac, they can easily switch between the device you’re mainly using.
And when you’re connected to an Apple device, you can take advantage of Spatial Audio for music, movies, and TV Shows. Essentially, the ability to create a surround sound experience is just for you based on where you’re with AirPods Max and the connected device. It’s a bit of software and AI trickery to your ears. Still, when listening to a track like “Down on The Corner” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, there’s an appropriate amount of separation between instruments. You can tell what direction they’re coming from. And if you turn your head so your connected device is behind you, the separation gets reversed.
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This works for Spatial Audio-capable movies and TV shows, plus an extensive array of songs or albums on Apple Music. Much of The Beatles is available along with Olivia Rodrgio’s Sour, some tracks from Queen, and recently Harry Styles’s new album “Harry’s House.”
An Ultra-Premium Build With Comfy, Cozy EarcupsPart of the reason for the $549.99 MSRP are the materials Apple opted for. AirPods Max has a mostly aluminum and stainless steel build, and in the parts that touch or face your head, there is plenty of cushioning.
Take the earcups — facing the world is aluminum, but touching your ears is a breathable memory foam that rests comfortably. And similar to Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones, the AirPods Max have oversized ear cups that surround your left and right ear. And if you wear these for workouts and have a sweaty head, you can pop the foam portion of the earcups right off since they attach magnetically.
And even on a pressurized plane, the AirPods Max are ridiculously cozy around the ear. I didn’t feel much pressure around my ears on my skull, even after multiple hours. With other headphones, I generally need to remove them to give my ears some breathing space and to reduce pressure around my head.
The breathability factor is essential here, but the top headband and overall weight are equally important. Rather than a plastic band wrapped in memory foam and fabric material, the AirPods Max has a net canopy with physical holes in a ribbon, intercrossed design. It’s thin and stretchy but also caresses the top of your head. It also spreads the pressure and reduces the tight feeling on the top of your head, which can be evident with most over-ear headphones after a few hours of listening.
Rather than building a capacitive touch layer into the earcups, Apple opted for an action button to control Listening Modes and a Digital Crown for playback and volume. The latter will be familiar to anyone who has used or seen an Apple Watch, as it’s a larger version of the crown. One advantage of physical controls is using them in colder temperatures if you’re wearing gloves.
You’ll charge the AirPods Max with a Lightning cable, but you’ll also notice there’s no power button here. These headphones are always on, except when in the included carrying sleeve. When inserted there, they go into a sleep state. And the sleeve, case — whatever you call it — is very weird and doesn’t provide much protection.
It’s not a full wrap-around with a zipper like an option from Bose or Sony, but rather a polyurethane material similar to Apple’s Smart Cover for iPads. It only protects the bottom half of the earcups. The top band and stainless steel arms that connect them all are unprotected. So it’s strange, but given how durable the actual materials are, protection isn’t much of a concern.
You can also get the AirPods Max in a few colors, making them the only AirPods that come in color. In terms of battery life, you can expect 20 hours from AirPods Max as well.
Let’s RecapAirPods Max are expensive, but for that price, you’re getting an experience that’s deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem, can silence out even a noisy airplane, and are comfortable enough not to cause discomfort while you’re at 36,000 feet. They’re great and at least worth considering if you can splurge on them.
The good news is that they’re almost always discounted. Yes, you can buy them for $549, but Amazon has them for $479, and we’ve recently seen them drop to as low as $450. And rest assured, after a few years of usage, the AirPods Max is showing no signs of slowing down.
And if you’re just after rich sound, strong ANC or Transparency, and Spatial Audio in an earbud or just want to spend less money, AirPods Pro deserve a look. They’re currently on sale for $174.99 on Amazon.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.