Two Weeks with the Airpods Max: The Average Person's Viewpoint

When Apple quietly dropped the Airpods Max I’m sure everyone was confused. Skeptical. I know I was. But now that these noise cancelling bluetooth headphones are out, and I’ve had a chance to really get to know them over the last 2 weeks. Here is my honest review of them from the everyday consumer’s perspective. Are they any good? Are they worth your money? Let’s find out with a little review. Affiliate Links to Products Mentioned in Video: Airpods Max: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=... max&index=aps&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=xm2&linkId=7971a4bacf7d8f0d75027ae68f4f1fbf Airpods Pro: https://amzn.to/384LL7u Sony 1000XM4: https://amzn.to/2KTjUy3 Bose Noise Cancelling 700: https://amzn.to/38T9uGU Check out the amazon affiliate links to the gear I use in my videos here: Sony A7S III: https://amzn.to/3jD0fxC Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: https://amzn.to/2O7V8Yn 13in Macbook Pro non-touchbar: https://amzn.to/2F4uz27 Philips Hue Light Strip: https://amzn.to/2VZq2EV Godox SL-60W: https://amzn.to/37LsdT0 Rode VideoMic NTG: https://amzn.to/2RKHVrL Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 0:48 Physical Features 3:15 Quick Mic Test 3:35 The Sold Separately Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable 4:33 Sound Quality 6:22 Noise Cancelling & Transparency Mode 7:42 Concerns for Constant Travelers 9:49 Conclusion Inside the box contains the Headphones, a lighting to usb c charging cable and some recyclables. The rest of this band is hard but soft-touch plastic but the earcups themselves are made of aluminum and the moment you pull them out of the case, it’s cold to the touch, similar to when you first sit on the toilet seat, nice and cold. Build quality-wise I think this thing is built really well, super solid. The earcups however, only swivel and can’t fold into themselves unlike the bose QC35s or Sony 1000XM4s. And if you carry the Airpods max without the case, the aluminum cans click together. The earpads themselves are plush and feel really nice to touch and are attached magnetically. The airpods max’s earcup height can be adjusted by just pulling the cup down. The right earcup has a dial up top for volume control, and when you click on it, you can play/pause or pick up calls, skip or go back a track, the typical headphone features. There’s also a button that switches your noise cancelling modes. In terms of comfort, I felt like these fit my ears really well, most of the pressure was on the earcups themselves and around the outsides of my ears. Now let’s talk about sound. I do have a pair of Sony 1000xm3s. I feel like people looking at the Airpods max have considered the XM4s, or Bose 700. The Airpods max sounds much more neutral than the sony xm3s and the soundstage sounds wider as well. It’s not a night and day difference but it’s noticeable. The XM3s and XM4s have an emphasis on the low-end for a more fun bassy sound that’s good for a ton of modern music. And for the most part, I like how the XM3s sounded better than how the Airpods Max sounded. Until you start playing classical, movie or video game soundtracks that have a ton of instruments. Then drums and other low-end heavy instruments seem to drown all the strings out on the Sony’s and that’s where the Airpods Max sounds best. It also, overall, sounds more clear than those Sony’s. It’s hard to go into further detail without you actually hearing it. Just know, overall Flat profile, wide soundstage, and overall great sound clarity. Now let’s talk about noise canceling. The noise canceling is really good I would say better than my Sony XM3s and definitely better than the Airpods Pros. It’s really good at getting rid of consistent noise, and high pitched noises. As for Transparency mode, the airpods max sounds nearly identical to what you would hear if you didn’t have headphones on. It’s not this good on the airpods pro or my Sony 1000xm3s ambient mode. Those usually have this slight hiss and sound a bit off, but it’s just super creepy how similar to your regular hearing the transparency mode is. Okay. What is my conclusion on the Airpods Max Noise Canceling Headphones? The AirPods Max costs $550, $200 more than the price of the Sony 1000XM4 or Bose 700. There are diminishing returns, the sound is only a little bit clearer, and the noise canceling is a little bit better as well. If you think that, plus the switchability with apple devices, and the build quality is worth that $550 price tag. Then go for it. These are great. But if you’re looking for the best value for your $ or looking for fantastic travel companions? You might want to look at the sony or bose and grab a pair of airpods pros along with it. Either way, I’m sure you’d be happy with your purchase regardless of the route you take. But if I did not own all of these, if they all disappeared from my life right now. I think I’d go for the Sonys + the airpods pros. I really do like the Airpods max. But it’s obviously just not the best value out there.