The first thing that comes to mind when picking up a pair of AirPods Max is: “My god this thing is heavy.” The aluminum and stainless steel construction feels absolutely premium to the hand, but the weight penalty is significant. My old pair of Bose QC35 - all plastic construction - feels downright feathery in comparison. I’ve got a fairly large head, so the increased heft shouldn’t be a problem. However, I can definitely feel the weight whenever I move. AirPods Max is best suited for stationary use.
Which is a shame because the noise-cancelling is fantastic. That is to be expected from a headphone with ear cups that completely surround the ear. Coupled with the magic voodoo that Apple does with nine microphones, the AirPods Max will easily quiet down your world. It just sucks that I’m very unlikely to take them on the road. Because of the aforementioned weight, and because the provided carrying case does not protect the entire headphone.
The QC35 will stay in the stable.
From a sound quality perspective, I would say the AirPods Max sounds marginally better than the already fantastic AirPods Pro. Admittedly, I am very much not an audiophile. The files I’m playing are at best 320kbps MP3 files, streamed over a bluetooth connection. The fact that I can scarcely tell the difference between a $550 pair of headphone and a $250 pair of earbuds is probably down to the quality - or the relative lack thereof - of the music files.
And you definitely should not spend $550 on the AirPods Max if all you’re listening to are MP3 files. This headphone is a luxury item to the extreme. The reason I bought a pair was because Woot.com is selling officially Apple refurbished units for $369 (nice). That brings it in line with the other premium headphones on the market.
A little help.