Our verdict
Hold them and you'll understand the price. Wear them for two hours and you'll understand the problem. The AirPods Max is the most beautifully made headphone we've reviewed — and the hardest to justify against a Sony at $150 less.
What we love
- Milled aluminum build — nothing else comes close
- Excellent, detailed sound with Spatial Audio
- Class-leading ANC for its generation
- Best-in-class transparency mode
- Effortless Apple device switching
What could be better
- 385 g — genuinely heavy on long wears
- No power button; case doesn't protect the cup
- Lightning port, not USB-C
- $549 is a lot when the XM5 costs $150 less
Sound quality
Apple tuned the Max dry and detailed — flatter than the Sony, more honest than the Bose, with a bass that's deep but never boomy. The large drivers give them an effortless headroom that wireless cans rarely reach. Spatial Audio is the headline feature, and on Apple Music it's genuinely impressive — a wide, well-placed soundstage that pulls you in.
Noise cancelling & battery
ANC is excellent — a hair behind the current Bose and Sony flagships, but far ahead of anything from a few years ago. Transparency is the best we've tested: it sounds like you're not wearing headphones at all. Battery is the embarrassment: 20 hours, average for the class, and there's no power button — you have to drop them in the case to sleep.
Comfort & build
The mesh headband is brilliant, the knit cushions are plush, and the aluminum is peerless. But at 385 g these are the heaviest headphones on our list, and that weight shows up around hour two. This is a pair you'll love holding and want to take off. Build quality is the sole reason to buy them.
Specifications
| Type | Over-ear, closed-back, wireless |
| Driver | 40 mm Apple-designed dynamic |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, AAC / SBC |
| Battery | 20 hrs, Lightning only |
| Weight | 385 g |
| Extras | Spatial Audio, H1 chip, Find My |
Score breakdown
Final take
Buy the AirPods Max if design is a feature you'd pay for and Apple integration is non-negotiable. For everyone else, the Sony WH-1000XM5 does 95% of the job at 73% of the price — and weighs less than a tablet.