HeadphoneOverreview

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Noise cancelling nearly everyone rates and a build reviewers love to handle, with the sound, the weight and the price argued over at length.

58 sourcesUpdated
$429Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

Check price on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

The short version

What to know.

Apple's first over-ear, and one of the most measured and argued-over consumer headphones. Two things hold up almost everywhere: the active noise cancelling and transparency mode rank with the best of their generation (93 % of the weighted voices), though newer Sony and Bose flagships and the AirPods Max 2 now edge them; and the dynamics — clean and low in distortion — draw steady praise. Six measurement rigs agree on the shape: a sub-bass shelf close to the Harman target, a flat midrange up to about 1 kHz, then a 3–5 kHz region that sits 4–8 dB under a Sennheiser HD 600 on every rig. How that lands is the argument. About two-thirds of weighted sources call the tuning well judged and pleasant; the rest, led by Audio Science Review, call it dull without EQ. The treble splits three ways — soft and dull, sharp and spicy, or crisp and fine — because the rigs disagree above 8 kHz, fit-dependent firmware shifts the upper mids, and noise cancelling adds a little treble. The ~386 g metal build divides the most: reviewers praise the materials, owners report weight and clamp fatigue (57 % uncomfortable), condensation inside the cups and failures after a few years. Value is the one owner topic on Amazon that runs net negative, and three-quarters of weighted sources call it too expensive for the sound; the USB-C lossless mode is real but subtle. Discontinued, it now sells for about $429 new and less renewed or used.

About this product

The USB-C first-generation AirPods Max — Apple's September 2024 refresh of the 2020 flagship over-ear. It keeps the original's metal-and-mesh design and acoustics (an Apple-designed dynamic driver and an H1 chip in each cup) and swaps the Lightning port for USB-C and new colours; a 2025 firmware update added lossless and ultra-low-latency audio over the USB-C cable. Acoustically the same as the 2020 Lightning model, so that model's reviews and measurements apply. Not the AirPods Max 2 (H2 chip, announced March 2026), which has replaced it in Apple's line-up.

Apple's AirPods Max arrived in December 2020 as a $549 statement piece: anodized-aluminium cups on a stainless-steel frame, a knit-mesh canopy in place of a padded headband, and an H1 chip in each cup running adaptive EQ, noise cancelling and spatial audio. The September 2024 refresh changed only the port, to USB-C, and the colours; a 2025 firmware update then let that USB-C cable carry lossless, low-latency audio.

Few headphones have been measured and argued over as much. Six years on, with the H2-powered AirPods Max 2 replacing it in Apple's line-up, the USB-C model sells new and renewed at a discount — which is where the old question of whether it is worth the money now gets answered.

A good fit for

  • Apple-device users who want the tightest integration — automatic switching, head-tracked spatial audio and the most natural transparency mode on an over-ear
  • Commuters and travellers who put noise cancelling first and can take a discount on a previous-generation flagship
  • Listeners who like a bass-forward, smooth-leaning consumer tuning over a bright or analytical one
  • Anyone who wants a metal-built headphone that feels expensive in the hand
  • Mac and iPhone users who will plug in over USB-C for lossless, low-latency wired listening

Think twice if

  • You're sensitive to weight or clamp — 57 % of weighted voices, including many owners, report fatigue or pain within an hour or two
  • You want the most sound per dollar — most sources say cheaper ANC rivals and far cheaper wired headphones sound as good or better
  • You're treble-sensitive or chase air and sparkle — the top end reads as either dull or spicy depending on the listener
  • You use Android or Windows most of the time — you lose most of the features and are stuck with AAC/SBC
  • You need a protective case, an off switch or long battery life — 20 hours is short for the class
  • You can stretch to the AirPods Max 2, which brings the H2 chip and stronger noise cancelling

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

10 / 12topics divide opinion
dynamicsisolationtonalitybassmidstreblesoundstageimagingdetailcomfortbuildvalue
2 Mostly agree10 Divided opinions

Common ground7

  • Noise cancelling and transparency rank with the best of their generation (93 % of weighted voices) — newer Sony, Bose and Apple models now edge the noise cancelling, but not by much.
  • Six measurement rigs agree on the shape: a sub-bass shelf close to the Harman target, a flat midrange to about 1 kHz, then a 3–5 kHz region 4–8 dB under the HD 600.
  • Clean, articulate dynamics and very low distortion — conceded even by reviewers who dislike the tuning.

Points of contention8

  • Overall tuning: 'very well-tuned, even by audiophile standards' (65 %) vs 'dull and lifeless without EQ' (35 %).
  • Treble, three ways: soft and dull (41 %) vs sharp, spicy or sibilant (35 %) vs crisp and fine (24 %) — the rigs disagree above 8 kHz, and firmware and ANC shift it.
  • Comfort: the mesh canopy hides the weight (43 %) vs too heavy with a strong clamp (57 %).

A closer listen.

12 topics · 10 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Tonality

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment27 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split: about two-thirds hear a well-judged, bass-forward consumer tuning that is pleasant and engaging; about a third hear a dull, lifeless balance that needs EQ to open up. Both camps describe the same measured shape — the disagreement is whether a recessed 3–5 kHz reads as 'smooth and inoffensive' or 'missing'. Apple's Headphone Accommodations or a simple two-filter EQ moves several critics to the positive side.

Measured

Across six rigs (oratory1990 GRAS, RTINGS and Earphones Archive B&K 5128, boizoff, Gadgetry Tech and Kyle @ Den-Fi ear simulators): within ~0.5–2.8 dB of the Harman over-ear shelf below 100 Hz, flat from 100 Hz to 1 kHz, a small ear-gain peak at 2.7–3.2 kHz, and 3–5 kHz 4–8 dB under the HD 600 on the same rig. ASR: 'full compliance with our reference curve all the way to 1 kHz but then the wheels fall off.' RTINGS classes it 'Warm' (bass +1 dB, treble −4 dB).

vs. listeners — The graph is agreed; the verdict isn't. Measured against a target, the 1–7 kHz shortfall is a flaw (ASR, SoundStage!); heard against other ANC headphones, which are often bassier and muddier, the same curve reads as balanced (Crinacle, What Hi-Fi, Tom's Guide). Owners on ASR's own thread report its EQ as both transformative and 'absolutely unlistenable'.

Where it splits
Well tuned, engaging and pleasant — a tasteful consumer balance, even by audiophile standards.65%

“very well-tuned headphone, even within the context of the “hifi audiophile” models”

Crinacle (In-Ear Fidelity)
Dull and lifeless out of the box — the upper mids and treble are missing until you EQ them back.35%

“Without EQ, the Apple AirPods is one terrible sounding headphone.”

Audio Science Review (amirm)
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
over-ear
Drivers
1 × dynamic
Housing
anodized aluminum cups, stainless steel frame
Microphone
Built-in

Connection

Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0
Noise cancelling
Yes
Battery
20 h
USB audio
Yes

Physical

Weight
386.2 g

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from apple.com (archived), apple.com (archived).

Follow the evidence

Sources 58

1–6 of 58 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 7

  1. A read of where the reviews land as of September 2026. The USB-C AirPods Max has been replaced by the AirPods Max 2, so prices, stock and warranty terms are changing fast — renewed and used units are common.

  2. It sounds the same as the 2020 Lightning model, so this draws on six years of reviews and measurements of that design; a handful of the sources are about the Lightning version.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.