Apple Airpods Max

£549

Apple’s first on-ear headphones were one of the tech world’s worst-kept secrets, but what did come as a surprise was the price: £549 makes them vastly more expensive than the majority of premium wireless noise-cancelling headphones. Can they possibly justify such a huge outlay?

The style may not be to everyone’s taste, but there is no denying the quality of the materials and build of the Apple Airpods Max. They boast pristinely machined, single-piece anodised aluminium ear cups connected by a stainless-steel headband. The memoryfoam cushions easily surround even the largest ears, creating a seal that’s both gentle and effective at blocking sound.

The Airpods Max are heavier than many rivals – at 385g, they weigh over 100g more than the Sony WH-1000XM4, for example. But, such is the effectiveness of the weight-distributing design, they don’t feel heavy on the head.

Apple has resisted the urge to integrate touch controls into the design of the Airpods Max, but hasn’t gone entirely hands-free. On the top of the right earcup are two controls: a simple button for switching between noisecancelling modes; and a dial inspired by the Apple Watch. The latter is a neat and intuitive solution, although it is easy to knock when adjusting the headphones. Twist it to increase or decrease volume, click to play/pause, double-click to skip forwards and triple-click to skip back. Holding it invokes Siri, though the Airpods Max are always listening for a ‘Hey Siri’ command.

Another unique feature of the Apple Airpods Max is their case, which has been compared to a bra or a gun holster. Not only does it look daft, it is only slightly more protective than simply shoving them naked into your bag.

Apple quotes an overall battery life of around 20 hours of use from a full charge. That’s significantly less than the Sony WH-1000XM4, which offer 30 hours, but you can get a decent amount of use out of a short charge. That is valuable, because Apple hasn’t included an audio cable in the box. If the battery is dead, the headphones are useless.

Real-time tailoring

Apple has installed one of its H1 chips in each earcup. Between them, they analyse information from eight microphones inside the headphones to not only actively block outside noise but also tailor the sound in real-time to the fit and seal around your ears. The quality of the noise-cancelling is excellent and though the Sony WH-1000XM4 are marginally better at blocking consistent noise, such as engine sounds, the Airpods Max are better at combatting general chatter, which is harder to do.

There’s also a Transparency mode that actively processes external noise and pumps it through to your ears. The Airpods Max sound their best with both noise-cancelling and Transparency mode switched off. There’s a slight flattening of dynamics and softening of punch, and the treble becomes a little more pronounced with noise-cancelling on.

Kicking off with SBTRKT’S debut album, it becomes clear that the Airpods Max are special. We’re instantly thrilled by the crisp and spacious delivery and there’s a degree of clarity and energy that even the Sonys can’t match – they sound more engaging and authentic. Lighter on their feet, even more precise and exciting, they feel like a step-up in terms of sonic sophistication as well as build quality. Trials Of The Past crackles with energy and, while the Sonys do a great job with this track, the Apples add an extra layer of sizzle and attack.

Give them a sterner challenge, such as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Airpods Max come up trumps again. That spaciousness plays a big part, creating a soundstage that combines substance and airiness. Their dynamic ability ensures the low-level chanting is thrillingly juxtaposed with the huge crescendo.

The Apples are revealing enough to expose poor recordings, particularly in the high frequencies, but the treble is superb. The whole presentation is organised so precisely that even at the track’s busiest, the Airpods Max never become confused and the presentation never becomes muddled.

Switch from music to movies and the Airpods Max have a trick up their sleeve in the form of spatial audio, which provides a virtual surround sound experience from 5.1, 7.1 and even Dolby Atmos content. Built-in head tracking means that the sound is always relative to the screen, with smooth and accurate tracking as you move. It’s terrifically cinematic and, combined with an ipad, the most convincing portable cinema experience we can think of.

For Apple users, the Airpods Max are the best wireless headphones you can buy. They work with non-apple products using Bluetooth 5.0, but you’ll miss out on many of their unique features. Their detail, crispness and spaciousness elevate them so far above the previous best in the wireless noise-cancelling class that you instead begin to consider them alongside proper hi-fi products. They cost a lot more than many products in this class but, if sound quality is king, there’s no denying that they’re worth it.