Last December, Apple introduced AirPods Max. The latest addition to their best-selling
line of headphones that’ve been in development for four years. Despite
selling out just hours after its release, the product received a huge amount of criticism.
Customers awaiting the product anticipated a price tag of 350 to 400 dollars, but instead, AirPods
Max cost 550 dollars. And unfortunately, that price tag received most of the media attention,
instead of the incredible technology Apple was able to pack inside. So in this video,
I’m going to explain what makes the AirPods Max such a successful product by proving how
it’s features and technology are unrivaled by any other headphone on the market today.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video.
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Alright now the question I see come up online the most is what makes the AirPods Max worth
its 550 dollar price. And while I’m going to try my best to explain why in this video,
I have to preface it by saying, AirPods Max may not be worth it for you. People who prefer wearing
earbuds may want to stick with AirPods Pro. People who don’t care about noise cancellation or sound
quality may be happiest with the standard AirPods. And people whose priority is weight, may not like
its heavier all-metal design. And that brings me to the first point I want to make: the over-ear
headphone category, which AirPods Max is part of, is considered niche. Meaning those products tend
to sell in lower volumes than others like earbuds. And that’s important to understand. Because while
the original AirPods appealed to almost everyone and virtually all use cases, AirPods Max are
designed for a more specific group of users. And it’s that group of people, who’ve likely
already purchased over-ear headphones in the past, that should listen closest to this video.
So what makes AirPods Max so special, is that it’s the most well-rounded headphone I’ve ever
used, it may make small compromises in some areas, but the overall experience using them is
unrivaled by anything else out there. So what do I mean by that. Well, AirPods Max may not
have the best sound-quality in the world since reference-class headphones in the one to two
thousand dollar range, like these Sennheiser HD 820s are considered the gold standard.
But AirPods Max are consumer-level headphones. And the sound quality they deliver in that category is
incredible, mainly because of its adaptive EQ feature. A technology only the AKG N90Q previously
had. A pair of headphones that cost 1,500 dollars. The functional purpose of Adaptive EQ
is to actively listen to what the user hears with inward facing microphones,
and adjust the frequency to optimize the listening experience for each individual. This feature alone
is a large contributing factor to the AirPods Max 550 dollar price. But this is only the beginning.
Now let’s talk about perhaps the second most important feature of over-ear headphones;
noise cancellation. Previously, Sony’s XM4s were considered to have the best
noise cancellation available on consumer-level headphones. But with the release of AirPods Max,
many reviewers noted it’s ability to dampen background voices better than the XM4s. Something
I’ve definitely noticed coming from the Bose QC 2s. And when it comes to Transparency Mode,
I don’t think there’s a consumer headphones that comes close to the AirPods Max. With the push of
a button, you’re able to hear everything going on around you. Without any fishbowl
effect or delay that made the mode unusable on my QC 2s. And then there’s Spacial Audio,
something standard headphones outside of the gaming and VR world don’t have. It’s a software
feature that surrounds you with a 3D soundstage. Using built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers,
the AirPods Max, only while connected to an iPhone or iPad, tracks your head movement relative to
the device’s position. Giving the illusion that you’re sitting in a big surround sound theater.
It’s really a magical feature that has to be experienced to be believed. And it’s a
huge advantage of the AirPods Max, despite most content not supporting the feature yet.
Now everything I just covered are only software features. But even those have proven to outperform
competing headphones, and they aren’t even my favorite things about AirPods Max. Because in
my opinion, the best thing isn’t how they sound, it’s how they work. When you use Bose 700s or Sony
XM4s, you’re forced to manage the device’s power state. You turn them on while in use, and turn
them off when you’re done. This may sound trivial, but it adds a layer of friction that doesn’t exist
with any model of AirPods. When you remove them from their case, they automatically turn on.
And when you put them back in, or even set them down while outside their case, the earbuds will
enter a standby mode to preserve battery life. And that’s part of the magic of AirPods. You don’t
have to think about anything except putting them in your ear and taking them out when you’re done.
And I’m happy Apple was able to bring that same functionality to AirPods Max. It doesn’t have a
power button like every other pair of over-ear headphones, and this upset some people when the
product was introduced. Complaining that battery life would be wasted, or that they’d have to use
the Smart Case which automatically put the headphones into an ultra-low power mode. And
while yes, you may lose two to three percent of battery when leaving the headphones out overnight,
it’s an imperceptible tradeoff that allows you to enjoy a completely seamless headphone experience.
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Alright now thanks to the lack of a power button, Apple was able to keep the number of buttons on
AirPods Max to a minimum of two. And that’s impressive considering Apple didn’t sacrifice
tactile controls for touch controls. Something Sony and Bose did with their latest headphone
models, and many users found frustrating. With AirPods Max, there’s one button to toggle between
noise cancellation and transparency mode, and a digital crown that behaves just like
on the Apple Watch. Rotating to adjust volume, pressing to play and pause, and long pressing to
invoke Siri. It’s an incredibly well implemented solution to the clumsy audio controls that’ve
always plagued over-ear headphones. And of course, AirPods Max have on-head detection
that pauses audio when they’re removed, and resumes playback when you put them back on.
Now let’s talk about design. While looks are subjective, I think these are the first pair
of headphones I’ve ever seen that I can call gorgeous. The aluminum ear cups and polished
stainless steel frame give the product a premium feel and eye-catching sheen that just can’t be
found on competing plastic headphones. And while this metal design definitely adds weight, I’ve
found it to be an acceptable tradeoff, since a solid feel and attractive appearance is something
I value in a product. Also, Apple did a great job accommodating this extra weight by adding
a stronger clamp force as well as texturizing the ear cup and headband to add friction and
prevent sliding or slippage. Not to mention the foam ear cups are attached magnetically
so they’re easily replaceable once worn out or if you have the desire to mix and match colors.
Now these qualities may feel a bit strange when you first put the AirPods Max on your head.
But after a week, my Bose QC 2s felt loose and I began to prefer the tighter,
more secure fit of AirPods Max. Also, its ear cups are more spacious than the competition,
allowing my ears to fit inside without being pinned down by the foam. And the headband is
breathable and prevents any pressure points. This has been a game changer for me, since my ears and
head no longer develop sore spots after hours of use like they had with my QC 2s. In fact,
I’ve been using my AirPods Max for 8-12 hours a day during the week with no discomfort whatsoever,
which is pretty incredible considering these headphones are heavier.
Now, let’s talk about the infamous Smart Case. This was perhaps the second most talked-about
attribute of the AirPods Max after its high price, and I was honestly pretty surprised by the hate it
received. Personally, I’ve always found the cases included with Bose headphones to be overkill.
Although I understand the importance of keeping expensive electronics protected. That being said,
the AirPods Max are made from metal, similar to a MacBook Air. And most people don’t worry about
protecting their notebooks with a hard-shell case. Instead, a sleeve is more commonly used.
And I think the same goes for AirPods Max. A sleeve provides protection from scratches,
scuffs, and nicks, while also being super compact and portable. Which has been very useful for me.
Plus, you have the added convenience of using the AirPods headband as a handle.
So considering all of these features of AirPods Max, they’re in a fairly unique position.
They’re the only headphones that successfully combine Adaptive EQ, industry-leading noise
cancellation and transparency mode, Spacial Audio, magnetic ear cups, on-head detection,
an all-metal design, a digital crown, and seamless integration with your existing Apple products like
one tap pairing and a lighting connector so you don’t need multiple power cables. There
is literally no other headphone on the market, even in the one to two thousand dollar range,
that delivers such strong performance across all of these categories. And that is exactly why they
cost $550. The question you need to ask yourself, is if that headphone experience is valuable to
you. I think it was worth every penny. But then again, I’m deep in the Apple ecosystem
and my favorite type of headphones to use are those of the over-ear variety. So AirPods
Max offered a huge quality of life upgrade compared to my previous Bose headphones. But
I hope you learned enough from this video to make a confident, well-informed decision for yourself.
Alright guys thanks for watching till the end, don’t forget to subscribe
to help decide which topics I cover in the future, and I’ll see you in the next video.