Bluetooth connectivity has also been improved, from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3. As anyone who’s experienced 45 different strangers’ headphones popping up on your iPhone in an airport, the improvement in connection stability is most noticeable in Bluetooth-heavy environments; I didn’t see any dropouts. You can also now plug headphones into your phone to reduce latency and for better sound quality, which is a no-brainer for me as I’m one of the many people for whom lossless audio makes no difference.
As far as sound goes: These are some of the best sounding headphones I’ve ever tried. (I compared it in listening tests with Sonos Ace.) Anything with a big bass line sounds amazing on Apple’s headphones, and that iconic intro to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” vibrated through my skull without a muddy sound.
Photo: Adrienne So
The main criticism of the AirPods Max line in general is that the highs are too bright, but I did not notice this with the clean and clear vocals of Kacey Musgraves. “Everybody Wants to Be a Pastor”. I could also enjoy the full speed and articulation of Billy Strings’ fingerpicking. The dance music also sounds amazing—I really liked La Roux’s music Trouble in Paradise and I also found myself listening to Robyn a lot Of gender. There’s still no manually adjustable EQ, so you better enjoy how it sounds because you’re not changing it.
As with most Apple products, if you already own a pair of the OG AirPods Max, you don’t really need to shell out the cash to upgrade. However, if you own an iPhone and have been considering getting these, a pair of Sony, or Bose, you should probably get these.
They sound amazing; they stop the sound of the great swords of death and your children from screaming while they play. Paper Mario in the next room. Now they come with a whole new set of software improvements that make them, along with the AirPods Pro 3, the most useful headphones for iOS.
And if this matters to you — it probably does, since you’re reading this review — AirPods Max 2 still looks and feels completely different from every other headphone around. Why bother with a design that anyone can still see from 100 yards away? I wish they came in green, though.
