AirPods Max (1st generation, Lightning)

Source

Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)

Key Takeaways

• Metal ear cups suffer from notorious condensation buildup: body heat causes water droplets to collect inside, corroding internal ribbon pins.
• Stubbornly saddled with obsolete Lightning port in a modern USB-C world, forcing users to carry dedicated dongles and cables.
• Lacks a physical power switch, depending solely on the absurd 'bra' purse case to sleep; leaving it on a desk drains battery overnight.
• Hefty 385g weight stretches the delicate canopy mesh over time, causing the rigid steel frame to bear down directly onto the skull.

✅ Pros

• Exemplary industrial finish with cold anodized aluminum earcups
• Digital Crown knob delivers unmatched tactile volume precision
• Expansive treble extension and lifelike Spatial Audio surround stage

❌ Cons

• Condensation droplets corrode drivers and internal connectors
• Outdated Lightning connector in an all-USB-C environment
• No power switch causes phantom battery bleed outside smart case
• Mesh canopy sags over time, forcing steel frame against scalp

📝 Verdict

"Crippled by internal moisture condensation and a dead Lightning port. Do not buy this first-gen dinosaur."

Source

• Video: AirPods Max Review: An Audiophile's Perspective
• Channel: Snazzy Labs | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Self-described audiophile Quinn listened almost nonstop for several days, and even tore them down and tested various cables; his conclusion is "very good, yet not good enough—it's complicated"
• The aluminum and stainless steel build is stunning, but heavier than plastic headphones; the mesh headband works for most people but doesn't suit his head shape, and the clamping force is high
• The sound is inoffensive, with a bit much bass that's extremely well controlled, a rare performance for closed-back headphones; noise cancelling is the best in its class (apart from delayed reactions on a very few stretches of asphalt), and transparency mode is also excellent
• The case is "one of the worst designs ever"; wired use requires a separate US$35 Lightning to 3.5mm cable, which he thinks is outrageously priced
• The teardown found the ear cups are held on with adhesive strips and need brute-force tools to open; they cost about 90% more than mainstream rivals, sitting in an awkward zone that's "neither Hi-Fi nor affordable"

✅ Pros

• Excellent sound control
• Best-in-class noise cancelling
• Excellent transparency mode
• Refined build

❌ Cons

• Terrible case design
• Heavy-ish with strong clamping force
• Wired use requires buying an expensive cable
• About 90% more expensive than rivals

📝 Verdict

They're much better than mainstream rivals but cost US$250 or more extra, and Apple will have a hard time convincing consumers they're worth it; even so, every color sold out for nearly three months.

Source

• Video: AirPods Max Review: Luxury Listening!
• Channel: Marques Brownlee | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He only "got it" after a few days of listening and comparing: the AirPods Max aren't studio reference headphones but consumer-facing luxury listening headphones, priced at US$550
• Aluminum ear cups (which get icy outdoors in winter) and a stainless steel headband; the magnetic ear cushions are replaceable and can be mixed and matched by color, but US$69 replacement cushions are too expensive
• Sound quality is very good and noise cancelling is excellent, and transparency mode is the best he's used; Bluetooth has no latency and doesn't drop when he walks around corners or up and down stairs away from the device
• Battery life reaches the official figure of about 16–20 hours (with ANC on), and 5 minutes of charging gives 1.5 hours of listening; but there's no power button, and you have to put them in the "stupid" case to enter low-power mode
• Spatial Audio supports 7.1 and Dolby Atmos with head tracking, great for movies, but it's currently limited to iPhone/iPad; Adaptive EQ can't be turned off, so they're unsuitable for professional production

✅ Pros

• Excellent sound quality
• Top-tier noise cancelling and transparency mode
• Premium build
• Spatial Audio

❌ Cons

• Stupid case design
• Heavy-ish metal build
• US$550 price
• Expensive replacement cushions

📝 Verdict

If you can accept the three big quirks—the case, the heavy metal build and the price—and especially if you're in the Apple ecosystem, these are great headphones.

Source

• Video: AirPods Max Review - Perfectly Apple
• Channel: Dave2D | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• US$550 is more expensive than anyone imagined; Apple consistently makes products that are hard to compare directly, and this time the focus is design: colorful ear cups, swappable cushion colors and a look unlike anything else
• Lots of metal, with a build in a different league from the Sony XM4; but the metal ear cups make them heavier than typical wireless headphones, and the durability of the aluminum finish is a concern
• The noise cancelling button is well placed, and the Digital Crown is similar to the Apple Watch's; official battery life is 20 hours, versus 30–35 hours for rivals
• He thinks the sound is better than the Sony XM4: full bass, brighter highs, a wider soundstage and better instrument separation, while the XM4 sounds dark with classical music
• He admits "this is not a good value; however you put it, it's expensive," but it's a top-tier luxury product precisely priced by Apple, and every color sold out

✅ Pros

• Superb build
• Better sound than the XM4
• Unique design
• Intuitive controls

❌ Cons

• Expensive, poor value
• Heavy-ish
• Battery life short of rivals

📝 Verdict

It's not a value-for-money product but an Apple luxury item; judging by the sellouts, Apple's pricing was a success, and it could even have charged more.