Design and features:This Bluetooth wireless noise-canceling home/studio-style over-ear model provides very good sound and excellent active noise reduction. Its closed design and electronic noise canceling feature reduce both outside noise and sound leaking out into your environment.
Additional features include:
Has integrated volume control, microphone, and call connect/disconnect control.
It has magnetically attached replaceable earpads. Lacks a manual on/off control; automatically turns on when removed from carrying case, but will not turn off unless placed back in carrying case unless used with more recent Apple mobile devices and the Automatic Ear Detection (auto pause when headphones are removed from the ears) feature is engaged. When auto pause feature is engaged headphones will go into standby mode after a certain amount of time if the headphones are not being worn, if the auto pause feature is not engaged (turned off via Bluetooth menu of more recent Apple mobile devices, or used with non-Apple mobile devices or older Apple mobile devices that don't support this feature) the headphones will not go into standby mode unless placed into the carrying case. Carrying case offers no protection for the headphone controls and headband.
Sound quality:We found the AirPods Max (USB-C) delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks and excellent active noise reduction. With the noise cancelling mode engaged the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is slightly prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is even, but is a touch hazy, grainy, and soft. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but is a touch sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying) and prominent. The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears and does a good job of recovering room ambience. Warmish character. The overall sound can be summarized as slightly bassy and a touch soft.
Noise Canceling:
(Matches the 1st Gen AirPods Max) Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most provided the headphone's earpads seal completely to user's head; if the earpads don't seal well to the user's head this model still provides excellent noise reduction, but more lower frequency ambient noise will be heard. Orientation does not change the noise reduction characteristic unless the user's movement (such as twisting the neck to turn the head) compromises the earpad seal, in which case more lower frequency ambient noise can be heard as indicated before. Very faint hiss can be heard when there is no audio program to drown it out.
Comfort and Fit:As typical of over-ear models the ear pads might feel hot after prolonged use and there is a sense of light to moderate pressure around the ears.
Users with larger heads might find that the headband does not have enough adjustment range to allow the earcups rest properly over the ears and/or that the headband presses uncomfortably on the top of the head.
Users with larger ears might find that the over-the-ear fit of the ear pads feel cramped, or that the ear pads sit on, rather than around their ears; in that case the less-than-ideal fit around the ears might interfere with the earpad seal and reduce the noise reduction capabilities of the headphone.
Stability
Some users may find that when they lean far forward the headphones feel unstable and shift forward.
Other noise
When wearing this model while walking the muffled vibrations from each foot step can be heard through the headphones regardless of whether the headphones are in noise cancelling mode.
