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. The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music The headphones with an optional Apple Lightning connector to mini-plug cable have medium sensitivity regardless of whether the noise canceling feature is turned on or off, so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and all but the lowest-powered portable audio devices. The AirPods Max has a volume control plus an integrated microphone and player function controls. Additional features include earcups swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage. It has magnetically attached replaceable earpads. It can be cable connected to standard audio devices when used with optional Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm (mini-plug) Audio Cable. Cord connection to Apple mobile devices without headphone mini-jacks also require the use of an optional Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm (mini-plug) Headphone Jack Adapter. Can be charged from standard USB jack using optional USB-C to USB-A adapter or optional USB-A to Lightning connector cable. No manual on/off control is provided; 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. Noise cancellation button on headphone toggles between noise cancellation and ambient sound monitoring modes. On more recent Apple mobile devices the Bluetooth connection info screen that is accessible once the headphone is connected provides noise cancellation on/off and ambient sound monitoring selection controls, and can set what noise cancellation settings (on, off, ambient monitoring) the headphone noise cancellation button toggles between. Pauses audio when headphones are taken off ears and resumes when put back on when used with some Apple devices. Automatically connects to unlocked Apple mobile devices and to all cloud connected Apple products on the same account. Has Bluetooth connect/disconnect alert tones. Siri voice control can be voice activated ("Hey Siri" wakeup phrase) or activated by using a control on the headphone, and is only available when the Apple mobile device or computer is WiFi or cellular data connected to the Internet. Has spatialized audio feature that works with some Apple mobile devices when using specific apps with movie, TV and video content that keeps the audio image stable even when the user's head moves. Has quick charge feature: 5 min of charging will provide 1.5 hrs. of playtime. Compatible with the "Find My" feature of Apple mobile devices that can be used to help locate the headphones if they are misplaced. Provides audio when used with all Bluetooth audio devices, but most features (Siri control, naming the earphones, automatic pause, spatialized audio, misplaced headphone tracking) are not available unless the headphones are used with more recent Apple mobile and computing devices. Bluetooth connected Apple mobile devices using iOS Version 5 and above will display headphone connection on the lock screen.. This model comes with USB-C to lightning connector charging cable, carrying case.
Sound quality:We found the AirPods Max 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: Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most provided the headphone's ear pads seal completely to user's head; if the ear pads 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) may compromise the ear pad 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:We found that these headphones produce a sense of light to moderate pressure around the ears.
As typical of over-ear models the ear pads might feel hot after prolonged use.
Large
Users with larger heads might find that the headband does not have enough adjustment range to allow the ear cups 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 ear pad 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.
