Amazon.com: Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Active Noise Cancelling, Transparency Mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth Headphones for iPhone – Space Gray : Electronics

A short review, as there are audiophiles that know sound and music quality far better than I do.I work from home, as my spouse does too. She cannot concentrate on her work with music playing and I cannot work without music, thus I started wearing the over-head AirPods constantly while working from my computer. They are bit heavy, but not overly so.I've worn several different headsets with microphones while working. To answer phones, listen to music while working and not bother others, and simply use the noise cancelling features to avoid distraction.The one aspect which surprised me in a good way was the ability to have such natural phone conversations. The exterior microphones (more than one, perhaps 6) do an excellent job in transparency mode. Very natural sounding, yet able to communicate flawlessly to others during phone conversations. It's as though the person is in the room with me, a bit of overpriced Apple magic once again.

The Apple AirPods Max stand out as a premium choice in the over-ear headphone market, delivering exceptional audio quality and comfort. The sound performance is top-notch, with rich, detailed audio across all frequencies, making them perfect for both music enthusiasts and casual listeners. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is highly effective, allowing you to immerse yourself in your audio without distractions from the outside world. The build quality is luxurious, featuring a combination of stainless steel and memory foam that feels both durable and comfortable during long listening sessions. The headband’s design distributes weight evenly, reducing fatigue, even during extended use. Additionally, the seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem ensures a smooth user experience, from easy pairing to intuitive controls. While the AirPods Max are on the pricier side, their superior sound, design, and features make them a worthwhile investment for those seeking high-quality headphones.

There are certainly cheaper headphones with equivalent sound quality, but these are well-constructed, comfortable for extended wear, have streamlined physical controls which are satisfying to use, and work hand in glove with an iPhone- it doesn't even shut off completely, it just senses when it's off your ears, and pauses playback. Removing this one layer of friction means I'm more likely to take the headphones off when I want to give my ears a breather, and the phone goes back to using its internal speaker while I catch up on email or whatever, and back into the music/podcasts just by putting the phones on. The earpads, held in place by magnets, are secure, but detach without a struggle for cleaning, and their texture is sufficiently breathable and spacious to make for long listening sessions with better overall comfort than most, IMO. L and R channels are marked by a pattern sewn inside the ear cups- a little hard to see, as it's a similar color, but easy to tell in the dark if you remember that the controls are all on the right channel. And they give you a clickable knob for volume and basic track controls, similar in feel to the crown for the Apple Watch, just on a bigger scale. The other control, a button which toggles the transparency of the noise cancellation, is immensely handy, and allows you to converse with people and clearly hear others without having to shift the phones off your ears. NC reduces even a screaming vacuum cleaner to a muted hum. The spatial audio, for apps that support it, can be a little uncanny at first, and familiar to Airpod Pro users- it does feel like the audio is coming right out of the phone, rather than the sound being piped into your ears. The default carrying case has taken criticism for only covering the cans and not providing much protection, but I kind of like it for the portability- it packs up like a little handbag, and the headstrap becomes a handle. I might buy a third party box if I ever need to pack it for a long flight, but this is fine for my daily needs. When the cans are folded for storage, the metal shells kind of clack together without the case, and is definitely in keeping with Apple's design philosophy of charging end users a lot of money for a product which demands additional accessories just to keep it from denting and scratching.There is no traditional headphone jack on the the thing, and it doesn't look like there's even a way to connect it with an adapter, which is unfortunate and should be a dealbreaker if you need that. I just need the Bluetooth, though, and the supported BT 5.0 sounds fine to my ears.There is an option to help locate the phones with Find My, though it will only show where they were last connected to your phone, and it even allows you to play a locator noise through the speakers, so you can hear them in a relatively quiet space from about 8 feet away. What would really have been cool is if they incorporated an AirTag in their design, because at about $500, I live with the uncomfortable possibility of them being stolen if I turn my back.In short, they are comfortable, they are expensive, they sound great, but if you want skull-rattling bass, there are better options. They'll work with any Bluetooth-enabled source, though you'll probably only feel their full value if you intend to use them with Apple products, and if I do ever lose them, I'll be ordering a new pair the next day.(Added 7/31)About a month ago, I started hearing some weird distortion, then one day, six months from purchase, they just refused to sync. I don’t know exactly what the cause was, but I do wear them in hot summer weather and was surprised to find that some sweat can build up behind the ear cushions, so maybe that’s the culprit? I dunno. They’re the only Apple product I have with the AppleCare coverage, and replacement was quick and painless, so I consider that money well spent.Anyway, nobody said these things were waterproof, which is why I was so careful with them. I still wear them outdoors, but now I pull the ear cushions off every few hours to see if any water has built up inside the cups. Gross.I also toss them in a baby bottle sterilizer at the end of the day. Nobody should have to deal with manky earmuffs!