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It has taken Apple\u00a0a little\u00a0over\u00a05\u00a0years, but we finally have a successor to the AirPods Max.\u00a0It\u2019s called the AirPods Max 2. And when you lay eyes on it for the first time, you\u2019ll probably wonder what exactly is new because it looks exactly like the model it replaces.<\/p>\n
The earcups retain their distinctive pebble-like shape, and the headband is that odd-looking, yet strangely effective, thing that Apple calls a \u201cknit mesh canopy\u201d.\u00a0The locations of the digital crown and listening mode button\u00a0are unchanged, there\u2019s\u00a0still no power button, and the earpads are\u00a0still\u00a0made of fabric and magnetically detachable for easy replacement.\u00a0The changes, as it turns out, are under the proverbial hood. Apple has had numerous spec-bump MacBooks and iPads; now it\u2019s presenting us with spec-bump headphones.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nArticle jumplist<\/p>\n
<\/default:svg><\/button><\/p>\n\n1. What\u2019s new?<\/li>\n 2. Sound quality<\/li>\n 3. Battery life<\/li>\n 4. This or AirPods Pro 3?<\/li>\n 5. Final thoughts and buying advice<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nWhat\u2019s new?<\/h2>\n\nThe positions of the digital crown and listening mode button are unchanged.<\/p>\n
Photo: Apple<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The biggest update in the AirPods Max 2 is one that you can\u2019t see: it\u2019s the H2 chip<\/b>. If this chip sounds familiar, it\u2019s because Apple has been using it in various versions of the AirPods since 2022.\u00a0It\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess as to why\u00a0it\u00a0took\u00a0Apple\u00a0this long to\u00a0put\u00a0it\u00a0in\u00a0the AirPods Max, but it\u00a0is here, and it\u00a0gives the AirPods Max\u00a0some nifty new features (most of which are already available with the AirPods Pro 3).<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll touch on these features later, but arguably the most significant improvement that the H2 chip brings to the AirPods Max 2 is better active noise cancellation. According to Apple, it features an all-new active noise cancellation algorithm\u00a0and can\u00a0cancel up to 1.5 times more noise<\/b> than the first-generation AirPods Max. Such claims are hard to quantify, but listening to them back-to-back, I can confirm the AirPods Max 2 is better at nullifying unwanted noises around you. Even though my fan was blowing at me at full power from just a metre away, all I could hear was a faint hum.<\/p>\n\nHave you seen a prettier set of earcups? <\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The excellent ANC extends to its\u00a0mic\u00a0performance, too.\u00a0I could capture a remarkably clean voice recording even when I was sitting in front of my fan. Not only that, it sounded natural, and not like it had been digitally cleaned up. It\u2019s easily one of the best mics I\u2019ve used in a headphone.<\/p>\n
The H2 chip also brings Adaptive Audio<\/b> to the AirPods Max. This mode blends active noise cancellation and Transparency mode.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0supposed\u00a0to\u00a0let\u00a0owners stay aware of their surroundings while suppressing unwanted noises.\u00a0I found the noise suppression to be too mild for my liking, so I stuck to using just the ANC and Transparency listening modes. Speaking of which, Transparency mode remains top-notch. It sounds natural and is easily one of the best ambient sound modes you\u2019ll find on any headphone.<\/p>\n\nLive Translation works as advertised, I just wonder how many people will have the opportunity to use it.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Other features that the H2 chip brings are Conversation Awareness and Live Translation<\/b>. The former is very helpful because it automatically lowers the volume of whatever you are listening to and switches to Transparency mode whenever it detects you are talking to somebody.\u00a0And when you are done, it\u2019ll automatically bring the volume back up and\u00a0go back\u00a0to\u00a0whatever\u00a0listening mode\u00a0you were in.<\/p>\n
Live Translation also\u00a0comes to\u00a0the AirPods Max 2, but it\u2019s\u00a0worth\u00a0pointing out\u00a0that this feature is still in beta and requires the headphones to be paired with an iPhone\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0running Apple Intelligence.\u00a0To its credit, it works mostly as advertised, but you do have to wait a little for the translation to come through<\/b>. It\u2019s no Babel fish.\u00a0Add to\u00a0the fact\u00a0that it can seem rude to be talking with your headphones on, and the opportunities where you can use it become quite limited.When I was in Japan last year, I didn\u2019t find this feature\u00a0to be\u00a0helpful,\u00a0and would rather rely on my phone if I needed help\u00a0translating.<\/p>\n
Design, build, and fit<\/b><\/p>\n\nThe fabric earpads are comfy and can be easily detached and replaced.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Even though the AirPods Max 2 looks and feels exactly like its predecessor, I thought I\u2019d dedicate a section to it because, in some ways, its design is its biggest issue. To start, the build quality is impeccable.<\/b>\u00a0Most\u00a0of it is made of metal.\u00a0The earcups are\u00a0anodised\u00a0aluminium\u00a0and\u00a0the telescopic arms are\u00a0stainless\u00a0steel.This means it looks and feels expensive \u2013 as it should because it costs S$749.<\/p>\n
The earpads deserve special mention because they are supremely comfortable.\u00a0The mesh fabric feels soft\u00a0on\u00a0the skin, and overall,\u00a0they feel\u00a0very plush.\u00a0They don\u2019t seem to heat up my ears as quickly as some other headphones, either. Wearing the AirPods Max 2 for hours was not a problem at all.<\/p>\n\nThe Smart Case doesn\u2019t do much good. It offers little protection and doesn\u2019t make the headphones any easier to carry.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
While it is extremely well-made and comfy to wear, there are some other issues with its design. For one, it cannot be folded, so it\u2019s quite bulky. Complicating matters is its woefully inadequate carrying case. Unfortunately, Apple has\u00a0done nothing to update\u00a0the Smart Case<\/b>. It offers little protection and doesn\u2019t make the headphones any easier to carry around. The only thing it is good at is putting the headphones into a low-power state to conserve battery.\u00a0<\/p>\nSound quality<\/h2>\n\nThe 40mm dynamic drivers are unchanged, but they are powered by new amplifiers.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The AirPods Max 2 uses the same 40mm custom dynamic drivers as its predecessor. However, they are now fed by new \u201chigh dynamic range\u201d amplifiers<\/b>.\u00a0Apple\u00a0says\u00a0the new amplifier has lower distortion, which\u00a0improves\u00a0clarity.\u00a0Apple also says the Adaptive EQ has been improved\u00a0too, and should deliver better localisation and separation,\u00a0and\u00a0a more consistent and accurate bass response.<\/p>\n
In practice, the AirPods Max 2 sounds very similar to the first-generation AirPods Max. Changing up amplifiers is not going to make a huge difference, but that\u2019s not a bad thing because the original AirPods Max sounded excellent, and this new version is just as good, if not slightly better.<\/p>\n
The overall tonality\u00a0is mostly\u00a0unchanged,\u00a0which is to say\u00a0it\u2019s mostly balanced and neutral<\/b>.\u00a0Sure, the bass is obviously elevated, but it hasn\u2019t been boosted to the same extent as some of its rivals. The treble is also quite tame. It\u2019s a sound signature that I think most people will find enjoyable. But if it were me, I would add just a pinch more oomph to the bass and bring the treble up a little so that there\u2019s more air and crispness to the sound.<\/p>\n\nThe headband may look inadequate, but it\u2019s very effective at distributing weight evenly on the top of your head.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Unfortunately, Apple doesn\u2019t build an EQ function into the AirPods Max 2\u2019s settings.\u00a0You\u2019ll\u00a0have\u00a0to\u00a0tweak\u00a0it\u00a0via whatever\u00a0listening app you\u00a0are\u00a0using.\u00a0If you are\u00a0on\u00a0Apple Music,\u00a0that\u00a0could be a problem because you have to rely on fixed presets on\u00a0the\u00a0iPhone and iPad.\u00a0On macOS, Apple Music\u00a0has\u00a0a 10-band equaliser that\u00a0lets\u00a0users fine-tune their sound signature\u00a0more precisely.<\/p>\n
Tonality aside, these headphones are also technically competent. Detail retrieval is great, which gives instruments and voices palpable texture<\/b>. Also, the soundstage is wide, the imaging is strong, and the separation is good.\u00a0This makes it easy to\u00a0pick out\u00a0where instruments are in the mix, which can be\u00a0fun\u00a0when listening to Spatial Audio tracks. There\u2019s also a gravity to the way it sounds that makes it great for live recordings. <\/p>\n
These headphones support wired listening, too.\u00a0And in this mode, it\u2019ll also support lossless audio up to 24-bit\/48kHz. Does lossless audio make a difference? Now, that\u2019s a deeply philosophical question best left for another day, but it\u2019s there for users who want to listen to it. And even if you don\u2019t care for lossless audio, this feature means you can still listen while you are charging them.<\/p>\n
Battery life<\/h2>\n\nIt charges via USB-C. <\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Apple claims you can listen to the AirPods Max 2 for up to 20 hours with active noise cancellation turned on. Though 20 hours is plenty and should suffice for most situations, there\u2019s no getting around the fact that it\u2019s considerably poorer than its rivals. Sony\u2019s WH-1000XM6 and Sonos\u2019 Ace both claim up to 30 hours of battery life, while Sennheiser\u2019s HD 630 can last up to a staggering 60 hours.\u00a0Practically speaking, I found that you\u00a0had\u00a0to charge the AirPods Max\u00a02\u00a0every three days if you\u00a0listened\u00a0to them for about 5 to 6 hours a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This or AirPods Pro 3?<\/h2>\n\nThe AirPods Pro 3 is more versatile, and arguably more useful.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Readers are inevitably going to compare the AirPods Max 2 to the AirPods Pro 3 even if they are fundamentally different types of headphones.\u00a0Moreover, the AirPods Max 2 costs over twice as much. Still, these are the best headphones Apple has to offer, and if I had to pick, I\u2019d go for the AirPods Pro 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s more convenient to carry around and comfortable to wear. It\u2019s also more versatile. Not only can you use it as a hearing aid, but with its built-in heart rate sensor, you can also use it to track your workouts. Finally, it cancels noise better. Its new foam-infused eartips, coupled with H2\u2019s excellent ANC algorithm, make the AirPods Pro 3 one of the most effective headphones I\u2019ve ever tested at cancelling noises.<\/p>\n
However, the AirPods Max 2 counters with its superior sound. The smaller AirPods Pro cannot hope to match the Max in terms of sheer visceral impact, resolution, and soundstage. If you want the ultimate in sound quality from Apple, the choice is clear.<\/p>\n