Apple announced the AirPods Max[1], a $550 pair of headphones, last week. This week, the headphones started shipping, and I was lucky enough to grab a pair before the shipping dates slipped to March of next year.
I've been using the expensive headphones for roughly 20 hours, or the same amount of time Apple state the battery should last. And despite the magic of Apple's AirPods lineup -- complete with an H1 chip, easy setup, and seamless integration with the rest of the company's ecosystem -- I'm still not entirely sold.
The case is, well, a joke. At least it feels like one. And $550 is a lot of money for headphones, no matter who makes them. I plan on testing a lot more in the coming days, but in the meantime, here are some of my first impressions of Apple's AirPods Max.
Build quality and comfort
If you're judging the AirPods Max based on build quality alone, then they're a hit. The entire housing is made of a combination of stainless steel for the headband and aluminum on the ear cups. The side effect of those high-end materials is that it translates into increased weight. However, when sitting at my desk or on the couch and wearing the AirPods Max for a few hours, they don't feel heavy at all. In fact, quite the opposite.
The mesh canopy, which is what Apple calls the headband, doesn't apply hardly any pressure on the top of my head, and the memory foam cushions on each ear are even more comfortable.
Because I wear glasses, I have a hard time wearing on-ear headphones for an extended amount of time. The pressure on my ear, against the stem of my glasses, is eventually uncomfortable, and I have