Best Headphones
Browse by budget and use
Apple AirPods Max

#16 overall · wireless ANC over-ear · counts updated Oct 2026

Apple AirPods Max

Ranked #16 of 31: 44 people recommend it and 45 say they own it. Most repeated praise: Auto-switching between iPhone, Mac and Apple TV is the feature owners say they cannot give up. Most repeated complaint: Price: the single most repeated objection.

Recommended to iPhone and Mac people who want one pair that just appears on every device.

CommuteiPhoneNoise cancellingWireless (for commuting)
People who recommend it
44
Say they own it
45
Mentions
802
Posts read
3,661
Check price on Amazon · $549Buy direct from the maker

Price when checked (Sep 2026): $549. Apple list price $549.00 (USB-C model, read 2026-09-26)

What owners love

3
  • Auto-switching between iPhone, Mac and Apple TV is the feature owners say they cannot give up
  • Metal build that other headphones get compared against
  • Called the most comfortable Bluetooth headphone by more than one commenter, and friendly to glasses

The complaints

5
  • Price: the single most repeated objection
  • Clamp gets tight after an hour for some heads
  • Condensation inside the cups after long sessions; sweat kills the headband electronics
  • Battery is not user-serviceable and they are dead without it
  • Heavy

Where owners disagree

Audiophile reviewers called the sound mid; owners who live inside Apple devices say that misses the point.

The 12 sources

Every thread and video these notes come from.

Owner = the person says they use it. Recommendation = passed on without saying so. Dates are when the thread or video was posted.

Recommended for

Compared with

The headphones people weigh against this one most often, counted from comments that name both.

Back to the leaderboard