“They’re the same, they’re the same, they’re the same!” Is what I kept telling myself for pretty much the entire time since Apple “refreshed” the AirPods Max lineup with new colours and a USB-C port… and practically nothing else.

Yet here I am commuting today in London, on the Underground, with a pair of midnight AirPods Max strapped to my head… how did I get here? And am I glad to be back?

I remember when the original AirPods Max first “dropped” because there was no event for them; it was December 2020, and we were in lockdown at the height of the COVID pandemic - these new “made by Apple” headphones just appeared out of nowhere with the usual fancy Apple photography and videography that made them look like no other headphone you’d ever seen before.

The original price tag of £550 made a lot of people cough, and I’m not sure they were an instant hit… for the first year or two, you rarely saw anyone wearing AirPods Max out on the street. My first pair were the silver, which I then gave to my wife, and I got a second pair in Space Grey… but I very rarely wore them out of the house. I guess my thinking, as with a lot of AirPods Max owners, was that they were instantly recognizable as a pair of £500 plus luxury headphones, and I didn’t want someone running past and ripping them off my head!

Eventually, I got rid of both pairs. My wife isn’t really a big headphone fan, so hers just sat there on a stand collecting dust, and as for mine, I decided to have a look at better value alternatives such as the Sony XM4s and Bose QC Ultras and ended up selling my AirPods.

Fast forward to 2024, and after many a rumor about AirPods Max 2, the revised headphones have arrived with arguably even less fanfare than the originals. They were barely a footnote at the last big Apple Event, and once they were released, we found out why - they’re the exact same headphones as before with the exception of some new colours and a USB-C port.

They still have the same H1 chip as the originals, and that means in terms of capabilities outside of audio quality, they lag way behind the AirPods Pro 2, which seem to keep getting better and better as each software update brings newer features. The H2 chip now allows you to do things like use your AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids, and a very useful feature is the ability to nod or shake your head to answer or reject a call… very handy for times when you have both hands full.

And the AirPods Max? Well, you get Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, sublime build quality that we come to expect from Apple, arguably the best noise cancellation and transparency mode of any over-ear headphones available - but only 20 hours of playback lagging way behind other flagship headphones, no lossless audio capabilities… and you still get this absolutely silly bra-case which provides no real protection for your pricey headphones whatsoever!

*The Beats Studio Pro are a great value alternative for Apple users*

I also own the Beats Studio Pro and while they’re nowhere near as comfortable to me personally as the AirPods Max, with their big oversized ear cups that prevent pressure on your ears, they at least have twice the playback time at 40 hours, a quite brilliant carry case, and they offer lossless audio with a built-in DAC using the supplied USB-C cable… and you can often find them on some amazing deals at Amazon and other retailers at less than half the price of the AirPods Max.

So why on earth have I gone and bought the AirPods Max again? Is there something wrong with me… well, if you’re thinking “he’s a bit mad” you’re right… but also being someone who’s 100% in the Apple eco-system, it’s nice getting back to a pair of over-ears that

Just work seamlessly with my MacBook, iPad, and iPhones
Have the same consistent premium feel as the aforementioned devices
Have ear cups that envelope my ears rather than sit on them - one thing I can’t stand about over-ear headphones is not being able to wear them for long when the ear cups clamp down on my ears

Also, I don’t feel security-conscious about wearing these out in public because so many people seem to have them now. Not just in London where I live, but in my family’s hometown of Madrid, these headphones can be seen being worn just about everywhere.

And this is probably the biggest problem we have in wanting Apple to make a significant upgrade to the AirPods Max - these things, despite the 4-year-old tech, despite the silly bra case, and despite the price tag, are SELLING by the bucket load. So there’s no motivation for Apple to do anything about them.

Now, arguably, you can live without the extra battery life; 20 hours on a single charge is more than plenty for most people, and it’s not a hardship to just plug them in for a few minutes every now and then to top them up. The sound quality on these things is very, very good - there are details in many tracks I’ve listened to countless times that I always discover when listening back with these…

But I do love the fact that when I get these out of the case and put them on, they connect and they work. There’s no faffing about - unlike the Sonys and Bose headphones I’ve owned previously, which don’t 100% behave themselves when connecting to an iOS device - you have to delve into their third-party app to access a lot of functions, and that’s a real hassle when you’re walking down the road or navigating public transport. The less you need to mess around with settings via your phone, the better in those situations.

And what have they been like to use the last few days I’ve had them back in my life? The short answer is great. I’ve no complaints about the sound quality; my music sounds fantastic. Noise cancellation worked a dream on the very loud London Underground, and I was able to cocoon myself in my music or a podcast, or watching the US Office on Netflix undisturbed. Right now, as I write this, I’m listening to a house mix by one of my favorite DJs, Jo Jo Lorenzo, and everything sounds flipping brilliant - these headphones really allow you to shut the outside world and all distractions out and get into deep focus. Important for someone like me who is very easily distracted.

USB-C is a great bonus since all my other Apple devices have moved to USB-C, so I am glad to see the back of Lightning cables once and for all - I just wish the case had been better designed because if anything, my only worry traveling around with these is them getting damaged in my bag.

And finally, in terms of aesthetics, being someone who doesn’t have a full head of hair, I appreciate that these sit closer to my face than other headphones do… those tend to stick out off the head, and that can look quite awkward on someone who doesn’t have any long locks to fill out the space. I also dress pretty smart going about my business during the week, and the AirPods Max just look a bit more premium and professional - not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but as someone who is into design and aesthetics, it’s a small thing that I certainly appreciate.

So there we go - the “new” but not really new AirPods Max. Are they worth it? Realistically, the answer is no. At £495 here in the UK or $550 in the US, there are much better and cheaper alternatives out there nowadays.

But if you’re not so worried about having ALL the features that modern flagships have to offer, you’re in the Apple ecosystem, the price tag doesn’t put you off, and you just want a seamless, premium listening experience, the AirPods Max are still a great set of headphones in 2024.

If the price tag does make you hesitate, then I’d definitely check out the Beats Studio Pro, especially if you can get them on offer… they’re an amazing alternative with a few more features… but when push comes to shove, they won’t feel quite as premium as the AirPods Max.

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