AirPods Max (2nd generation)

M Mashable Stan Schroeder · reviewer · Apr 2026

I've tested it by blasting white noise and jet engine noise on various speakers around the house, and not only did the new AirPods Max 2 blocked more noise, but they were also better at reducing noise depending on where I turned or how I moved my head.

B Brandon Butch Brandon Butch · 1.4M subscribers · Mar 2026

But after using the AirPods Max 2 for the past week, I've quickly realized just how big of an upgrade that chip actually makes these headphones.

G Gadgetguy Article

The noise cancelling in the AirPods Max 2 compared to the original AirPods Max is night and day. With the original AirPods Max on, I can still hear the vacuum cleaner and washing machine clearly. I can have a full conversation with noise cancelling on.

In fact, you know, we're talking about 5 and 1/2 years later since when we actually had the first generation of the AirPods Max introduced to us. Now, obviously, with the H2 chip, we get a lot of changes. We now get up to 1.5 times more effective active noise cancellation with this, what is great to hear

T Tom's Guide Article · Apr 2026

The AirPods Max 2 are utterly divine. They are the best-sounding headphones (via Bluetooth) I've ever had the pleasure of putting on my head. In every genre I listened to, I could hear every beat, every breath, every pulse of bass.

M MacRumors MacRumors · 650K subscribers · Mar 2026

I'm honestly impressed with how good this still is compared to some other headphones out there, but Apple needed to upgrade these, and we finally get that with the H2. It should deliver just that. The AirPods Max 2 now deliver up to 1 and 1/2 times more effective ANC than the previous generation. Apple says this is all thanks to that H2 with new computational audio algorithms.

A Are The AirPods Max 2 Worth the $500+ Price Tag? Article

And now, finally, we have AirPods Max 2. Announced in March 2026, powered by the H2 chip, and bringing with them a raft of smart features that the AirPods Pro have had the march on for quite some time.

M MacRumors MacRumors · 650K subscribers · Mar 2026

So, no complaints there for me. On top of that, transparency mode has also been upgraded. The original AirPods Max had very solid transparency, in fact. I often thought that a lot of other OEMs could not replicate transparency mode at all compared to Apple. But now, with the H2 chip, transparency mode will process the ambient audio more naturally and with better clarity. But, the real exciting add

S SoundGuys Adam Molina · reviewer · Oct 2025

Though the sound is a little wonky depending on fit, the latest AirPods Pro 3 ( $249 at Amazon ) offer comparable ANC capabilities to the AirPods Max.

So, lastly, my personal recommendation to you, if you're coming from the AirPods Max first gen, uh so the ones that got introduced in 2020 with the lightning port, then I highly recommend you to upgrade these. I think a world is going to open for you. Better sound quality, active noise cancellation, incredible smart features like conversation awareness, live translation, and adaptive audio

S SoundGuys Harley Maranan · reviewer · May 2026

The Apple AirPods Max 2 sounds decent — a lot like the old AirPods Max. If you liked the old sound, you should be happy with it.

M Mark Ellis Reviews Mark Ellis Reviews · 316K subscribers · May 2026

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the AirPods Max 2 and they're fantastic. They're better than the previous generation

If you are an Apple person and you have the budget for it, get the AirPods Max 2. They are fantastic

R RecordingNOW.com Odi Productions · reviewer

Our Verdict: AirPods Max 2

M Mark Ellis Reviews Mark Ellis Reviews · 316K subscribers · Apr 2026

The AirPods Max 2 are the best pair of AirPods Max we've ever had. Obviously, they do sound a lot better than the previous generation. And if you have the previous generation, you should upgrade. I I think it's an utter no-brainer

M Mark Ellis Reviews Mark Ellis Reviews · 316K subscribers · May 2026

So, the AirPods Max 2 are much better than the previous generation

If you change just one setting after getting your hands on the AirPods Max 2, then make it this. Now, this essentially blends active noise cancellation and transparency mode together automatically depending on your surroundings. So, instead of constantly switching between the modes depending on your environment, the headphones actually handle it for you. And in our testing, this has worked really well

T Tailor Made Tech | Premal Tailor Tailor Made Tech | Premal Tailor · 30.6K subscribers · Apr 2026

So, to me, these AirPods Max are worth the splurge. They are actually so good. Sound quality is amazing. And if you're thinking about upgrading from the original AirPods Max that released over 5 years ago, these are definitely worth the upgrade

So, after the first 24 hours of using the AirPods Max 2, these are a fantastic headphone, but they always were. Now, if you're coming from the OG lightning editions or these are your first AirPods Max ever, you're getting lossless audio, all those new smart features, the best of the best active noise cancellation and transparency. You're getting an even better sounding headphone, even though we're going to have to test it out. Either way, it sounded great before, so it's sounding even better now

They're also fantastic, but the AirPods Max are still the gold standard if you're an iOS user

S StudyFinds StudyFinds Analysis · reviewer

Both camps are making fair points. What the AirPods Max delivers — for Apple ecosystem users specifically — is a listening experience simply not available on any other device: effortless, instant, distraction-free audio across every Apple product you own, powered by computational audio hardware that Apple has refined across multiple generations of AirPods and iPhones.

M Matthew Moniz Matthew Moniz · 945K subscribers · Mar 2026

If you have the original lightning AirPods Max from 2020 and you want USB-C, better ANC, better mics, and all the H2 features, then yeah, go for it. But if you have the 2024 USB-C model, the one I call the 1.5s, it's hard to justify. You already have lossless audio and USB-C. The sound improvement is there, but it's very incremental

E ecoustics.com Jake Cheriff · reviewer

If you’re deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem, value best-in-class transparency mode and noise cancellation, care about industrial design, and want a wireless headphone that sounds genuinely good without requiring much thought or tweaking, the AirPods Max 2 stands out as one of the most compelling options on the market.

A AppleInsider AppleInsider · 828K subscribers · Mar 2026

I wouldn't upgrade for better audio quality alone. Besides the new amplifier, Apple has finally moved to its latest H2 chip. This is Apple's custom wireless headphone chip, and it handles all the onboard processing. And this is what enables so many of the new features for these cans.

C CNN Underscored Henry T. Casey · reviewer

So while the Sony XM6 are still a winner when it comes to fit, battery life and case quality, those looking for the best overall noise-canceling headphones should consider the AirPods Max 2 if they want the best Transparency mode out there and a neutral sound profile.

M MacRumors MacRumors · 660K subscribers · Mar 2026

The AirPods Max 2 can be very frustrating because they're simultaneously the best sounding wireless over-ear headphones I've used and a product that feels like it's only half the upgrade it should have been, but let's not take it away from anything. The sound quality is phenomenal, the noise cancellation is really good. The H2 chip features that we were missing are a nice-to-have bonus here. If you care about audio quality, and I mean, obviously, they look really great, too

P Pokde.Net Article

The Apple AirPods Max 2 is a product that is easier to admire than to wholeheartedly recommend. The design is exceptional, the build quality is among the best in the category, the ANC is genuinely impressive, and the microphone performance is class-leading.

B Brian Tong Brian Tong · 364K subscribers · Apr 2026

I love how they look, how modern and unique and stylish they are. I don't like the weight of them. I've never liked the weight of them, and these AirPods Max 2 still stay the same exact weight.

9 9to5Mac Fernando Silva · reviewer

So I decided to pick up a pair, and while the AirPods Max 2 are objectively great headphones, what it truly did was show me just how incredible the AirPods Pro 3 are. Let me explain.

So, if you own the OG AirPods Max with USB-C, save your money. I don't think it's worth an upgrade. Now, if you already use a bunch of Apple products or maybe you have the lightning version of the AirPods Max first gen, then the AirPods Max 2 are a solid buy. That is, if you're willing to pay $549. Otherwise, click here for another premium option. The AirPods Max 2 are excellent headphones, but after a near 6-year wait, it just feels like the same same toilet, but different air freshener

A AVForums David Phelan · reviewer

Not much has appears to have changed on the surface of the Apple AirPods Max 2 compared to their 2020 progenitors. But what happens if we dig a little deeper.

S SimplyPops SimplyPops · 290K subscribers · Apr 2026

This case here doesn't really give no proper protection of the AirPods Max. It just is putting the AirPods Max in its low power mode status or super low power mode, so you're not draining as much battery life. But me personally, I don't use this. Now in terms of the Bose, I'm just going to call these the QC Ultra generation 2. You have your traditional classic zipper. So you just unzip it.

A Aaron X Loud and Wireless Aaron X Loud and Wireless · 163K subscribers · Mar 2026

Apple also says that noise canceling power is now 1.5 times better. And if going by what they did for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Max 2 might be the best noise canceler in the market. But, that is something that we'll have to confirm later when we test it properly in the studio. So is the claim that the AirPods Max 2 sounds better than the first version. Better in what way? But, if I could make

T Tech Fowler Tech Fowler · 143K subscribers · Apr 2026

But here's the bottom line, the AirPods Max 2s are really, really good headphones. They sound great, they have some of the best noise canceling you can get and they work incredibly well with Apple devices. But at the same time, they do play it very, very safe. And because of that, these don't feel that exciting

The AirPods Max 2 are, to be honest, a fairly minor upgrade over the first generation, but today I'll be evaluating them and comparing them to 30 other headphones in 10 categories. And the main question: are they better than the Sony 1000X? They're not the best, but let's figure it out. Starting with the first category, build quality: I give the AirPods Max 2 a score of 9.5 out of 10, as the design is identical to the first generation

I think the big takeaway here is the AirPods Max and the Sony and the Bose are all just really good at noise canceling, and you'd probably be happy with any of them. And the Sennheiser, well, don't get that if you value ANC. So, there you have it. The Gen 2 are largely an upgrade, but just not the world's biggest upgrade

I do think the noise cancellation and the transparency mode are far superior to the AirPods Max first generation. So, if you're thinking about upgrading, I would say it's probably not worth the money, but if you don't have these and you've wanted the first ones, this is a much more compelling product than the first one, and more worth the money. I wouldn't say it's completely worth the money, especially at full MSRP, but if you can get them on sale, I would say it's worth it

G George Mattock George Mattock · 8.8K subscribers · Apr 2025

And so my overall verdict of the AirPods Max 2, if I'm personally comparing them to the Sony XM4s that I have had for several years, it is a close call, but I would still prefer to use the Sony's due to their excellent noise cancelling and reduced price point and also comfort. The AirPods Max 2 do however just get the nod in terms of seamless integration into your life with a Mac, an iPhone, and an Apple Watch and also come with very good audio quality

Now, if we take a look at the build quality between the two, I think we can all agree that the AirPods Max 2 and really the one because they didn't even change the design of it at all, has a very high-quality build. It has a mix of aluminum ear cups alongside with stainless steel, which I honestly love a lot, but in my opinion, I just think it's too heavy

L Luis Gonsalez Luis Gonsalez · 2.9K subscribers · Jul 2026

The AirPods Max 2 do a great job of what matters most, but they have flaws that are inappropriate for this price. A product this good shouldn't make you doubt basic things like whether they're on or not. These nuances may or may not be critical for you, but I think they are worth paying attention to

Now, if you already own a pair of AirPods Max and they're working perfectly fine, it'd probably be wise just to stick with those. Sure, there's USB-C and some cool new tech, but 550's a lot. And if you already have a good functional headphone, I don't know that I'd update with this one. So, the final verdict, they're the best headphones Apple makes

W Waveform Clips Waveform Clips · 541K subscribers · Mar 2026

Do you guys know that the AirPods Max top headband is called the canopy? What? That actually makes a lot of sense. >> No, it's called a headband. Did you know that? >> I have ever heard. >> makes sense, but I hate it so much. I only know this because I only know this because they just came out with the AirPods Max 2. Yeah. News of the week. >> Yeah.

T TechSauce TechSauce · 10.8K subscribers · Apr 2026

So, Apple just released these, the AirPods Max 2. And after spending a little while now with these on my head, I've got some strong opinions. Because at 999 Australian dollars, essentially 1,000, Apple is asking for a lot of trust here. That's more than a MacBook Neo, more than an iPhone 17, more than some people's rent.