The AirPods Max also has the best transparency mode around. Read on: Apple AirPods Max vs Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 How is the transparency mode? The AirPods Max will block much more sound in this crucial range, which is something to keep in mind if you want to block outside noise. While the Bose headphones do a decent job between 100Hz and 1000Hz, they fall a bit short when it comes to sounds below 100Hz. When you compare the AirPods Max to the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, you’ll see more of the same. With the latest firmware, the maximum ANC performance is very good. How does the AirPods Max noise cancelling compare to the Sony WH-1000XM4?Īpple’s first headset sounds great, mostly by virtue of the fact that it’s so good at eliminating noise. It’s also where other headphones like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the Sony WH-1000XM4 excel, which is why they’re consistently at the top of the list for best noise cancelling headphones. This is where you’ll find sounds like airplane cabin noise or the hum of an air conditioner. Most over-ear headphones do fairly well at blocking noise in the mid to high frequencies, which are anywhere to the right of the 1000Hz mark, but great noise cancelling headphones block sounds below that. The solid pink line represents just the passive isolation (how well these block outside noise with active noise cancelling turned off).
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To learn exactly how to read our charts make sure to check out our full explainer, but the short version you need to know right now is the higher the dashed, blue trace gets on the chart, the better the noise cancelling. Looking at the results of our isolation tests shows just how impressive this headphone’s ANC really is. This allows you to mix and match colors, though you’ll have to shell out another $69 USD if you want to go that route.īy default, the noise cancelling button toggles between transparency mode and active noise cancelling. They are comfortable and you can easily pop off the padding to replace as needed. The ear cups feel amazing-they’re without a doubt my favorite thing about the headphones. The plush padding and light fabric headband feel really nice. The headband is brilliantly engineered to distribute the weight evenly. That’s not to say these aren’t comfortable, though. When I let my roommate try these on, the first thing she mentioned was how heavy they felt. That’s much heavier than the other top noise cancelling headphones we’ve tested, and you feel it. All that metal means the AirPods Max is also really heavy, weighing in at 386 grams. The stainless steel headband and aluminum ear cups feel sturdy, and I don’t feel like they’ll break if I toss them in my backpack. The AirPods Max plays the part of luxury headphones extremely well. The ear cup fabric is super soft and feels great on the ears. When the headphones aren’t placed in the case they’ll remain on for a few hours before going to sleep, draining the battery the entire time. Unfortunately, this is only useful when you actually use the case. I have to admit, going straight to my music without needing to power on and connect the headphones to a device is super convenient. Instead, they enter a low-power mode when you put them in the case and are ready to go when you take them out again. There is no power button to turn the headphones on or off. Resuming playback is as simple as putting the headphones back on. Tiny sensors on the inside of the ear cups also auto-pause playback when you take off the headphones. At times I found myself accidentally raising or lowering the volume when I was just trying to adjust the headphones. Volume and playback controls are assigned to the digital crown at the top of the right ear cup and it is insanely smooth. These also have top-notch noise cancelling and a transparency mode to let you hear what’s going on around you with the click of a button. The headphones have a sturdy all-metal build.