**My impressions of the AirPods Max 2…**

Starting with the sound, it appears that the biggest issue I had with the 1st-gen AirPods Max has been fixed. There was a sort of cold shrillness to the treble that made vocals sound a bit sibilant, along with overly pronounced attacks from cymbal crashes, for example. Along with the overemphasis in the mid-treble, the upper mids and lower treble were a bit recessed, which elevated the mid-treble issues. It had a somewhat dark and bright sound simultaneously.

The AirPods Max 2 sound so much more refined now. The treble is smooth while still remaining clear and airy, revealing so much nuance and detail in the music. Vocal timbre sounds natural now, and the upper-mid recession is improved. Overall, these sound very balanced with a nice kick to the sub-bass.

The bass is clean, extended, and well controlled. It complements the balance Apple aimed for here. A lot of the competition, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QC Ultra Headphones, and Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 or PX8 S2, have too much bass, which muddies the transition into the midrange. If you prefer the extra bass, that’s your preference and no one is wrong. The AirPods Max 1 and 2 take a more balanced and neutral approach like the Sennheiser HDB630 but with far better ANC, Transparency and overall usability especially within the Apple ecosystem. 

The midrange is very smooth and clear. Tonal balance is excellent and, like stated before, the increased presence in the upper mids and the more refined treble allow it to shine more. Listening to percussion instruments and vocals just sounds so pure and rich.

The soundstage is superb, especially for a closed-back headphone. There’s a good sense of directionality and depth. Spatial cues are well retained and the music sounds alive. Close your eyes and it feels like you’re transported into a finely tuned musical sphere. Imaging is improved over the 1st gen, probably due to the more refined treble. Treble plays a massive role in the sense of space and imaging. Along with the balanced bass, this aids the sense of instruments having their own space to breathe. When the music gets complex, it’s very easy to follow even the most subtle nuances without losing track of them.

The reason for the improved sound could be the H2 chip, which now performs Adaptive EQ in the treble frequencies. The faster processing capabilities of this chip allow the narrower bandwidth of treble frequencies to be adjusted in real time to the shape of your ear anatomy. The H1 chip was only fast enough to reliably adjust bass and midrange in real time, leaving a default average rendition of the treble frequencies.

Comfort is the same as the 1st gen since the design hasn’t changed. I’ve always found the AirPods Max to be decent to good in terms of comfort. The wide headband allows for better dissipation of weight, helping reduce pressure points—something the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM6 cause issues with on my head during use. The earcups on the AirPods Max are rather large, ensuring that my ears aren’t touched at all—again, something I can’t say about the Sonys, which literally clamp my ears against my head. However, the AirPods Max do have a strong clamp, which prevents them from being considered excellent in terms of comfort. That title goes to the Bose QC Ultra 1 and 2 Headphones. Those are light, have a low clamp force, and the earcups are large and roomy. Chef’s kiss in terms of comfort.

Noise canceling of the AirPods Max 2 is fantastic. I didn’t really have any issues with the 1st gen, but what I notice now is that the bass and mid frequencies are slightly more attenuated thanks to the H2 chip. Just like the 1st gen, I don’t detect any hiss when ANC is enabled in a quiet environment, which is a sign of a quality processing algorithm and good electronic circuitry. Compared to the Sony and Bose top offerings, they are all fantastic, honestly. 

Transparency mode seems a bit improved over the 1st gen, mainly in the treble. The 1st gen sounded a bit too bright and hissy compared to real life. The 2nd gen sounds more natural. I would say the new Sony WH-1000XM6 has caught up to AirPods in terms of the clarity and lack of hiss in the transparency modes. The Bose QC 2 Ultra Headphones also sounds clear and clean but just a tad dull compared to the AirPods Max 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6. 

Controls are the same as the 1st gen. I never really had any issues with the controls. I always loved how the Digital Crown allows you to precisely dial in the volume versus the more sporadic touch controls that many competitor headphones use. I do wish they had a power button, but I understand Apple removed that to keep things simple—just take the AirPods Max out of the case, put them on your head, and they’re immediately ready to go. It also ensures Find My works seamlessly with these since they don’t stop broadcasting their location until some time after they’ve been placed down. If you powered them off manually with a power button and then lost them, you’d be out of luck.

The H2 chip also brings improvements to microphone pickup on the AirPods Max 2. My voice sounds much clearer now thanks to wideband pickup, as well as voice isolation being processed locally on the chip instead of your Apple device. I also like that I now have access to Conversation Awareness, which is useful when you’re in an office and coworkers come up to your desk for a quick chat.

You also get a bunch of other features such as Siri head gestures, live language translation, loud sound reduction, Adaptive Transparency, and being able to summon Siri with just the “Siri” wake word instead of “Hey Siri.” Another detail some people may notice is that when you’re talking to Siri, the audio continues playing quietly in the background. With the H1 chip, your audio stopped completely because it couldn’t handle the simultaneous bandwidth of both the audio and Siri. The H2 chip can. When taking the AirPods Max 2 off my head, I also notice that the audio stops playing quicker than on the 1st gen, showcasing how much more responsive the H2 chip is.

Battery life is my biggest complaint with these headphones at only 20 hours. We have options from various competitors pushing 60+ hours now. Twenty hours is a joke.

Honestly, this “upgrade” could have been done in 2022 alongside the AirPods Pro 2 since these improvements are all from the H2 chip—but hey, better late than never. I love these headphones!

My AirPods Max 2 Review