Apple AirPods Max 2 Review – Finally up to speed

Honestly, the new AirPods Max 2 are outstanding – but at $999 they had wanna be right? These are the over-ear AirPods that should have come a year or two ago.

While they carry the name Max 2 – they are in fact the third iteration of the AirPods Max, however the second generation was just an update to the charging port from Lightning to USB-C.

In the AirPods Max 2 Apple has integrated the “H2” chipset they launched with the in-ear AirPods Pro 2 – that was four years ago in 2022. There’s already been a full new generation of AirPods Pro since then.

We’ll never know why they took so long, but we can be glad they’ve done it – because what the H2 chip brings to AirPods Max is effectively a vastly better level of Noise Cancelling, new features like Conversation Awareness and Live Translation, and improved call quality and voice isolation.

There’s also a refinement to the Adaptive EQ algorithm meaning you can ride the volume more, hear better defined instruments and vocals.

Do my ears notice this? Probably not. What I do hear is crisp and clear sound, I spent some time re-listening to a few favourite albums – you know the ones you’ve heard a million times? Robbie Williams in Escapology isn’t a new fancy spatial audio track or anything. I heard the gentle percussion like perhaps never before, while still getting a really clear take on the vocals.

What I did notice instantly was the noise cancelling. I’m not even on a plane here, just sitting at the desk singing to myself and I can barely hear my own voice – and that’s a good thing:)

Passive noise cancelling with the over ear cups is already great then you hear the power kick in and there’s a noticeable deafening of the world around you. I can say quite simply if you want the best Noise Cancelling Apple offers – this is it. Better than AirPods Pro 3 because of the over-ear form factor.

Are they best on market. Probably yes. But full disclosure I didn’t get a chance to fly with these. Frankly the latest Nothing over-ear headphones utterly impressed me so much I think the bar has been raised so high we’re beyond the need for ratings, it really comes down to price.

For $999 it’s a lot to pay for noise cancelling, but on my last flight there was a poor toddler not enjoying the trip – so much so the staff offered to move me. I was fine because I had noise cancelling and it was really just background noise – these perhaps would have made me shocked to hear there was any issue – it’s really quite impressive.

Fact is, any good Noise Cancelling works really well when you’re playing music at a decent volume, because it’s a combination of lowering the external noise and distracting you with the tunes.

The Upshot – are the AirPods Max 2 Worth it?

Tough one, $999 is a LOT – when Sony’s WH-1000’s from several years ago are still available for $400 or so, and are sensational, it’s a huge extra price to pay.

For those who live the Apple Ecosystem across Laptop, iPad and iPhone the continuity of moving between devices playing content from one to the other and the simple pairing, it’s a winner.

Apple users aren’t locked in to buy these, but it just makes sense in so many ways.