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Can Apple’s first pair of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones justify their enormous price tag?

 View offers Headphones | £549 whf.cm/AirPodsMax |

Apple’s first on-ear headphones were one of the tech world’s worst-kept secrets. But, while virtually no one was surprised by the announcement of the AirPods Max, what did come as a surprise was the price. At £549, they are vastly more expensive than the majority of premium wireless noise-cancelling headphones on the market.

Can they possibly justify such a comparatively huge outlay? The answer is that yes, they can. They’re so much better than the current competition that, arguably, they cross the line from wireless audio into wireless hi-fi.

While the styling may not be to everyone’s tastes, there is no denying the quality of the Apple AirPods Max’s build and the materials used in their construction. Place the AirPods Max next to a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and most people will have no trouble at all believing that there’s a £200 price difference between them.

Lasting memories

The Sonys look and feel almost cheap compared with the Apples, which boast pristinely machined, single-piece anodised aluminium ear cups connected by a stainless-steel headband. Between the cups and your head are memoryfoam cushions that easily surround even the largest ears, creating a seal that’s both gentle and surprisingly effective at physically blocking out sound.

The premium materials make the AirPods Max significantly heavier than many other pairs of wireless headphones you might consider – at 385g, they weigh more than 100g more than the Sony WH-1000XM4, for example. But, such is the effectiveness of the design in its weight distribution, they don’t feel heavy on the head and there are no pronounced pressure points. During testing, we embark upon a number of lengthy listening sessions, and don’t feel any discomfort or fatigue.

Apple has resisted the urge to integrate touch controls into the design of the AirPods Max, but has also, thankfully, not gone entirely hands-free. Instead, on the top of the right earcup are two physical controls: a simple button for switching between noisecancelling modes; and a dial inspired by the digital crown of the Apple Watch.