When I go on a press trip overseas, I need to make several difficult choices. These include how many pairs of pants to take, how many shirts, and occasionally how many pairs of trainers – if I’m going to be covering miles stomping around a show floor like CES, I want to be comfy.
The toughest choice, though, is which pair of noise-cancelling headphones to take.
You see, having reviewed headphones of all shapes and sizes for the best part of two decades, I have a wide range of models available (from our vast stockroom) to take for a spin, and I find myself looking at the options like an all-you-can-eat buffet. In this instance, however, filling my plate isn’t going to leave much room in my case for pants.
So imagine my procrastinating at the thought of having to pick a pair for a pre-Christmas long-haul flight to the US to see a sneak preview of some upcoming audio goodness from one particular brand. But more on that in a few weeks…
When it comes to trips, I always find myself torn between big and bulky wireless headphones and more pocketable wireless earbuds. Most of the time, I end up taking one of each, so I can wear them depending on my mood and what I’m doing.
This time round I took three. First was the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, which I had just tested. I know from my extensive testing just how amazing they sound, but I wanted to take them for a spin in the noisy confines of an aeroplane cabin to see how their noise-cancelling coped.
But this meant I needed a pair for comparison. Step forward a pair of Apple AirPods Max. Not the original version, but the updated 2024 version in Apple’s rather eye-catching Blue finish. (The other pair I chose was the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, if you were wondering).
I haven’t spent a huge amount of time with the Max in the past, and, given I’m pretty immersed in Apple’s ecosystem, I thought it might be a good opportunity to spend some quality time with its flagship five-star headphones.
They have been around for quite some time now (the originals launched in December 2020), so I thought it would be good to see how they stack up against a more modern rival.
And, following my time with them, I’ve come to a couple of conclusions.
My overriding thought is that Apple missed a trick with the lightly tweaked 2024 version. Instead of going for a bigger, bolder revamp, it stayed super safe, just adding USB-C for charging and wired listening, and a sprinkling of new colour options.
They still look the same, feel the same, and use the same H1 chip. Oh, and they still come with that ridiculous carry case.
And it might be just me, but I think the Max now look rather dated. I also think they look quite bulky, feel heavy and lack a little luxury compared with the refined-looking Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Dare I say the AirPods Max have an air of clown feet about them compared with the stylish brogues of the Bowers? Well, I just said it.
The digital crown control is still an intuitive way of interacting with the headphones, although the way I sometimes hold the headphones when taking them on and off can have me pressing both the crown and the sound mode button at the same time, which isn’t ideal.
In absolute terms, Apple’s over-ears no longer sound as good as the very best at the money. For example, they don’t have the insight or dynamic thrust of the Bowers & Wilkins. They are still very likeable, listenable, and easy to live with, but a skilled rival such as the Px8 S2 is simply capable of digging up extra layers of detail and giving a greater sense of dynamic expression.
The AirPods Max are still a comfortable design, though. That wide headband looks like a suspension bridge stretching between left and right earpieces, but it helps spread the weight well.
The earpieces might be chunky, but the material used for the earpads, in my experience at least, is very breathable and makes a nice change from the leather or pleather used by some rivals, which I find can make my ears feel hot during extended listening.
The noise-cancelling feature for the AirPods Max is also still very good by current standards, with the Apple over-ears proving more than a match for the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. During my time on the plane with both pairs, the AirPods Max did a better job of cutting out frequencies across the board.
The Bowers seemed to allow more bleeding in of the outside world, from people having a conversation around you to the tunes being played through the plane’s speakers.
Of course, the differences shrink a little when you’re playing music through both pairs, but you can still tell that the Bowers are struggling to suppress the outside world that little bit more.
So while I believe the AirPods Max are starting to show their age, I think they’re still competitive enough, and this is perhaps why Apple decided against a wholesale upgrade, favouring just the tiniest bit of tinkering.
I haven’t seen sales figures for Apple’s flagship cans – perhaps it’s also the case that they’re not selling in big enough numbers for Apple to justify going back to the drawing board. Or perhaps it’s a combination of the two?
All I know is that I’d like to see Apple push the design to the max (pun intended). Their flagship headphones blazed a trail for premium cans, and, given how big the brand went on the iPhone Air, I’d love to see a similar design-philosophy applied to its top-of-the-range headphones, whether they retain the Max moniker or they make way for a whole new model.
MORE:
Apple AirPods Max vs AirPods Max 2024: what are the differences?
CES 2026 live: we’ve got the inside scoop on new OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos treats and more
Read our Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 review
How do active noise-cancelling headphones work? Are they worth it?
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