Hey there. So when the AirPods Max 2 finally came out, I was considering doing a video comparing them to the original AirPods Max for Apple users who were considering upgrading, figured you might be more interested in hearing what I think about them compared to Sony WH-1000XM6, which are among the very best ANC headphones out there right now. So let's jump right into it. Okay, first things first price. These are expensive headphones. No doubt about it. The AirPods Max's high price was a source of contention when the original model launched back in 2020, and the Max to also list for $549 pricing.

A consumer headphone at more than $500 seemed a little shocking six years ago, but that didn't stop people from buying the Max, and it helped set a new benchmark for premium noise canceling headphones with top models from Bose, Sony and Bowers and Wilkins all receiving price hikes in recent years. a lot of money. But people have a way of looking at their headphones. Like phones. There's something that you use every day. You want something really good. You can be convinced to shell out that kind of money for something that's an integral part of your life on the outside, anyway.

The Max 2 look exactly the same as the Max usb-C, which came out in late 2024, and they're available in the same five color options. You could argue about which design is better and which model is more comfortable, but I'd have to give the Max 2 the advantage for pure build quality. This is a headphone that has a stainless steel frame, aluminum clad earcups, smooth telescoping arms, and swanky earpads that adhere magnetically and are easily replaceable. and then there's that sweet digital crown to adjust volume and control playback.

aside from their minimalist smart case, which I don't love, the Max 2 have a more luxurious and durable design than the XM6, the Sony's are made primarily out of high tech plastic and carbon fiber composite, and their hinges aren't immune from cracking. Despite their metal reinforcements. problem doesn't seem nearly as prevalent as it was with some earlier Sony models, and I haven't had any issues with my XM6, but you will find some photos of cracked or broken hinges and arms online. The trade off to the build quality is weight. The Max 2 weight 386.2g or 13.6oz, while the XM6 weigh 254g or 8.96oz. The Max 2 are well balanced into a nice job of disturbing that extra weight on your head.

With their breathable, mesh knit canopy that spans the top of the headband so they don't seem as heavy as they feel in your hand. Most people find both headphones quite comfortable, but you can't get around the fact that the Max 2 are on the weightier side for headphones. And that may be a downside for some people, whether they're on your head or in a bag that you carry around with other things inside it, including maybe a laptop. It's also not a good idea to drop the Max 2 on pavement, because the aluminum can get dinged up or scratched.

I'm pretty good about not dropping my headphones, but I did put clear plastic ear cup covers on my original Max as a precaution, especially if my daughter kept borrowing them from me. I should also note that the ear pads and canopy can get a little stained and dirty if you're not careful, especially the lighter colors. My kids don't treat their headphones as well as I do, so I ended up having to replace the ear pads for $69, though I did make my daughter pay for those replacements. With her own money, she earned babysitting.

Perhaps if she'd paid $500 for the headphones in the first place, she'd have treated them a little bit better. However, in recent months, she switched to the $19 wired EarPods so I don't have to worry about her losing or destroying $500 headphones anymore. Though I'm a little bit disappointed she opted for a major downgrade in sound quality. get into sound quality in performance comparisons in a minute, but let's talk features first. I do think the Max 2 had the edge here as well, especially after Apple upgraded the Max 2 with the H2 chip, which essentially adds all the features found the AirPods Pro 3 to the Max 2.

These include adaptive audio conversation awareness, voice isolation, live translation, and Siri. Interactions allow you to use head gestures to answer or ignore calls or dismiss audio notifications. Max 2 also supports studio quality audio recording and Apple's Camera Remote feature using the Digital Crown. Both are useful for content creators. The XM 6 is also offer a strong feature set, including Sony's Speak to Chat feature that came before Apple's Conversation Awareness feature. While they have different names, both automatically lower the volume of the audio you're listening to

and shift the headphones from noise canceling mode to transparency mode. As soon as you start talking so you can have a conversation without taking your headphones off. But the AirPods Max 2 are designed to work with Apple products, and they automatically switch audio between devices on your iCloud account. Also, Apple Spatial Audio with head tracking is arguably superior to Sony's 360 audio with head tracking, which only works with Android devices as Apple's only works with Apple devices. So if you're an Android Windows user and don't have any Apple devices, you should opt for the XM 6 or maybe Bose QuietComfort

ultra headphones 2 gen or the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S3's. But I digress. Let's move on to noise canceling, voice calling performance and sound quality. With the addition of the H2 and completely rewritten software for that chip, both the noise canceling and voice calling performance have improved with the Max 2. Apple says the noise canceling is 1.5x better, and you can definitely hear the difference when you compare it to the ANC on the original Max. but the Sony XM6 is noise canceling is top notch and it's hard to tell whether it or the Max 2 ANC is better. Ultimately, it's very close and both are quite impressive. Both have excellent voice calling performance and do an impressive job reducing background noise while isolating your voice.

I did some recordings in the streets of New York City. Have a listen to see how they compare. All right. I'm in the streets of New York City doing a test. This is actually quite a torture test because I have a generator going here and truck traffic going around me. Guy is playing in the background. So this is what it sounds like. It's just New York, right? It's a test. All right. I'm doing the same voice recording test with these Sony WH-1000XM6 lots of black background.

A lot of traffic was generated. So this truck, that is my voice with the Sony. Okay. On to sound quality. Well, both headphones sound superb for wireless headphones. They do sound different. Which one sounds better will likely depend on your personal sound tastes. The Max 2 and Max have a similar sound signature. That's balanced and pretty accurate. How are the Max two upgraded dynamic range amplifier coupled with Apple's retuning of its adaptive EQ for the H2 chip, allow for a bit cleaner, more natural sound that's nearly distortion free.

The Max two do offer more clarity and dynamic sound, while the XM 6 are a little warmer and more forgiving. my ears tend to gravitate toward more revealing headphones such as the Max two, but they can make badly recorded tracks sound even worse Without listening to the Max two, you'd probably think the Sony sound is nicely detailed and accurate, with very good bass definition, but flipping back and forth between the two headphones, the Max 2 come across as more aggressive and intimate. Well, the XM 6 are a little more laid back. you can tweak the XM6 equalizer settings in their companion app, which some people like to do.

However, the Max 2 rely exclusively on their adaptive IQ to optimize sound quality. The lack of flexible tuning bothers some people, but most don't seem to mind the automatic tuning. I didn't notice that much of a change. The highs and mids between the max one and the max two, but whenever I hit a track with a harder bassline or just more bass in general, the quality of the bass jumped out at me. Not only did it seem to hit harder, but it was tighter and more natural sounding. Max 2 sound a little more precise overall than the Max one have slightly better separation between instruments.

You can hear them a little more distinctly. The extra bit of precision helps for spatial audio too. Whether you're listening to music or watching movies, As I said, both the Max 2 and XM6 is sound excellent in their own way. You can't go wrong with either of these headphones for sound, and your ears will get used to either of them and grow to love them. But if you're looking for a little more articulate headphones with slightly better clarity than Max 2 have the edge in my book, I'll finish with a couple of smaller but important items that may make a difference for some people.

Note that the AirPods Max two have support for usb-C audio, which means you can plug the included usb-C cable into them and use them in wired mode with PCs, phones, and tablets, and they deliver high resolution audio in that mode. The XM 6 on the other hand, do not support usb-C audio. However, they do come with an analog headphone cable with a 3.5mm plug, so you can plug them into a headphone jack for wired mode. cable does come in handy when you need to plug into an in-flight entertainment system. In contrast, the Max 2 don't include a usb-C to 3.5mm cable for plane use, which is unfortunate given their high price.

You can buy the cable for around $35, but note that you have to use Apple's official cable, not a generic usb-C to 3.5mm cable. Lastly, the XM6 do have the Max 2 beat on battery life. The Sony's are rated for up to 30 hours at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on, while the Max 2 are rated for up to 20 hours. Okay, so there you have it a nutshell. Honestly, it's hard to declare a true winner between these two great but expensive headphones.

Each has some advantages and some small disadvantages. Earlier this year, when the Max 2 weren't out yet, I would have told you to get the XM6. But now that the Max 2 are here and the upgrades turned out to be a little more significant than I initially thought, it's a tougher choice. They do offer some real advantages to Apple users from a feature standpoint. So as long as you like the max choose fit, they're pretty safe choice if you can afford them. But check out my full text reviews of both headphones on CNet. And if you're an Apple user, let me know what you think about all this.