Despite their high price, Apple’s AirPods Max headphones are quite popular. I rated the AirPods Max highly in my reviewpraising them for their sleek design, premium sound, excellent noise cancellation, and solid voice call performance.
Needless to say, they’re designed to work seamlessly with Apple devices and offer features like spatial audio and hands-free Siri that only Apple users can enjoy. But they’re also expensive, weigh a lot, and may not fit everyone’s head. They carry a list price of $549but usually sell at retailers like Amazon for around $480 and sometimes less.
Basically, they’re not for everyone. The good news is that there are plenty of great AirPods Max alternatives that cost less — and some, a lot less. Below are my current top picks, all of which I’ve reviewed in detail or had hands-on experience with over several weeks.
And for those who want AirPods Max alternatives, price be damned, check out our list of best high-end bluetooth headphones and earbuds.
David Carnoy/CNET
Battery life
Rated up to 32 hours
noise cancellation
Yes (ANC)
Multipoint
Yes
helmet type
On-ear wireless headphones
Waterproof
No IP rating
When you have a product that a lot of people love, switching can be risky. That’s the case with Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which first launched in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular over time. that it has improved with each generation.
Sony has made a few design changes over the years, but nothing quite as dramatic as what it did with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher $349 price, most of these changes are good, and Sony has made dramatic improvements to voice call performance, along with better noise cancellation and more refined sound.
Because of all this, the WH-1000XM5 won a CNET Editors’ Choice Award.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
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Sennheiser
Sennheiser’s previous generation Momentum Wireless headphones have always had a fairly distinct look that was part retro/part modern and distinguished by the exposed metal on the headband. For better or worse, that’s all gone now, and the new Momentum 4 Wireless, Sennheiser’s flagship noise-cancelling headphones, look a bit more understated and also a bit more like some rivals.
The Momentum 4 Wireless outperforms the Momentum 3 Wireless in every respect, although the biggest gains are in noise cancellation and voice call performance as well as battery life, which is exceptional . That’s up to 60 hours at moderate volume levels. There’s also a Transparency Mode that allows ambient sound input, as well as the ability to create a custom sound profile in the Smart Control app for iOS and Android using the built-in equalizer, sound modes and a new sound customization feature that “evaluates the user’s listening preferences and adjusts the listening experience to suit their tastes.”
Equipped with 42mm drivers, Sennheiser claims the Momentum 4 Wireless delivers “best in class” sound, which is debatable. I would say the sound quality of the Momentum 4 is right up there with other models in this price range – they sound great, with the requisite well defined and punchy bass, relatively wide soundstage (they sound quite open) and treble smooth that bring out some of the finer details in well-recorded tracks. It is a pleasure to listen to them.
Read our first look at the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.
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Available in three color options (grey, blue and black), the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 headphones offer significant upgrades over the first generation version. Not only are these headphones more comfortable – they tip the scales at 307 grams – but they sound better and have better noise canceling and voice call performance with improved noise reduction. I don’t necessarily think they’re a better option than the lighter and even more comfortable Sony WH-1000XM5. But the PX7 S2 certainly looks luxurious, with its rugged design, and delivers great sound with better voice call performance thanks to an improved microphone setup.
Bowers & Wilkins also released an elevating model, the PX8, which sounds even better but costs significantly more.
Read our Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 first take.
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David Carnoy/CNET
Battery life
Rated up to 6 hours
noise cancellation
Yes (ANC)
Multipoint
No
helmet type
Wireless headphones
Waterproof
Yes (IPX4 — splash proof)
The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are powered by Apple’s H2 chip, which offers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The H2 chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, enables improved sound that delivers better clarity and depth.
Noise cancellation is also improved. Apple claims the AirPods Pro 2 have “double” the noise cancellation of the original AirPods Pro. The new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise cancellation turned on. Additionally, a speaker in the case plays a sound that helps locate your buds through Find My if they decide to hide from you.
Read our Apple AirPods Pro 2 review.
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Battery life
Rated up to 6 hours
noise cancellation
Yes (ANC)
Multipoint
No
helmet type
Wireless headphones
Waterproof
Yes (IPX4 — Splashproof
Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort 2 headphones are not only around 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their body is around 40% smaller and really compact. They feature best-in-class noise cancellation and enhanced sound, thanks to Bose’s new CustomTune sound calibration system that customizes the sound for your ears. Voice call performance is also significantly better than the original QuietComfort headphones.
The other big change concerns the ear tips. Bose has ditched its one-piece StayEar wingtips for a two-piece fit kit system that includes separate eartips and “stability bands” in three size options, giving you more flexibility to achieve a secure fit and a perfect seal.
These changes helped the QuietComfort 2 Headphones win a CNET Editors’ Choice Award.
Read our Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones review.
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David Carnoy/CNET
If you can’t afford Sony’s WH-1000XM5 or Bose QC45, Anker’s Soundcore Space Q45 (yes, there’s some copycat here) is a good alternative for $150, and we should see some occasional discounts on it. While it might not fit some smaller heads, it’s comfortable to wear, with well-cushioned ear cups and a double-hinged folding design. The sound quality is very good and the earphones offer better noise cancellation than the step-down Q35, as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing (these have Bluetooth 5.3) and LDAC audio codec support for streaming tracks High-Resolution Music via Bluetooth, if you have a device that supports LDAC. Many Android phones do this, unlike Samsung’s Galaxy phones.
Battery life is very good up to 50 hours with noise cancellation at moderate volume levels and the headphones come with a hard carrying case for travel.
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