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Notice: We're proud to introduce Test Bench 2.0, which overhauls our audio measurements, with new tests and usages. There's even a brand new multi-target graphing tool! You can read all about this in our changelog, featuring commentary from our Test Designer, Pierre.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Apple AirPods Max vs Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple AirPods Max
Apple AirPods Pro

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 18, 2025 06:31 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Mar 18, 2024 07:06 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple AirPods Max Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Picture
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Apple

Variants

  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Blue)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Green)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Midnight)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Orange)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Pink)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Purple)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Silver)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Sky Blue)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Space Gray)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Starlight)
  • AirPods Pro (White)

Review

See Apple AirPods Max Review
See Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Review
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0 

Our Verdict

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless

The Apple AirPods Pro and the Apple AirPods Max have different strengths, and depending on your preferences, you may prefer one over the other. The AirPods Pro are truly wireless in-ears that are more comfortable, portable, and stable. Their carrying case also holds around five charges, giving you a total battery life of over 30 hours. However, the AirPods Max are over-ear headphones. Their integrated microphone performs better, and they have a continuous battery life of about 21 hours, which is longer than the approximately five hours provided by their truly wireless counterpart. They also have a slightly better noise isolation performance.

0 

Check Price

Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
B&H
Pink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Purple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Sky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Space Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Starlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.4
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

400 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-2.57 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.83 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Underemphasized (-4 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.1
9.3

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.83 dB
0.14 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.6
8.4

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.5 dB
1.96 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
49.67 Hz

Low Bass 
 

1.72 dB
-3.57 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.15 dB
-1.63 dB

High Bass 
 

1.49 dB
0.36 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
8.5

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.3 dB
2.04 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.49 dB
2.84 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.2 dB
0.9 dB

High Mid 
 

-1.34 dB
0.35 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

6.1
8.7

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

5.14 dB
2.06 dB

Low Treble 
 

-4.28 dB
-1.01 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-4.58 dB
-1.37 dB

High Treble 
 

-3.65 dB
-2.39 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.9
8.8

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.01 dB
0.85 dB

Dips 
 

2.31 dB
0.71 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

9.1

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.1 dB
2.11

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

0.7 dB
1.38

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

0.6°
2.86
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

8.0

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.8 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Apple AirPods Max CSD

PRTF 
 

4.4
1.0

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

4.28 dB
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.81 dB
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

5.22 dB
N/A

Openness 
 

2.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.1
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

9.5

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.06%
0.214

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.10%
0.078
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Apple AirPods Max Impedance

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

103.2 dB
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.9
2.9

Virtual Soundstage  

Apple AirPods Max Virtual Soundstage
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Virtual Surround 
 

Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

6A326
2B584

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Adaptive EQ
Adaptive EQ

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.3

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.12

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

0.6°
2.86

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.1 dB
2.11

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

0.7 dB
1.38
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.06%
0.214

WHD @ 100 
 

0.10%
0.078
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Apple AirPods Max Design Picture 2
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-Ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.5

Comfort Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Comfort Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.85 lbs
0.01 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.2 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.9
6.2

Controls Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Controls Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

iOS
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Great
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.0
9.6

Portability Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Portability Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Portability Picture

L  

7.8" (19.8 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)

W  

7.5" (19.1 cm)
0.9" (2.3 cm)

H  

1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.9" (2.3 cm)

Volume  

99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)
1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

6.0
8.5

Case Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Case Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Soft case
Hard case

L  

7.9" (20.1 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)

W  

8.5" (21.6 cm)
2.4" (6.1 cm)

H  

1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.9" (2.3 cm)

Volume  

114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
3.60 in³ (58.99 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Build Quality Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
7.5

Stability Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Stability Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Angled Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Side Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Front Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Rear Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Top Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Apple AirPods Max In The Box Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.4
8.0

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-26.06 dB
-21.02 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-19.54 dB
-16.34 dB

Mid 
 

-30.62 dB
-22.6 dB

Treble 
 

-28.95 dB
-24.81 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.0

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.85 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-19.98 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.92 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.1
8.2

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.88 dB
32.59 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.6
5.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

273 Hz
630.82 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.77 dB
3.63 dB

HFE 
 

3,466.89 Hz
7,896.12 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

3.025
248.68

Gain 
 

15.85 dB
7.31 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

5.0
6.4

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

9.61 dB
16.18 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

5.0
7.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

5.0
5.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.3
6.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

21.6 hrs
5.3 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
5.0

Total Battery Life 
 

21.6 hrs
31.8 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.5 hrs
1.1 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Standby mode
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

Lightning
Lightning
Show Text 

App Support 
 

6.0
5.5

App Picture  

Apple AirPods Max App Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless App Picture

App Name  

iOS Interface
iOS Interface

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
Yes

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
Yes

Surround Support 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.3
0.0

Cable Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Cable Picture
Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

Lightning
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

1.7 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.9
6.9

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0+H1 chip
5.0+H1 chip

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Yes

Line Of Sight Range 
 

328.00 ft (99.97 m)
171.00 ft (52.12 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

185 ms
188 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

49 ms

Android Latency 
 

86 ms
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
2.2

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
Yes

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
Lightning
Show Text 

Check Price

Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
B&H
Pink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Purple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Sky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Space Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
 
Starlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
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Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Apple AirPods Pro vs Apple AirPods Max: Main Discussion

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