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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

Razer BlackShark V2 vs Apple AirPods Max

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Razer BlackShark V2
Apple AirPods Max

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 01, 2024 10:04 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 18, 2025 06:31 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Razer BlackShark V2 Picture
Apple AirPods Max Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Apple

Variants

  • BlackShark V2 (Black)
  • BlackShark V2 (CourageJD)
  • BlackShark V2 (ESL Edition)
  • 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)

Review

See Razer BlackShark V2 Review
See Apple AirPods Max Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

Razer BlackShark V2

Apple AirPods Max

Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below

Check Price

Black
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
CourageJD
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
ESL Edition
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
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 

7.7
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 
 

-1.42 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.55 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Underemphasized (-4 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

6.4
8.1

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 
 

0.78 dB
0.83 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 
 

8.1
9.6

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.72 dB
1.5 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

22.13 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-1.24 dB
1.72 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.63 dB
1.15 dB

High Bass 
 

4.57 dB
1.49 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.8
9.1

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.65 dB
1.3 dB

Low Mid 
 

2.47 dB
0.49 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.02 dB
0.2 dB

High Mid 
 

0.56 dB
-1.34 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.5
6.1

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.78 dB
5.14 dB

Low Treble 
 

3.05 dB
-4.28 dB

Mid Treble 
 

3.66 dB
-4.58 dB

High Treble 
 

-4.85 dB
-3.65 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.7
7.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.6 dB
1.01 dB

Dips 
 

0.88 dB
2.31 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 
 

1.43
0.1 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

2.16
0.7 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

17.83
0.6°
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 
 

6.0
4.4

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.02 dB
4.28 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.23 dB
6.81 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

12.5 dB
5.22 dB

Openness 
 

5.1

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.3
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 
 

0.217
0.06%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.078
0.10%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Apple AirPods Max Impedance

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

103.2 dB
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.9

Virtual Soundstage  

Razer BlackShark V2 Virtual Soundstage
Apple AirPods Max Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
On/Off

Virtual Surround 
 

THX
Spatial Audio
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
6A326

Power 
 

USB
On

Connection 
 

USB
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
Adaptive EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Integrated
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

7.5

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.18

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

17.83
0.6°

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.43
0.1 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.16
0.7 dB
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.217
0.06%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.078
0.10%
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Razer BlackShark V2 Design Picture 2
Apple AirPods Max Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-Ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Comfort Picture
Apple AirPods Max Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.85 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.9 lbs
1.2 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

5.7
7.9

Controls Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Controls Picture
Apple AirPods Max Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
iOS

Ease Of Use  

Good
Great

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

No
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

No
On/Off

Additional Controls  

No
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.0

Breathability After Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.9 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.3
6.0

Portability Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Portability Picture
Apple AirPods Max Portability Picture

L  

7.8" (19.8 cm)
7.8" (19.8 cm)

W  

6.8" (17.3 cm)
7.5" (19.1 cm)

H  

4.3" (10.9 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)

Volume  

228.00 in³ (3,736.23 cm³)
99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

5.0
6.0

Case Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Case Picture
Apple AirPods Max Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
Soft case

L  

N/A
7.9" (20.1 cm)

W  

N/A
8.5" (21.6 cm)

H  

N/A
1.7" (4.3 cm)

Volume  

N/A
114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.5
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Build Quality Picture
Apple AirPods Max Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Stability Picture
Apple AirPods Max Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Angled Picture
Apple AirPods Max Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Side Picture
Apple AirPods Max Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Front Picture
Apple AirPods Max Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Rear Picture
Apple AirPods Max Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Top Picture
Apple AirPods Max Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 In The Box Picture
Apple AirPods Max In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.9
9.4

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-13.8 dB
-26.06 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

0.31 dB
-19.54 dB

Mid 
 

-11.11 dB
-30.62 dB

Treble 
 

-31.58 dB
-28.95 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
7.1

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

39.13 dB
38.88 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
No

Detachable Boom 
 

Yes
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

7.1
6.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

586.88 Hz
273 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.36 dB
2.77 dB

HFE 
 

10,093.19 Hz
3,466.89 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.325
3.025

Gain 
 

12.9 dB
15.85 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.2
5.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

27.73 dB
9.61 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.0
5.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.5
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
8.3

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
21.6 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
21.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

N/A
1.5 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

No
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
No

Charging Port  

None
Lightning
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.5
6.0

App Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 App Picture
Apple AirPods Max App Picture

App Name  

Razer Synapse
iOS Interface

iOS  

No
Yes

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
Yes

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.2
9.3

Cable Picture  

Razer BlackShark V2 Cable Picture
Apple AirPods Max Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

USB Type A
No

Detachable 
 

No
Yes

Length 
 

5.80 ft (1.77 m)
N/A

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRS
Lightning

Latency - Analog 
 

0.3 ms
1.7 ms

Latency - USB 
 

9.8 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

USB
Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
7.9

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
5.0+H1 chip

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
Yes

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
328.00 ft (99.97 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
185 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio
SBC

AAC Support 
 

No
Yes
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
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

3.4
0.0

Type 
 

Wired USB Dongle
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

Yes
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

USB
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
CourageJD
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding store
ESL Edition
BlackShark V2
Searching
Finding store
Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
 
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
Back to Top

Razer BlackShark V2

Apple AirPods Max

Comments

  1. Comparison

Razer BlackShark V2 vs Apple AirPods Max: Main Discussion

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