APPLE AIRPODS MAX REVIEW: LUXURIOUS SOUND FOR A LUXURY PRICE

Apple’s over-ear headphones have tremendous build quality and sound, but there’s no denying they’re expensive

3 min readJan 4, 2021

I think this bit in Chris Welch’s review of the AirPods Max for The Verge was interesting:

The last reason to hold off on the AirPods Max right now is what I consider unrealized potential. Most people are going to be streaming Apple Music or Spotify through these things. And that means (in the case of Apple Music) you’re limited to the same compressed 256kbps AAC files we’ve been listening to for years. Apple still doesn’t offer a lossless tier, and I have to ask, if not now, when? I can plug into my iPhone with the cable and get higher quality music from Amazon Music HD or Tidal than I can from Apple itself.

On the Android side, Sony’s headphones have LDAC, a wireless codec that can wirelessly stream music at near-CD quality. Apple is falling behind here, but there’s no indication that the company cares. You can make all the arguments you want about how it doesn’t matter or that people can’t hear any difference, but when we’re talking about $550 headphones — not to mention the powerful HomePod speaker — an option to enjoy higher-quality audio should at least be there. Apple moved to 256kbps AAC all the way back in 2007 and we’ve been stuck there ever since. (“Mastered for iTunes” albums can offer improved dynamic range and subtle enhancements, but it’s no replacement for going lossless.)

As I noted in my thoughts on the product, I’m hardly an audiophile, but I do find it curious that Apple would launch this type of “Pro” product without the corresponding “Pro” audio format — that being “lossless”. I know, I know, most people, myself included, probably cannot hear a difference. But for a company with a history as wedded to music as Apple, you’d think they’d want to do this for marketing reasons, if nothing else.¹

As Welch notes, Apple has typically been an early mover in digital music quality and format upgrades — Steve Jobs’ “Thoughts on Music” effectively changed the DRM industry, “iTunes LP” less so — but here both Amazon and Tidal (soon Square?!) have the upper hand.