Scored on 196 verified owner verdicts, from 2,484 comments read across 3 communities
TL;DR
A small majority of owners are happy with the AirPods Max 2, mostly for its sound, with strong noise cancelling close behind. The biggest complaint is faults: many owners report the battery draining while it sits in the case or connections dropping, and several needed resets or a replacement unit. Comfort divides owners about evenly, with some wearing it for whole flights or workdays and others finding the weight too much within an hour or two. Most first-generation owners who upgraded hear only small gains, and owners who return it most often point to a faulty unit, then to sound that did not feel worth the price, then to the weight.
53% of 196 verified owners recommend the Apple AirPods Max 2, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
2,484 comments reviewed · scored on the 196 clearest verdicts
53%
Recommend
103 owners
19%
Neutral
38 owners
28%
Don't recommend
55 owners
18 owners report specific problemsin troubleshooting threads (setup, firmware, or hardware faults). These are capped in the score above so a problem-report thread can't dominate it — read them under the Doesn't recommend filter below.
Last 6 months:68% recommend(101 recent verdicts)↑ trending up 32pts vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
52%
195
Other forums
100%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer), but here they sit too far from the owner consensus on Reddit and forums — channel comment sections can skew heavily positive or negative by trend — so they're shown for perspective and kept out of the score.owner comments
65%
81
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
—
144
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Rich, clear sound, the reason owners who keep it give most often
Strong noise cancelling, one of the features owners praise most
Comfortable for many owners, some for whole flights or workdays, though about as many find it too heavy
Ties in closely with iPhone, Mac and Apple TV, which some owners call its main advantage over rivals
Problems owners report
Faults reported by many owners, mainly battery drain while sitting in the case and dropped connections, with several needing resets or a replacement unit
Heavy for many owners, some of whom get sore heads or headaches within an hour or two
Most first-generation owners who upgraded hear only small gains, though a smaller group calls it a clear step up
The sound does not suit everyone: some find it too bassy, others harsh in the highs, and a few hear little gain over cheaper AirPods or Bose models
Who it's for
A great fit if
Apple users who value tight integration with their devices and can exchange a faulty unit
Listeners who want strong noise cancelling paired with full, detailed sound
Buyers who can try them on and return them if the fit is wrong
Look elsewhere if
Anyone sensitive to heavy headphones, especially for long sessions
First-generation Max owners hoping for a big jump in sound
Buyers expecting the sound alone to justify the price over cheaper AirPods or Bose models
Synthesized from what Apple AirPods Max 2 owners say — not a spec sheet.
Top quotes, sourced
2,484 reviewed · 271 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube— neutral
“I have a love/hate relationship with mine. Plusses-Amazing sound quality, noise cancellation and seamless switching on my Apple devices. Minuses- Extremely heavy”
YouTube▲ recommend
“My AirPods Max 2 are pretty good and little bit better than AirPods Pro 3 in terms of ANC.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Just got my AirPods Max 2 yesterday and I’m already experiencing a massive battery drain.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“using transparency modewith the AirPods Max and now with my new AirPods Max 2 (Blue), I’ve always noticed they sound more like a tin can around my ears…”
r/Airpodsmax— neutral
“While I don't regret it, it isn't a huge change in any way. I think they sound slightly better, but it's barely noticeable. The ANC is noticeably better, but still not by much.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I bought a pair of these on a whim and couldn't be happier. I had resisted because a friend said they were uncomfortable. I actually find them comfortable and the noise cancelation is insane.”
r/Airpodsmax— neutral
“I had them for a couple of weeks and truly had trouble decided between them and my new B&W Px8S2s. The APMXs are great! Just wasn't enough step up for me, so I went a different direction.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Love my AirPods Max 2 are amazing. Love mine. Luxury listening. Don’t regret mine.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“That DMS part is EXACTLY what i hear with the APM2. 👍 The huge dip at 4-5kHz is crazy.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Blown away by the lossless audio quality. Yes, they’re expensive. But I have the impression that I got what I paid for. Tried Sony’s X6 a week ago and these are noticeably better.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Bought a pair of these and hate them,”
r/Airpodsmax— neutral
“The sound quality is great no complaints about it. The weight is something you need to adjust to. But I would have gone with the xm6 if I was not already into the ecosystem”
r/apple— neutral
“No, they’re not worth it based purely on audio quality. They might be worth it based on how well they integrate into the rest of the Apple ecosystem. I’m reasonably happy with mine so far.”
r/Airpodsmax▼ don’t recommend
“bought them and returned, tried loseless with usb-c. Headphones are good but they just lack an equalizer to adjust them to your favourite genre. They are just good, nothing more.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“It’s definitely not a set for everybody but works out great for me.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I got mine last week, here in Canada beatbuy has a 110$ off anniversary sale love them”
r/Airpodsmax— neutral
“So I had some of the same issues as OP and retuned mine the day after I got them. The replacement was much better and haven’t had any issues after 3 days of use.”
r/Airpodsmax▼ don’t recommend
“I just dropped mine off on Saturday and did the apple care claim due to connectivity issues. After 2 min of streaming they would disconnect tried my phone and Apple TV and even wired.”
YouTube— neutral
“They are “better” in the sense of truly feeling luxurious—as if the world just drifts away. However, I have constant “connection” issues and they do not fold.”
r/Airpodsmax▼ don’t recommend
“Im having the same battery issue. Charged them to 100%, used it a bit, put it back in case and left it there for a few days. When I picked them up today, it was completely dead”
YouTube▲ recommend
“they have been my go-tos for gaming and drawing on a daily basis.”
r/Airpodsmax▼ don’t recommend
“Yes, couldnt stand the Max 2 when watching interviews on youtube. The Max 1´s sound is much more flat and suited better for those kind of sessions Still think I prefer the 1´s”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I upgraded from OG MAX. I swear the sound stage is so vibrant and the instruments you actually hear the difference.. 💯 ABSOLUTELY worth the upgrade .. And that ANC is next level.”
r/Airpodsmax— neutral
“Yes, I had the same problem. I returned them to the Apple Store and the new ones are perfect, no pairing or battery issues. I'd advise you to exchange them”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“I swapped out my Max2 earpads for some "cooling memory foam" ones from Amazon and they got a lot more comfortable for me. I have a huge melon and I can listen for hours without getting uncomfortable.”
r/appleⓘ good to know
“I have gen 1 and gen 2 midnight and it is in no way shape or form dark blue. Every person with eyes would call them black. Have you ever seen these in person.”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“I had a weird issue with using mine with Apple TV (one of the greatest uses for them!) where the sound would be tinny, but this is fixed in the latest TV OS.”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“I charged to 100% on purpose, I checked them in the morning it was down to 28% next morning. Someone mentioned to turn them off in “find my”. Did this recharged and checked again in morning they were at 88%”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“I’ve had this happen to me and considered refunding my APM2 till I had realized it was due to a firmware bug. After I updated to the latest firmware version, they seemingly last a LOT longer inside their case”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“Hey I had this issue. So 2 things worked for me. 1 - check the AirPods aren’t connected to your phone still in settings. 2 - make sure the the metal side of the AirPods are facing out otherwise they don’t go into sleep mode.”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“Agreed and only had mine a few days but I would say that they are surprisingly slippy vs my old XM5’s. Also, my GF can hear music a little more when I’m wearing them. Only slightly, but definitely more sound leak than my Sony’s.”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“Possible solution: For me one of the ear cups was upside down! That resulted to the airpods not detecting theyre on your head and also ANC isnt working anymore. Had support tell me to replace them until i just found the solution.”
r/Airpodsmaxⓘ good to know
“I have had the same issue where the don’t connect or detect at all. The simple fix is to push the two buttons for 15 seconds and reconnect them. I have noticed that this only happens to me when i put them in the smart case while charging.”
