Get Them Here
So now that the AirPods Max are here there’s definitely a lot of hype around them. And I will admit the AirPods max do deliver when it comes to sound and active noise cancelation. But today we’re going to be comparing these headphones to both the Bose QC 35’s and the Bose NC 700’s. This video is either for the people who currently have the Bose QC35’s and are thinking about upgrading to something else… And its also for the people who have the Bose NC 700’s who’ll might be thinking about switching over to the AirPods Max.
Now when it comes to pricing, its a bit all over the place. The Bose QC 35 series II have a retail price of $350 but they can routinely be found on sale for $270 if not less cause these things came out all the way back in fall of 2017. The Bose NC 700’s have a retail price of $400 but they can be found on sale for $340 from time to time now… And then there are the AirPods Max which retail for an eye watering $550. Now if you want to pick any of these headphones up they’ll be linked down below, and if you want to learn more about any of these headphones please watch their full reviews cause we’re only going over their main differences here.
Now first off lets address the carrying cases here. The AirPods Max come included with this smart case. Now even though this smart case feels premium, with a luxurious feeling outside and velour inside… its just not going to properly protect your headphones cause this headband is just so exposed. Where as both of Bose’s headphones come included with proper hardshell carrying cases. And the NC 700’s case even has a dedicated compartment for your cables which I think is pretty nice. But none the less, one of the biggest draw backs about the AirPods Max is that you don’t get a proper hardshell case thats going to fully protect your headphones. Cause I genuinely worry about tearing the mesh canopy on this headband. So if you do plan on traveling or commuting with the AirPods Max I highly advise that you invest in a hard shell case.
But now lets talk about the headphones themselves. Build quality wise the AirPods Max are in a league of their own. They have aluminum are cups, this head band slides in and out, up top this headband is covered in silicon giving use a soft touch feel, we’ve got this fabric mesh canopy that have a surprising amount of spring to it and then we’ve also got fabric ear pads. All in all the AirPods Max are exquisitely built. Where as both of Bose’s headphones are also very well built… but they’re very different from one another. Not just in looks but also in material choice. Now the Bose NC 700’s have plastic ear cups that slide up and down its headband. The headband its self is mostly exposed stainless steel and its wrapped by super padded silicon. And then when we get to the ear pads themselves… we’ve got leatherette. Now bose does leatherette very well. It is very soft, it is supple, and there’s even a slight grain to it. Personally I think Bose has some of the best feeling leatherette. Now the Bose QC 35’s also have great feeling leatherette but these headphones are more akin to your traditional headphones. They’ve got plastic arms with a traditional clicking headband, but their headband does have a hit of alcantara underneath which isn’t super common. All in all both of Bose’s headphones have good build quality, but id be lying if I didn’t say the AirPods Max where better built and should be able to stand up to more wear and tear than these other two options. Cause something that I have noticed as of late with my NC 700’s is that these ear cups don’t slide as gracefully as they did when o first got them.
But unfortunately the AirPods Max’s exquisite build quality really does hinder them when it comes to comfort. For starter’s the AirPods Max weigh way above average coming in at 385 grams. Where as your typical pair of premium ANC headphones weigh in around 270 grams. So what this 385 gram weight on the AirPods Max means is that these are a pair of headphones that you never forget that you’re wearing even when you’re just sitting still. And these are also a pair of headphones that you really notice swinging around on your head when you’re walking around with them on. And also these headphones might also develop some neck strain on the back of your neck after wearing them for like an hour or so. Where as the NC 700’s weigh in at 264 grams. Which is much better than the AirPods Max. With the NC 700’s you do forget that you have them on after awhile and you barley notice them swinging on your head when you’re walking around with them on. But then there are the Bose QC 35’s which weigh in at 240 grams. Which is very impressive. So these headphones are even less noticeable when they’re on your head. So even though both of Bose’s headphones aren’t using as luxurious materials… they’re considerably lighter than the AirPods Max which I feel is super important.
But weight aside both of Bose’s headphones are more comfortable than the AirPods max for two key reasons. First of both of Bose’s headphones have much less clamping force than the AirPods Max making them big head approved. Where as the AirPods Max are not big head approved cause they have a lot more clamping force. Now I've tried stretching these headphones out and leaving them stretched out over night… but these headphones still have a lot of clamping force. So if you want something with a looser fit then you’ll definitely want to go with either of the Bose. However the QC35’s have even less clamping force than the NC 700’s. But then there are the ear pads. Now all three of these ear pads are super spacious and all of them will have now problem accommodating most ear types. Even if you have very large ears or ears that stick out a lot all of these should have you covered. However… personally I am not a fan of the fabric ear pads on the AirPods Max cause they are very course. So these ear pads can get itchy at times. Where as since these other headphones have great feeling leatherette they don’t get itchy and they both do a phenomenal job of not over heating cause both of these ear pads have very little surface area that actually come in contact with your skin. So overall, even though the AirPods Max have amazing build quality… they’re not the most comfortable headphones to wear. They weigh way above average, they’re not big head approved cause of all of their clamping force, and their fabric ear pads can get itchy. So when it comes to comfort, both of Bose’s headphones easily take the win here. However the QC35’s are more comfortable than the NC 700’s cause of their reduced weight and looser fit.
But now lets talk about tech specs… now the AirPods Max charge via lighting port which is nice cause you can charge your iPhone and headphones with the same cable if you still prefer to use a wired connection. Cause if you switched over to Mag safe with the new iPhone 12’s then you’re back to using one cable to charge your phone and then another cable to charge your headphones cuase the AirPods Max don’t support Mag safe.
Where as the Bose NC 700’s charge via a USB C port which is convenient if you daily drive an android device but even still USB C is just super common now. Where as the Bose QC 35’s still charge via micro USB port which is starting to become some what of an inconvenience.
But now lets talk about battery lives… now all of these headphones have an advertised battery life of 20 hours… which is okay but these days we’re starting to see more and more headphones shoot for that 25 to 30 hour battery life mark.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity… there’s a few key things to keep in mind here. Now the AirPods Max are using Apple’s H1 chip which means a few things. Now besides making pairing to your headphones super easy… it also allows you to hot swap between any of your apple devices associated to your iCloud account. Which could be a huge deal for an apple power user that might have an iPhone, multiple Macs, and maybe even an iPad.
Where as with both of Bose’s headphones… they can both be simultaneously connected to any two devices at the same time. Now two devices should be plenty for most people. I assume most people will just need to switch between one phone and one computer… But if you’re an apple power user with an iPhone, multiple Mac computers, maybe even an iPad… or even if you have a hybrid set up like me with an android device or a windows machine… than you’ll might be interested in that H1 chip.
But from a performance standpoint all of these headphones have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether your using an iPhone or an android devices. And when it comes to audio codecs all of these headphones only have support for SBC and AAC. Now if you’re an iPhone user this doesn’t really matter cause iPhones top out at AAC any ways… and if you’re going to be streaming your music AAC is going to be perfectly fine… but there are plenty of other headphones out that support higher quality audio codecs.
But if you want to you can always just use a wired connection with either of Bose’s headphones cause they both have an easy to reach 2.5 millimeter audio jack AND they come included with an Audio cable… where as the AirPods Max don’t have an audio jack. Now you can still use a wired connection with them but you are going to have to get apple’s lighting to audio jack cable which is sold separately.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these headphones. Now without a doubt the AirPods Max sound much better than both of Bose’s headphones. The AirPods Max have strong vocals and dynamic bass that both kicks a good amount so that you can physically feel your music and it also resonates a decent amount as well. But the most important thing is that the AirPods max sound much more open than the Sony’s. Where as the Bose can sound rather narrow by comparison. Now even though I really like how the AirPods Max sound… I still maintain that the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s sound better. Their treble isn’t as high so they don’t get ear piercing like the AirPods Max can on rare occasion, their bass hits a little harder and resonates deeper making your music sound little more dramatic and they sound a little more open as well. But nonetheless the AirPods Max really do deliver when it comes to sound. Where as both of Bose’s headphones are more suited for people who like a more neutral or vocals focused EQ. Now something that a lot of people might say about the bose is that they sound very flat cause their bass doesn’t really physically rattle your head all that much. Now the AirPods Max also don’t rattle your head A LOT… but they do rattle your head somewhat. Now even if you were to go into the NC 700’s app and raise their bass… their bass is only going to resonate a little more… and if you do raise the bass too much on these headphones then they do start to sound a little shallow. So personally I just use these headphones with their stock EQ. So overall I really feel that the AirPods Max are going to be able to impress and please most people with their sound quality. They have great clarity, great vocals, great bass and sound very open… where as both of Bose’s headphones are better suited for people who prefer a more neutral EQ cause their bass is mostly on the audible side.
But now I want to quickly touch on the media control buttons on these headphones cause they’re all very different. Now the Bose NC 700’s are using a touch pad. Now for the most part this touch pad is very accurate and easy to use. But some people just don’t like touch pads or want to have to deal with touch pads on their headphones. So both the QC 35’s and AirPods Max have you covered with with physical media controls. Now the QC35’s have your traditional 3 button set up where as the AirPods max have their digital crown. Now I am indifferent about either of them… but the physical buttons on both of these headphones are still wiser to use than touch pads.
But something the AirPods max do have that neither of these bose headphones do are wear sensors. So when you take these headphones off they’ll automatically pause your music and when you put them back on they’ll start playing your music again. Now personally I don’t care for wear sensors and ill usually just turn them off… but this could be a big deal for some people.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones. Something that the AirPods Max do very well is that they brutally go after constant low frequency sounds giving the perception of blocking out more noise… but so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, the AirPods Max just utterly go after those constant low frequency sounds allowing them to easily block out the most amount of road noise here. Now even though a good amount of higher frequency sounds managed to get in during the chatter portion of this test… since the AirPods Max mostly focuses on those low frequency sounds they give the perception of blocking out more chatter as well. Now even though the AirPods Max block out an impressive amount of constant low frequency sound… their draw back is their cabin pressure. Now you’re not going to feel too much cabin pressure if you’re listening to music with these headphones, but you’ll might feel like you gotta pop your ears. But if you’re watching a movie with these headphones then you will notice the cabin pressure a bit more, and you're really going to feel that cabin pressure if you’re not playing anything with these headphones. Now cabin pressure might not be an issue for some people but it is for me. Now personally ive always felt that the Bose QC 35’s also have a lot of cabin pressure, so I feel that if have an issue with the cabin pressure on the Bose QC35’s then you’ll might have an issue with the AirPods Max. Where as with the Bose NC 700’s they have significantly less cabin pressure. So even though the Bose NC 700’s don’t block out as much noise as the AirPods Max… I do prefer the Bose NC 700’s ANC cause reduced cabin pressure just contributes to better over all comfort.
But now lets talk about the ambient modes on these headphones. Now both the AirPods Max and Bose NC 700’s have very natural sounding ambient modes and both of their microphone arrays do a great job of blocking out wind noise when walking out doors. But personally I just wish that we would reduced the amount of ambient noise that the AirPods Max let in cuase they let in a lot of noise. Where as with the NC 700’s you can adjust how much noise they let in. But then there are the QC 35’s that don’t have an ambient mode. Now you can reduced their active noise cancelation… but they won’t actually pump in any sound. Which could be useful either for when you’re walking around the city on your way to work or even for when you’re working at home.
But something the AirPods Max are missing is a conversation feature, cuase with the Bose NC 700’s if you press and hold this button they’ll automatically lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around so that you can talk to someone without having to remove your headphones like this.
And then when you press any button they’ll go back to normal again. Now personally I really like having this kind of feature cause with the AirPods max, yeah they’ll automatically pause your music when you take them off… but now you’ve got your hands full.
But finally here’s the microphone test… now all three of these headphones have good sounding microphones for phone calls, But the microphone on the Bose NC 700’s does sound a little clearer.
And the microphone on the Bose NC 700’s also does a slightly better job of blocking out ambient noise. Now the QC 35’s do a decent job of blocking out road noise…
But when it comes to chatter… the Bose QC 35’s do struggle quite a bit.
Where as with these other two headphones they do a really good job of blocking out ambient noise. Cause right now were running the road noise simulation, and if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise. But if we were to switch back over to the Bose NC 700’s it is severely reduced.
And the same thing can be said about the AirPods Max. Cuase if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you can clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch back over to the AirPods Max it is severely reduced.
However when it comes to crowning a winner, I do think its a little hard. Cuase when it comes to blocking out chatter… even though the AirPods max don’t block out as much chatter as the Bose NC 700’s they do keep your voice front and center… albeit sometimes you’ll might get some interference.
Where as the Bose NC 700’s do a better job of blocking out chatter… but your voice will might start to sound a little shallow or you’ll might start to get a bit of an echo. So yeah both of these headphones have great sounding microphones for phone calls…
But when it comes to choosing a definitive winner… I do think its a tough call cause both the Bose NC 700 and AirPods Max have their own pros and cons.
So with all that being said… even though the AirPods Max really do deliver when it comes to Sound and Active noise cancelation… they aren’t without their drawbacks and quirks. Even though the AirPods Max block out more noise than both of Bose’s headphones cause they brutally go after those low frequency sounds… they do have a considerable amount of cabin pressure which contributes to over all comfort. And in general comfort is the AirPods Max’s biggest set back. These headphones weigh above average, they have a lot of clamping force so they aren’t big head approved and their fabric ear cups can get itchy at times. Now ive said this in the past, you can have a pair of headphones that sound great and block out a ton noise… which is what we have with the AirPods Max… but if your headphones don’t fit well you’re not going to want to wear them. Which is a shame cause I really like how these headphones sound. So comfort is the main reason why I still recommend either of Bose’s headphones over the AirPods Max.
Now if you’re currently rocking the Bose QC 35’s I do think that its time for an upgrade. The reduced cabin pressure on the Bose NC 700’s is a very welcomed benefit… but you also get a super useful ambient mode. Along since a better sounding microphone for phone calls and USB C charging is nice. However if you’re currently rocking the Bose NC 700’s I don’t think there’s any need to upgrade. The only reason you’ll might want to upgrade from the Bose NC 700 is better sound… and if thats that case then I would recommend the Momentum 3’s over the AirPods Max sound quality wise.