This audio engineer is a huge Apple fan. But he thinks you shouldn’t buy the AirPods Max.

• Audio engineer Theo Browne recently criticized Apple’s AirPods Max for their sound quality and price.
• Browne, a fan of the AirPods Pro, finds the mid-range sounds of the AirPods Max disappointing.
• Browne and another audio expert broke down why they suggest alternative over-ear headphones.

You don’t have to look far to see Apple’s AirPods Max headphones in the wild, whether it’s on your morning commute or worn by someone on TikTok.

But if you’re considering purchasing headphones, an audio engineer and self-proclaimed “Apple fanboy” says you should think again.

Theo Browne, a tech YouTuber and founder of online audio and video platform Ping Labs, told Business Insider that despite being an avid fan of the AirPods Pro — which he says sound as good as in-ear headphones that cost hundreds more — Apple’s over-ear counterpart, the AirPods Max, is a disappointment.

In a tweet that has now received over 800,000 views, Browne even warned people: “Do NOT buy AirPods Max.”

The AirPods Max, first released in December 2020 before Apple refreshed them in September, retails for $549 — a heftier price compared to other popular competitors from companies like Sony and Bose.

Browne walked BI through why he feels that the AirPod Max’s cost makes it “insulting” to customers expecting a premium audio experience worthy of the price point.

Sound and fit concerns

Browne said that the bass and treble, or the low and high frequencies of sounds, are generally adequate on the Max, but the mid-range sounds are where the headphones fall flat.

“The big issue is those mid-range sounds where people’s voices are, where a guitar would be, where most of the interesting parts of a song are,” he said.

For example, Browne said he found that the experience of listening to the British band Metronomy, who use real instruments, was distorted by the AirPods Max.

“And it was just flooring to me, how little of the instrumentation you could hear and how weirdly placed his voice was,” he said.

Another audio science enthusiast, Douglas Stephens, who goes by “DMS” online and reviews audio equipment for Headphones.com, agreed that the sound quality when listening to music on the AirPods Max was lacking.

Stephens, who previously owned a recording studio, told Business Insider that the resulting sound was “unnatural” and “muffled” in some parts of the treble response while “bright and piercing” in other parts.

Some people have also complained online about the fit of the headphones during long durations. Stephens said it could be due to the way the headband connects to the ear cushions, suggesting the design, which “looks pretty,” may “apply uneven pressure.”

While Apple launched new colors and added a USB-C charging port in its AirPods Max refresh in September, there’s still no way to actually turn the headphones off. Instead, users can only set them to low power mode by either putting them down for 5 minutes or placing them in the accompanying Smart Case.

“I could put them on my desk, and they’ll be dead when I go to pick them up,” Browne said, referring to longer periods without using the headphones, which offer up to 20 hours of battery life, according to the company.

After 72 stationary hours out of the case, the AirPods Max will be set to an even lower power mode that turns off Bluetooth and Find Me. But the Smart Case — a unique design that some compared to a purse or bra — does not actually charge the headphones itself, which still requires a cord to charge it.

Apple did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The headphones do have their perks

Browne and Stephens said that there are areas where the AirPods Max shines. Like the other AirPods, they said the AirPods Max offers an outstanding experience with active noise cancellation, spatial audio, and transparency modes.

“Personally, I think that their transparency mode is the best that I’ve ever heard in a product period,” Stephens said. “I definitely would describe them as class-leading for that.”

He said that one aspect of the transparency mode that is “particularly well designed” is its ability to pick up the direction of outside noise very well.

“It’s actually particularly easy, compared to others, to be able to tell in the transparency mode if someone is behind you is talking,” he said. “That the sound is coming from behind you, which is really cool.”

Apple’s top-notch active noise cancellation (ANC) similarly shines with the AirPods Max, they said.

“Its ability to silence noise from the outside is the highest of anything ever made,” Browne said.

But overall, Browne said that there are “so many better options for so much less.”

Try these alternatives

Browne recommends the Philips Audio SHP9500 as a great budget option that retails for under $100.

For a wireless option, he points to any of the Sony noise-canceling headphones, including the popular Sony WH-1000XM5, which cost $399.99. (Business Insider’s headphone reviewer, Antonio Villas-Boas, called the cans “the best wireless over-ear headphones you can buy” in his 2022 review.)

Stephens personally recommended the AKG N700NC (which are listed for $99 on the AKG website but sold out) or the Focal Bathys, a much higher-end option that will run you $699.

While much pricier, he considers the Focal Bathys to be “probably the best Bluetooth headphones on the entire market right now.”