Despite their high price tag, Apple’s AirPods Max headphones are rather popular. I rated the AirPods Max very highly in my review, praising them for their swanky design, premium sound, excellent noise-canceling and solid voice-calling performance.
Needless to say, they’re designed to work seamlessly with Apple devices and offer features like spatial audio and hands-free Siri that only Apple users can take advantage of. But they’re also expensive, weigh a lot and may not fit everyone’s head well. They carry a list price of $549, though typically sell at retailers like Amazon for around $480 and sometimes less.
Basically, they aren’t for everyone. The good news is that there are plenty of excellent AirPods Max alternatives that cost less — and some, much less. Below are my current top picks, all of which I’ve fully reviewed or had hands-on experience with over several weeks.
And for those who want AirPods Max alternatives, price be damned, check out our list of best high-end Bluetooth headphones and earbuds.
More headphone recommendations
- Best True Wireless Earbuds of 2023
- Best Open Wireless Earbuds That Aren’t AirPods
- Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds of 2023
- Best Wireless Earphones and Wireless Headphones for Making Calls
- Best Headphones of 2023
- Best Cheap Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones Under $100
- Best Headphones for Running in 2023
- Best Over-Ear Headphones of 2023
- Best Cheap Earbuds and Headphones
- Best AirPods Max Accessories for 2023
