AirPods Max vs Pro difference in sound for my use case?

[Sami13496]

Hi, I’d like to ask those of you with personal experience using both the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. How big is the difference in sound quality? Some reviews say that the sound of the Max is mind-blowing, while others claim that there isn’t that much of a difference between the two. For context, I’m not an audiophile or a sound expert on any level—I’m just a regular Apple user. However, I do appreciate a good sound experience when it comes to music and movies. I primarily watch movies through streaming services and also watch videos on YouTube. As for music, I listen through services like Apple Music and Brain.fm. I thought I’d mention this so you understand the kind of audio sources I’m using. Additionally, I mostly listen and watch content at home. ANC doesn’t interest me; sound quality is what’s most important. Thanks!

 

[bookcase]

I use both the Max and the Pros — I think the Max are top (it just seems fuller to me), but they’re nearly identical IMO and neither should disappoint. It’s a matter of which feels more comfortable for you. The Pros are less expensive if you’re okay with ear tips. But if you don’t need NC, you might consider the new well-reviewed AirPods 4.

 

[Cosmo M3]

I have both as well and my use case are as follows:

Airpods Max:

• Couch listening while reading,
• anything that doesn't require a lot of a lot of movement (cooking, just doing things around my home).

Airpods Pro 2:

• Gym, running and any physical activity,
• Out and about (walks and part of my everyday carry in my pocket).

I'm an audiophile myself and while the Airpods Pro 2 and Max's sound quality isn't amazing, I do appreciate their wireless convenience of use within the ecosystem and ANC. When I'm at my desk listening to my Hi-Res Lossless music, I separate equipment for that.

 

[Mackilroy]

The Max is definitely better, but not by such a huge margin that you should regret buying the Pros. I think the main benefit of buying APMs over the Pros is the longer better life and better noise cancelation.

 

[f1vespeed]

In my testing at Apple Stores, I found the APMs to have extremely pleasing bass performance that my APPs (I own both gens) cannot touch, neither can the Beats Studio Pro, or the Sony XM5s. Compared to the APPs, the sound is actually making contact with your skin all throughout the ear cup, not just ear canals directly into your brain, and I'll note that the APM has a nice tight powerful very well-controlled sub-bass sensation without any boominess. This makes the APMs extremely visceral whereas the APPs are not.

HOWEVER, I never thought that the rest of the APM sound was all that great. It feels like everything across the frequency spectrum and all the detail are smeared against a flat surface. It's a bit annoying. The APPs sound better to me overall. However, I haven't tried adjusting EQ using whatever accessibility settings exist, and my experience is limited.

 

[scrane]

I have both and 90% of the time I listen to the Pro 2 because it's more convenient. The sound difference is not a determining factor to me.