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Battle Royale (with Cheese): AirPods Max Vs. Cheap Headphones
Do you get what you pay for?
When reviewers got their hands on AirPods Max, a lot of them did the exact same thing: they compared them to the “standard”, the headphones that people were already spending hundreds of dollars on. Sony’s XM4’s, for example. Most of them were asking the same questions, too: which sounded better? Or, more aptly, were the AirPods Max worth their high price tag?
That’s not what I’m doing here today. Not at all. I mean… what more could I possibly add to that conversation?
No, today I’ve decided to compare the AirPods Max to two of the cheapest over-ear headphones I’ve ever tried out on my head. You see, I’m not interested in finding out if the AirPods are worth spending an extra $100-$200 more; I want to find out if they are worth five times more than some good, cheap headphones.
I’m also doing this battle a little differently; I’m not going to be reviewing each of the headphones in this battle- for one thing, I’ve already reviewed the AirPods Max (which you can read here). Instead, I’m going to break it down into sections such as design, sound quality, etc., and so forth, and see how the AirPods Max compare to their cheap counterparts.
In each section, I’m going to assign a winner either by giving a point to the AirPods Max or a point collectively to the cheap headphones. In order for the cheap headphones to earn a point, they need to perform the same- or better- than the AirPods Max. For the AirPods Max to earn a point, they need to go above and beyond what the cheap headphones are capable of.
The headphones facing off against the AirPods Max today are Anker’s Soundcore Life Tune XR (as sold at Best Buy; these are called Life Q30 elsewhere) and JLab’s Studio Pro ANC. Will either of these stack up against the mighty AirPods Max? Or will the AirPods Max prove not to be enough bang for your buck? Let’s find out.
…….FIGHT!
Price
There’s no easy way to say it: AirPods Max are f***ing expensive. Unless you buy them refurbished or open-box, expect to pay $549 for the honor of having Apple’s latest and greatest in audio gear. For reference, you can get the iPad Air for only $50…
