Best Cheaper Rivals to Apple AirPods Max for 2024: Sony, Bose, AirPods Pro 2 and More [CNET]
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Best Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
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Next-gen Bowers & Wilkins noise-canceling headphones
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Apple’s AirPods Max is one of the best over-ear headphones on the market right now. While the headphones are not without flaws, the AirPods Max did score top marks in my review due to its premium design, impressive audio quality and excellent noise-canceling technology. However, as wonderful as it is for some, it’s not for everybody. Apple’s AirPods Max comes with a hefty price tag and not everyone has the budget for it. If you’re on a tighter budget, I’m happy to inform you that there are plenty of headphone options out there that sound great. I’ve tested several of today’s popular headphones to find the best Apple AirPods Max alternatives. This list includes top noise-canceling headphones and even some that can double as excellent wired headphones if that’s your preference.
The AirPods Max list for $549 at Apple, and even though you can often find them on sale for less, not everyone wants to drop nearly $500 on a pair of headphones. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best AirPods Max alternatives that you can snag for hundreds less. Below are my current top picks, including Apple’s own Beats Studio Pro, all of which I’ve fully reviewed or had hands-on experience with over several weeks.
For those who want AirPods Max alternatives, price be damned, check out our list of the best high-end Bluetooth headphones and earbuds.
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When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. Such is the case for Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they’ve improved with each generation.
Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design but nothing as dramatic as what it’s done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher price tag, most of those changes are good, and Sony’s made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance, as well as even better noise canceling and more refined sound.
Because of all that, the WH-1000XM5 have earned a CNET Editors’ Choice Award.
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Love ’em or hate ’em, Beats Studio headphones are among the most popular headphones of all time, launching as a wired headphone back in 2008. This is their fourth generation, and they carry the same list price as their predecessor and look very similar on the outside but have some big changes on the inside that make them significantly better headphones. I’m tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max. However, that’s not quite accurate due to a choice in chipsets and one notable missing feature. But read our full review to find out what makes this a very good headphone — and good AirPods Max alternative — with some caveats.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
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These headphones are excellent for making calls since you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously.
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The QuietComfort 45 has virtually the same design as its predecessor, the QuietComfort QC35 II, which many people considered one of the most comfortable over-ear headphones — if not the most comfortable. It has the same drivers, according to Bose, and the buttons are in the same place. However, there are small but notable changes. First off, these thankfully have USB-C instead of Micro-USB.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
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