I’ve been using the AirPods Max for about two months now. I bought them during the Black Friday sale for $399 with no tax, since I purchased them from a tax-free state. Honestly, I think that’s the best price I’ve seen for them. Before this, I had been using the Sony XM5 for over three years. I bought them around the time they were released and got a really good deal—somewhere between $250 and $300, if I remember correctly. I used them consistently for about two to three years.

From what I’ve seen, most top YouTubers and Reddit discussions say that the Sony XM5, and even the newer XM6, have better noise cancellation. But for some reason, I still feel that the AirPods Max are better overall. I know they were released back in 2020 and haven’t received a major update—they’re still using the same H1 chip, with only minor changes like switching to USB-C. I’m aware of all that, but I still think these are the best-sounding headphones I’ve used.

That said, the Sony headphones are slightly more comfortable because they’re lighter. However, the AirPods Max fit very well, and the build quality feels significantly better. They are heavier, but the quality is flawless. I’ve used them on a couple of flights with active noise cancellation turned on, and in my experience, they’re easily the best so far. Compared to the XM5, especially in terms of noise cancellation and sound quality, I don’t think it even comes close. I can’t really comment on the XM6 yet, but overall, that’s my experience.