I thought I'd put up a comparison of the AirPods Max (APM) and the Bang and Olufsen H95 (H95's) Headphones. I've owned both for a while now (initially returning my APM - will get into that later) but thought some my be interested in a comparison of these two very nice and expensive wireless headphones. Most of the pictures are going to be of the H95s as there are a million pictures of the AirPods Max on here.
The cases.
Obviously this is a win for the H95's. The APM case is just kind of lazy in my opinion. It is somewhat functional but overall not very protective and just kind of stupid looking. The H95 case is really really nice. Its aluminum and is total quality. Although I will say not super travel friendly either as it is a little bulky but not preventative from throwing it in a bag. I'd give the win here to the H95s as its just a more quality case. It also has this nice little compartment for storing your audio and charging cables. I also like that the H95s fold up and also fold inward. It makes traveling with them nicer as well as wearing them around your neck much more comfortable. They also provide braided USB-C and Audio Cable which is a nice touch. I'm just not a fan of the flimsy lightning connector that Apple provides.
Winner: H95, although 3rd party cases could render this a win for Apple. But out of the box its the H95's.
Build quality:
Both of these Headphones are built extremely well. Both are aluminum with different types of bands and materials used in their respective bands. The H95s have aluminum bands and the APM use stainless steel. Both feel premium. I am going to give the edge here though to the H95s as they use premium leather on the ear cups as opposed to the mesh material Apple uses. To me the leather feels better and just has more quality to it. Both have magnetic ear cups and physical buttons to control noise cancelling and volume. I personally love both implementations here but think the dials on the H95s are slightly better as you can adjust the ANC and Transparency to your liking by rotating the dial up and down. Same with the volume. This isn't to say that Apple's implementation is bad, its also great. But I personally like the H95s a little better. The other reason the H95s win for me here too is because they have an off button which I find it ridiculous that the APM don't have that simple feature.
You could make the argument that Apple went with the material they use to make it more breathable. I have not found that to be the case. If I wear the APM for extended periods I do get slight condensation on the inside of the headphones that many others have reported. With the H95's I have never had this occur. I don't know why the APM causes this but I think it does have something to do with the material that Apple went with for the ear cups. For whatever reason it traps all moisture and causes that condensation build up. To me its not a big issue as I haven't had problems but only time will tell if this is going to be something that causes issues for the Airpods Max.
Winner: H95
Looks:
So obviously this is purely subjective (as are most things here) but this is a tough one for me. I love the look of both of these headphones. I do think that the APM look sleeker when on so I'm going to give them the win here. Apple knows how to differentiate their devices from others and the Airpods Max are immediately recognizable. The H95's to me also look fantastic but they honestly just look like any other set of headphones when you are wearing them. Nothing wrong with that of course but the AirPods Max just look cooler in my opinion.
Winner: AirPods Max
Comfort:
So I initially blasted the APM for how uncomfortable they were for me and I returned them. Upon returning them I purchased the H95 headphones. I loved everything about the APM but the clamping force of them was crushing my skull and was unbearable after only a few minutes. With that being said, the H95s are extremely comfortable. I can wear them for hours and I don't notice they are on. They are more comfortable than the Sony XM3/XM4 and miles more comfortable than the Bose 700. This is all personal preference but I couldn't be happier with the way the H95's feel on my head.
Fast forward to a few days ago and me being in the Apple store. I've heard so many people talk about how comfortable the APM are and it continued to bother me that comfort was such an issue for me with them. I was picking up my wife's new phone and I asked if they had any APM in stock and they had one pair and I bought them. All I can say is that I now know that there was something wrong with my first pair of APM. The comfort of this new pair is night and day compared to my original pair. The crushing clamping force is not at all there and even with their heavy weight they are extremely comfortable for me to wear for hours on end with zero issues. I'm not sure why the first pair I got clamped so hard but there was clearly something wrong with them as these are awesome to wear for extended periods of time with zero issues.
The ear cup openings are slightly larger on the H95's which I find adds to them being even more comfortable than the APM
I have to give a slight edge to the H95's on comfort. The larger ear cup openings as well as the lighter weight gives them a minor win here. Both are extremely comfortable to wear but the H95's edge out the APM just barely.
Winner: H95 (but both are very comfortable)
ANC and Transparency:
This one is a win for the APM. They just do a better overall job of cancelling out sound and also producing a more natural sound in transparency mode. That's not to say that the H95s are bad at this, they are excellent. But somehow Apple has shown everyone what ANC is supposed to be. It drowns out nearly all sound and transparency is incredible, especially on phone calls. One thing I do like with the H95s is the ability to customize both ANC and Transparency with the dial. Its a really nice feature and I enjoy being able to turn the dial on the left side of the headphones to customize the ANC and Transparency. But with that being said, Apple still wins here. I had initially thought that they were equal on ANC but with my second pair of APM that I can directly compare against the H95's I can say that Apple is the clear winner here in both categories.
Winner: AirPods Max
Sound:
Let me preface this by saying I am not an audiophile. I like clean sounding music that isn't muddled or super base heavy. I've found both the Sony XM3s and XM4s way to muddled and base heavy for my liking and Bose is overall fine but nothing spectacular.. So the question is, which headphone has a better sound? In my opinion, and again, this is purely subjective, I think the H95s do sound better overall. They are honestly the best sounding wireless earphones I have ever used. This is not a knock against the APM in any way. They sound incredible and Apple has knocked it out of the park sound wise. But when compared with the H95s they just aren't quite at that level. Both sound awesome but if I had to say which one sounds better it would be the H95's. Apple kills it with Spatial audio, but I honestly feel like the H95's have constant spatial audio on for every device you are connected to. They sound that good. The H95s are also louder than the APM but I feel like both are easily loud enough for me.
Winner: H95
Extras:
I think switching from iPhone to iPad on the APM is nice because it does it automatically, but this isn't a big deal to me as its literally the push of a button to switch to the H95s. Its a wash for me on iPhone to Mac as both have needed for me to actually go to Bluetooth in the Menu bar and connect them. Both have multi-point and can be switched very easily. Auto switching with the APM is nice when it works, but I've found it to be mostly buggy and not really a feature that distinguishes the APM from any other wireless headphones right now. I would give the win here to Apple though as immediate pairing across all devices is nice and things like Siri announcing messages just makes using Apple devices together a nice experience.
Winner: AirPods Max
Price: The APM obviously wins here. I do feel like you get a little more for your money with the H95s, but at $800 they are some of the most expensive wireless headphones on the market. For the $549 Apple is asking for I feel like they are appropriately priced. They are far and away better than anything Sony or Bose has out there and deserve to be priced where they are.
Winner: AirPods Max
In summary, you can't go wrong with either sets up these headphones. Apple's first foray into over ear headphones is an awesome experience. The Band and Olufsen H95s are perfect to me in almost every way, but super expensive. If I was going to keep one pair of these I honestly don't know which one I would keep. I am going to keep both as I like what both bring to the table. You absolutely cannot go wrong with either and my guess is that the next version of APM will be even better than the H95s as Apple will have perfected the design and features. If I had to recommend one it would be the AirPods Max simply based on price. I think Apple has done a tremendous job with their first set of wireless over ear headphones (outside of Beats) and I feel like they are absolutely worth what they are charging. For someone who is a little more picky with audio I would recommend the H95's. They are expensive, but pure luxury both in build quality and sound.
Anyway, that's all I have. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
The cases.
Obviously this is a win for the H95's. The APM case is just kind of lazy in my opinion. It is somewhat functional but overall not very protective and just kind of stupid looking. The H95 case is really really nice. Its aluminum and is total quality. Although I will say not super travel friendly either as it is a little bulky but not preventative from throwing it in a bag. I'd give the win here to the H95s as its just a more quality case. It also has this nice little compartment for storing your audio and charging cables. I also like that the H95s fold up and also fold inward. It makes traveling with them nicer as well as wearing them around your neck much more comfortable. They also provide braided USB-C and Audio Cable which is a nice touch. I'm just not a fan of the flimsy lightning connector that Apple provides.
Winner: H95, although 3rd party cases could render this a win for Apple. But out of the box its the H95's.
Build quality:
Both of these Headphones are built extremely well. Both are aluminum with different types of bands and materials used in their respective bands. The H95s have aluminum bands and the APM use stainless steel. Both feel premium. I am going to give the edge here though to the H95s as they use premium leather on the ear cups as opposed to the mesh material Apple uses. To me the leather feels better and just has more quality to it. Both have magnetic ear cups and physical buttons to control noise cancelling and volume. I personally love both implementations here but think the dials on the H95s are slightly better as you can adjust the ANC and Transparency to your liking by rotating the dial up and down. Same with the volume. This isn't to say that Apple's implementation is bad, its also great. But I personally like the H95s a little better. The other reason the H95s win for me here too is because they have an off button which I find it ridiculous that the APM don't have that simple feature.
You could make the argument that Apple went with the material they use to make it more breathable. I have not found that to be the case. If I wear the APM for extended periods I do get slight condensation on the inside of the headphones that many others have reported. With the H95's I have never had this occur. I don't know why the APM causes this but I think it does have something to do with the material that Apple went with for the ear cups. For whatever reason it traps all moisture and causes that condensation build up. To me its not a big issue as I haven't had problems but only time will tell if this is going to be something that causes issues for the Airpods Max.
Winner: H95
Looks:
So obviously this is purely subjective (as are most things here) but this is a tough one for me. I love the look of both of these headphones. I do think that the APM look sleeker when on so I'm going to give them the win here. Apple knows how to differentiate their devices from others and the Airpods Max are immediately recognizable. The H95's to me also look fantastic but they honestly just look like any other set of headphones when you are wearing them. Nothing wrong with that of course but the AirPods Max just look cooler in my opinion.
Winner: AirPods Max
Comfort:
So I initially blasted the APM for how uncomfortable they were for me and I returned them. Upon returning them I purchased the H95 headphones. I loved everything about the APM but the clamping force of them was crushing my skull and was unbearable after only a few minutes. With that being said, the H95s are extremely comfortable. I can wear them for hours and I don't notice they are on. They are more comfortable than the Sony XM3/XM4 and miles more comfortable than the Bose 700. This is all personal preference but I couldn't be happier with the way the H95's feel on my head.
Fast forward to a few days ago and me being in the Apple store. I've heard so many people talk about how comfortable the APM are and it continued to bother me that comfort was such an issue for me with them. I was picking up my wife's new phone and I asked if they had any APM in stock and they had one pair and I bought them. All I can say is that I now know that there was something wrong with my first pair of APM. The comfort of this new pair is night and day compared to my original pair. The crushing clamping force is not at all there and even with their heavy weight they are extremely comfortable for me to wear for hours on end with zero issues. I'm not sure why the first pair I got clamped so hard but there was clearly something wrong with them as these are awesome to wear for extended periods of time with zero issues.
The ear cup openings are slightly larger on the H95's which I find adds to them being even more comfortable than the APM
I have to give a slight edge to the H95's on comfort. The larger ear cup openings as well as the lighter weight gives them a minor win here. Both are extremely comfortable to wear but the H95's edge out the APM just barely.
Winner: H95 (but both are very comfortable)
ANC and Transparency:
This one is a win for the APM. They just do a better overall job of cancelling out sound and also producing a more natural sound in transparency mode. That's not to say that the H95s are bad at this, they are excellent. But somehow Apple has shown everyone what ANC is supposed to be. It drowns out nearly all sound and transparency is incredible, especially on phone calls. One thing I do like with the H95s is the ability to customize both ANC and Transparency with the dial. Its a really nice feature and I enjoy being able to turn the dial on the left side of the headphones to customize the ANC and Transparency. But with that being said, Apple still wins here. I had initially thought that they were equal on ANC but with my second pair of APM that I can directly compare against the H95's I can say that Apple is the clear winner here in both categories.
Winner: AirPods Max
Sound:
Let me preface this by saying I am not an audiophile. I like clean sounding music that isn't muddled or super base heavy. I've found both the Sony XM3s and XM4s way to muddled and base heavy for my liking and Bose is overall fine but nothing spectacular.. So the question is, which headphone has a better sound? In my opinion, and again, this is purely subjective, I think the H95s do sound better overall. They are honestly the best sounding wireless earphones I have ever used. This is not a knock against the APM in any way. They sound incredible and Apple has knocked it out of the park sound wise. But when compared with the H95s they just aren't quite at that level. Both sound awesome but if I had to say which one sounds better it would be the H95's. Apple kills it with Spatial audio, but I honestly feel like the H95's have constant spatial audio on for every device you are connected to. They sound that good. The H95s are also louder than the APM but I feel like both are easily loud enough for me.
Winner: H95
Extras:
I think switching from iPhone to iPad on the APM is nice because it does it automatically, but this isn't a big deal to me as its literally the push of a button to switch to the H95s. Its a wash for me on iPhone to Mac as both have needed for me to actually go to Bluetooth in the Menu bar and connect them. Both have multi-point and can be switched very easily. Auto switching with the APM is nice when it works, but I've found it to be mostly buggy and not really a feature that distinguishes the APM from any other wireless headphones right now. I would give the win here to Apple though as immediate pairing across all devices is nice and things like Siri announcing messages just makes using Apple devices together a nice experience.
Winner: AirPods Max
Price: The APM obviously wins here. I do feel like you get a little more for your money with the H95s, but at $800 they are some of the most expensive wireless headphones on the market. For the $549 Apple is asking for I feel like they are appropriately priced. They are far and away better than anything Sony or Bose has out there and deserve to be priced where they are.
Winner: AirPods Max
In summary, you can't go wrong with either sets up these headphones. Apple's first foray into over ear headphones is an awesome experience. The Band and Olufsen H95s are perfect to me in almost every way, but super expensive. If I was going to keep one pair of these I honestly don't know which one I would keep. I am going to keep both as I like what both bring to the table. You absolutely cannot go wrong with either and my guess is that the next version of APM will be even better than the H95s as Apple will have perfected the design and features. If I had to recommend one it would be the AirPods Max simply based on price. I think Apple has done a tremendous job with their first set of wireless over ear headphones (outside of Beats) and I feel like they are absolutely worth what they are charging. For someone who is a little more picky with audio I would recommend the H95's. They are expensive, but pure luxury both in build quality and sound.
Anyway, that's all I have. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
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