Are AirPods Max Worth It for Music Production? My Brutally Honest Review

If you had told me a year ago that I’d be sitting here defending the AirPods Max, I would’ve laughed.

On paper, they’re everything I don’t like about headphones:

• $550 MSRP
• A soft mesh headband that looks like it would rip if you look at it wrong
• A case that feels more like a little purse than a protective shell
• No way to actually “turn them off” unless you put them in said purse
• And they’re heavy. Like, “skull fatigue” heavy.

So when I bought a refurbished USB-C pair from Best Buy, it wasn’t because I was excited to join the hype. It was because I wanted to test them for music production and, if I’m being honest, I fully expected to make a video absolutely tearing them apart.

Two months later, I’m… kind of in love with them.

This is my honest, producer-focused review of the AirPods Max — the good, the bad, and whether I think they’re worth it if you’re making music on a Mac.

Why I Bought AirPods Max (Even Though I Didn’t Want To)

The reason I grabbed a pair wasn’t to have another shiny Apple toy. It was very specific:

I wanted to know if AirPods Max could actually work for music production.

Most people listening to your music in 2025 are doing it on:

• AirPods
• AirPods Pro
• AirPods Max
• Or some other consumer wireless headphones

So there’s a real argument for mixing and checking your music on the same type of device your listeners use.

I picked up:

• The USB-C version (for lossless over wire)
• Refurbished from Best Buy (around $120 cheaper than new)
• In that light blue color, because why not

My expectation:
Use them for a couple weeks, confirm they’re overpriced, make a “don’t waste your money” video, move on.

What actually happened: I started to see why people are obsessed with them.

Classic Apple Move: They Just Work

If there’s one thing Apple is consistently good at, it’s this: their stuff works together.

The AirPods Max are no exception.

You take them out of the case, put them on your head, and:

• They instantly connect to your nearby Apple device
• They play nice with your Mac Studio, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc.
• There’s no pairing dance, no “hold this button for three seconds,” no “forget this device, try again” nonsense

For production, this matters more than people admit. When you’re in a creative flow, you don’t want tech friction. You want to sit down, put the headphones on, and start working.

With the AirPods Max, that part is incredibly smooth.

The Noise Control Modes: Transparency vs Noise Cancellation

Let’s talk about the three modes, because they define a lot of how I actually use these:

1. Off – Regular passive isolation. You hear your mix clearly, but outside sounds are muffled.
2. Transparency Mode – You hear the outside world and your mix at the same time.
3. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) – External noise gets sucked out of your life.

Noise Cancellation: Sanity Saver, Not Just a Gimmick

I’ve had construction going on at my house for months — saws, drills, hammering, the whole package.

Noise cancellation on the AirPods Max has genuinely saved my sanity.

• I pop them on
• Turn on ANC
• Play some music or jump on a Zoom call

…and the chaos drops to a dull memory. It’s fantastic for:

• Working in noisy environments
• Plane rides
• Shared spaces where you still need to focus

But ironically, ANC is not my favorite mode for music production.

Transparency Mode: The Secret Sauce for Mixing

Here’s where these headphones did something I genuinely didn’t expect:

In Transparency Mode, they almost feel like mixing on studio monitors in a room.

Not in a “these replace proper speakers” way — let’s not get carried away — but in this sense:

• You hear your mix clearly
• You also hear the room around you
• You’re not fully sealed off from reality
• People can talk to you, and you’ll hear them

There’s something incredibly natural about hearing:

• Your computer fans
• Your chair creaks
• Ambient room noise

…while you’re also hearing your mix in detail. It tricks your brain a little into that “I’m in a room with speakers” sensation, instead of the usual “I’m locked inside my own head with headphones” feeling.

I found myself loving transparency mode for mixing, especially for:

• Balancing vocals
• Checking how loud things feel in a more natural context
• Working longer without feeling completely boxed in

ANC is great for editing or sound design when I want to block everything out.
Transparency is where the magic is for mixing.

But Are They Actually Good for Music Production?

Short answer: They’re better than I expected — especially as a secondary reference.

I still love my Audio-Technica studio headphones (the ones I’ve beaten to death on this channel) for more traditional, neutral mixing. They’re light, purpose-built, predictable, and honestly still unbeatable in the $100–$150 range.

But the AirPods Max bring something different to the table:

• They reflect Apple’s tuning, which is how a lot of your audience will experience your music.
• They’re fun to mix on. That matters more than people think.
• They’re accurate enough to make meaningful mix decisions, especially when paired with another listening system.

I mixed my recent track — a cover of “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit in the style of Underoath — using these as part of the process. (Yes, the screams are AI-assisted versions of my voice because I can’t actually scream like Spencer. The rest of the vocals and production are fully me.)

Were they perfect studio monitors? No.
Did they help me get a mix that translated well to other devices? Yes.
Did I enjoy the process of producing in them? A lot more than I thought I would.

If you’re a producer who:

• Works on a Mac
• Already lives inside the Apple ecosystem
• And wants a set of headphones that double as travel, entertainment, meetings, and music production cans…

…then AirPods Max are surprisingly capable.

The Ergonomics: Comfort, Weight, and Skull Fatigue

Let’s talk about the elephant on your head: these things are heavy.

They’re not flimsy plastic. You’ve got:

• Metal arms
• Metal cups
• A big mesh headband

When you first put them on, they feel premium. After a while, they feel… present. Very present.

Where traditional lightweight studio headphones give you ear fatigue, the AirPods Max can give you what I jokingly call skull fatigue:

• Pressure from the top band
• Weight pressing down over longer sessions
• The feeling that you need to take them off after 20–30 minutes to let your head relax

I don’t see myself doing 3-hour nonstop recording/mixing sessions in these. My pattern has become:

• 20–30 minutes on
• Take a break
• Put them back on when I’m ready to focus again

For short bursts, they’re totally fine. For marathon sessions, I’d reach for something lighter.

The Disconnect Quirk: Logic’s “Hey, New Audio Device?” Prompt

One behavior that gets old very fast is this:

• You take the AirPods Max off your head
• Your Mac assumes you’re done with them
• They disconnect as an audio device

Logic (or whatever DAW you’re using) pops up:

“Your audio device has changed. Do you want to switch to another output?”

Sometimes I just want to give my head a break for a minute without confusing my entire audio routing.

It’s a small thing, but if you’re in a DAW all day, these are the kinds of friction points that matter. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s the opposite of “frictionless Apple magic.”

Zoom Calls, Meetings, and Everyday Use

Outside of music production, these headphones are a beast for day-to-day work.

Zoom Meetings

In a noisy construction zone, these have been clutch:

• Noise cancellation makes the outside world disappear
• I can fully focus on the conversation
• No one on the call has to hear the chaos around me if I mute properly
• I hear everything clearly, even at lower volumes

For remote work, especially if you often find yourself in less-than-ideal acoustic environments, they’re a major upgrade over earbuds or laptop speakers.

Watching Movies & TV

I’ve also paired them with my Google TV for movie nights, and they’re ridiculously immersive.

• Wide soundstage
• Great low-end
• Strong sense of depth and space

If you live with other people and want late-night movie sessions without waking anyone up, these are fantastic.

Battery Life, The Case, and the “Always On” Problem

Let’s get into the stuff I really don’t like.

First, the case.

It’s less of a case and more of a weird little headphone bra that doesn’t inspire any confidence. It:

• Doesn’t fully protect the headphones
• Feels awkward to store
• Is the only way to put them into their ultra low-power state

The result?

If you forget to put them back in the case, they just sit there slowly draining battery.

I can’t tell you how many times this has happened:

• I take them off
• Set them down on my desk
• Come back later
• They’re down to something like 11% battery

Is the battery life inherently bad? Not really.
Is the implementation inconvenient for real human behavior? Absolutely.

Most people aren’t going to baby their headphones and tuck them into their little purse every single time. And when you forget, you pay for it later.

USB-C charging helps a lot — quick top-ups are easy. But still, I wish there was a real power button or a more practical case design.

USB-C and Lossless Audio

On the plus side, the USB-C port is a huge win.

I used the included cable to connect them directly to my Mac for lossless wired monitoring, especially while mixing. The audio quality was excellent, and I prefer that reliability over Bluetooth when working on music.

Minor downside:
The included cable is short — about three feet. If you’re used to a long studio cable that can snake around your desk (like with traditional headphones), this will feel restrictive.

The fix is obvious: buy a longer USB-C cable. But out of the box, expect to be somewhat tethered.

Refurb or New? How I Saved Money

Would I pay $550 for these? Honestly, I’m not sure I would.

Would I buy them refurbished again? Absolutely.

I picked mine up:

• Refurbished through Best Buy
• Around $120 cheaper than the new price
• Still in great condition, with the original box and everything

If you’re on the fence, I highly recommend looking at refurbished or certified pre-owned options from trusted resellers. You get:

• The same sound
• The same build quality
• The same features
• For significantly less money

At the refurbished price I paid, I’m much more comfortable with the value proposition.

The Digital Crown: A Tiny Detail That’s Weirdly Perfect

One thing Apple absolutely nailed is the volume control.

Instead of:

• Tapping ear cups
• Swiping awkwardly
• Hunting for tiny buttons

…the AirPods Max give you a digital crown on the top of one ear cup. You just roll it to adjust the volume.

It sounds minor, but in real-world use, it’s amazing.

• You don’t have to look for anything
• You get precise control
• You can make quick micro-adjustments while mixing or watching something

It’s one of those design decisions that reminds you why Apple products are so addicting to use.

Final Verdict: Are AirPods Max Worth It for Music Producers?

Here’s my brutally honest take after two months of real use:

What I Love

• Seamless connection with Apple devices
• Noise cancellation that genuinely saves your sanity
• Transparency mode that feels surprisingly “like a room” for mixing
• Great sound for both entertainment and production
• USB-C and lossless wired monitoring
• Fantastic for meetings, Zoom calls, and travel
• Refurb pricing makes them much easier to justify
• That digital crown volume control

What I Don’t Love

• They’re heavy – skull fatigue is real
• They disconnect from your Mac the second you take them off
• The case is awkward and encourages battery drain when you forget to use it
• Battery life suffers if you don’t baby the case system
• MSRP is very high

Would I recommend them?

• For pure studio use only? No — I’d point you to good studio cans first.
• For someone who lives in the Apple ecosystem and wants one pair of headphones for music production, meetings, flights, movies, and daily life?
  👉 Yes. In that case, they make a lot of sense.

I still don’t think they’re perfect. I still think the case is dumb.
But if I woke up tomorrow and my AirPods Max were gone?

I’d miss them. A lot.

Watch the video review below.