Apple AirPods Max 2 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2

Apple AirPods Max 2

The clearest win of this generation. The H2 chip and a new high-dynamic-range amplifier give the AirPods Max 2 a noticeably cleaner, more detailed and better-controlled sound than the original — though the tuning leans bright and there is still no manual EQ.

• The original amplifier had limited headroom and a higher noise floor that capped sound quality; the new high-dynamic-range amp removes that ceiling, and the bass is more accurate and less bloated than the original AirPods Max.
• Apple says any improvement in sound and noise cancelling is strictly down to the H2 chip and a new high dynamic range driver — Apple did not change the physical design.
• Z Reviews describes the Max 2's sound as open, clean, detailed and neutral-bright — very detailed and energetic, not the front-of-class leap Apple's '1.5x better' marketing implied.