Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) vs Sennheiser HDB 630

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Apple

8.2

Recommended

Sennheiser HDB 630

Sennheiser

8.5

The best-sounding wireless headphone — if ANC isn't your priority

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

What Reviewers Agree On

Premium build quality — aluminum and stainless steel feel luxurious
Excellent spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support
ANC is among the best available
USB-C finally replaces Lightning

Deal Breakers

$549 price is hard to justify vs Sony or Bose at $350-400
Smart case still does not fully protect headphones

Pros & Cons

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Pros

Premium build quality — aluminum and stainless steel feel luxurious
Excellent spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support
ANC is among the best available
USB-C finally replaces Lightning

Cons

Detailed Comparison

Sound Quality

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Rich, detailed sound with exceptional spatial audio for movies and music.

Computational audio and spatial audio with head tracking are genuinely immersive
Warm, rich sound signature excels with vocals and acoustic music
No aptX or LDAC — limited to AAC Bluetooth which caps lossless potential

Sennheiser HDB 630

The HDB 630's headline strength. Reviewers describe a warm-neutral, natural HD 600-series tuning with a standout midrange, an open and spacious soundstage for a closed-back, and enough neutrality to make it the most EQ-friendly wireless headphone on the market. The consensus is that it is the best-sounding wireless headphone at $500.

Crinacle calls it the best-sounding premium wireless headphone available today — nothing is over- or under-emphasised, everything just sounds natural and 'normal'.

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Best-sounding wireless headphone in its class — a warm-neutral, natural HD 600-style tuning that reviewers rank above the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QC Ultra and AirPods Max
Class-leading 50-60 hour battery life with ANC on (independently measured at ~54 hours), with a 10-minute quick charge returning ~7 hours and a ~1.5-2 hour full charge
True hi-res wired and USB-C listening at 24-bit/96kHz, plus an included BTD 700 dongle that delivers aptX Adaptive to any device — solving the iPhone/Windows codec gap in hardware
An exceptionally deep companion app with a 5-band professional parametric EQ (adjustable frequency, Q and shelves) that reviewers call the best EQ in any wireless headphone
Sound stays consistent as the battery drains and the headphone runs equally well wired, wireless or via the dongle — genuine flexibility for audiophiles
Good all-day comfort with plush, beefed-up padding and a folding, travel-friendly design

Deal Breakers

Active noise cancellation is the weakest of the premium flagships — clearly outclassed by Sony, Bose and Apple, especially on mid-frequency chatter and low rumble
The build is largely plastic and feels under-built for a $500 headphone, with reviewers wishing for metal in the headband or cups
Ear pads are not the most spacious — larger ears touch the inside, and the clamp can require a break after about two hours for some wearers
Microphone and call quality are mediocre, with the mic optimized only to ~10kHz so even the BTD 700 dongle's wideband codec brings little improvement
Touch controls are the slowest-responding of the premium pack, and some early units had touchpad/wear-detection bugs in multipoint mode

Sennheiser HDB 630

Pros

Best-sounding wireless headphone in its class — a warm-neutral, natural HD 600-style tuning that reviewers rank above the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QC Ultra and AirPods Max
Class-leading 50-60 hour battery life with ANC on (independently measured at ~54 hours), with a 10-minute quick charge returning ~7 hours and a ~1.5-2 hour full charge
True hi-res wired and USB-C listening at 24-bit/96kHz, plus an included BTD 700 dongle that delivers aptX Adaptive to any device — solving the iPhone/Windows codec gap in hardware
An exceptionally deep companion app with a 5-band professional parametric EQ (adjustable frequency, Q and shelves) that reviewers call the best EQ in any wireless headphone
Sound stays consistent as the battery drains and the headphone runs equally well wired, wireless or via the dongle — genuine flexibility for audiophiles
Good all-day comfort with plush, beefed-up padding and a folding, travel-friendly design

Cons

Active noise cancellation is the weakest of the premium flagships — clearly outclassed by Sony, Bose and Apple, especially on mid-frequency chatter and low rumble
The build is largely plastic and feels under-built for a $500 headphone, with reviewers wishing for metal in the headband or cups
Ear pads are not the most spacious — larger ears touch the inside, and the clamp can require a break after about two hours for some wearers
Microphone and call quality are mediocre, with the mic optimized only to ~10kHz so even the BTD 700 dongle's wideband codec brings little improvement
Touch controls are the slowest-responding of the premium pack, and some early units had touchpad/wear-detection bugs in multipoint mode

Noise Cancellation

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Top-tier ANC with excellent transparency mode.

ANC is excellent — not quite Sony XM6 level but very close
Transparency mode is the best in the industry — sounds natural

Sennheiser HDB 630

The HDB 630's clearest weakness relative to its $500 rivals. Reviewers agree passive isolation is good, but active cancellation is the weakest of the premium flagships — outclassed by Sony, Bose and Apple, particularly in the mid frequencies where voices and chatter sit.

SoundGuys says the real improvement over previous Sennheisers is the passive isolation, not the ANC, and that achievable noise attenuation varies significantly with fit.
In SoundGuys' lab test the HDB 630 reduced outside noise by an average of 83%, versus 87% for the Sony WH-1000XM6.
RTINGS notes the very lowest rumbles of a bus or plane engine can still creep in and mid-frequency attenuation is weaker than competitors, though most everyday noise is heavily reduced.
Crinacle calls the ANC the biggest weakness of the 630 — absolutely outclassed by the 'big three' for maximum isolation.
The Headphone Show steers buyers whose top priority is cancelling noise toward the Sony WH-1000XM6 instead.
RecordingNOW says the noise cancelling and build quality are the two areas keeping the HDB 630 from a perfect score.
Running ANC at 100% applies very high acoustic pressure on the ears — one reviewer dialled it down to 75% for comfort.
Switching on transparency (passthrough) mode noticeably degrades sound quality — bass loses power and volume drops, because the processor favours the wired/clean path.
Owner take: one Reddit user finds the ANC fine for everyday use but notes that on flights it can cause headaches and is more annoying to toggle than rivals.