Are AirPods Max still among the best headphones with active noise cancellation? Here’s how Apple’s $549 cans compare to a more budget-friendly choice, the $150 Soundcore Space Q45. From design and features to sound performance and battery life, let’s break down the differences between our reviews of both headphones to see how much price matters.
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00:00 Can you really tell the difference between $150 headphones and headphones that cost $400 more?
00:05 Given their relatively unknown name and low price point, you might be quick to dismiss
00:16 the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones, but they're actually some of the best affordable noise-canceling
00:21 headphones that you can buy.
00:23 In fact, there's a lot to like about these Soundcore headphones, but do they have what
00:26 it takes to stand up to the $550 AirPods Max?
00:30 I reviewed these when they first came out about three years ago and found that they
00:48 look great, sound awesome, and have enough smart features to justify the very high $550
00:54 price tag for some people.
00:56 Now, price aside, what do these two headphones offer, and which one is actually right for you?
01:01 Let's start with the basics and why either of these headphones are worth getting in the first place.
01:05 Design is going to be a huge factor for a lot of people.
01:09 I mean, take the AirPods Max.
01:11 These became such a status symbol mostly for how they look.
01:15 They're very iconic, very Apple.
01:17 Now, the Soundcores aren't nearly as recognizable, but in terms of comfort and build quality,
01:22 things get a little bit interesting.
01:24 I've never thought that the AirPods Max are the most comfortable pair of headphones.
01:28 These cushions, they're decent, but the way that the headband is balanced, you don't
01:32 get any extra cushion here.
01:34 When I was trying out the Soundcores, the headband cushion is the first thing that stood
01:38 out, and these ear cups are extra plushy.
01:41 I also like the metallic detail on the top of the headband, though the rest of the headset
01:45 is kind of plasticky.
01:51 It's worth mentioning that after using the AirPods Max for about three years, the ear
01:55 cups are starting to feel a little bit deflated, but on a positive note, they're magnetic,
01:59 so they're removable, replaceable, and washable.
02:02 Both headphones are also one size fits all.
02:05 The Soundcore has this clicky band.
02:07 It's pretty typical, like listen to that, but in very Apple fashion, the telescoping
02:11 arms are like completely silent.
02:14 Do you hear the difference between that?
02:16 In terms of connectivity, both headphones have Bluetooth, but for those who want a wired
02:20 connection, the Soundcore Space One also have a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.
02:25 Unsurprisingly, the AirPods Max only have a lightning port.
02:33 They haven't been updated to USB-C yet, so you're stuck either getting an adapter or
02:37 a solution like the AirFly Pro if you want to hook up to the entertainment console in
02:42 an airplane.
02:43 Of course, if I'm going to talk about connectivity, I have to talk about one of the biggest selling
02:46 points of getting not just AirPods Max, but AirPods in general.
02:50 The AirPods Max have Apple's H1 chip, and although they haven't been updated to the
02:53 newer H2 that's in the AirPods Pro Gen 2, they still offer plenty of connectivity features.
02:59 You can seamlessly pair to any of your Apple devices, switch between devices easily, and
03:03 they also have Find My, so you never have to worry about where you last left them.
03:07 Instead, you might need to worry about battery life.
03:09 The AirPods Max only have 20 hours of active listening time, and they don't have a power
03:14 button, which is something I've just never been able to wrap my head around, which wouldn't
03:18 seem that bad if the Soundcore didn't get up to 50 hours with active noise cancellation
03:23 and up to 65 hours with active noise cancellation turned off.
03:28 Then when your headphones are out of juice, the Soundcore gets you four extra hours with
03:32 a five-minute charge, where you only get an hour and a half with a five-minute charge
03:35 on the AirPods Max.
03:37 Maybe if Apple would just add a power button, things would be easier.
03:40 Whenever I'm testing the ANC performance of headphones, I like to get some anecdotal experience
03:44 around the office or when I'm traveling.
03:47 I've lined up some tracks that simulate the sounds that you might hear while you're commuting
03:50 in a busy city, then some of the high frequencies that you might hear from sirens driving by,
03:55 and then low frequencies that you get from the rumble of an airplane engine.
03:58 Sorry if I'm yelling.
03:59 I already turned on active noise cancellation on the Soundcores, and what I'm going to do
04:03 is play the same track at half volume through my phone's Bluetooth connection.
04:07 Then I'm going to feed in the tracks and see just how much of the outside noise I can hear.
04:11 It's quite faint, and if I am lost in a song, I'm not going to hear it, but it almost sounds
04:16 like there's a very faint background track on my headphones that has people talking in
04:22 the background.
04:23 Someone's talking right now, right?
04:24 That's exactly...
04:25 Yeah, I can hear that.
04:26 I don't hear anything right now.
04:28 During this part of the track, I remember on the Soundcore headphones, I could feel
04:31 like I heard someone talking in the background.
04:33 What?
04:34 No, I didn't hear.
04:36 There was a beeping sound.
04:37 I'm sure you guys heard it.
04:39 I did not hear that at all.
04:41 Even from just that first test, I can tell how the difference in effectiveness is reflected
04:44 in the price.
04:45 Now I'm going in for the low frequency noise, which again is like the rumble of an airplane
04:50 engine.
04:51 It's one of those things where when I take these off right now, I feel like I'm on an
04:54 airplane and I did just take my headphones off.
04:57 Wow.
04:58 Okay, so now that the track was just loading up, I could hear it through.
05:00 For the low frequency sounds, these are very good, but you still are going to hear some
05:04 of that rumbling, especially when you pause your track or skip to the next one.
05:08 The performance for low frequency sounds is so good that even when I'm not playing music,
05:12 a large majority of the low frequency is blocked out and when I do have music playing, I can
05:17 hear absolutely nothing.
05:18 For our last test, we're getting to our high frequencies.
05:21 I could still tell that there was ambient sound, but it was far more bearable than I'm
05:24 sure you guys could hear through my microphone.
05:27 So as was the case with the Soundcore headphones, on the AirPods Max, I can hear the high frequency
05:32 kind of like around my head almost.
05:35 It just has that extra little level of muffling the sound, but these still perform surprisingly
05:39 well for the price.
05:40 And if I had no idea what headphones these were, I would think that they cost more than
05:44 $150.
05:53 So do the AirPods Max sound $400 better?
05:57 Not quite, but I've noticed some key distinctions between the two.
06:00 One thing I really like about the Soundcore is the stereo performance.
06:03 I get a lot of distinction between the different sound elements.
06:07 The bass is good.
06:09 It doesn't give that deep body thump, but if you put these on without having previously
06:14 tried the AirPods Max or the Sony Mark Vs or even the Bose QC Ultra, I don't think you'd
06:19 know what you were missing out on.
06:21 I'm remembering why I like these so much when I first reviewed them.
06:24 The vocals are unmatched and I think that was the biggest difference that I picked up
06:27 compared to the Soundcores.
06:30 The singer sounds like he's right in front of me singing.
06:33 I'm not missing out on any of the nuances or sophistication in the voice.
06:37 I'm getting like a full range of the vocal frequencies and they feel like they're on
06:42 top of the song.
06:44 They're not just getting mixed up and lost.
06:46 By comparison, I'm remembering that the sound of the vocals was a bit murkier on the Soundcore
06:52 headphones.
06:53 The best analogy I could give is that the Soundcores put you in the middle of a concert
06:56 floor, whereas the AirPods Max puts you in the center of the actual stage, especially
07:01 when you factor in a feature like spatial audio that uses head tracking to keep the
07:05 music in place.
07:07 You could turn around in a circle and feel like all the instruments and singers stay
07:10 where they're supposed to be.
07:11 It's pretty cool.
07:13 Is it an extra $400 cool?
07:15 For audiophiles?
07:16 Probably, but for the average listener?
07:19 So what's the deal?
07:20 We have what I would consider the best headphones that you can get for $150 and then we have
07:25 what many would consider the best premium headphones, especially for Apple users.
07:29 No shocker, the AirPods Max have better sound quality, but they also have the conveniences
07:33 of being part of the Apple ecosystem and features like spatial audio are a game changer.
07:38 On the other hand, all-day comfort, a headphone jack, and epic battery life are things that
07:43 matter to a lot of people.
07:45 Don't get me wrong, the AirPods Max walk the walk and talk the talk, but if we're talking
07:49 about practicality, I think these are hard to beat.
07:51 But what do you think?
07:53 Which headphones would you buy?
07:54 Be sure to let me know in the comments below and if you want to see more of what we're
07:57 up to, be sure to follow us on social @tomsguide.
07:59 And as always, I'm @KateKozich.
08:02 Thanks for watching.
08:03 I'll catch you next time.