Sitting at my desk at home, before the workday starts, I slip on the AirPods Max. The ear cups warm my ears and the weight of the headphones is reassuring. It took some getting used to at first. It’s not too tight or too loose, but it is not as discreet as the AirPods Pro.

Sometimes I would listen to music. Something from the BEATstrumentals, Chill Mix, Peaceful Music, or Relaxed / Remixed playlist on Apple Music. I get lost in the layers of sound and instruments. Clear and distinct.

Just give the crown on the right ear cup a turn if it is too loud or soft. Press once to stop, press twice to skip, and if the music is really good, press it three times to go back.

Sometimes I would listen to podcasts. Stay current with the latest news, learn something new, or just enjoy a good conversation. All while I tidy up here and there before writing in earnest.

When my mom would barge in just to say she is going out to the farm, I just lift one of the ear cups. Whatever is playing would pause so I can hear the end of her barrage of words and nod. Replacing the ear cup over my ear, it just continues where I left off.

Most of the time, the AirPods Max is silent. Its active noise cancellation, blocking out the world of distractions and allowing me to get into the zone. To write in peace. It works great for when I am listening to something too. 

But, when I need to listen out for something, I press the button on the right ear cup and it goes into Transparency mode. It would sound as if I am not wearing a pair of over the ear headphones. 

When I am ready to wind down for the night, I once again reach for the AirPods Max.

My nightly list is more upbeat. A habit I had when I was younger. I would listen to The Riff and New Music Mix playlists or just browse for something that I have never tried before. 

Comedy, educational, and storytelling podcasts are some of my favourites listens as well.

However, when I am in the mood, I can switch from the podcasts on the iPhone to a show on the iPad just by firing up the Apple TV app. The AirPods Max will continue to play the podcast but switches to whatever device I am using automatically and prioritizes it. Press play and It will stop the podcast and continue with the show.

At the same time, this feature can be troublesome  in edge cases such as when I am listening to something on the iPhone while browsing on the iPad. Any media playing on the iPad would cancel out whatever I was listening to and the controls on the AirPods Max would switch to the iPad, so I have to grab the iPhone and tap on the controls to continue listening. 

Those music documentaries Apple keeps producing like Bruce Springsteen’s Letters To You, Beastie Boys Story, and Billie Elish The World’s A little Blurry sounds amazing on the AirPods Max because of Spatial Audio. 

Sometimes, I would watch shows like For All Mankind, which is on its second season, on the iPad Air, instead of putting it up on the bigger screen just because of how good it sounds on the AirPods Max with active noise cancelling and Spatial Audio turned on.

For me, the AirPods Max is designed for relaxed casual use. If I’m walking around or going places, I would choose the smaller, more mobile, and water-resistant AirPods and AirPods Pro. 

If I am lounging at home or on a long ride, in a bus, car, train, or plane, that’s when I’ll pull out the AirPods Max.

I think this use case is partially the reason why Apple included a sleeve, which it calls a case, for the AirPods Max instead of a power button. I said partially because it feels like the sleeve is an experiment. Look at any review and you will find criticism against it and the hope that a third party manufacturer would make a better one. 

Another criticism of the AirPods Max has to do with Apple’s decision to aim it at the casual market. What I mean is this is the only reason I can think of why Apple would still use a Lightning connector, not include an audio cable, and made post-processing compulsory to a point where the AirPods Max lag is not suitable for creative and professional applications. 

These are things that do not matter if you are just a casual listener who enjoys excellent sound quality and quality of life features. That is if you can get over the price tag, but if you can, it is well worth it.