Anyone who owns a pair of over-ear headphones will tell you that the weight of the headset can make a big difference to the listening experience. Especially if you're wearing headphones for several hours straight, weight starts to have a real impact on overall comfort.
Apple's new AirPods Max over-ear headphones weigh 13.6 ounces (384 grams), which might not sound like much, but that's relatively heavy compared to many premium over-ear headphones on the market. For comparison, below is a list of stated weights for some of the current market-leading rivals:
- AirPods Max - 13.6 ounces (384.8 grams)
- Audeze LCD-1 – 8.82 ounces (250 grams)
- Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless – 13.4 ounces (380 grams)
- Bose 700 – 8.78 ounces (249 grams)
- Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II – 10.93 ounces (310 grams)
- Sennheiser PXC 550-II – 8 ounces (227 grams)
- Sony WH-1000XM4 – 8.96 ounces (254 grams)
As you can see, Apple's AirPods Max are the heaviest in the list, and substantially heavier in most cases, with only Beyerdynamic's Amiron Wireless studio headphones approaching the same heft at 13.4 ounces (380 grams).
It'll be interesting to see how the ergonomic design of the AirPods Max compensate in this regard. Apple has used a "breathable knit mesh" for the headband, designed to distribute the weight evenly and reduce pressure, and the ear cups are cushioned with memory foam to provide comfort and a seal to improve sound quality. Whether Apple has actually managed to adequately balance the weight across the headband and cups so as to minimize wear fatigue, won't be answered until the reviews start coming in.
AirPods Max cost $549 and are available to order on Apple's website, with availability beginning December 15.
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