But for now, rest assured the AirPods Max sound more than good enough to compete with other high-end headphones.
Of course, those competing headphones are all cheaper — much cheaper — than the AirPods Max. The newest Sony WH-MX1000M4s are regularly on sale for $300, sound very good, and have a 10-hour-longer battery life. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are $339, also sound very good, and have brand cachet that’s known in first-class cabins the world over.