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I would buy these 3 headphones instead of the AirPods Max
June 25, 2025
The Apple AirPods Max are my personal favorite headphones on the market right now, but that doesn’t mean that you should buy them. If you aren’t ingrained into the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone and a Mac, or you don’t want to spend $500 on headphones, then you’ll want to look at other options. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the top three headphones that I would buy instead of the AirPods Max.
If you want premium features, go with the JBL Tour One M3
You might not know about this first pick as these headphones aren’t as popular as the flagship offerings from Sony or Bose, but you should, because these headphones are packed full of features that you won’t find on other headphones. The JBL Tour One M3 have surprisingly risen up the ranks to be one of our favorite wireless headphones here in the SoundGuys lab.
My favorite thing about these headphones is that you can use them in pretty much any situation, and if you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars on headphones, it’s good to have some options. These support wired listening over USB-C, as well as wireless listening over Bluetooth 5.3 with support for LDAC and LC3. But, there’s more. You see, these headphones also come with the unique JBL SMART Tx remote brick. You can plug this transmitter device into an analog source, such as an airplane seat or CD player, and transmit audio to the headphones. With Auracast support, you can even connect multiple headphones to the transmitter, so you’re whole family could tune into the movie that you’re watching, as long as their headphones are Auracast compatible. Beyond using the remote to transmit audio, it has a touchscreen, so you can quickly tweak the settings of your headphones on the fly, such as switching between EQ presets.
There’s also lots to like about the JBL Tour One M3 outside of the SMART Tx remote brick. In our battery tests, these headphones lasted an impressive 55 hours and 37 minutes with ANC on, which far exceeds the 21 hours of battery life we got from the AirPods Max. The noise canceling performance of these headphones matches up with the AirPods Max in our testing, and the sound quality is enjoyable, especially with a bit of tweaking in the custom EQ. Considering the JBL Tour One M3 cost $150 less than the AirPods Max, we think they are a pretty great package.
Read our full JBL Tour One M3 review
If you want to save money, consider the JLab JBuds Lux ANC
What if you want to save even more money? Our next pick costs only a fraction of the price of AirPods Max, while still delivering the features and performance that most people need from their headphones. These headphones are the JLab JBuds Lux ANC, and you could actually buy 6 pairs of these for the same price as the AirPods Max. Seriously, if that perspective doesn’t de-influence you, nothing will.
You might think that if you are buying headphones for under $100, you are making a lot of sacrifices, but that’s not really the case in 2025. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC still have features like active noise canceling, and in our testing, we found these headphones reduce the loudness of external noise by 81%, just a tad behind the 88% noise reduction of the AirPods Max.
The sound quality is also pretty good. In our testing, these attained an overall sound quality rating of 4.5 on a scale from 1-5, whereas the AirPods Max scored a 4.6. Again, not much difference in performance, considering the massive difference in price.
There are some nice convenience features with these JLab headphones as well, such as the inclusion of USB-C wired playback. There’s also a companion app with a custom equalizer to tweak the sound quality to your liking.
Seriously, unless you are an audio fanatic like I am, $100 is a good price bracket for headphones. You get a lot of bang for your buck by going with the JLab JBuds Lux ANC.
Read our full JLab JBuds Lux ANC review
If you want the best, get the Sony WH-1000XM6
On the other end of the spectrum, if you want the best, and you’re willing to pay for it, this next pick is for you. These are the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, and you’ve probably heard about these by now. The XM6 are popular for good reason, as Sony has long established itself as a top player in the ANC headphone game.
Though the XM6 are an iterative improvement from the previous XM5, there are some nice conveniences to appreciate, such as the folding hinges for easy stowaway. Sony also improved the sound quality and noise canceling performance of the XM6, with our testing data showing that these can go toe to toe with the AirPods Max.
In our battery tests, these lasted over 37 hours of playback with ANC enabled. Combined with the lightweight and portable design, the XM6 are an excellent choice for those who travel often.
There’s no USB-C audio support, but you can use these headphones wired with a traditional 3.5mm aux cable. Really, the only thing I don’t like about these headphones is their price. At $450, you’re not saving much money by going with Sony instead of Apple.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM6 review
Which of these top AirPods Max alternatives would you buy? Let us know in the poll below.