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Best Cheaper Rivals to Apple AirPods Max for 2025: Sony, Bose, AirPods Pro 2 and More

Best Cheaper Rivals to Apple AirPods Max for 2025: Sony, Bose, AirPods Pro 2 and More

Yahoo09-02-2025

The Apple AirPods Max are one of the best mainstream headphones on the market with high-quality audio, earning a very high rating in my review. But the hefty price tag means they may not be the best option for everyone. Thankfully, there are a lot of more affordable alternatives on the market that could fit every budget without making compromises on quality. I've tested them to bring you the best noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones, along with a few wired options for those who prefer them.
The AirPods Max have a retail price of $549 at Apple. Though you may find them on sale every now and then, they're still going to be quite pricey hovering around the $500 price point, which can be a big pill to swallow for a lot of people. That's exactly why we've tested and picked some of the best AirPods Max alternatives that cost a lot less. Below are my current top picks, including Apple's own Beats Studio Pro, which costs less than half the price of the Maxes.
If I had to choose one, I'd say Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones are the best cheaper alternative to the AirPods Max. With top-notch sound, active noise cancelation (ANC), as well as a robust feature set and best-in-class voice call quality, the WH-1000XM5s earned CNET's Editors' Choice award in 2023. If you're looking for something even cheaper, Sony's entry-level CH-720N are lightweight and comfortable with good sound and great noise canceling.
I've tested hundreds of headphones over the last 20 years, and I've fully reviewed or had hands-on experience with all my picks on this list. I'll be sure to update it as more models are released in 2025. But if you decide that you'd rather have the real thing, check out our list of the best Apple AirPods.
Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on an AirPods Max alternative. The quality of value-priced headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headphones for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more -- sometimes much more.
It's key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that's snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear throughout the day with minimal breaks.
You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.
You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise-canceling, call quality and features for whatever you're able to spend.
It's critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one.
We test headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.
Design: Evaluating design, we assess not only how comfortable the headphones and earbuds fit (their ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. When it comes to earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
Noise-canceling performance: If the headphones we're testing feature active noise canceling (ANC), we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out to the streets of New York to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they muffle not only street noise but people's voices.
Extra features: Some great-sounding noise-canceling headphones and earbuds aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. We also take a look at the companion app for the headphones if there is one and how user-friendly it is.
Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices.
Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they're able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
Sony MDR-M1: The new-for-2024 MDR-M1 are essentially a premium version of the 7506, delivering sound that's hard to match for the price. These are the wired headphones that will make you realize what you're missing after listening to wireless headphones for so long. They feature big, open sound with excellent clarity, accuracy and tight bass.
Earfun Wave Pro: They list for $80, but click the 20% instant coupon on their product page to get a discount. They may not sound as good as premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose or Sony, but they're comfortable to wear, feature decent sound with punchy bass (they're a bit lacking in clarity and bass definition compared to more expensive models), and offer respectable noise canceling (you can toggle between two levels of ANC) and voice-calling performance. I found them to be a step up from the Soundpeats Space headphones, which sometimes cost a little less.
QCY H3 Pro: Its new-for-2024 H3 Pro headphones are similar to models in this price range from 1More, Tribit and Edifier, but they arguably sound a touch better and I found them relatively comfortable to wear, as they feature a lightweight design and memory foam ear pads.
JBL Live 770NC: The well-designed and comfortable JBL Live 770NC offers some modest improvements over its predecessor, including better battery life (up to 65 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with ANC on) and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio (via a future firmware upgrade). Equipped with 40mm drivers, you get bold, nicely defined sound with powerful bass that's relatively tight. JBL's Ambient Aware and TalkThru features are on board along with multipoint Bluetooth pairing (the one feature that's missing is ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take the headphones off).
Edifier W830NB: The W830NB looks slightly more premium than its predecessor, and like that earlier model, is fairly lightweight (265 grams) and comfortable, with cushy memory foam ear pads. They also sound very good for their price, offering decent clarity and fairly well-defined bass with an amply wide sound stage (they lack the refinement and depth of higher-end headphones, but you can't expect the world from sub-$80 headphones). You can tweak the sound profile in Edifier's companion app for iOS and Android.
Sennheiser Accentum Plus: In 2023, Sennheiser released a new midrange noise-canceling headphone called the Accentum which was sort of a slightly stripped-down version of its flagship Momentum Wireless 4 headphones with smaller 37mm drivers (the MW4 has 42mm drivers). The Accentum Plus, new for 2024, adds some extra features for $50 more, or $230. They include touch controls, adaptive noise canceling, support for the AptX Adaptive Audio codec, an analog port for wired listening and a hard carrying case. Even though it costs more, I do recommend this model over the Accentum because of those extras.
Anker Soundcore Space One: Available in three color options, the Soundcore Space One by Anker are a good value for around $100, offering a strong feature set along with good sound quality and performance. They can't compete sound-wise with many of the premium noise-canceling models, but you don't feel like you're giving up that much on the sound front to save a good deal of money. They lack a bit of that natural, refined quality you look for in a great set of cans, but the Space One sounds respectable, with decent clarity and bass definition and measures up well to the more expensive Soundcore Space 45.
Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X: These headphones are targeted at content creators who want accurate audio reproduction, but it's a bit more dynamic sounding and less bass-shy than many studio headphones, which tend to restrain the bass and hew toward a very neutral sound profile. The DT 700 X are revealing, clean-sounding headphones that offer invitingly open sound (particularly for closed-back headphones) and make you realize what you're missing after listening to similarly priced Bluetooth headphones.
Often, the biggest difference is build quality. Premium headphones tend to feel sturdier and tend to be built with more premium materials. They also have a more premium look and feel to both the headphones themselves and any accessories (carrying cases, charging cables, etc.). In theory, premium headphones should hold up better over time. Additionally, they tend to have more features such as ear-detection sensors and they pair with a companion app so you can upgrade the firmware (as well as tweak the sound and possibly customize the controls). Finally, while some cheaper headphones have active noise cancellation, the performance of the noise-canceling and transparency modes tends to be better with more premium models.Some do. Many cheaper buds now feature multiple microphones and some do a surprisingly good job when it comes to voice calling. A few models on this list have surprisingly good noise reduction and measure up well against the AirPods, which are known for their strong voice-calling performance.The short answer is, not really when you're talking about spatial audio with head tracking for movie and TV watching. While the AirPods Max offers the best sound overall, using the spatial audio virtual sound feature is largely the same experience on all headphones that support it.

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Ten big changes coming to iPhones and other Apple devices this year
Ten big changes coming to iPhones and other Apple devices this year

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Ten big changes coming to iPhones and other Apple devices this year

At its annual developer conference WWDC, Apple has given us another preview of software innovations coming to the iPhone, Mac and other devices from the company. These include many AI features, but the first change you're likely to notice is the new design in the operating systems. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, there have essentially only been two design directions for the software. Initially, Apple sought to mimic real-world objects, such as wooden bookshelves for the Books app, to help users understand the concept of multitouch screens. With iOS 7 in 2013, a starkly minimalist alternative was introduced, featuring icons made of just a few lines. This minimalism has been mixed with more colour in recent years, but the two-dimensional principle remained. Now, a new design language called Liquid Glass is being introduced. Transparent elements, which appear to float above other content, are intended to evoke the look of flowing glass. 1. A new glassy design language: For the first time, Apple is introducing a unified design language across its entire product range, including the Apple Watch and the Apple TV streaming box. Additionally, all operating systems will now feature a year in their name instead of their own version numbers. For example, instead of iOS 19 following iOS 18, the next version will be called iOS 26 or iPadOS 26, with the "26" referring to the upcoming year. 2. Fewer buttons in the camera app: The camera app, one of the most frequently used iPhone apps, has also been simplified at first glance, when you only see the shutter button and another option to switch between photo and video. Additional settings and functions are now hidden behind small icons or appear only when swiping across the display. At the same time, some settings can now be accessed more quickly than before. The Photos app is also being revamped and a toggle will allow users to quickly switch between the library and various collections. 3. Improved call features: The iPhone is gaining two useful features previously known from Google's Android system. For unknown phone numbers, users can have the software ask what the call is about and decide whether to answer based on the transcribed response. Additionally, during hold times, the phone can monitor when a human operator picks up and then connect the call. 4. Built-in interpreter: Apple is also significantly expanding its live translation features. During video calls, translations will appear as subtitles, naturally in a Liquid Glass overlay. For voice calls, the software will act as an interpreter. In the Music app, song lyrics can also be translated. 5. New gesture for Apple Watch: Notifications displayed on the Apple Watch currently remain on the screen for several seconds unless you dismiss them or interact with them in some other way. In future, you'll be able to shake them away without tapping, using a quick wrist flick away from you. This gesture can also be used to reject incoming calls. 6. Maps app with memory: Apple's Maps app will soon be able to remember restaurants or shops users have visited, making it easier to find them again later. The iPhone will also remember preferred routes to frequently visited locations and suggest them. The information is protected with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that even Apple cannot access it, the company emphasised. 7. iPad gets a massive Mac feature: Many iPad users have long complained about how hard it is to work with multiple apps, while on Mac computers, arranging windows side by side is simple. Apple is now promising improvements and is even bringing the trademark traffic light buttons to iPad. Users now get enhanced options for switching between programme windows and, for the first time, a menu bar. 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I Wear My Beats Studio Pro Headphones 4 Hours a Day -- and They're Over 50% Off Now
I Wear My Beats Studio Pro Headphones 4 Hours a Day -- and They're Over 50% Off Now

CNET

timean hour ago

  • CNET

I Wear My Beats Studio Pro Headphones 4 Hours a Day -- and They're Over 50% Off Now

It all started when my beloved Apple AirPods just stopped working one day. No matter what I did, attempting to charge and revive them, they simply would not turn on, and I had to finally accept that they had a good run, and it was time to put them to rest. RIP. That put me in a tricky predicament, though. I use headphones at least 4 to 5 hours a day, and I desperately needed new ones immediately. I knew I was due for an upgrade, but the AirPods weren't on sale at the time. But coincidentally, the Beats Studio Pro were. I didn't expect to fall in love with a pair of headphones so quickly, especially because I loved my Apple buds so much. I was just hoping for solid noise cancellation and good sound quality, but the Beats delivered so much more -- and now they're an essential part of my daily routine, practically an extension of my ears. Like I said, I get a lot of mileage out of them every single day. Whether I'm writing, commuting, doing chores or taking my precious pup out for a walk, the Beats Studio Pro are there with me. And now, most colors are a solid 51% off right now on Amazon. If you've been eyeing a pair or looking for a thoughtful gift, now's the time to grab them. Let me explain why. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Here's how the Beats Studio Pro work Let's start with the specs. The Beats Studio Pro are premium over-ear headphones that bring serious upgrades to the iconic Beats design. Think of these as the grown-up, more refined cousin of the Beats Solo series. They're still stylish, still punchy, but with significantly better sound quality and comfort. Here are some key features of the Beats Studio Pro: Macy Meyer/CNET Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode : Two core features that let you tune out the world or stay aware, depending on your mood. The ANC is excellent, especially for this price, and it's great for navigating travel, open offices or city streets. and : Two core features that let you tune out the world or stay aware, depending on your mood. The ANC is excellent, especially for this price, and it's great for navigating travel, open offices or city streets. USB-C Lossless Audio : A game-changer for audiophiles. With USB-C, you can listen to lossless audio directly from your device -- no compression, just crystal-clear sound. : A game-changer for audiophiles. With USB-C, you can listen to lossless audio directly from your device -- no compression, just crystal-clear sound. Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking: This creates an immersive, surround-sound-like experience. with dynamic head tracking: This creates an immersive, surround-sound-like experience. Custom 40mm drivers : Deliver balanced sound, with punchy bass, crisp mids and smooth highs. : Deliver balanced sound, with punchy bass, crisp mids and smooth highs. Battery : Up to 40 hours with ANC off or 24 hours with it turned on. That's more than enough to get you through several workdays or even a full international flight without scrambling for a charger. : Up to 40 hours with ANC off or 24 hours with it turned on. That's more than enough to get you through several workdays or even a full international flight without scrambling for a charger. Built-in microphones and voice-targeting beamforming tech: Translation: your voice will sound clear on calls, even in a noisy space. They also pair effortlessly with both Apple and Android devices, thanks to support for Find My, Google Fast Pair and one-touch pairing. CNET audio expert David Carnoy closely reviewed these earphones and found both the sound quality and voice-calling performance impressive. "The noise canceling is quite effective," Carnoy wrote in his review. "It's the adaptive variety, so it's not a fixed setting, and occasionally I'd hear it shift in strength as it adjusted to the ambient noise around me, whether I was on the subway or walking the streets of New York." Why I'm obsessed with my Beats There are plenty of great headphones out there. So what sets these apart for me? First and foremost, I love the comfort. I've worn lots of over-ear headphones that start to ache or feel heavy after an hour or so. I also have several ear piercings -- five in my left ear and three in my right -- and that means many over-ear headphones push the earring into my skin, digging in until it's quite painful. Not these. The earcups are plush, the clamping force is just right, and the memory foam actually makes a difference. I can wear them for hours without fatigue, which is saying something when you log four to five hours a day in them. The sound quality is also great. Beats used to have a reputation for overly bass-heavy tuning, but the Studio Pro strikes a beautiful balance. There's still that satisfying low-end thump when I'm listening to pop, hip hop or K-pop, but it doesn't overpower the vocals or mids. Whether I'm streaming Hozier for the umpteenth hour, catching up on podcasts or listening to a new audiobook, everything sounds great. Finally, the ANC and Transparency Mode are shockingly good. I've used my Beats in loud coffeeshops, on airplanes and while vacuuming, and they efficiently block out noise like a champ. But when I need to hear what's going on (like when I run into one of my neighbors while I'm walking my dog), a quick button press switches me into Transparency Mode, and I can hear them clearly. It's seamless. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention their style. Frankly, they just look cool. I know that's not the most important thing, but the sleek matte finish, the minimalist design and the range of colors make these headphones feel like a fashion accessory as much as a tech device. I have the "Earth" color headphones, and they look so gorgeous with any outfit. My one request, though, (Beats execs, I'm sure you're reading this!) would be to make these in a sage green color. Pretty please? They'd make a great gift for any audiophile Buying tech for someone else can be tricky, but I think the Beats Studio Pro are a pretty safe bet for anyone for a few reasons. For one, they work across platforms, so it doesn't matter if your gift recipient is team iPhone or Android. The intuitive pairing process, native device integration and wide compatibility make these user-friendly for just about anyone. They're also great for all types of use cases. Daily commuters? Check. Frequent flyers? Definitely. College students pulling all-nighters, or music lovers who want to hear every nuance of a track? Absolutely. These can suit really any type of person, day in and day out. The Beats just feel premium, too. This is the kind of gift someone might not splurge on for themselves, but they would certainly be grateful to open up these Beats, no matter the occasion. If you're shopping for graduation season, Father's Day or a summer birthday, these are a hit waiting to happen. Why this Beats deal matters Let's get down to numbers. The Beats Studio Pro normally retail for $350 or $450, depending on the color you select. That's pretty pricey. But right now, most colors are 51% off, bringing the price down to about $170. That's some of the lowest prices I've seen, and I keep a pretty close eye on tech deals. Sales like this don't come around often, especially on newer, high-demand models, so when they do, it's worth jumping on. Considering the quality, durability and features packed into these headphones, $170 is honestly a steal. You're getting flagship-level ANC, excellent sound and cross-platform support for less than the cost of most premium earbuds. My final thoughts on my Beats Studio Pro headphones In a world full of flashy gadgets and fleeting trends, the Beats Studio Pro are the real deal. They've become an essential part of my everyday life, not because they're trendy or hyped, but because they work. They're reliable, comfortable and sound fantastic. And now that they're seeing a deep discount, it's a great time to pull the trigger and buy them.

My Virtual Avatar No Longer Looks Terrible in the Apple Vision Pro
My Virtual Avatar No Longer Looks Terrible in the Apple Vision Pro

WIRED

timean hour ago

  • WIRED

My Virtual Avatar No Longer Looks Terrible in the Apple Vision Pro

The visionOS 26 update brings some notable features to Apple's headset. The only question is who it's for. Remember Apple's Vision Pro? That's the $3,499 mixed reality headset the company launched early in 2024 that failed to garner much public interest. Apple has steamed ahead with updates for the platform over the past year, and soon there will be a new version upgrade: visionOS 26. (Apple announced at WWDC it was changing the way it named its operating systems to match the following year.) I got a chance to try out a few of the new capabilities, but two stuck out to me more than the others. First is the upgrade to Personas. That's the spatial avatar the headset creates based on your likeness using the onboard cameras (you have to point the headset at your head and run through a setup process to create a Persona). Last year, the first thing I heard when I joined Zoom meetings wearing the Vision Pro was laughter. My Persona was rigid, my hair looked matte—it just looked bad . Apple has revamped the look and feel to make these 3D digital representations significantly better than before, with a much more natural and realistic design. You can even see the entire side profile view of the head. Hair textures are better, as are skin complexions. I set up my Persona without wearing glasses, but was able to add virtual glasses in nearly the same style as my actual frames, and they didn't clip or look wonky. (I recorded a little greeting through a third-party app, which you can see below.) Don't get me wrong, there's still some uncanny valley going on here—the facial expressions and eye movements are quite rigid—but it's leaps and bounds better than what debuted on the Vision Pro last year. You can use these Personas for video calls, or when someone joins your virtual space remotely. The other notable new feature in the operating system update is Widgets. You can place widgets around your home, like a Clock, Calendar, or Music widget, and they will always stay in the same places. Apple does this trick by creating a map of your home, which is privately stored on your AVP device. The headset will remember the locations of widgets even when you reboot it and glance around again. I walked from one room to another wearing a Vision Pro headset and saw widgets galore placed around the room. The list of placeable widgets includes a digital photo frame that acts like a window in your virtual space; you can see more of the photo as you get closer to it. It's a neat idea—every time you put on your headset, you can whisk yourself away to a virtual living space or office of sorts and pin apps in specific places of the room, along with virtual calendars, clocks, music playback widgets, and more. You could have Safari pinned in your home office, then walk to your bedroom and pin Apple TV. Your entire virtual space can be set up ready to go exactly like your physical home. What's odd is just how comfortable Apple wants you to feel putting on a headset and walking around the home, interacting with spatial widgets and talking to people with a digitized version of your face. When the Vision Pro first debuted, Apple was mocked for including a clip of a father capturing a spatial video with the headset as his two kids played in front of him. Whenever I wore the headset, my wife hated it. But Apple hasn't changed its stance—it wants you to live in visionOS, even if you end up looking like Wade Watts in Ready Player One . Take the WWDC keynote as an example. One of the new features Apple showed off in visionOS 26 is the ability for multiple people with Vision Pro headsets to interact with 3D objects together, watch a movie in a virtual space, or play a spatial game, all while in the same room. Some of these make more sense than others, but the image of two people on a couch, each wearing headsets while watching a movie, has stayed in my mind. Has Apple heard of these things called TVs? After a year of seeing the Vision Pro failing to stick—and hearing regrets from early adopters—it's a little odd to see the company keep calm and carry on without addressing anything about its lackluster user base. Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper version of the Vision Pro, slated for release late in 2025 or 2026, and the company is also rumored to be working on smart glasses. We'll have to wait and see if a cheaper headset, one that's maybe lighter and more comfortable to wear, will be more well received by spouses and Apple stans. Apple's visionOS 26 will arrive as a public beta next month, with the official release set for the fall.

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