David Carnoy / CNET
After looking inside Apple’s new over-the-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, iFixit technology website, concluded that the sophisticated engineering made the high $ 550 price look pretty reasonable. iFixit burst open the headphones and in summary said that the AirPods Max’s obsessive workmanship looked internally at the competitors, making the other extremely capable devices look like toys.
In our review, we noticed that the AirPods Max was large and expensive, but surprisingly comfortable with impressive sound. iFixit’s review does not come after listening to the headphones in action. The site dismantled the device to look inside and judge how easy it could be to repair.
The AirPods Max deserves a 6 out of 10 on this front – the headphones are hard to take apart, but serviceable once you get inside. By comparison, AirPods’ earphone versions repeatedly earn zero out of ten on this scale. This larger model is definitely a step in the right direction, though it is not easy if you want to do a DIY repair.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.