Apple and Bose dominate mindshare when the topic turns toward advanced audio gadgets. The tech icon and speakers specialist both command loyal followings among listeners seeking top-notch wireless sound.
Each company now markets a flagship over-ear noise-canceling headphone model as their premium offering – the AirPods Max and Bose 700. On the surface, the two headphones share plenty in common. Sleek aesthetics, feature-packed specs, and lofty price tags with performance to (hopefully!) match.
But when it comes time to purchase, which reigns supreme? You’ll need to dig below the surface and scrutinize how they stack up across usage scenarios that matter most. To settle the score in this epic clash of noise-canceling headphones, let‘s don the gloves for an exhaustive feature face/off across the key competitive battlegrounds…
Overview: The Tale of the Tape
Before assessing individual specs and capabilities, I want to provide some base context around positioning. Comparing these headphones mirrors a classic orthogonal battle – the dominant incumbent versus the hungry upstart nipping at their heels:
Bose fills the role of reigning market leader, having established itself long ago as a top-shelf audio brand. The Bose 700 arrived in 2019 as the company‘s newest ANC statement piece. Engineering refinements built upon earlier successes like the QC II to shift the bar higher.
Meanwhile Apple enters the ring as a scrappy challenger, hoping to replicate the magic of its earbud AirPods success within the over-ear arena. Riding high off recent halo launches like the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, Apple looked to translate seamless integration, smart sensing, and computational power into a new device category.
Now three years later, Bose aims to defend its crown against a bold new combatant. Does Apple have enough firepower to dethrone an icon? Time to ring the bell on this battle royale and find out!
Styling and Design Distinctions
As soon as you lift these headphones from their packaging, differences in industrial design hit you instantly. From colors to material choices, to weight and ergonomics, each company takes a distinct approach.
Apple‘s AirPods Max makes a vibrant first impression across 5 eye-catching anodized aluminum colors: Silver, Space Gray, Sky Blue, Pink, and Green. The machined metal exterior mixes with plush memory foam cushioning on the ear cups and canopy headband mesh. Stainless steel frames connect the working pieces, capped by a distinctive knit-mesh canopy top.
The build quality looks and feels substantial, albeit bordering on chunky. Tipping the scales at a not-insignificant 385 grams, these represent one of the heftier over-ear models in market. But that mass contributes toward a durable, almost industrial look.
For storage and transport, Apple designed a novel origami-esque carry case. The soft-touch Smart Case houses electromagnetic rings to place the AirPods Max in an ultra-low power state until you‘re ready to use them again.
Bose, always the more subtle brand, sticks to classic black and silver "Luxe" versions for their 700 headset edition. Sleek oval earcups contain the drivers, covered with impact-resistant glass nylon resin shell. Stainless steel joints and sliders allow adjustment and rotation for comfort.
The design gives off a polished, elegant aura despite its plastic roots. And at only 250 grams, the Bose 700 feels almost feather-light against the cuckoo heavyweight AirPods Max model. A canvas zippered case provides standard portability protection without extras.
For those scoring at home, the AirPods Max takes points for standout colors and materials with some clever engineering twists. But the Bose 700 bests them on wearing comfort courtesy of its wispy-thin footprint.
Audio Showdown: How They Sound
Of course these serve first and foremost as listening devices… so comparing audio quality rightfully garners scrutiny. Apple and Bose each equip their premium noise-canceling models with custom drivers, amplification, tuning, and exclusive features aimed at delivering stellar sonic experiences. How do they stack up?
Starting with the AirPods Max, sound emanates from Apple-designed 40mm dynamic drivers assisted by dual neodymium ring magnet motors. An Apple H1 chip in each earcup handles real-time calibration based on fit, seal, and head position. Computational algorithms then adapt audio in response for optimized output.
The result is expansive soundstaging with thunderous bass, natural vocal reproduction, crystalline highs, and immersive 360-degree spatial audio support. Testing confirms superb playback clarity across loud and soft listening levels alike. Reviewers widely praise the AirPods Max signature sound as rivaling over-ear sets double to triple the price.
By comparison, the Bose 700 relies on slightly smaller drivers aided by tuned port acoustic design for resonance. An outward-vented interior aims to naturally widen perceived audio space and channel separation. The drivers and ports filter audio via a proprietary digital signal processor to balance consistency.
What you hear impresses with lively detail across lows, mids, highs – albeit with a milder soundstage ceiling. The physics can‘t fully overcome close-earcup isolation compared to Apple‘s computational openness. But for most genres and volumes, differences fade from obvious to moderate.
Digging deeper, the AirPods Max offers the most expansive, dynamic sound range… but frankly not by much. To average listeners absent side-by-side testing, either headphone set delivers exceptional listening.
Blocking Out the World
Noise cancelling prowess rightfully earns spotlight attention for true wireless over-ears. The ability to mute environmental distractions stands paramount when choosing headphones doubling as portable isolation chambers.
Both the AirPods Max and Bose 700 advertise the ability to dramatically reduce ambient background interference. Each relies on miniature microphones to detect incoming noise dynamically, then cancel it with signal processing tricks. But the actual engineering approaches differ…
For the AirPods Max, six microphones (3 on each side) sit positioned to pick up external sounds. An Apple H1 chip then analyzes that noise over 40,000 times per second. It generates anti-noise to cancel those exact frequencies heard. Adjustments happen continually in real-time based on detected interference across the microphone array.
That means the noise cancelling adapts intelligently whether you‘re enduring jet engines or chatter, seamlessly optimizing isolation. Toggling between isolation and transparency modes happens through the signature Digital Crown control rather than buttons.
By contrast, the Bose 700 employs eight microphones but only lets users select from 11 distinct noise cancelling intensity settings. You manually dial your preferred level in via Bose‘s smartphone app or push buttons on the headset. The correct setting then blocks noises at fixed intensities only.
So while the 700 allows more custom control, that freedom demands constant tweaking when moving environments. It can‘t match Apple‘s adaptive magic automatically refining cancellation on the fly without any effort.
For that reason, I rate the AirPods Max slightly higher for noise reduction flexibility even though both sets achieve similarly silent backgrounds during use.
Playing Nice with Smart Devices
Since these premium headsets pack onboard processors and amplified connectivity, they essentially operate as mini-computers. That allows Apple and Bose to each imbue some "smart" functionality using sensors, buttons, apps and integrations.
For Apple and it‘s AirPods Max, deep ties with its broader hardware/software ecosystem power unique experiences. We see this manifest through exclusive features like:
- Automatic device switching – Audio channels swap instantly when taking calls between iPhone/iPad/Mac devices thanks to Apple H1 chip integration
- Spatial/Surround audio modes – Head tracking creates cinema-esque sound fields for supported movies/music
- Seamless Siri access – Always-on voice commands for Apple‘s assistant to control music, info lookup, device controls
- Find My network tracking – Locate lost AirPods using Apple‘s device tracking network
- Zero-touch pairing – One-tap setup for Apple hardware saves user hassle
The compromise arises when trying to use AirPods Max beyond Apple‘s garden walls. There‘s no companion app for Windows/Android users to access settings or search for lost headphones. And missing AptX codec support limits Bluetooth playback quality. Still, enjoy phenomenal convenience inside the Apple core.
For the Bose 700, its relationship appears less bonded across devices but more flexible outside a single environment. For example:
- Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa Built-In: Choose preferred voice helper rather than Apple-only Siri
- Bose Connect App – Unlocks firmware updates, control settings and options regardless of host device OS
- Multi-point connectivity Allows simultaneously pairing to two devices – phone and computer
- NFC tap-to-pair: Quick Bluetooth coupling for mobile devices
So the Bose 700 compromises on exclusivity and rich integrate to gain back platform agnosticism. I‘d call it nearly a wash for most buyers… with Apple ecosystem dwellers benefiting most from AirPod Max capabilities specifically for them.
Comparing What Matters
| On-Ear Comfort | Sound Quality | Noise Cancellation | Smart Features | Battery Life | Charging Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods Max✫✫✫✫ | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Bose 700 ✫✫✫✫✫ | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Rating Scale
5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Average, 1 = Poor
The Daily Grind
Beyond headline features, prospective owners need to weigh some key lifestyle factors that shape the everyday experience living with premium ANC models like the AirPods Max and Bose 700:
Battery Life plays a huge role in ongoing convenience. Both Apple and Bose advertise around 20 hours of listening runtime per charge cycle with noise cancellation activated. Real-world use should easily meet that threshold for days of wireless tunes. I‘ll call it a performance draw here.
Recharge Times tell a different story, with Bose lagging Apple noticeably. The AirPods Max regains 90 minutes of playtime from only a 5 minute charging pitstop. Give the Bose 15 minutes to start playing again after power drains. So advantage AirPods if topping up battery in a pinch.
Standby Time goes back Apple‘s way thanks to the unique Smart Case. Stowing AirPods Max when not in use extends idle longevity to 72+ hours by powering down components. The Bose 700 only lasts up to a couple days resting off-head before going dark.
Lastly, wearing comfort merits thought for prolonged use cases. Here the svelte Bose 700‘s feathery feel pays dividends over Apple‘s heftier aesthetic. While AirPod Max distributes weight smartly, gravity takes tolls over multi-hour listening sessions. If choosing a marathon movie-viewing or air travel companion, my nod goes to the Bose despite Apple‘s smarter charging.
Cost Showdown: Value Defined
Finally, for discerning shoppers eyeing thousand-dollar headphone territory, cost rightly weights into the calculus. Let‘s price out both sets to find the better bargain…
The AirPods Max demand a hefty sum – an official and eye-watering $549 directly from Apple. However, nearly continuous discounts often drop the at-register tally closer to the $500 flat level. For example during Black Friday sales, Amazon cut the sticker by $100 (or $150 for select hues).
By comparison, the Bose 700 shows far greater pricing stability at exactly $379 for all colors. Compared to Apple, that slices away almost 30% in cost walking through the transaction. Given both deliver comparable core listening utility, the Bose easily prevails as the "value" choice of the two.
Factoring in expected lifespan also bears relevance here. With moderate daily use/care, I‘d anticipate both models easily exceeding three years of life before performance degradation or battery failure. Probably longer for light users on the Bose front.
Spreading costs across even 2-3 years then further lowers effective yearly spend into the double-digits – important context given these upfront premium price tags. So advantage back to Apple for potentially deferring replacement further into the lifespan curve.
Verdict: Two Impressive Choices, One Clear Winner
After pitting the AirPods Max and the Bose 700 head-to-head across all aspects that sets wireless ANC headphones apart, the dust settles to reveal a split decision based on user scenario.
For Apple loyalists already locked into the hardware/software core, AirPods Max stands unchallenged as today‘s premiere over-ear listening vehicle. It checks every box across design, audio fidelity, noise isolation, smart assistance, spatial sound, and seamless user experience…assuming owners stay nested in Apple‘s ecosystem.
But taken hardware vs hardware alone, Bose still proves it can compete blow-for-blow against even the fanciest challengers. The 700 loses hardly any ground to Apple in core sound abilities and comfort. And Bose wins back flexibility points serving both iOS and Android users alike. Oh, and it saves over $150 compared to Apple MSRP for nearly equivalent performance.
So when friends ask me outright "which should I buy – AirPods Max or Bose 700?" My first question back examines their existing device stable. For true-blue iPhone/MacBook devotees wanting the pinnacle listening escape, sell some Apple stock and spring for the miraculous AirPods. More platform-agnostic buyers craving awesome ANC at a discount will love the Bose option too. Ultimately it‘s win-win choosing between these two exceptional noise-canceling models!
I appreciate you taking the time reading this detailed buying guide comparison and happy listening once decide on your next headphones! Let me know if any other questions come up around these or others you may be evaluating. Always happy helping friends find the best fit at the fairest cost. Talk to you again soon!
