Review: The AirPods Max with USB-C and Lossless Audio

Intro

Apple recently launched new features for the USB-C AirPods Max, which include lossless audio over USB-C, ultra-low latency audio, as well as the ability to use AirPods Max with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable for wired playback.
This also means that when Bluetooth is turned on, you will have access to all features that you would with a Bluetooth connection but with the wired connection.
I thought I would share my experience for anyone who potentially is thinking about upgrading to the USB-C AirPods Max or who is curious.

My experience with the USB-C AirPods Max

I have owned a pair of the original AirPods Max ever since 2021. They were the best ANC (Active Noise Canceling) headphones I have ever used. I had them for a little less than 4 years.
My lightning AirPods Max recently stopped working. My plan was to buy a new pair of lightning AirPods Max, because I had heard at the time that the USB-C AirPods Max didn’t support wired playback, and that was something I use all the time.

As if Apple read my mind, they announced wired playback for the USB-C AirPods Max. I myself can tell if I am listening to lossless audio, so I was extra excited to see that the USB-C AirPods Max now supported lossless audio with a USB-C to USB-C cable.
I have since gotten my hands on a pair of USB-C AirPods Max, and I thought I would share my experience with lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with the USB-C to USB-C and the USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable.

Notes about the USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable

Although the latency is low, this cable does not play back true lossless audio content. Apple on their lossless audio and Apple Music page under “Frequently asked questions” says the following:

The Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable and USB-C to 3.5 mm Audio Cable are designed to allow AirPods Max to connect to analog sources. AirPods Max can be connected to devices playing Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless recordings with exceptional audio quality. However, given the analog-to-digital conversion in the cable, the playback will not be completely lossless.

If you want complete lossless audio, you will need the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with your AirPods Max.

USB-C to USB-C/USB-A to USB-C cables

With a USB-C/USB-A to USB-C cable, you can get true lossless audio from the AirPods Max. For features such as spatial audio, headphone accommodations, etc., to work, you will need Bluetooth turned on. Your Apple device will need to be on iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or macOS Sequoia 15.4 and later.

If you do not have an Apple device with the OS versions listed above, you can still use the AirPods Max as a USB audio device to take advantage of lossless audio. You will not get features such as spatial audio and headphone accommodations.

Using AirPods Max with a wired connection to a non-Apple device

You can use a USB-C/USB-A cable to your non-Apple device (Android, windows, etc.) for lossless audio. You can also use the USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable to connect to other audio sources (airplane infotainment systems, iPods, CD players, etc.), but the quality will not be fully lossless as described above.
This will work if your AirPods Max are on the latest version (7E101 and later).

The Difference in Sound: How Big of a Difference is it?

Coming from a person who loves all things audio (otherwise known as an “audio file”), I can say that I do notice a quality difference. It’s not so big that everyone notices it, but it is there.

If I were to describe the difference, I would say that there is more dynamic range between parts in a good mix. This is most true when listening to classical music. If you are curious, the playlist I used to test lossless audio is an Apple Music playlist of my favorite classical pieces, which contains classical pieces such as the William Tell Overture and others.

The differences in quality can be noticed in other types of music as well. For me, quiet parts of a mix sound just a bit quieter, and louder parts sound just the tiniest bit louder.
This difference is slight, and if you don’t pay attention, you might not notice it.
In fact, when I first got the AirPods Max, they were not on the required version. I plugged in the USB-C to USB-C cable, and could have sworn I heard a difference in sound. Once I had realized that the headphones were still using Bluetooth, I updated and noticed an actual perceivable difference.

In general, should I upgrade?

If you are thinking about AirPods Max and haven’t gotten a pair, I personally would buy the USB-C version. If you aren’t a hard-core audio file and just want a pair of really good active noise-canceling headphones with features like spatial audio, and the ability to use the headphones with wired sources with a 3.5MM audio jack, the AirPods Max with Lightning is a very good option. Bluetooth audio on the USB-C AirPods Max sounds identical to the lightning AirPods Max. Since the USB-C to 3.5MM cable is not technically lossless just like the Lightning to 3.5MM audio cable, it will make no difference as to which you have. The Lightning AirPods Max can usually be found for cheaper on Amazon and other stores.

If audio quality is a big reason you want the AirPods Max, I would recommend the USB-C AirPods Max for lossless audio, as well as spatial audio.

Upgrading from the lightning AirPods Max to the USB-C AirPods Max

As described above, if you are a casual user, or even a person who loves spatial audio but will not get extra benefit from the USB-C connection, the USB-C AirPods Max will most likely sound the same to you. Unless you need a USB-C connection, sticking with the lightning AirPods Max will probably be your best bet.

If you can tell a difference between lossless and lossy audio and enjoy listening to spatial audio content and want low-latency audio like the Lightning to 3.5MM audio cable, it might be worth it if you can afford it. Non-lossless content wired and with Bluetooth sound the exact same as the lightning AirPods Max.

Conclusion

In general, I have had a good experience with the USB-C AirPods Max. They are a good pair of headphones, and lossless audio really helps them shine. If you are a casual user and will probably not notice or care about the difference, the lightning AirPods Max are your best bet if looking at AirPods Max. They can be found for cheaper from Amazon.
I do not believe that Apple directly sells AirPods Max with Lightning, but you can still buy them for a cheaper price.