AirPods Max vs Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Audio · 3,344 owner opinions across both productsBuy the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
Reddit's answer is the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Buy only if you prioritize all-day comfort and strong noise cancellation over long-term reliability. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the AirPods Pro instead. At $150 against $419 today, the AirPods Max costs $269 more and carries the weaker verdict.
Built from 3,344 owner opinions across both products · 333 long-term reports · how we decide
What owners say
42% would buy againof 2,774 owners
First 6 months 76% → long-term 44%−32of 272 long-term owners
46% would buy againof 570 owners
First 6 months 32% → long-term 65%+33of 61 long-term owners
The AirPods Max's record runs 2,774 owners against 570 for the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 — weigh the thinner side accordingly.
What you’ll regret
No single component dominates
~1 in 2 long-term owner reports describe a failure, overwhelmingly connectivity and battery-related, typically surfacing between 12 and 37 months of ownership. That is well above the 24% baseline serious-failure rate for the 15 wireless headphones we track. With 147 unresolved cases versus 86 resolved, most of these failures land outside warranty or go unmade right.
Typically reported months 12–36 · 272 long-term owners
The bluetooth
~1 in 6 long-term reports mention a failure, most within the first 25 months. Bluetooth and firmware reboot-loop issues are the most cited components. Warranty resolution leans unresolved — the majority of reported cases landed outside warranty or went unresolved. That said, the NC700's 11% serious-failure rate is well below the 24% baseline for the 15 wireless headphones we track.
Typically reported months 0–24 · 61 long-term owners
These are the share of long-term owner reports that mention a failure, not the share of units that fail — owners with working units mostly don’t post.
Price and value
Gap today: $269 — Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is the cheaper buy.
Price links carry an affiliate tag. It never changes the verdict.
sound quality and noise cancellation matter more to you than long-term reliability.
comfort and sound quality matter most to you and you're willing to accept some reliability risk.
Questions people ask about this matchup
Which is better, the AirPods Max or the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700?
Reddit's answer is the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Buy only if you prioritize all-day comfort and strong noise cancellation over long-term reliability. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the AirPods Pro instead.
Which is more reliable, the AirPods Max or the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700?
The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, by the numbers: 11% of its long-term reports mention a serious failure against 47% for the AirPods Max.
Is the AirPods Max worth $269 more than the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700?
At $419 against $150 today, the AirPods Max costs 179% more and carries the weaker verdict (Stay Away against the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700's Risky Buy) — the extra money buys features, not a better ownership record.
AirPods Max full verdict →Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 full verdict →All Audio verdicts →