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Audio · head to head

AirPods Max vs Px8 S2

Reddit's answer is the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Buy it if you value rich sound and solid build quality and can live with ANC that some find merely adequate. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead.

Apple AirPods Max
Apple · Audio

AirPods Max

Stay Away$397.67
40% of 2,279 owners recommend
~1 in 2 failure rate — ~1 in 2 long-term reports mention a failure — the highest of the 10 wireless headphones we track and nearly double the category baseline of 27%. Connectivity and pairing are the most cited components, with onset typically between 12 and 36 months. Of tracked warranty outcomes, 121 landed unresolved versus 73 resolved, so failures usually land outside warranty coverage.

Don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead

+ Repeatedly mentioned as the reference point other headphones get compared against.

− A vocal minority report failures — but at ~1 in 2 long-term reports, the pattern is hard to ignore.

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Bowers & Wilkins · Audio

Px8 S2

Buy If—
80% of 407 owners recommend
No recurring failure pattern found across 113 threads.

Buy it if you value rich sound and solid build quality and can live with ANC that some find merely adequate.

+ Dominates the threads as the single most cited strength — 204 mentions put it well above everything else.

− A vocal minority flag fit issues; 28 mentions suggest the headphones don't suit every head shape.

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Questions people keep asking

Which is better, the AirPods Max or the Px8 S2?

Reddit's answer is the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Buy it if you value rich sound and solid build quality and can live with ANC that some find merely adequate. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead.

Is the Apple AirPods Max worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Stay Away. Don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead. Excellent sound and ANC, but ~1 in 2 long-term reports describe a failure — the worst reliability of the 10 wireless headphones we track.

Is the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Buy If. Buy it if you value rich sound and solid build quality and can live with ANC that some find merely adequate. The most-recommended wireless headphones of the 14 we track — sound and build praise dominate, but long-term sentiment dips noticeably from the early high.