AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Heavy metal headphones compared

You've probably seen an ad for the rock-tuned Heavys H1H on the internet, and true to their word, they are in fact tuned for guitar-heavy rock. Here's how they compare to Apple's AirPods Max.

As a major mainstream tech company, Apple has an incentive to design to accommodate as many people as possible.

Its products may not necessarily have everything a particular person wants in an item. But even so, it will still be close enough to be acceptable for the majority of customers.

Of course, for product categories with a massive potential market, such as personal audio, there's always an opportunity to niche down.

Companies that can't necessarily compete for the entire market can instead cater to a subset and dominate that group.

This is the case with the Heavys H1H. As the name strongly hints, it's headphones made to listen to heavy metal, rock, and similar genres.

Less Taylor Swift and the "K-pop Demon Hunters" soundtrack. Think Iron Maiden, Metallica, Sabaton, and just about any '80s hair rock band.

Instead of being headphones for everyday listening, Heavys made its headphones specifically for metal fans. You could use them to listen to podcasts, but they're really intended to recreate a live concert.

It's a difference in philosophy, but in a familiar form of over-ear headphones with ANC.

Here's how the Heavys H1H compare against the AirPods Max 2.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Specifications

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Design

It's safe to say that the basic design of the two headphones is distinctly different. While Apple wants to make everything perfectly match its intended aesthetic, the Heavys are more about the audio performance.

Made with aluminum earcups and a steel frame, the AirPods Max 2 scream luxury. The giant earcups have equally massive and soft padded cushions, color-matching the metal.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Heavys [left] have much bigger earcups and a plastic construction.

On top, the frame splits into two and is covered with a stretchy mesh. It's an intelligent design, as it acts like a springy cushion without adding much weight.

AirPods Max 2

---

Apple's second-generation AirPods Max are equipped with an H2 chip and offer improved ANC over the first-gen model.

Buy at Amazon

Buy at B&H

Buy at Walmart

By contrast, the Heavys are much more conventional. Made with black plastic with steel supporting the headband, they feel less premium.

But don't let the surface feel distract you from what are excellent headphones.

That said, there's more customization available with the Heavys. Sure, you can't get away from the black plastic appearance, but you can buy replacement shells for the earcups.

In terms of size, the Heavys are physically larger at 8.5 inches by 7.99 inches and 3.5 inches thick. The AirPods Max 2 are sizable but smaller at 7.37 inches by 6.64 inches, and 3.28 inches thick.

While bulkier, the Heavys do fold the earcups inward for storage. Apple, meanwhile, still uses the controversial bra to shut down and protect the AirPods Max.

The Heavys are heavier as well as bigger, but only by a small amount. At 14.5 ounces, it's barely an ounce heavier than the 13.6-ounce AirPods Max.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Control

When it comes to controls, Apple has refined its AirPods Max to a bare minimum. There's the Digital Crown for handling media playback and volume, as well as a Listening Mode button.

If there's anything else to control, you do so with Siri or by using the integrated controls on your iPhone.

By comparison, the Heavys H1H rely more on physical controls.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: You get more manual controls on the Heavys

There are switches for handling Bluetooth connectivity, to turn the headphones on with or without ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), and a volume control. There's a separate button handling next and previous songs and transparency.

Having lots of controls isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, having more physical controls on a device is what a user wants.

Especially if they want to carefully manage their listening experience.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 have physical volume controls on each earbud, and that certainly didn't ruin the design.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Speakers

The main draw of the Heavys H1H is how it presents audio to the user. Here, it's a considerable departure from what Apple provides.

Apple uses its own-designed dynamic driver with a custom high dynamic range amplifier. However, this still comes out to the user through a single speaker that handles the entire sound stage.

Audio processing does a lot of the work for the AirPods Max 2, thanks to its use of the H2 chip and an adaptive EQ system.

To make its audio impressive, the Heavys H1H steer clear of processing trickery and go for a much simpler approach. It uses multiple speakers.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: The Heavys speaker arrangement is quite interesting.

Each earcup has four speakers, consisting of two low and mid-range speakers and two high-frequency front-facing tweeters. That's a total of eight speakers blasting your ears.

This sounds like overkill, but it makes sense. Rather than convincing one speaker to do it all, the Heavys instead tweaks its speakers to handle specific frequency ranges.

A byproduct is that, since each speaker is tuned to ranges, there's minimal overlap and reduced distortion. At least, not the purposefully-made distortion from the audio track.

There is also the point that these are tuned specifically for metal, and so it will be excellent for similar styles of music. You're not going to get an as-optimal experience if you're listening to, say, country music or orchestral soundtracks.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Features

On the quality of life side of things, it's safe to say that the AirPods Max 2 will be more appealing to Apple users.

Using the H2 chip in each earcup, the AirPods Max 2 have ANC and Transparency that can be tweaked to the user's environment. You also get Personalized Volume that adjusts the audio depending on the user's habits.

Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking is also available if you want to listen to Dolby Atmos recordings.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Inside their cases

A lot of this audio processing relies on the use of nine microphones. Eight of them are used to handle ANC, and three also serve as voice-pickup microphones.

The Heavys, meanwhile, does have some onboard processing, but not to the same degree of features as Apple.

There is what it describes as a "High Efficiency PNC" (Passive Noise Cancellation) and a "Mild ANC" to reduce the amount of perceived disturbance. In short, the PNC refers to the headphones blocking out noise through its materials use, while using a small amount of ANC processing.

The ultimate intended result is the same, but with more reliance on keeping noise out instead of electronically fighting it.

The company calls it "Hell Blocker" ANC with a transparency mode. Thematic.

To help the ANC work, there's a collection of five microphones, with two end-fire array microphones for voice pickup.

While the Heavys H1H don't have the integration advantage the AirPods Max 2 have with Apple's operating system ecosystem, there is some software assistance. A mobile app is available with an adjustable EQ curve, ANC control, and personalized voice prompts, among other elements.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Connectivity and Battery

Connecting the AirPods Max to your hardware can be handled using either Bluetooth 5.3 or USB-C. The Heavys includes USB-C as well as a 2.5mm jack with accompanying 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable as an auxiliary connection, along with Bluetooth 5.1 support.

For the battery, both recharge using USB-C. The battery life of the AirPods Max 2, according to Apple, is 20 hours with ANC enabled.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Stacked headphones

However, for the Heavys H1H, it's not so clear-cut. The company boasts of a battery life of up to 50 hours, but not how it is being used during that time.

It could well be using its ANC system for this claimed battery life, but more likely, it's through simple usage without any ANC or transparency in action.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: Which to buy

If we are to directly compare the two for the everyday user, deciding between the two is not a clear-cut thing.

We have the build quality, the software integration, and the all-around audio performance to look at for the AirPods Max 2. In terms of user-friendly features, it's something that will appeal to a lot of people.

What would also appeal for the Heavys H1H is the price. At $299, it's almost half the price of the $549 AirPods Max 2.

If you're looking for premium headphones and would be looking to spend over $500, the AirPods would be most people's choice.

However, that is looking at things from a mass-market viewpoint.

AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H: HomePod Mini for scale.

The Heavys H1H certainly isn't going after everyone like Apple does. It's targeting rock fans, and its construction and functionality lean in that direction.

For anyone who is into metal above all other types of music, the Heavys H1H are a great option. Not just on being great for their chosen musical genre, but also on price.

We're in the process of doing a full review, and we're pleased with what we've heard so far.

Where to buy the AirPods Max 2 vs Heavys H1H

The Heavys H1H are available from Heavys directly, with a 13% discount at press time bringing the price down to $259.

The AirPods Max 2 are available from Amazon, with select colors discounted to $529.99 at press time. Also, check out our AirPods Max Price Guide to find discounts and deals across Apple's over-ear headphones line.