Apple AirPods Max (Lightning) vs Sony WH-CH710N

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AirPods Max (Lightning) compared with WH-CH710N

	AppleAirPods Max (Lightning)	SonyWH-CH710N
Overview
Released
Released	December 2020	2020
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	–
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	30 mm
Back
Back	–	Closed
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H1	–
Drivers
Drivers	Apple-designed dynamic drivers with dual neodymium ring magnet motors	30 mm dome drivers; wired response 7 Hz–20 kHz (JEITA), or 20 Hz–20 kHz powered on. Impedance 72 ohms powered on and 33 ohms off; sensitivity 94 dB/mW on and 100 dB/mW off (1 kHz).
Chip
Chip	H1 in each ear cup	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode	Feedforward and feedback microphones; automatic noise-cancelling mode selection; Ambient Sound Mode
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys); analogue wired listening through a separately sold Lightning to 3.5 mm audio cable	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 35 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours of movie playback with Spatial Audio; Smart Case puts headphones in an ultra-low-power state; charging via Lightning	Bluetooth playback: 35 hours with noise cancelling, 40 with Ambient Sound Mode, 45 with both off (AAC or SBC). Powered wired playback: 50 hours with noise cancelling, 60 otherwise.
Fast charging
Fast charging	Around 1.5 hours of listening after 5 minutes of charging	About 7 hours for a full USB-C charge; 10 minutes gives about 60 minutes of playback; requires a USB adaptor providing at least 0.5 A
Design
Weight
Weight	384.8 g	223 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Digital Crown for volume, playback, calls and Siri; listening mode button for ANC/Transparency; “Hey Siri”	Power/pairing button; right-side volume and multifunction playback/call buttons; NC/AMB button; hold multifunction button for phone voice assistant
Microphones
Microphones	Nine microphones, three for voice pickup (two shared with ANC); optical, position and case-detect sensors and accelerometer in each cup, gyroscope in left cup	Built-in call and noise-sensing microphones; omnidirectional electret condenser microphone, 50 Hz–8 kHz
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Stainless steel frame, telescoping arms and knit mesh canopy; memory foam cushions; aluminium ear cups	Adjustable headband with metal slider; oval ear pads; earcups swivel flat, but the headband does not fold; 223 g excluding cable
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	Not waterproof
Case weight
Case weight	134.5 g (Smart Case)	–
Dimensions
Dimensions	187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm (height × width × depth), including cushions	–
Works with
Works with	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features	NFC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP. Multipoint assigns music to one device and calls to another. Wired listening disables Bluetooth and uses the phone's microphone for calls.
Colours
Colours	Space Grey, Silver, Sky Blue, Green, Pink	Black, White and Blue; regional availability varies
In the box
In the box	AirPods Max, Smart Case, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation	Headphones, 1.2 m headphone cable and approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable