On a recent trip, I accidentally booked my family to fly on a de Havilland propeller plane. If there’s anything I hate more than flying, it’s flying on a tiny plane sitting next to giant propeller blades that are, improbably, the only things that keep you from crashing into the ground. I immediately pulled out the AirPods Max 2 ($549) and put them on to block out the overwhelming buzzing whirr. When I looked up, three other people had pulled out their own pairs. Yes, the updated version of the 2020 AirPods Max is iterative. Yes, the only reason I knew the woman two rows ahead of me had the old version instead of the new one was that the new one doesn’t come in green anymore. But the AirPods Max design is instantly recognizable. Even the Sony WH-1000XM6, the best headphones, look more or less like every other pair. It takes a second—or third—look to see if someone really is wearing a pair of premium headphones or a pair of gorgeous cheap ones. The Apple AirPods Max 2 will never require a second glance. This year’s iteration is basically stuffing the headphones with all the new software that landed in the AirPods Pro 3. They have Siri, Live Translation, head-based gestures, and more, along with some of the best noise-canceling on the market, deep bass, and shimmering highs. If you’re an iPhone owner with $549, there is just no reason to get another pair of over-ear headphones besides these. I have the OG AirPods Max and yes, the two look exactly the same. They have the same milled aluminum casing, magnetic replaceable (and repairable) ear cups, the button and dial on the right ear cup, and the mesh headband (that Apple calls “the canopy”) that looks like a Herman Miller Aeron chair. Yes, they’re still two ounces heavier than every other headphone, but the canopy goes a long way towards making them feel lighter than they are. And yes, they still come in the soft, magnetic, bra smart case. I understand why Apple uses this case. You can carry the headphones easily by