Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman dropped the news yesterday that Apple is planning to release its second version of the AirPods Max next year. Aside from a new USB-C connection, there isn’t much detail about how the company will revamp the headphones.
For fans of the expensive cans, there’s one single issue that needs to be urgently addressed by the next generation of AirPods Max, the so-called “condensation death.”
To quickly recap, some AirPods Max owners have been complaining that they are designed in such a way that it’s easy for water—or sweat—to accumulate in the ear cups. Moisture then seeps into the headphone drivers, through speaker holes, and allegedly causes performance issues. Reddit, Twitter/X and Apple’s own community forums are alight with complaints about this and have been for a couple of years.
One AirPods Max owner, John Keeley, even sued the company in 2021 about this, arguing that the headphones have a “latent and material defect.” Apple hasn’t officially responded to the complaints, but according to court documents its lawyers challenged Keeley’s claim that his pair were damaged after wearing them on a walk, questioning how strenuous the walk was and then reiterating that the users should avoid activities that could “get moisture in any openings.”
Users stuck with damaged headphones are turning to home-fixes, such as plugging holes with scotch tape. You shouldn’t have to do that if you pay $550 for a pair of premium headphones. Above improved sound, a new design or any other fresh features, the new headphones have to work properly first and foremost. Repair specialist and founder of iCorrect, Ricky Panesar, believes that this issue this is a design flaw.
“That’s a design flaw. If liquid is getting through and destroying the internals, stopping them from working, they’re not connecting and you’re damaging the drivers internally, that’s a design flaw. There’s liquid protection in Apple Watches.” He explained to me.
If that is the case, some more protection for delicate internal components seems like a simple, and urgent, addition to the next generation of AirPods Max headphones. But it’s worth noting that the Apple device isn’t facing this problem alone.
Sony’s equally premium WH-1000XM5 headphones have received similar complaints. One Redditor posted an image of water droplets—apparently from condensation build up—inside the ear cup of their Sony headphones, claiming that this had affected the ear detection feature. Review site The Sound Guys also said that the Sony device isn’t best for gym goers, or people in rainy climates.
“Included in the literature of the headphones is a rather amusing graphic telling you not to sweat on these headphones, or take them out in the rain. I get the feeling that means these are probably a little more vulnerable to moisture than older Sony headphones, but without a definitive IP rating it’s tough to be sure.” The review states.
Apple’s lawyers quibbling about how strenuous Keeley’s walks were in the lawsuit may actually be relevant. A low IP (ingress protection) rating, or no IP rating, isn’t uncommon for premium tier over-ear headphones. Bose’s latest Quiet Comfort Ultra headphones, which sell for $429, are not water or sweat resistant. Nor are the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless over-ear cans, which currently retail for $349.99.
The AirPods Max might not be unique when it comes to sweat accumulation in the ear cups. The question is whether or not it’s justifiable to sell $550 headphones that can be defeated by a bit of perspiration. It’s hard to know if that’s a “design flaw” as Panesar says, or simply the current industry standard. In either case, Apple has an opportunity here to make an important change that could spread to other headphone manufactuers by making the AirPods Max 2 more durable on a humid day.
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