When Apple released the AirPods Max, there were gasps of outrage over the price. And kidney jokes. The AirPods Max were priced at Rs 59,990, which was well above the price of the headphones that many considered to the benchmark for premium sound and active noise cancellation (ANC), the Sony WH-1000 XM4, which retailed for Rs 29,990, and the Bose 700, which retailed for Rs 34,500.
We know not everyone is convinced that the Bose and Sony headphones are actually competing for the AirPods Max (some of our thoughts are here) but there is no doubt that for a lot of people, the Sony WH-1000 XM4 and the Bose 700 are pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to high-end audio and ANC. If someone had given us a dollar for every time we were asked “Are the AirPods Max better than the Sony WH-1000XM4/ Bose 700?” we would have had enough to buy a pair of AirPods Max ourselves!
And the reason for this is simple – both the 1000 XM4 and the 700 deliver extremely high-quality audio and come with ANC that is considered to be the benchmark for most users, as well as premium design and good battery lives. In short, before the AirPods Max came along, these were the OG of premium ANC land. And were considered – are STILL considered – very very expensive.
Now, the Sony WH-1000 XM4 have seen the odd price drop from time to time – we have seen them drop down to Rs 24,999, but the Bose 700 have been steady at Rs 34,500 most of the time. However, with a spate of discount offers online, suddenly we have a rather odd quirk of audio fate:
The Sony WH-1000 XM4 are available at some e-retailers for Rs 24,990, while the Bose 700 have got a slight price cut and are available at some places for Rs 31,050.
Do the math: you can buy BOTH and still pay less than you would for an AirPods Max.
Rs 31,050 + Rs 24,990 = Rs 56,040.
That’s Rs 59,900 – Rs 56,040 = Rs 3,860 lesser than the AirPods Max. AND you get a case with both headphones.
No, they might not be competition for the AirPods Max, but they DO have excellent sound, and great ANC, and good battery life, and…we are just saying…well!
Get the Bose 700 from:
Get the Sony WH-1000XM4 from:
Amazon India
Headphone Zone
Reliance Digital
Tata Cliq
(Note: These offers were available at the time of writing. They might be withdrawn subsequently)
