Home / Headphones / Compare
Side-by-side comparison — scores, specs and which one fits your setup.
Specs comparison
Analysis
The Focal Elex scores 9/10 with 80Ω impedance and 104dB sensitivity. At 80Ω, it benefits significantly from a dedicated amplifier.
The Apple AirPods Max scores 8.1/10 with 43Ω impedance and 99dB sensitivity. At 43Ω, it can be driven directly without extra hardware.
Based on our scoring, the Focal Elex scores higher overall. However, the right choice depends on your full audio chain — use our analyzer to see which fits your actual setup.
Own one of these headphones?
A high headphone score doesn't mean your audio sounds great. Your DAC, amp or source might be the real bottleneck.