Apple introduces AirPods Max: High-end over-ears with adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation and 3D audio
Apple introduces AirPods Max: High-end over-ears with adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation and 3D audio
By editor 3 months ago
The new AirPods Max aim to bring the magic of AirPods to an all-new wireless over-ear design with Hi-Fi audio, active noise cancellation, 3D audio and more.
The new headphones aim to combine a special acoustic design, H1 chips, advanced software and the power of “computational audio” to create a whole new listening experience with adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation, transparency mode and 3D audio.
The AirPods Max come in space gray, silver, sky blue, green and pink. They can be pre-ordered starting today and will be available on December 15.
AirPods are the world’s most popular headphones, prized for their easy setup, incredible sound quality and iconic design. The new AirPods Max bring the excellent features of AirPods to a stunning over-ear design with Hi-Fi audio,” said Greg Joswiak, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Apple. “The special acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips and advanced software, enables AirPods Max to use computational audio for a fantastic listening experience without any wires.”
Special acoustic design
The headband with the air-permeable mesh is said to provide even weight distribution and reduce pressure on the head. The stainless steel headband is said to be sturdy, flexible, comfortable to wear, and adjustable according to head size. The headband extensions are said to extend smoothly and remain in the selected position for the desired fit.
The ear cups are attached to the headband by an all-new mechanism that is said to perfectly distribute weight pressure and also allows each ear cup to be independently adjusted to best fit the contours of the head. The ear cushions are made of acoustic memory foam and effectively seal the ear – very important for an immersive listening experience. The Digital Crown was inspired by the Apple Watch and can be used to control volume and playback functions, answer and end calls or activate Siri.
A whole new listening experience
AirPods Max feature an Apple-designed 40mm dynamic driver that is said to reproduce rich bass, precise mids, and crystal-clear highs so that every note can be heard. Thanks to a unique motor of dual-ring neodymium magnets, total harmonic distortion is said to be less than 1 percent across the audible spectrum, even at maximum volume. AirPods Max feature an Apple H1 chip in each ear cup, offer a special acoustic design and advanced software and computational audio is said to provide the highest quality listening experience. Utilizing all 10 of the chip’s audio cores – which are said to be capable of 9 billion computing operations per second – AirPods Max are said to deliver excellent sound with adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation, transparency mode and 3D audio.
- Adaptive EQ: AirPods Max use adaptive EQ to adjust the sound for each ear cup. To do this, they measure the sound signal and adjust the low and mid frequencies in real time – aiming to deliver rich, detailed sound.
- Active Noise Cancellation: AirPods Max deliver immersive sound through active noise cancellation to keep the listening experience front and center. Each ear cup has three outward-facing microphones that detect ambient noise and one inward-facing microphone that monitors sound delivered to the ear. Using computational audio, noise cancellation is said to adjust in real time depending on the fit and movement of the headphones.
- Transparency Mode: AirPods Max have a transparency mode to listen to music and ambient sounds at the same time. Transparency mode makes everything – even your own voice – sound natural, while audio should be reproduced perfectly. The noise control button lets you easily switch between active noise cancellation and transparency mode.
- 3D Audio: AirPods Max use 3D Audio with dynamic head tracking to reproduce sound in three dimensions – providing immersive sound like in the cinema with 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos audio. 3D Audio uses the accelerometer and gyro sensors in AirPods Max and iPhone or iPad to track head movement and device motion. It compares the motion data and remapped the sound field so it stays connected to the device even if the user’s head moves.
The magic of AirPods:
The AirPods Max join the existing AirPods family and aim to give you a fantastic listening experience without any wires, for music, phone calls, TV shows and movies, games and interacting with Siri. They’re said to be just as easy to set up with a tap as the AirPods (for review) and AirPods Pro (for review), and automatically connect to any device logged into an iCloud account, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
The AirPods Max have optical and position sensors and automatically detect when they are put on. By setting them down or even just lifting an ear cup, AirPods Max can pause playback. With AirPods Max, calls and Siri voice commands are said to sound clear and crisp, thanks to beamforming microphones that block out ambient noise to emphasize the voice.
Battery and performance:
The AirPods Max are said to offer up to 20 hours of battery life for Hi-Fi audio, phone calls or movies with active noise cancellation and 3D audio turned on.
The AirPods Max come with a soft, low-profile smart case that puts the AirPods Max on standby. This means they use almost no battery when not in use.
Additional functions
- The Auto Switch feature allows playback to be passed smoothly between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. When listening to music on the Mac, users can simply answer a call on the iPhone and the AirPods Max will automatically switch.
- Audio sharing makes it easy to share audio between two pairs of AirPods on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Apple TV 4K. Users simply need to hold the AirPods Max up to the device and tap once to connect.
- Siri can play music, start calls, control volume, get directions and more. With the “Announce Messages with Siri” feature, Siri can even read out new messages.
Prices and availability
AirPods Max are available starting at 597.25 euros including tax and can be ordered now at apple.com/en and in the Apple Store app in the U.S. and more than 25 other countries and regions. AirPods Max will begin shipping on Tuesday, December 15.
AirPods Max require Apple devices running iOS 14.3 or later, iPadOS 14.3 or later, macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, or tvOS 14.3 or later.
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