After many months of rumors, Apple today unveiled its own over-ear noise-canceling headphones. They’re called the AirPods Max, and they come with the premium design that’s expected from flagship Apple headphones. They also come with an extremely premium $549 price and are set to go on sale on December 15th. Preorders start today.
The AirPods Max come in five colors: space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. They feature what Apple calls a “custom acoustic design” with a 40mm driver system “that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard.” Apple has brought over a number of features that first debuted in the AirPods line, like adaptive EQ, transparency mode, spatial audio, and audio sharing. There’s even an element from the Apple Watch the Digital Crown that has made its way to these headphones. Apple says it “offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.” There’s also a separate “noise control” button for switching between noise-canceling and transparency modes.
In terms of design, Apple uses a “breathable knit mesh” for the headband that the company says helps evenly distribute weight and reduce pressure. The headband’s frame is made of stainless steel and adjusts to fit “a wide variety of head shapes and sizes.” Apple says a “revolutionary mechanism” attaches the ear cups to the headband which allows each one to pivot and rotate for a better fit. The ear cups are cushioned with memory foam, which the company explains helps with both comfort and the all-important seal needed to ensure sound quality is top notch.
For the on-board controls, Apple opted for an Apple Watch-inspired Digital Crown for volume and audio controls, in addition to taking calls and activating Siri. The company’s H1 chip is inside each ear cup, which powers “computational audio” with the help of the AirPods Max acoustic design and “advanced software.” The headphones employ 10 audio cores of each chip, which Apple says offers “a breakthrough listening experience” for Adaptive EQ, ANC, transparency mode and spatial audio. The AirPods Max packs in 40-mm drivers that the company promises will deliver deep bass, mid-range accuracy and crisp highs. Apple also uses a dual neodymium ring magnet motor that it says keeps total harmonic distortion at less than 1 percent even at max volume.
The Adaptive EQ automatically adjusts low- and mid-range frequencies in real time to account for the fit and seal of the ear cushions. The AirPods Max does this by measuring signal output to ensure you don’t miss any details in the audio. For the ANC, each ear cup has three external microphones that monitor the noise around you, and there’s another mic inside to catch anything that might sneak in. Like the EQ, the noise cancellation “continuously” adapts to fit and movement.
The AirPods Max offer 20-hour battery life and charge over Apple’s Lightning connector not USB-C. (Apple has a sold-separately $35 Lightning to 3.5mm cable for wired listening.) If you’re in a hurry, a five-minute charge gets you 90 minutes of playback time. The headphones automatically pause audio when removed from your ears and resume playback when you put them back on.
There’s also a “smart case” for the AirPods Max (below) that automatically puts them into a low-power state. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that Apple is selling a more protective hardshell case at this time.
