Apple AirPods Max (2024)

Design

AirPods Max are the first over-ear headphones in Apple's AirPods lineup. The company claims that each part of the AirPods Max has been carefully designed for a good music experience. The frame of the headband is made from stainless steel for strength and flexibility. It can also be adjusted to different head shapes and sizes. Another part that plays a role in providing the perfect fit is the telescoping headband arm. Each ear cushion comes equipped with a special mechanism that allows it to pivot and rotate so as to fit the unique contours of each head. The memory foam on the ear cushions helps create a seal. The cushion is also wrapped by an Apple-designed knit textile. The headphone features a Digital Crown, like the one on the Apple Watch series. Users can use it to play/pause music, skip tracks, receive/end calls, and activate Siri.

Sound Experience

AirPods Max come equipped with 40mm dynamic drivers. Apple has used a dual neodymium ring-magnet motor, which it claims can limit harmonic distortion to just 1% over the human-edible range. The headphones come with a deca-core H1 chip in each cup for computational audio processing. The chips allow the AirPods Max to have the following features:

• Adaptive EQ: AirPods Max can adjust sound based on the fit and seal of the cushions. For this, the H1 chip can measure the signal delivered to the users and thus adjust low and mid-frequencies accordingly.
• Active Noise Cancellation: For ANC, Apple has included four microphones in each ear cup. Three of them face outward to detect external noise. On the other hand, the single internal microphone evaluates the signal delivered to the user. The H1 chip then continuously adjusts based on the data from the microphones.
• Transparency Mode: This mode allows the user to hear the outside world while still listening to music. One can enter this mode by using the noise control button.
• Spatial Audio: AirPods Max supports spatial audio using the gyroscope and accelerometer in the headphones and on your device (iPhone or iPad). These sensors track the user’s motion, and the headphone compares the accumulated data with motion data to remap the sound field based on the user’s head motion.

Rest of the features

Apple has included the much-loved features of the AirPods in the lineup to the AirPods Max as well. This includes the one-tap setup and automatic pairing with devices signed to the iCloud. The new headphones come with optical and position sensors for wear detection. The headphones will pause music even if one of the ear cups is lifted. One can also make voice calls and activate Siri using the AirPods Max. Other features include automatic switching and audio sharing.