It was in the rumour mill a while ago, and now, it’s actually here. Apple’s over-ear version of its popular AirPods.
AirPods Max uses a breathable knit mesh canopy that spans the headband, and supposedly distributes weight and reduces the pressure on your head when you’re wearing the device. The earcups are also designed to distribute the ear pressure and utilize a type of memory foam that provides an “effective” seal.
Inspired by the Apple Watch, it also sports a crown that can be used to control playback, answer and end phone calls, and activate Siri.
Inside each earcup is a 40mm Apple-designed dynamic driver along with an H1 Chip that works with a custom acoustic design and advanced software to deliver what they claim as “the highest-quality listening experience available.”
Adaptive EQ allows AirPods Max to adjust the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions, by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and intelligently adjusting the low and mid frequencies in real-time.
There’s also Active Noise Cancellation that uses three outward-facing microphones on each ear cup to detect environmental noise and a single microphone that monitors the sound in the ear and uses computational audio to adapt accordingly.
Like most headphones with ANC, this also has its own Transparency Mode so you can hear your surroundings without having to take headphones off. This can be activated by a single press on the noise control button.
AirPods Max can deliver spatial audio for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos by tracking the motion of a user’s head as well as the device, comparing the motion data, and remapping the sound field so that it stays anchored to the device even as the user’s head moves.
Other features include wear detection, automatic switching between various sources, audio sharing, and Siri.
Battery life is rated at up to 20 hours with ANC and Spatial Audio enabled. The headphones come with a slim Smart Case that puts it in ultralow power state to save battery when not in use.
Pricing
AirPods Max is already listed on the Apple PH website. It comes in five colors and is priced at PhP32,990 with FREE Engraving.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
