The new AirPods Max officially entered the market yesterday as Apple released the much-speculated over-ear headphones that you can get beginning next week for $549.
After several months of speculation, Apple finally released the new AirPods Max over-ear headphones along with the announcement that the public may get the accessory beginning next week. The new listening device promises high-fidelity audio, Active Noise Cancellation technology, Adaptive EQ, and spatial audio never-before-seen in standard headphones.
Apple just revealed it has "one more thing" in store for 2020. Today, the company released a new pair of AirPods called AirPods Max. They're $549 over-the-ear headphones equipped with active noise cancelation and spatial audio.
Here's what we know: https://t.co/D7bUJ8IuDQ — WIRED (@WIRED) December 8, 2020
The innovative wireless AirPods Max over-ear headphones combine a custom acoustic look, advanced software, and H1 chips to power computational audio so users can enjoy that unique listening experience. The state-of-the-art headphones come in five colors, namely, silver, pink, green, space gray, and sky blue. While Apple fans can order the headphones today for $594, they have to wait until December 15, Tuesday, to receive the headphones.
Apple's new AirPods Max over-ear headphones feature the 40-mm proprietary dynamic drivers to achieve greater-range high-performance audio reproduction. Apple also revealed that the innovative headphone has a dual neodymium ring magnet motor that allows it, even with the volume on maximum, to keep an overall harmonic distortion of less than 1% across the total audible range.
A diagram provided to various news outlets and relevant sectors shows that the new AirPods Max over-ear headphones have Apple's H1 chip in each ear cup. The Cupertino tech giant also revealed that there are 10 audio cores in each ear cup, allowing for the fast and improved processing of computational audio at astounding speeds of about 9 billion operations per second.
Each of the ear cups on the new AirPods Max over-ear headphones has three outward-facing microphones, allowing the accessory to detect even tiny environmental noises. One microphone inside the ear cup monitors the sound that reaches the ear of the user. Using computational audio made possible by the H1 chips, noise cancellation unceasingly adapts to movement, and headphone fit in real-time.
The new AirPods Max over-ear headphone also has the Transparency Mode and Spatial Audio capability, which is the same technology that Apple implemented with the AirPods Pro. Using the accelerometer and gyroscope in the state-of-the-art headphones and iPad or iPhone, spatial audio monitors the motion of the listener's head in relation to the device and compares the motion information, which allows the software to remap the sound field for the headphones to be anchored to the device, even if the head of the listener moves.
The sensor cluster on the new AirPods Max over-ear headphone also includes optical sensors that enable the accessory to detect automatically when the user wears the headphones. Once in place, the innovative headphones play audio and pause when the user removes the accessory, or when the listener lifts one of the ear cups. Its headband features a breathable knit mesh canopy spanning the entire arc or bow. According to Apple, the headband's structure and materials are designed for equal weight distribution and to "reduce on-head-pressure," allowing for comfortable and long-term use of the headset.
