AirPods max: apple introduces over-ear headphones with noise cancellation

following the success of its AirPods, apple has now announced that it is to begin selling wireless over-ear headphones. called ‘AirPods max’, the product — priced at $549 USD — is already available to order with availability beginning december 15, 2020. ‘AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality, and iconic design,’ says greg joswiak, apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. ‘with AirPods max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio. the custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips, and advanced software enable AirPods max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the ultimate personal listening experience.’

designed by apple to provide exceptional acoustic performance, the AirPods max come in five colors: space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. apple explains that the breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband, is made to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure, while the stainless steel headband frame provides strength, flexibility, and comfort for a wide variety of head shapes and sizes.

each ear cup attaches to the headband through a mechanism that balances and distributes ear cup pressure, and allows it to independently pivot and rotate to fit the unique contours of a user’s head. the ear cushions use acoustically engineered memory foam to create an effective seal that delivers immersive sound. the digital crown, inspired by apple watch, offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate siri.

the listening experience includes: adaptive EQ, which adjusts the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and adjusting the low and mid-frequencies in real time; active noise cancellation, which allows wearers to focus on what they are listening to (thanks to four built-in microphones that detect environmental noise); transparency mode, which allows users to simultaneously listen to music while hearing the environment around them; and spatial audio, which tracks the motion of a user’s head as well as the device, compares the motion data, then remaps the sound field so it stays anchored to the device.

AirPods max automatically detect when they are on a user’s head using the optical and position sensors. once in place, AirPods max play audio and can pause once removed or when the user simply lifts one ear cup. with AirPods max, voice calls and siri commands are crisp and clear due to beam-forming microphones that block out ambient noise and focus on the user’s voice.

AirPods max has a battery life of up to 20 hours of high-fidelity audio, talk time, or movie playback with active noise cancellation and spatial audio enabled. the headphones come with a soft, slim smart case that puts AirPods max in an ultralow power state that helps to preserve battery charge when not in use. read more technical specifications here.