AirPods Max ushers in a major upgrade: lossless audio and ultra-low latency!

Apple's AirPods Max headphones are celebrating their fifth anniversary this year, and it's still very charming—of course, that's normal, considering its price. The latest software update brings two highly anticipated features to the AirPods Max.

The most eye-catching update is the addition of support for lossless audio. When connected via USB-C cable, the AirPods Max can play audio at 24-bit, 48kHz resolution. Your audio signal will retain all the details and subtleties of the original studio recording without the possible compression artifacts in the standard Bluetooth audio stream.

If you are an audio enthusiast, you will find this a great addition. Apple Music, for example, supports lossless audio, but you can't make the most of it unless you use wired headphones - if you're wondering, yes, ultra-cheap EarPods with USB-C interface also support lossless audio because they have a wired connection, which is basically everything you need to meet the data transfer requirements of lossless audio. Bluetooth connections have always had compression issues, and while the sound quality of wireless headphones is good enough for most people, there is always a reason for audio enthusiasts to prefer wired connections. With this update, you can now also listen to lossless music using these expensive headphones.

AirPods Max finally supports USB-C and new colors!

The update also promises "ultra-low latency" audio that significantly reduces latency to levels comparable to the built-in speakers on Mac, iPad and iPhone devices. Of course, this is only available if you connect your AirPods Max to your phone, tablet or laptop using a USB-C cable – the wireless experience will remain the same. This wired connection is a way to provide a compression-free experience, which allows two improvements to be implemented that are not currently possible on Bluetooth at least. It's a bit of a shame, but it's the best experience we can get right now.

Apple says the improved USB-C feature is a boon for music creators. The combination of reduced latency and lossless audio quality opens up new possibilities for using AirPods Max in professional workflows. Previously, the inherent delay of wireless connections made the headset unsuitable for certain critical tasks, such as real-time monitoring during recording or precise time adjustments during mixing.

In fact, if all your hardware is Apple products, you might prefer to use the AirPods Max for this than other headphones. According to the company, the AirPods Max will be the only headset that can create and mix personalized spatial audio with head tracking. The ultra-low latency feature will also benefit gamers – reduced audio latency means a more sensitive gaming experience, with sounds more precisely aligned with on-screen actions.

Apple AirPods Max

Priced at $499 Original Save $549 Apple's high-end AirPods Max headset may not be the most cost-effective headset, but as a whole, it has a lot of features and high-fidelity sound quality that makes it worth the money.

Amazon priced at $499 Best Buy Target available

This update will be available in April for Apple devices running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or macOS Sequoia 15.4, so be sure to download the update if you have these headphones and have a USB-C cable you don't mind carrying around.

The above is the detailed content of Apple's AirPods Max Is Finally Getting This Must-Have Feature. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!