It is with great curiosity that we open the elegant box that contains the Airpods Max. Apple’s long-awaited wireless “headset” – which began to speculate as early as 2018 – came at the end of 2020, somewhat surprisingly.
We approach with a little awe, but instead the Airpods Max immediately put us at ease. First of all because they are pleasant both to caress with your hands and to wear. But let’s start with the look.
L’aesthetics
Unmistakable. As had already happened for the Airpods little sisters, the Airpods Max also reinvent the aesthetics of a product that other brands had already proposed, with the pretense of becoming the industry benchmark.
It is immediately clear that you have a luxury product on your hands. And the materials used confirm this. The large pavilions are made of anodized aluminum and can rotate independently of each other to balance the pressure and adapt to the shape of anyone’s head. The cushions – which adhere perfectly to our ear – are made of memory foam covered with a special very soft mesh fabric. They are very easy to remove to be cleaned or replaced when needed.
The arch that joins the pavilions has a design never seen before. Its stainless steel structure is covered with a soft-touch material and in the center – in the part that rests on the top of the head – it has a band of breathable mesh fabric, which distributes the weight evenly and does not crush or weigh down the head. IS It is also very convenient to adjust the height, thanks to the two telescopic rods that can be adjusted simply by pressing and that lock when you stop pressing or pulling. Even after a couple of hours of use there is no discomfort at any point.
The Smart Case deserves a special mention: the designers really did their best to find an original solution and, without a doubt, they did it. If you make it “wear” to the headphones, the ensemble looks like an original clutch bag. And it is so soft that we would never stop stroking it. It is not only used to protect the Airpods Max, but also to extend the life of the battery (which ensures about 20 hours of high fidelity audio, conversation or movie playback with active noise cancellation and spatial audio enabled). It remains to be seen how the one we are trying, which is immaculate white, will react to the test of time.
How do they work?
The Airpods Max are very easy to put “on the track”. In two steps, they appear on the iPhone 12 mini we are using (the only care you need to have is to update your smartphone to the latest version of iOs) and you can immediately enter the world of Apple-branded noise cancellation. It is activated or deactivated with a push button. Instead, with the digital crown, a wheel with a slightly vintage look (like the one on the Apple Watch, but larger) you can precisely adjust the volume, switch from one track to another, answer calls and activate Siri . Both controls are located in the most comfortable point to reach when we are wearing the Airpods Max: on the upper part of the right ear cup.
Immersive sound
All that remains is to select the playlist from the iPhone (or device you prefer) and focus on the music. We activate noise cancellation – which cancels the noise coming from outside with an opposite signal of equal amplitude – to let ourselves be completely enveloped by the melody. The Apple-designed 40mm dynamic driver delivers rich, deep bass, accurate midrange and crisp, crystal clear highs, even at full volume. Thus we perceive all the details of each sound and experience an immersive experience, on a cinematic level. The H1 chip designed by Apple, placed in each ear cushion, is able to perform 9 billion operations per second to manage the computational audio. These two chips also handle “spatial audio”. That is, they make the sound adapt to the surrounding space. Translated: even if we constantly move our head, the sound will always be accurate. This is possible because in every headphone there are a gyroscope and an accelerometer that continue to track the position of the head relative to the device. Furthermore, the position sensors make the music stop every time we remove the headphones, to resume only when we put on the Airpords Max again.
In short, an original product with many “pros”. The downside, however, is there and it is the price, which is much higher than most of the competitors’ models. But, perhaps, as often happens for status symbols, this will determine their success.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
