When I used Apple’s high-end headphones “AirPods Max” during the winter vacation, I discovered various values of headphones for 60,000 yen. I would like to report how to enjoy while making full use of the power of AirPods Max.
[See the details of AirPods Max in the photo]* Tap the image to view it. It cannot be displayed from some SNS.
Powerful active noise canceling function
AirPods Max is a headphone equipped with active noise canceling (ANC) function. Speaking of ANC headphones, Bose and Sony products are also popular. When traveling on an airplane, we often see passengers wearing headphones from both companies and enjoying entertainment. By the time the corona wreck has subsided and you can enjoy air travel again, will you be able to see travelers carrying AirPods Max?
When I tried the ANC function of AirPods Max, I felt that the effect was very high. Around-ear-style headphones that cover your ears tightly with a sealed housing and highly cushioned ear pads, further block noise and reduce sound leakage than AirPods Pro.
The muffling effect is well-balanced over a wide range of bands such as car road noise, human voice, and high-pitched subway brake sounds. There is less pressure on your ears when you turn on the function, and the music balance is not lost. Wireless headphones that allow you to enjoy the sound of music and videos indoors and outdoors in a quiet environment.
Many modern 4K smart TVs are equipped with a Bluetooth audio transmission function. If you pair AirPods Max directly, you can enjoy powerful sound even when watching TV at night. If your TV doesn’t have Bluetooth audio transmission, you can add an external transmitter. Listen to the audio of recorded sports programs on AirPods Max for a realistic immersive experience.
AirPods Max is the only headphone in the world to enjoy spatial audio
Pairing AirPods Max with an iPhone / iPad with iOS 14.3 / iPadOS 14.3 or later and playing Dolby Atmos or 7.1ch / 5.1ch audio recording content distributed by the Apple TV app is Apple’s own. You can enjoy “spatial audio” playback.
Spatial audio playback is a function that allows you to enjoy stereoscopic surround playback of movies, dramas, and anime content.When AirPods Pro wireless earphones first supportReview in this magazinedoing. The device settings etc. are the same for AirPods Max, so please read the review.
In addition to surround playback, spatial audio has another function called “dynamic head tracking.” For example, if you turn your face to the left when you hear the lines from the front, you can experience the experience of a strong voice jumping from your right ear. AirPods Max is the only headphone in the world that allows you to enjoy the realistic immersive feeling of jumping into the surround sound space in a simple combination with an iPhone / iPad.
During the winter vacation, I was completely immersed in the fun of this spatial audio, and I was hunting for the corresponding content in the iTunes Store. Roughly speaking, “Zero Gravity,” “Interstellar,” “Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN,” and other “space things,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “A Star Is Born,” and other “music live things,” are especially spatial audio. The compatibility with was outstandingly good. If you have an AirPods Pro, it’s worth trying out the sound of AirPods Max, which is even more immersive in spatial audio.
This time I watched it in combination with iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPad Pro 12.9 inch, but I still want to enjoy dynamic head tracking even on a larger screen. I hope you can enjoy spatial audio with the combination of Apple TV 4K and AirPods Max as soon as possible.
Sounds like enjoying a drive in a luxury car with a good undercarriage
Music playback with AirPods Max features a neutral balance and high resolution. The elegant and detailed sound will not make you tired even if you listen to it for a long time, so you can get an experience that will become familiar to your ears as you listen to your favorite music. It was a perfection that convinced me that it was a high-end headphone of 60,000 yen.
Headphones that obediently reproduce the natural voice quality of vocals and the tones of musical instruments such as acoustic pianos and guitars. The bass is tight and deep. The sound image is rich in three-dimensionality and the outline is smooth without bulging too much. If you compare it to the ride quality of a car, it looks like a luxury car with a good undercarriage. It makes you feel strong with enough horsepower, but even if you listen to up-tempo songs of rock and dance music, you can not see the roughness.
Depending on the song, it may be ant to use the equalizer function of the app to finish the sound to your liking. For example, if you have a genuine iOS “Music” app, you can select your favorite sound from 23 presets by opening “Equalizer” from the settings.
Convenient for remote work. “External sound capture” that allows you to hear outside sounds clearly
The “external sound capture” function, which allows you to pick up sounds around the listening environment with the built-in microphone of the headphones and mix them with music or call voice, is also a convenient function. In the case of AirPods Max, switch ANC and external sound capture from the noise control button mounted on the top of the right ear cup or the control center of the paired iPhone.
The external sound capture function of AirPods Max allows you to hear the outside sound clearly enough to talk with the people around you even while wearing headphones. When you start playing music, you can get an open listening feeling as if you were listening with the speakers close to your ears.
You can safely enjoy listening to music outdoors by turning on the function. You can check the voice of the conversation at the station announcement or during a little shopping. Even if you use headphones in a relatively quiet environment, you may want to keep the external sound capture function on all the time. For example, you can talk to your family while attending a video conference at home, or you can react to the front door chime even if you are listening to music while you are alone.
The game audio delay problem has been resolved! Wired connection to iPhone is also possible
When playing videos or games on a smartphone with Bluetooth-connected headphones / earphones, the audio is often delayed a little due to the technical restrictions of Bluetooth.
If you use Apple’s genuine optional accessory “Lightning-3.5mm audio cable”, AirPods Max can be directly connected to a smartphone or portable game console equipped with a 3.5mm earphone jack, so there is no audio delay. You will also be able to connect to in-flight entertainment systems that have a 3.5mm earphone jack. An indispensable item for air travel.
Furthermore, if you install the genuine Apple “Lightning-3.5mm headphone jack adapter” additionally, you can make a wired connection to an iPhone that does not have a 3.5mm earphone jack. Compared to the AirPods series, which cannot be connected to smartphones and player devices by wire, AirPods Max feels advantageous.
Expectations for expansion of abundant “AirPods Max exclusive accessories”
AirPods Max are headphones made with luxurious metal materials such as aluminum housing and stainless steel headband. The weight of the main body is 384.8 g, which is a little heavier than wireless headphones equipped with ANC function, but it has a highly cushioned ear pad that fits gently around the ear and a knit mesh shape that supports the crown. You can enjoy a light fit with the headband. You won’t get tired of watching a movie that supports spatial audio for about 2 hours on your iPad.
I think there are many music fans who choose headphones as a fashion item. AirPods Max’s classic, retro look is appealing with the impact that anyone can claim to be “Apple headphones.”
I’ve been using AirPods Max since its release, and one thing I’m interested in is the “Smart Case” that comes as a dedicated item. The Smart Case is a case that protects the headphone housing and ear pads, but you will have to carry it in your bag with the headband exposed. The headband is made of strong and durable metal and silicon material, so if you put it in your bag, you won’t have to worry about it breaking, but I usually put a PC or charger in my backpack. Since I carry it around a little rough, I want to carry headphones and earphones in a case that can protect the whole.
A third-party accessory maker has announced a hard case that claims to be “AirPods Max compatible.” There seems to be a case with a pocket for the charging cable, so it seems to be convenient to use.
Many third-party manufacturers also sell accessories for Apple products. Compared to other companies’ smartphones and wireless earphones, you can find an overwhelming number of accessories compatible with the iPhone and AirPods series, both in type and number. The strength of being “Apple headphones” will surely be demonstrated in the place where you can customize the fit and design with the accessories for AirPods Max that will be enhanced in the future.
Like the “spatial audio” that was added after the release of AirPods Pro, it seems that we can expect the addition of new functions by software update. The fact that various functionality will evolve in the future due to the latest built-in Apple chip is also a big point that gives the impression that AirPods Max’s price of 60,000 yen is “headphones that can be enjoyed for a long time”. If you’ve read this article and find yourself stuck, I hope you’ll take the plunge and get your hands on AirPods Max.
[See the details of AirPods Max in the photo]* Tap the image to view it. It cannot be displayed from some SNS.
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