The Ultimate Guide to Apple's AirPods Max: Are You Ready?

Are you just all in on the Apple ecosystem? Do you listen to a ton of digital music and videos, especially streaming? Do you want wireless headphones with noise canceling and spatial audio? Do you prefer over-the-ear headphones? And do you have $550 in your gear fund just waiting to be used? If you answered yes to all these questions, literally nothing else matters. Apple's new AirPods Max are major, major, major, quad major – a game-changer for anyone who wants the best of the best.

The AirPods Max: A Comparison to Other High-End Audio Equipment

Compared to Canon and Sony, which offer huge multi-thousand-dollar sensors and glass, the iPhone camera is tiny and pathetic. However, the iPhone can still deliver pretty damn amazing photos and videos. So, why? Because what it lacks in big sensor and big glass, it makes up for with big compute. Apple takes a relatively small amount of visual data streaming in through the camera system and just computational power out of it, stacking and bracketing multiple exposures, rendering semantically based on an understanding of the scene and subject, tone mapping – all that jazz – to create a final algorithmic, machine learned photo or video that's far beyond what it has any right to be. The same can be said for Google and the Pixel camera.

Similarly, compared to multi-thousand, multi-tens of thousands of dollars in audio equipment, DACs, interfaces, CDs, vinyl, what you get over low-power wireless, regardless of bit rate or codec or anything, is just even more shades of tiny and pathetic. But the AirPods Max take that small amount of audio data streaming in and just computational sort of hell out of it, figuring out the instruments, and the vocals, taking any stereo, surround, or Atmos data, adapting EQs based on the position of the cups, the shape of your ears, whatever you're wearing on or around them, mapping spatial audio relative to any iOS device you may be watching on, and creating a final algorithmic, machine learned 3D sound stage that's just beyond what it has any right to be.

The Origins of AirPods Max: A HomePod Story

When Apple created the original HomePod, they intended for anyone who didn't have audio in a room who wanted quality audio but just didn't have the expertise and didn't want to go to all the trouble of wiring it all up to be able to just drop the HomePod pretty much anywhere. The AirPods Max are an evolution of this idea, taking wireless headphones to the next level.

The Real Value of AirPods Max: A Combination of Technology and Convenience

So when do the AirPods Max start to show their real value? It's when you have an iPhone or an iPad – that's when they start to force multiply that value. Not only are they super easy to set up on your iPhone or iPad, but once set up, they'll automatically propagate to all your other Apple devices. This means that any and every device you have on your Apple ID will be immediately available for the AirPods Max.

The Technical, Security, and Privacy Level of AirPods Max

I went over how it works on a technical, security, and privacy level in my Apple ecosystem deep dive explainer – link in the description. But basically, any and every device you have on your Apple ID will be immediately available for the AirPods Max. And the AirPods Max will just shift between them as and when you do it. It isn't perfect. In fact, it can be downright frustrating at times if they just won't switch to your Mac or hyper switch to your iPhone when you don't want them to, unless you disable that in settings.

A Future of Seamless Audio Experience

I can already imagine a future version of the AirPods Max that just receive Apple Music and everything else streaming directly into the device like the Apple Watch does. And then it just keeps going from there. This is the kind of seamless audio experience that only an ecosystem like Apple can provide.

When Apple deleted almost all the ports except for the headphone jack on the first 12-inch MacBook, that's when they started down this path. They were starting down a path to a truly wireless world. And now, with the AirPods Max, they're one step closer to making that reality a reality for everyone.

The Verdict: Are You Ready for AirPods Max?

If you're all in on Apple, you're gonna want to at least consider the AirPods Max. They are major, quad-major – a game-changer for anyone who wants the best of the best. But if you're not all in on Apple, then there's no need to jump ship just yet. The cheapest Bluetooth headphones will do the trick. Let me know which one you prefer in the comments.

The Final Word: Getting the Most Out of AirPods Max

So, when are you ready to get your hands on the AirPods Max? When you're all in on Apple, and you want the best wireless headphones with noise canceling and spatial audio. Not before then.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Are you just all inon the Apple ecosystem?Do you listen to a ton ofdigital music and videos,especially streaming?Do you want wireless?Do you want noise canceling?Do you prefer over the ear headphones?And do you have 550 bucksjust lightsabering ahole in your gear fund?If you answered yes toall of these questions,literally nothing else matters.Not codecs, not cables, not comparisons,not even cost, not even cases.If you answered yes,to quote Flossy Carter,Apple's new AirPods Max area major, major, major, major,quad major go.If you answered not surethough to any of them,then I'm gonna go throughjust everything that really matters.So hit that subscribe button and bell,and let's do this.Sponsored by Skillshare.The best way I can explain the AirPods Maxis by relating them backto the iPhone camera.Just go with me here for a moment.Compared to Canon and Sonyand their huge multi-thousanddollar sensors and glass,the iPhone camera isjust all shades of tinyand kinda pathetic,but the iPhone can still deliverpretty damn amazing photos and videos.So, why?Because what it lacks inbig sensor and big glass,it makes up for with big compute.Apple takes a relativelysmall amount of visual datastreaming in through the camera systemand just computationalsthe hell out of it,stacking and bracketingmultiple exposures,rendering semanticallybased on an understandingof the scene and subject,tone mapping just all the jargonto create a final algorithmic,machine learned photo or videothat's far beyond whatit has any right to be.Same with Google and the Pixel camera.Similarly, compared to multi-thousand,multi tens of thousands ofdollars in audio equipment,and DACs, and interfaces, and CDs,and sure, vinyl,what you get over low power wireless,regardless of bit rateor codec or anythingis just even more shadesof tiny and pathetic.But the AirPods Max take that small amountof audio data streaming inand just, yeah,computationals similarkinds of hell out of it,figures out theinstruments, and the vocals,takes any stereo, orsurround, or Atmos data,adaptively EQs based onthe position of the cups,the shape of your ears,whatever you're wearing on or around them,maps spatial audiorelative to any iOS deviceyou may be watching on,and creates a final algorithmic,machine learned 3D soundstagethat's just beyond whatit has any right to be.When Apple created the original HomePod,they intended for anyone whodidn't have audio in a roomwho wanted quality audio,but just didn't have the expertiseand didn't want to go to allthe trouble of wiring it all upto be able to just drop the HomePodpretty much anywhere in the roomand have it sound greatfrom pretty much anywhere in the room.And not just lossless,or high bit rate, or CD,or sure, vinyl,but Apple Music, Spotify,Netflix, Disney+, TV+.In other words, modern digital audio,more often than not sizzlingjust straight off the internetand have it sound amazing.AirPods Pro were basically that,HomePod tech just pin particled downand shoved into our ear holes.AirPods Max are basicallyjust more of that,HomePod tech turned inwardsand strapped over our ears.And for doing that,delivering that moderndigital and internet audiowirelessly into our brains and heartswith full on noise cancelingand transparency modes,AirPods Max aren't just thebest thing in this category.They pretty much are this new category,at least for now,the iPhone or Pixel phonecamera of headphones.Except instead of smartHDR and portrait mode,they are giving us adaptive EQand spatial audio for a price.Now, you can use the AirPodsMax if you only have an iPhone.You can even use themif you only have an Androidphone or no phone at all.Apple sells a $35 lighteningto 3.5 millimeter headphone cablethat has a two way analogto digital converter in it,so you can plug theAirPods Max into everythingfrom an in-flight entertainment systemto traditional audio gear.But it really is just a bonus,something that increases theutility of the AirPods Maxonce you get them,something that lets yourwireless headphones wire upif you really need themto for specific things.In other words, frosting, not cake.If all you want or needis wired headphones,just get cheaper wired headphones.Same with vanilla Bluetooth,which is how the AirPodsMax connect to everythingjust not Apple,Android, Windows, whatever.It's just Bluetooth,which is either adamning with faint praiseor praising with faint damnation.Let me know which in the comments.The point is if all you wantare Bluetooth headphones,get cheaper Bluetooth headphones.It's when you have an iPhone or an iPadthat the AirPods Max startto show their real value,and for reasons I'llget to in a hot minute.When you have an iPhoneand an iPad or a Mac,and a Mac,any combo of multiple Apple devices,all Apple devices,that's when they start toforce multiply that valuebecause like the in-earAirPods and the AirPods Pro,not only are they super easy,that's right, barely an inconvenienceto set up on your iPhone or iPad,but once set up,they'll automatically propagateto all your other Apple devices.I went over how it workson a technical, security,and privacy level in my Appleecosystem deep dive explainer,link in the description.But basically, any and every deviceyou have on your Apple IDwill be immediately availablefor the AirPods Max.And the AirPods Max willjust shift between themas and when you do.It isn't perfect.In fact, it can be downrightfrustrating at timesif they just won't switchto your Mac, for example,or they hyper switch to your iPhonewhen you don't want them to,unless you disable that in settings.But in my testing,once I got used to how they work,AKA last active audio on iOS wins,just nothing else even comes close.And I can already imaginea future version of the AirPods Maxthat just receive Apple Musicand everything else streaming directlyinto the device like the Apple Watch does.And then it just keeps going from there.All that to say if you're all in on Apple,you're gonna want to at leastconsider the AirPods Max.When Apple deleted the headphone jackon the iPhone 7 back in 2016,they were starting down a pathto a truly wireless world.Actually, stop the stream and rewind that,because when Apple deletedalmost all the portsexcept for the headphone jacka year earlier on thefirst 12 inch MacBook,that's when they started down this path.It was the whole \"Hunt for Red October,\"Cortez burning the boats tomake everyone committed clichewrit a decade large.And part of that involves charging,which Apple has been working onsince the Apple Watch thatthey released the same year.Another part though involves data,which Apple has likewise been working onwith Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy,point-to-point WiFi, AirPlay,and more recently U1 Ultra Wideband.For relatively smallbattery operated deviceslike the AirPods,even the relatively larger AirPods Max,we're still limited orwe're still being limitedto the lowest power drawend of that spectrum,so Bluetooth, which kind of really sucks.I mean, us nerds will argueover different Bluetooth protocols,lossless versus lossyand all sorts of codecs,but there are just so many pitfallsand stumbles 'twixtstudio master to Bluetoothjust beaming through our uglybags of mostly water bodiesand into our ears that that'sall any of it really is,nerdy arguments.And sure, absolutely,less garbage in, less garbage out,but with AirPods, especially AirPods Max,Apple just doesn't want usto have to worry about any of that.They want us to be ableto put on the headphones,play anything off the internetthrough any of our devicesno matter the compression,no matter the format.If our iPhone or iPad orMac or Watch can play it,we can hear it on the AirPods Max.And as computationally, stupefyingly,I can't believe this isBluetooth audio as possible,and it works.Everything is just crystal clear and crispto the point where you'llprobably get that feelingyou're hearing distinctparts of a compositionyou never heardor just don't rememberever hearing before.But also now hearingprecisely where everything isin the soundstage,all deep, and rich, andrumbling, and soaring.And it's like taking ear muffs offas much as it is puttingthe headphones on.It's like AirPods Pro,but instead of being in your ear,it's around your ear,so it feels like the music isn't in youso much as your in the music,in the room filled with the music.Not like open back headphones,but better than closed back headphones,just really fully immersive.Even at louder volumes,you can use the Digital Crown.Digital Crown, like on the Apple Watch,at the top of the right canto get really fine graincontrol over volume.But even if you crank it,the AirPods Max just do a terrific jobof maintaining the qualityand character of the audioand avoiding distortion.And you can switch thevolume direction in settingsto just whichever way feels natural,but also click the Crownto skip back and forward,to answer and end calls,and hold it down for Siri,if for some reasonyou just don't want to sayhey to voice activate it.And calls sound just really, really good.There are like ninemicrophones in the AirPods Max,two of which do double dutywith the noise canceling systemand more on that in just a minute.But one, one which justcancels wind noise,which is otherwisereally annoying on calls.Now, sure, put 100 self-identifyingaudiophiles in a roomand you'll get 100 differentopinions on the highs,the mids, the lows, the bass, the treble.And yes, I've watchedall of their reviews,but what's been consistent across themis that for wireless noisecanceling headphones,over the ear, closed backs,the AirPods Max sound amongst the best,if not subjectively the best.So if you really want wireless,you're gonna want to reallyconsider the AirPods Max.From the very, very beginning,people have said thesound quality of AirPodsjust aren't worth the price.But also from the very, very beginning,we've never been paying for the sound.Hell, cheap hard wiredheadphones sound terrific.What we've been payingfor is the technology.Things like those nine microphones,the custom silicone,which is now a 10 core H1headphone audio processing chipin each can.That's what lets them dothings like adaptive EQ,which instead of bouncing soundoff of objects in the roomto shape a wideroom filling 3D soundstagelike the HomePod does,just bounces sound around our earsto shape virtually the same thing,around our ears,adjusting it for the exactposition of the cans on our earsor anything breaking theseal of the cans themselveslike hair, or glasses,or even just when we fidgetwith them and move them around.The downside is that there'sno manual or custom EQ,no way outside some accessibility featuresto change the way the AirPods Max soundbecause Apple can'thandle computational audioand manual EQ at the same time yet.So for now, the computational audio systemgets to detect and decide everything.That's just the wookie that wins.But that's also why I'dnever used AirPods Maxfor audio editing even with a wire.I worry that they wouldjust automatically fix,just computationally fix anyissues with the audio for methat I really want to hearand need to fix manually for everybody.Once the audio editing is doneand I'm just laying downB-roll, for example,they're great,but I need to make sure that edit is doneon regular headphones first.The computational audio alsoallows for spatial audio,a recent feature upgradeto the AirPods Probecause in the age of computational audio,you can now get featureupdates to your headphones,which is all shades of cool.But it uses the accelerometerand gyroscope in both the AirPodsand your iPhone or iPadto track the relativeposition of your headand adjust the audio accordingly.Basically, when you'relistening to speakersand you turn your head,the audio doesn't turn with you.The speakers stay exactly where they are.But with traditional headphones,when you turn your head,it does because the headphonesturn with your head,which is fine for music,but weird for video.So spatial audio makes headphonesbehave more like speakers.You turn your head and theaudio stays exactly where it is.It's weird, but wonderful.And you just have totry it to really get it.But it only works with theiPhone and iPads for nowbecause they're theonly other Apple deviceswith the matching sensors for now.But I want it, nay, I need iton the next generation Apple TV stat,as stat as possible.As to the noise canceling, it's aces.Again, 100 people withaudiophilia in a room,100 opinions on therelative quality and merits.I do think some other headphoneshandle the constant dinof low-level noise better,like engines or heaters,but the AirPods Max are really,really good at the irregular noises,like background chatter,better even than the AirPods Probecause the physical cansare adding to the effect.Transparency mode sounds better to me too.And you can cycle between noise cancelingand transparency with the second button,the one opposite the DigitalCrown on top of the right can.It's a really nice satisfyingclickety clackety button.And you can go into settings and toggle itto switch between not just noise cancelingand transparency mode,but just turning the audio system offif you want to as well.I just wish it wasn'tpositioned where it isbecause I press it by accident so alwayswhen adjusting the headphones on my head,sort of like how I stillhit the power off buttonon my iPhone by accidentwhen trying to use the volumebuttons to take a photo,yes, lo these many years later.You also can't switch thesides that the buttons are oneven though the headphonepads themselves are magnetic,and detachable, and swappable,you can't change left from rightso you can't put the controls on left.if for some reason youhave accessibility issueswith the controls on the right.If that's the case,you'll just have to use thecontrols on your iPhone or iPad.But when transparency mode is on,everything you need to hear, you hear,and with surprising quality and clarity.Even better,because of the sensorsinside the AirPods Max,if you need to hear even more,you can just pull one of thecans off one of your ears.The AirPods Max will detect it and pauseso you can listen to whatever it isyou want to listen to IRLand then resume as soon as you let goand the AirPods Max justfall back into place.Same thing with powering on and off,it's all automatic.There's no manual button,nothing for you to press or switch.It's like Apple doesn't want anyoneto have to worry aboutforgetting to turn them offand the battery just draining.So like the AirPods Pro,if you take them offand the sensors don't detectany movement for a few minutes,they'll go into low power mode.And I've left mine for hoursand they only lose only very lowsingle digit powerpercentages in that time.And even that is only becauseApple leaves Bluetoothand Find My on it first.Bluetooth so you can quicklyreconnect if you want toand Find My so you cantrack your AirPods Maxif you leave them behindor just otherwise lose track of them.Then after 72 hourswhen presumably you've done any Find Myand tracking you've needed to,if you needed to,they'll go into ultra low power modewhere they can maintain a chargefor just ludicrously long periods of time.And if you use the casethat comes with them,which honestly looks like chaps to meand seems to do little morethan protect the aluminumcans from scuffing,the low power mode will engageas soon as you close the magnetic flapand the ultra low power modewill engage in 18 hours,again, still, so you have just some timeto track them if you need to.And this particular case,yeah, I totally don't get it either,but I've never used any of the casesthat have come with any of my headphones,so these are like the StarWars prequels or sequels for meand I just prefer to pretendthey don't even exist.But if you want something moreprotective and traditional,maybe one day to travel with,some third-party options arejust starting to hit the marketand there'll be more to follow.But Apple's intent hereis to reduce stressso that normal humans don't have to worryabout micromanaging batterylife or power status.But for nerds like us,it'll likely induce stress,specifically because it doesn't let usmicromanage battery life or power status.And that's simply because Apple stuffoften isn't designed for us,but it's designed so wellthat we want it anywayand then we want to change it.But if abstracting away all the noisefiguratively and literallyprovides the kind ofexperience that you enjoy,you may want to consider the AirPods Max.But you might also want the AirPods Maxto just be a hell of a lot cheaper,like $200 or more cheaper,around the 300 to $350 price pointof a lot of other popular wireless,noise canceling, over the ear headphones.You know, a sporty, more plastic,more entry-level pair likewhat the AirPods nothing areto the AirPods Pro,but that's not what Apple's made,at least not yet.What they made is apremium pair of AirPods Maxwith stainless steelbands and aluminum cans,space foam wrapped in acoustic fabricwith just a ton of custom silicone,and sensors, and microphone,and speaker tech insideto go with it for $550.Yeah, $550,which just might not bea price you're willingor even able to pay for them,or may just be the wrong product for you.The HomePod OG biggieto the HomePod mini that you really want.And I totally get that.Sometimes Apple starts atthe bottom and builds up.Most often though, they start at the topand use those firstfew premium generationsto pay everything downand then push everything downto the lower priced entry level models,including just everything named mini.And if that's the case for you,then these aren't yourfloss style major go,but rather, a major no,and there are a bunch of other wireless,noise canceling, over the ear headphonesat that much lower price point.They don't offer everythingthe AirPods Max do,but they don't cost anywherenearly as much either,and that could be justthe best value for you.Now, yes,other headphones don't justuse plastic to save on costs.They often use it to save on weight.And because of the materials here,because of the aluminum,the stainless steel,the AirPods Max are heavy.I don't find them particularly heavywhen I'm just wearing them,but if I'm moving, if I'm turning,if I'm stopping and starting,there is absolutely momentum that canand will move them around on your head.And while that's nota deal breaker for me,it may be an annoyance for you.Also, the AirPods Max don't offer anythingin the way of water resistance.So beyond just theweight and the momentum,there is no protection against rain,or drizzle, or splashes, or even sweat.So if you are looking forover the ear headphonesto work out with,these are just not theover the ear headphonesthat you're looking for.Unlike traditional AppleEarPods and AirPods though,they do come in more than one color.In addition to white,you can get them in spacegray, green, blue, and pink,And the colors of the aluminummatch the colors of the iPad Airwhile the colors of the clothmatch the colors of the iPhone 12,so all your Apple stuffcan do the two tone match.And if you use a lot of hair products,you probably want to getone of the darker colorsand not the lighter colors either.If you're all in on Apple hardwareand listen to a ton of music, and videos,streaming and otherwise,and you want wireless and noise canceling,and prefer over the ear headphones,and $550 either isn'ta lot of money to youor you feel the AirPods Maxprovide more than enough valueto be worth that 550 bucks for you anyway,then the AirPods Maxare just the best computational headphonesand all around personalApple audio experienceyou can get right now.These, this pair are a reviewunit courtesy of Apple,but I liked them so much,I ordered a pair almostimmediately for myself as well.Like with Apple's otherrecent computational efforts,they just feel likethe beginning of somethingreally, really cool.We're getting to the limitsof what atoms can do on their own,at least at the smallestend of the mobile scale.And I can't wait to see wherebits can just keep pushing usand the technology forward.Just like I can't waitto see what I can doto keep pushing myself forward in 2021to learn more and betterlike from Thomas Frank andhis new productivity classwhich teaches how to builda sustainable set of habitswithout feeling like a failure,which honestly has been somethingI've always struggled with,particularly this year.Thomas goes through hisresearch, his experience,and his own trial and errorand lays out the groundworkfor lasting habits,which is just so important right nowwhen so many of us arewondering what's going on,what's even happening next,and are looking for waysto create some sort of structureto meet some even small set of goalsso we can regain thatsmall sense of controland accomplishment thatwe kind of need right now.That's the real power of Skillshare.It isn't just one class,even several classes.It's an online learning communitythat offers membership with meaning,and with an annual subscriptionthat's less than $10 a month.And there are classes onillustration and design,and photography, andvideo, and freelancing,and more with real projects to createand the support of real fellow creatives,more than seven million ofus learning with Skillshare.And the first 1,000 of youwho click on the link in descriptionwill get a free trialof Skillshare Premium.Yeah, free.Act now and start learning today.And clicking on that link justreally helps out the channel.For more on AirPods Max,just click the playlist aboveand check out my deep dive and Q&A.Just click on the playlistand I'll see you in the next video.\n"