AirPods Max: Apple's First-Ever Over-Ear Headphones Cost a Hefty $549

Apple gave one more surprise to its users this month as it released the AirPods Max, its long-rumored high-end over-ear headphones.

As the company said in an Apple Newsroom's release, AirPods Max brings "the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound."

AirPods Max comes in five colors: space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. They would be made available to order starting Tuesday and can be bought beginning December 15 at a premium price of $549.

Mac Rumors said the sleek new design has been in development for the last two years. It was the first Apple-branded over-ear headphones designed by the company, joining the AirPods and AirPods Pro in the line of audio accessories.

"AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality, and iconic design," said Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak.

With the new hardware's different features, he said users would be delivered "the ultimate personal listening experience." 

AirPods Max Offers Wide Range of Features

Apple said the AirPods Max had a "custom acoustic design" with its 40 mm driver system.

The firm's statement said it "provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard." 

The Verge added that there were several features in the new hardware that was similar to what was included in the first debuted AirPods line. 

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Some of these are adaptive EQ, transparency mode, spatial audio, and audio sharing. There was also the Digital Crown, an element from the Apple Watch that made its way into the new headphones.

AirPods Max allows users to have precise volume control, pause/play and skipping options, answering and ending phone calls features, and activation to Siri.

If users don't want to be disturbed at all, they can use the noise-canceling mode.But if they want outside sounds to be still heard, they can turn to use the AirPods Max's transparency mode. 

AirPods Max's 'Custom Acoustic Design'

According to Apple, the breathable ear cushions of the headphones and its accompanying headband help distribute weight throughout the hardware and reduce on-head pressure. These were made out of knitting mesh material with a stainless steel frame.

The ear cups are oval-shaped, while the headband resembles a U-shape with adjustable arms so multiple head sizes can be accommodated with comfort. 

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People who may have unique head shapes were also accounted for since each ear cup can pivot and rotate to fit a user's head, along with memory foam that will help in delivering "immersive sound."

The cups are interchangeable and magnetically attach to the headband so that ear cushions will be sold on a standalone basis.

While The Verge didn't find anything particularly "revolutionary" about the other features compared to other high-end noise-canceling headphones, the memory foam ear cushions did appear to provide comfort.

The tech news outlet also recognized that the removability of the ear cups should help in conveniently replacing them without too much trouble.

AirPods Max can work for a maximum of 20 hours and charges through Apple's Lightning connector, the Apple Newsroom release read.

About five minutes of charging time could allow 90 minutes of playback time.