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AirPods Max (USB-C version) wired audio impressions

beano said:
The lighting version has quite a lot of ‘cable noise’ when it brushes against your clothing etc, causing a subtle scratching noise in the headphone. Wondering if this is reduced with the new braided cable
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AirPods Max with USB-C has this too. I've tried the braided USB-C/3.5mm cable, and multiple USB-C to USB-C cables (even though they don't produce audio yet), and they all seem about the same to me. ...Most headphones have this to some degree, but it does seem quite noticeable on the AirPods Max, at least when there is no audio or quiet audio playing.

I find that you can reduce it greatly by clipping the cable to your shirt collar, with enough slack that you can turn your head without pulling on the the cable, but not much more than that. (See "earphone wire clip" on Amazon.)

Fuga said:
Does anyone know whether any USB-C/USB-C cable will work or must it be an Apple one, the one included or one to be sold by Apple? That is, must there be "something added" by Apple for it to work? See post #11 above.
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I will be testing this as well, as soon as USB-C audio is enabled. I highly doubt that the Apple cable will be required, but I don't know if you just need a cable that supports USB 2.0 speeds (just 4 pins / 480 mbps) or something better for USB 3.0 speeds...
 
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Thanks for the report. Wired audio is still very important, especially for content consumption as well as speaking to others over the phone, on telephonic meetings, Zoom, Teams, etc. For anyone with even moderately decent hearing, wired is, and will remain, demonstrably superior to wireless.
 
I just sold my less-than-4-month-old AirPods Max (Lightning) and picked up the USB-C version on Friday, along with Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. Nearly all my devices are USB-C now, so it’s a relief to finally be able to use a wired connection while traveling—no more worrying about packing a Lightning cable just for one device. As a bonus, I can now take advantage of lossless audio, which is a nice added benefit.
 
Thank you for taking the time to do this review! I picked up a pair within an hour of MacRumors dropping the story about the update. I've always wanted a pair, but could never justify them not supporting lossless audio. For what it's worth, I also assumed that the headband only transmitted power and not data. That's thankfully not the case.

I genuinely think the AirPods Max are the new Yamaha NS10's. I'll try to write a post this week summarizing my thoughts, but I want to try the wired audio feature first.
 
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So AirPods Max is the only headphone that supports low latency, lossless audio, and spatial audio at the same time? That sounds appealling. Thanks for your sharing.
 
baconcat_8964 said:
So AirPods Max is the only headphone that supports low latency, lossless audio, and spatial audio at the same time? That sounds appealling. Thanks for your sharing.
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I am uncertain about the low latency aspect, but the Beats (Solo 4, Studio Pro) devices also support lossless audio (USB-C and analog connections). Is this considered low latency? Additionally, they offer spatial audio capabilities.
 
subjonas said:
That’s too bad. I’m assuming this is because the converter in the 3.5mm cable only converts analog to digital, and not the other way around.
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No, the cable is bidirectional. It converts a digital signal (from a device, not your headphones) with a DAC to an analog signal. However, it only has a TRS connector, not a TRRS connector, which is necessary for the microphone signal.
A male TRS connector is generally a better choice for your car stereo.
 
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spaxxedout said:
For what it's worth, I also assumed that the headband only transmitted power and not data. That's thankfully not the case.
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Sorry if something was unclear. The headband indeed only transmits power, not data. Data between the earcups is transmitted wirelessly, even if the audio source to the headphones is wired.

subjonas said:
That’s too bad. I’m assuming this is because the converter in the 3.5mm cable only converts analog to digital, and not the other way around.
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The cable is "bi-directional" but it can only work in one mode at a time. If you hook it up to AirPods Max, it will be analog-to-digital (audio input). If you hook it up to the USB-C port on your iPhone, it will be digital-to-analog (audio output).
 
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One aspect to consider is that you have now two amplifiers: one in your stereo and one in the AirPods Max.
This means that if you have one of these high-end headphone amplifiers, the sound quality of your headphones will depend on the amplifier in your Max. This is not the case with a Beats Solo 4. Nevertheless, we need this firmware.
 
macOS 15.4 / iOS 18.4 are officially released. (Same as the RC2 builds from late last week.)

Based on Apple's press release from last week, I was expecting a firmware update that would enable the USB audio functionality to drop at the same time. However, the AirPods firmware page is not listing a new firmware version for AirPods Max — https://support.apple.com/en-us/106340.

I am not sure how quickly that page is updated when a new firmware version drops, there could be a new version of the firmware available and it is just not listed there. So, I'm going to go plug the AirPods in for a while and see if a new firmware version will get installed...
 
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PotentPeas said:
macOS 15.4 / iOS 18.4 are officially released.

The AirPods firmware page is not listing a new firmware version for AirPods Max — https://support.apple.com/en-us/106340 — but I am not sure how quickly that page would be updated when a new firmware version drops.

Going to go plug the AirPods in for a while and see if a new firmware version will drop down...
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I don’t think Apple plans to release the firmware update until April.
 
PotentPeas said:
Sorry if something was unclear. The headband indeed only transmits power, not data. Data between the earcups is transmitted wirelessly, even if the audio source to the headphones is wired.


The cable is "bi-directional" but it can only work in one mode at a time. If you hook it up to AirPods Max, it will be analog-to-digital (audio input). If you hook it up to the USB-C port on your iPhone, it will be digital-to-analog (audio output).
Click to expand...

I’ve heard it both ways honestly. Someone said the AirPods Max only have one H1 chip in the left earcup.
 
jcshas said:
I don’t think Apple plans to release the firmware update until April.
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The press release made it seem like it was coming "with" iOS 18.4 / macOS 15.4. The batch of OS updates released today included other features previously announced for April (i.e., Apple Intelligence for visionOS).

Anyway, the Apple site that I linked to above now lists a new version of the firmware, 7E99. Got to figure out how to get my headset to update. I left it for an hour charging in the case and it did not, but I might have been "too early".


Version 7E99 release notes​


  • When used with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later, AirPods Max with USB-C and firmware update 7E99 enable lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio for the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production, content creation, and gaming.

spaxxedout said:
I’ve heard it both ways honestly. Someone said the AirPods Max only have one H1 chip in the left earcup.
Click to expand...
H1 is in both earcups (see iFixit teardown).
 
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PotentPeas said:
The press release made it seem like it was coming "with" iOS 18.4 / macOS 15.4. The batch of OS updates released today included other features previously announced for April (i.e., Apple Intelligence for visionOS).

Anyway, the Apple site that I linked to above now lists a new version of the firmware, 7E99. Got to figure out how to get my headset to update. I left it for an hour charging in the case and it did not, but I might have been "too early".


Version 7E99 release notes​


  • When used with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later, AirPods Max with USB-C and firmware update 7E99 enable lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio for the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production, content creation, and gaming.


H1 is in both earcups (see iFixit teardown).
Click to expand...
Sweet!Just plugged my APM in to make sure they are charging. Fingers crossed the firmware will update soon!
 
Has anyone been able to update their AirPods Max yet? I have them charging and I haven't seen anything yet.
 
Some movement… I was able to update my USB-C AirPod Pros
 

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This might be useful to some....you have to have already updated your iPhone to 18.4 or your Mac to 15.4 in order for the latest APM firmware 7E99 to become available to you. It won't update to 7E99 if you haven't already updated your phone or Mac.

Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 20.35.33.png
 
DaniTheFox said:
No, the cable is bidirectional. It converts a digital signal (from a device, not your headphones) with a DAC to an analog signal. However, it only has a TRS connector, not a TRRS connector, which is necessary for the microphone signal.
A male TRS connector is generally a better choice for your car stereo.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. But just to make doubly sure—so it converts digital to analog (eg. iPhone source to car stereo speakers), but it also converts analog to digital (3.5mm source to APM). Correct?
 
subjonas said:
Thanks for the info. But just to make doubly sure—so it converts digital to analog (eg. iPhone source to car stereo speakers), but it also converts analog to digital (3.5mm source to APM). Correct?
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Yes, exactly right.

...There are cheaper ways to connect your iPhone to a car stereo, though, you can use Apple's USB-C/3.5mm "headphone jack adapter" (the $9 one that is just a couple of inches long) and then any 3.5mm patch cable (male TRS on both ends).
 
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