Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MP 1,1-5,1 AirPods max with 5,1 Mac pro
- Thread starter jetjaguar
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
AirPods Max are working with my Mac Pro 5,1. The headphones always show up in the Bluetooth menu when they are on. It usually takes at least two clicks to connect attempts before they stay connected.
If you cannot get they to connect that way remove them from Bluetooth, then reset the AirPods Max, cold reboot and try reconnecting.
If you still cannot get them to connect you might want to try out the EARS APP which manages audio inputs and outputs through the menu bar.
If you cannot get they to connect that way remove them from Bluetooth, then reset the AirPods Max, cold reboot and try reconnecting.
If you still cannot get them to connect you might want to try out the EARS APP which manages audio inputs and outputs through the menu bar.
Thanks. Ill give that a try. It is just weird that no matter how many times I click .. nothing.
Did you update the bluetooth card on your Mac Pro ?
Oops, I forgot. I have an updated wifi card with Bluetooth 4.0, that may be the reason.
Are you using the original Mac Pro wifi card? Double check if the Air Pods Max will connect with the original Bluetooth card. I updated my Mac Pro 5,1 with the card from OSX Wifi and this was the card I purchase with the Bluetooth antenna extension cable. I am using the original Mac Pro 5,1 Bluetooth antenna not a add-on or replacement with the OSX Wifi replacement card. OSX WIFI replacement WiFi and Bluetooth card for Mac Pro 5,1
Last edited:
I looked at the spec for the Air Pods Max and Apple does not explicitly list the versions of Bluetooth it supports.
I image the headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 with some backwards compatibility at least to 4.0 as my Mac Pro 5,1 with its wifi/bluetooth card has Bluetooth version 4.0. Check the version of your Bluetooth in System Report. My updated card is working with AirPod Pro, Air Pods Max, Air Pods and Big Sur. At the time I upgraded the OSX wifi card was a bit less expensive than it is now but it has worked well. There are other less expensive options on the market now.
Like you, i had issues with the original BT/wifi card when using airpods pro and airpods max. once i upgraded the card both headphones worked flawlessy. I did also buy a longer antenna extension cable and a new (cheap) small external BT antenna, which makes the BT signal much better and reliable. If you don’t wnat to upgrade the card, you can always buy a lighting to miniplug audio cable and use the airpods max connected to the audio output of the cMP.
Was thinking of that but the longest you can get is 3 feet .. while that is long enough I would like to have a bit more length.
you could get one of these adapters and a male-to-male miniplug cable as long as you need. not ideal but will do the job.
EDIT: Correction!!! I was wrong on the above suggestion. Turns out the adapters aI linked above are not bi-directional. Perhaps the safest option then would be to get the Apple Lighting-3.5mm cable and then connect that to a female-male 3.5mm extension cable.
More info here:
AirPods Max with third party Lightning - 3.5mm cable?
Hi there, has anyone tried using the AirPods Max for wired sound with a third party Lightning - 3.5mm cable? Just wondering if I need to order the Apple one or if the ProMax one I already have will work. Hopefully it will - Apple one is currently showing 8-10 weeks shipping to New Zealand...
forums.macrumors.com
Last edited:
I was wondering the same thing since I know with my normal AirPods Pro, my Bluetooth connection to my 5,1 was always not so great via the original Bluetooth card. One thing that helped was taking off the side cover on the Mac Pro - give that a try!