Digital crown control: How precise is it?

[allan]

One thing I'm intrigued by is the digital crown control for volume adjustment. How precise is it?

When listening on an iPhone and my Bose QC35, I find that the volume rocker switches on the phone (or on the cans) don’t allow me to dial in the exact volume level I want. The increments are too big. It’s the same when I use the volume slide control on the screen. On a Mac, you can more precisely fine-tune the volume you want by adjusting the volume control in quarter-steps.

Because of the lack of precise volume control on iPhones, I've resorted to listening to my music on an Activo CT10. But I hate the interface and would much rather do my listening on my iPhone, where I can sync my playlists from the iTunes/Music app on my Mac.

So I’m wondering: does the digital crown on the Airpods Max allow you to precisely dial in the volume level you want in smaller increments as compared to the bigger increments when using the volume switch on the Phone itself? I haven’t seen any mention of this so far in any of the reviews I’ve seen.

 

[tbayrgs]

The digital crown allow much more precise volume adjustment. I'm currently listening to a YouTube video on my iPad Pro while I type this and each 'tick' on the digital crown appears to equate to about 1/4 of the volume change made when using the physical volume controls on my iPad. Also, there are no haptic controls like on the Apple Watch but there is a soft click for each little adjustment made using the crown.

 

[u2u2]

The control is very fine and precise. The crown is a nice size and well located for easy use. In use it is as if it has infinite steps. Very light clicks give just enough feedback. On another forum a member had the patience to count the clicks and came up with sixty (60). There is a tone when you hit minimum volume and another for maximum. If you desire you can also reverse the direction of your volume adjustments. Well thought out and implemented.

 

[BeatCrazy]

The control is very fine and precise. The crown is a nice size and well located for easy use. In use it is as if it has infinite steps. Very light clicks give just enough feedback. On another forum a member had the patience to count the clicks and came up with sixty (60). There is a tone when you hit minimum volume and another for maximum. If you desire you can also reverse the direction of your volume adjustments. Well thought out and implemented.

Ya that was me.

Volume controls are very hard to implement in a satisfactory way, even analog controls. The engineering on just the volume control crown alone is rather mind boggling, compared to similar products.

 

[allan]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Now I'm really tempted to get a pair, along with the Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable for those times I want a wired connection.

 

[adrianlondon]

Another question about the crown.

Instructions say press once for pause/play, twice to skip and thrice to go back a track. Does this mean when you press the crown for a while nothing happens while it waits to see if you're gonna press it again?

 

[its93rc]

It's surprisingly responsive. I thought it was an odd choice for headphones, but now I see why they implemented it. It's really intuitive and works well. My question now is how long it lasts/how durable it is.

 

[Pug72]

Another question about the crown.

Instructions say press once for pause/play, twice to skip and thrice to go back a track. Does this mean when you press the crown for a while nothing happens while it waits to see if you're gonna press it again?

It's like the old inline controls on the wired EarPods. It doesn't wait, it just registers the amount of quick presses.

 

[kazmac]

Another question about the crown.

Instructions say press once for pause/play, twice to skip and thrice to go back a track. Does this mean when you press the crown for a while nothing happens while it waits to see if you're gonna press it again?

Yes, you have to press the crown quickly for two - skip, three - back to work. One tap will start/pause the music, track etc.


Haven’t tested the pause between taps yet.

 

[jwhazel]

Something I’ve been wondering about since debut regarding responsiveness, how often do you go to push the crown and mistakenly adjust volume via a slight rotation?

I occasionally encounter this on my watch. It’s user error on my part because it registers that ever so slight twist before it gets the push. But still kind of annoying.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Something I’ve been wondering about since debut regarding responsiveness, how often do you go to push the crown and mistakenly adjust volume via a slight rotation?

I occasionally encounter this on my watch. It’s user error on my part because it registers that ever so slight twist before it gets the push. But still kind of annoying.

That could happen, but the volume adjustments are so fine, a slight movement will not likely bother you as a volume adjustment. In other words, you're not going to blow out your ears if your finger slips slightly while trying to press.

 

[macnmac]

sucks if you have longer hair...

 

[kazmac]

Something I’ve been wondering about since debut regarding responsiveness, how often do you go to push the crown and mistakenly adjust volume via a slight rotation?

I occasionally encounter this on my watch. It’s user error on my part because it registers that ever so slight twist before it gets the push. But still kind of annoying.

Initially, I accidentally pressed the crown and/or the noise cancellation / transparency button frequently, but as I am adjusting the fit, my fingers have learned where to go.

I really like that the music / sound stops when you lift up a cuff.