AirPods Max to Gain Lossless Audio and Low-Latency Audio in iOS 18.4

[dannyyankou]

• Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio will be available in April as a free firmware update with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C.

Really apple? It's the same thing as the lightning version, why are you limiting it????

Because the lightning AirPods Max already offer close to lossless, but they can’t claim it does due to the signal conversion from digital to analog, which results in some data loss. With USB-C, this conversion doesn’t happen if I’m understanding it properly. I don’t believe it’s possible with lightning.

 

[Kylo83]

That’s good but what about AirPods pro

 

[dannys1]

Interesting- not a single person on this forum will be able to tell the difference despite vehemently claiming they can though.

 

[novagamer]

I really hope that will work for both Lightning and USB-C models as literally nothing changes. But then knowing Apple 😏

The lightning (and presumably USB-C)-> 3.5mm adapters only carry Stereo, I suspect it will only work on the new ones because lightning can’t carry the audio streams.

I’d wager there was a hardware update to enable low latency wireless similar to how the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 were updated, but it’s absurd they didn’t wait to announce these until this was ready because it’s a major selling point. The AirPods Max 1 actually don’t have a direct hard-wired connection to each earcup so I’d be amazed if they got either lossless or this mixing capability.

Why the ever loving hell they didn’t put an H2 in the AirPods Max 2 is crazy though.

For anyone with older AirPods Max who want to run their atmos mix through then you can buy this https://audiomovers.com/binaural-renderer-for-apple-music/ but having a native solution directly from Apple is really nice and long overdue.

Edit: Lossless is only available via the USB-C, so this is perplexing. I really hope they get a Gen 3 of these out the door without waiting another 4 years but it’s better than nothing.

 

[L92]

Wow, Apple is really bending over backwards to please users after the Apple Intelligence fiasco.

 

[ignatius345]

All good, but I really was hoping for the H2 chip so they could support Adaptive Audio. For me that's become the killer sound mode on my AirPods Pro 2, and I miss it a lot on AirPods Max. I'm still very happy with my first-gen Maxes and continue to get great use out of them, but introducing a tiny revision with just an updated charge port and a few new colors is not exactly moving the needle on getting me to upgrade.

As for lossless audio? Meh. I'm certainly not going to be plugging in a cable for what to me would probably be a barely perceptible bump in quality. I'm sure there are others who would and I'm glad they're adding, of course.

 

[orbital~debris]

"A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one!"

 

[MrRom92]

Wired only, which they do not make clear in the press release. A nice step in the right direction but nothing really compelling me to choose AirPods over any other wired headphone. When they finally have wireless lossless it will be a real game changer.

 

[dannyyankou]

I don't get it. That makes no sense. Why would they gatekeep such a feature?

They’re not gatekeeping. It’s impossible for lightning to play audio without converting it to analog, which results in some data loss. You can achieve close to lossless, but they can’t legally claim that. USB-C doesn’t have this technical limitation.

 

[PotentPeas]

Does wired mode also allow microphone use or is it just audio out like the first gen?

You can look at the end of the cable to tell — the 3.5mm connector only has two bands which means it has two channels (left ear and right ear), if it supported headset/mic input then it would have three bands.

So, no. Audio output only. No microphone signal going back.

 

[Kiwamu]

They’re not gatekeeping. It’s impossible for lightning to play audio without converting it to analog, which results in some data loss. You can achieve close to lossless, but they can’t legally claim that. USB-C doesn’t have this technical limitation.

But... but... Apple said they can't innovate any more with USB-C and not keeping Lightning around and now Lightning seems to be a inferior way to deliver audio... I am shocked. /s

 

[PotentPeas]

They’re not gatekeeping. It’s impossible for lightning to play audio without converting it to analog, which results in some data loss. You can achieve close to lossless, but they can’t legally claim that. USB-C doesn’t have this technical limitation.

It's also impossible for an audio signal to make it to your ears without converting it to analog... A digital-to-analog conversion must happen at some point in order for the speakers to do their thing.

 

[DaniTheFox]

Interesting- not a single person on this forum will be able to tell the difference despite vehemently claiming they can though.

I possess both a Beats Solo 4 and some B&W headphones with this feature . I can assure you that you would also hear the difference . It is quite evident.

 

[nt5672]

Interesting- not a single person on this forum will be able to tell the difference despite vehemently claiming they can though.

While that might be true due to poor hearing of MacRumors posters, it is not really true that people cannot 'detect' a difference.

Music is more than a set of sounds. 'Tell' means to be able to identify one source from the other, 'detect' means to be able to notice a difference.

These are not the same if you have really good ears, for example, perfect pitch, or experience with live never digital versus recorded music.

 

[machpost]

That’s good but what about AirPods pro

I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the next version.

 

[n4uaj]

Unless this Apple cable has something special built in, I'm thinking my Beats Studio Pro came with both a usbc to usbc cable (lossless on iPad and I suppose a iPhone 15 up) and a headphone jack to usbc.

 

[deckard666]

Well I still wont be swapping my Bathys for these but at least its a baby step in the right direction....

 

[sunapple]

In my head: I wouldn't even hear the difference. Right? I don't even really care. It's fine.
~first gen owner

 

[Koni17]

They’re not gatekeeping. It’s impossible for lightning to play audio without converting it to analog, which results in some data loss. You can achieve close to lossless, but they can’t legally claim that. USB-C doesn’t have this technical limitation.

I feel like the first gen was a failure from the start, they should have delivered a product that worked using a lightning port that allowed for digital audio using a USB to Lightning cable - lossless should have been one of the requirements for this product.

 

[DaniTheFox]

I really hope that will work for both Lightning and USB-C models as literally nothing changes. But then knowing Apple 😏

It works like that in conjunction with the First Generation of the Max. The digital audio signal is converted to an analog signal in your Mac or stereo receiver. This analog signal is then converted back to digital using a specialized cable, and finally, it is converted back to analog in the Max. This process involves two conversions more. However, the device functions effectively.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Finally a good reason to pick AirPods Max usb-c over lightning.

 

[uiop.]

Any other cynics think Apple is doing this to throw us a bone of good news amidst the Siri/Apple Intelligence fiasco as of late? We all know they could have done this from day 1 of AirPods Max w/ USB-C being announced.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Lightning version have always been able to do 24/48 over the lightning cable.
They’ve never been able to technically call it “lossless” because it technically does go from analog to digital back to analog, but it’s still outputs 24/48 audio. That’s been a thing since 2020.

 

[novagamer]

It works like that in conjunction with the First Generation of the Max. The digital audio signal is converted to an analog signal in your Mac or stereo receiver. This analog signal is then converted back to digital using a specialized cable, and finally, it is converted back to analog in the Max. This process involves two conversions more. However, the device functions effectively.

It’s actually crazier than that for the lightning ones, DAC into 3.5mm cable -> 3.5mm cable performs ADC into AirPods Max, chip inside AirPods Max splits the stereo signal and sends it wirelessly to the other earcup, then the H1 does the final DAC to the drivers.

With all of that going on it’s pretty amazing there is a noticeable, I’d say ~10% quality bump when using the cable vs. wirelessly.

I really look forward to an eventual H3 that just does all of this in one shot with minimal/no latency. If they can get it down to under 2-3ms it should be workable for pro audio use.

 

[raythompsontn]

USB-C doesn’t have this technical limitation

With the USB-C cable offered by Apple, the original source of the music, the audio out jack of the source, is analog and must be converted to digital to travel USB-C. It is still a technical limitation. Until there is a true digital path, from the music source be it online or from digital media, any conversion to any other format will introduce losses.

Or does the USB-C in the AirPods, with the Apple cable, carry an analog signal all the way?

Even so, the original source output to the cable is analog.

TELARC produces some of the best CD's for music. The recording is done with digital equipment through the entire path to production of the CD. There is no clipping on their CDs and listening to an orchestra playing one can sometimes hear the turning of a page of music. Unlike the hip-hop crap today where compression, clipping, and general distortion is the norm.