AirPods Max, noise cancellation gets worse after the update. Apple’s AirPods Max headphones, the 629 euro over-ear headphones, are less effective in blocking external noise: this is what emerges from an in-depth audio test that traces the cause of this drop in system performance in the latest firmware update. active noise cancellation (ANC).
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In fact, it seems that the firmware version 4E71, available from May, blocks “a little less noise between the medium-low and high range”; also in the mid and high range the level of isolation is “slightly modified, but the difference is relatively minor”.
It is unclear why Apple would change the ANC’s performance with the latest update or whether it plans to restore its effectiveness with a future update. However, it is not certain that this is an intentional choice, but it could simply be an error, even if for some this hypothesis seems the least probable.
Unlike operating systems, Apple’s firmware updates are more occasional and simply fix bugs and optimize performance, adding a few new features from time to time.
The company has already given developers various beta versions of the AirPods Max firmware: the latest one arrived earlier this month, but it is currently unclear whether it includes a change to the ANC’s performance.
In any case it is a real shame because the AirPods Max, since the launch (December 2020) have been a great success, both among the public and among professionals. However, since then they have also been criticized several times: first for the supplied case, according to some a bit too light, but also for the condensation problems in the pavilions and the battery raised by some users.
