Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio come to AirPods Max (2025)

Next month, a new software update will bring lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to AirPods Max, delivering the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production. With the included USB-C cable, users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.

Highest-Quality Audio

With this update, AirPods Max will unlock 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, preserving the integrity of original recordings and allowing listeners to experience music the way the artist created it in the studio. Apple Music subscribers can enjoy more than 100 million songs in lossless audio.

Elevated Music Production

Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.¹ By delivering lossless, high-resolution digital audio with low latency, artists can seamlessly record and mix with AirPods Max without compromising fidelity.

Immersive Gameplay and Livestreaming

Gamers and livestreamers can also benefit from ultra-low latency audio, which significantly lowers lag time, and is on par with the native built-in speakers on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. With no response delay, gameplay and livestreaming become reliably smooth and even more immersive for users.

Pricing and Availability

• Text of this article

  March 24, 2025

  UPDATE

  Lossless audio and ultra‑low latency audio come to AirPodsMax

  Next month, AirPods Max will become the only :br(m)::br(l)::br(xl):headphones that enable musicians to both create and :br(m)::br(l)::br(xl):mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with headtracking

  Next month, a new software update will bring lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio to AirPods Max, delivering the ultimate listening experience and even greater performance for music production. With the included USB-C cable, users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.

  Highest-Quality Audio

  With this update, AirPods Max will unlock 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, preserving the integrity of original recordings and allowing listeners to experience music the way the artist created it in the studio. Apple Music subscribers can enjoy more than 100 million songs in lossless audio.

  Elevated Music Production

  Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilize AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.¹ By delivering lossless, high-resolution digital audio with low latency, artists can seamlessly record and mix with AirPods Max without compromising fidelity.

  Immersive Gameplay and Livestreaming

  Gamers and livestreamers can also benefit from ultra-low latency audio, which significantly lowers lag time, and is on par with the native built-in speakers on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. With no response delay, gameplay and livestreaming become reliably smooth and even more immersive for users.

  Pricing and Availability

  • 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.

  • AirPods Max are currently available for $549 (U.S.) in five colors — midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange — from apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and through Apple Authorized Resellers.

  • USB-C to 3.5 mm audio cable will be available today for $39 (U.S.) from apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and through Apple Authorized Resellers. It can be used to connect AirPods Max to 3.5 mm audio sources, like the audio-out port on an airplane. Users can also connect their iOS or iPadOS device to 3.5 mm audio ports, like audio-in ports on car stereos or other speakers.

  1. AirPods Max users can create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio when using Logic Pro for Mac. iPhone with TrueDepth camera is required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS.

  Press Contacts

  Emily Ewing

  Apple

  e_ewing@apple.com

  Apple Media Helpline

  media.help@apple.com

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1. AirPods Max users can create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio when using Logic Pro for Mac. iPhone with TrueDepth camera is required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS.

Press Contacts