It got BETTER! But... 🤔 AirPods Max 2 Firmware 8E258
After just one month since its release, the AirPods Max 2 got a new firmware dubbed 8E258 which replaces 8E251, and from my testing, it seems that its performance got polished up a little, mostly. As usual, update notes from Apple doesn’t describe what exactly was improved, but we’re going to do a deep dive on any unexpected changes to performance as well as to hear the difference via some sound samples, so buckle up.
Active Noise Cancelling
For active noise canceling, frequency sweeps before and after the update shows that noise canceling has been improved pretty much across the board, against noises in the lows, lower mids and higher frequency regions. But I have to say that the differences are so small that you might only notice a bit more noise canceling against background chatter and the sound of traffic.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples
Transparency Mode
Transparency mode has also been slightly enhanced, in that the mids and highs have been boosted slightly, closer to the base noise level represented by the white line. To begin with, the Max 2 already has the best transparency mode, as I described when I compared them to the competition from Sony and Bose, but now, when they’re in transparency mode it should feel even more like you’re not wearing headphones.
Sound Quality
For sound quality, now the Max 2 seems to sound more vibrant. Frequency sweeps before and after the update show a bit of pulling back in the upper bass and lower mids, done just so that it wouldn’t change the sound much in terms of bass response, but could clear up the lower mids a little. What is a more obvious change is this boost in the upper mids over here which should make vocals sound a bit more crisp and forward, kind of mirroring the change that we saw on the AirPods Pro 3’s latest firmware 8B40.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
Microphone Quality
Seems like it’s actually the microphone quality that took a small hit. On my iPhone it’s just as clean and clear in quiet conditions, you’re getting that awesome superwideband capturea, but in noisy, windy conditions, it seems to have gotten more aggressive at voice filtering, such that my own voice was getting chopped up. On Android devices, it seems that background noise is a little less filtered, but otherwise, quite identical to mic pickup on the previous firmware.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the mic quality samples
So that’s how the AirPods Max 2 on firmware 8E258 compares to 8E251. Let me know in the comments if you’ve also spotted any difference not mentioned in this article!
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For active noise canceling, frequency sweeps before and after the update shows that noise canceling has been improved pretty much across the board, against noises in the lows, lower mids and higher frequency regions. But I have to say that the differences are so small that you might only notice a bit more noise canceling against background chatter and the sound of traffic.
