Apple AirPods Max 2 EQ settings for Mac

Wireless over-ear headphones with noise cancellation and the H2 chip, released in 2026. Official specifications from Apple:

Chip

Apple H2 in each ear cup

Bluetooth version

5.3

Model number

A3454

Noise control

Active Noise Cancellation (Apple: up to 1.5x more effective than the previous generation), Transparency, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness

Driver

Apple-designed dynamic driver, custom high dynamic range amplifier

Audio features

Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Adaptive EQ, Voice Isolation

Microphones

9: 8 for noise cancellation, 3 for voice

Sensors

Optical, position, case-detect sensor and accelerometer in each ear cup; gyroscope in the left

Battery life

Up to 20 hours with noise cancellation on; 5 minutes of charge gives about 1.5 hours

Wired audio

24-bit, 48 kHz lossless and ultra-low latency audio over USB-C

Weight

386.2 g; Smart Case 134.5 g

Sources: Apple: AirPods Max 2 tech specs, Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces AirPods Max 2, Apple: Identify your AirPods, Apple: Set up AirPods Max with your Mac.

Codec: AAC. AirPods connect to a Mac with Apple's AAC Bluetooth codec, just as they do with an iPhone, carrying the full 20 Hz to 20 kHz range. Apple notes that Bluetooth connections aren't lossless.

Calls sound worse than music. As soon as an app uses the headphones' microphone (Zoom, FaceTime, a dictation shortcut), Bluetooth switches to hands-free mode, which has much lower audio quality. Pick your Mac's built-in microphone as the input to keep the AirPods Max 2 in stereo music mode.

Wired lossless on a Mac. Over the included USB-C cable, the AirPods Max 2 play 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio with ultra-low latency on a Mac with macOS 15.4 or later, which Apple pitches for Logic Pro and other music apps. TuningMac's EQ works on the wired connection too.

New for AirPods Max. With the H2 chip, Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness come to AirPods Max for the first time. On a Mac, choose Adaptive for your AirPods Max in Control Center, under Sound.

Automatic switching. On macOS Sequoia and later, the AirPods move between your Mac and your other Apple devices on the same Apple Account by themselves; on macOS Sonoma, you click Connect in a notification.

Spatial Audio changes the sound. On Macs with Apple silicon, Spatial Audio (Fixed or Head Tracked, from the AirPods icon in the menu bar) processes the sound and shifts its balance. Set it to Off while you judge your EQ, so you hear what the sliders do.

Adaptive EQ is built in. Apple's Adaptive EQ runs inside the headphones all the time and can't be turned off. TuningMac's EQ is applied on top of it.

Noise control. macOS already switches them from the AirPods menu bar icon and System Settings, and TuningMac uses that same system control to put Off, Transparency, Adaptive and Noise Cancellation in its own menu, next to your EQ and volume. How it works

AutoEQ publishes corrections from lab measurements, and none exists for the AirPods Max 2 yet. Rather than guess, this page will get the exact values as soon as a measurement is published. Until then:

1. Start from Flat in TuningMac's menu bar popover, so you hear the AirPods Max 2 as Apple tuned them.
2. Adjust by ear with the 10 sliders, or try a preset such as Vocal or Bass Boost as a starting point.
3. TuningMac saves your EQ for the AirPods Max 2 and loads it whenever they connect.

Closest measured model: AirPods Max EQ settings. It was measured on the earlier model, so treat it as a rough starting point and adjust by ear.

Have a correction for the AirPods Max 2 from another source? TuningMac's Advanced EQ pastes any AutoEQ or Equalizer APO text: Settings ▸ Advanced EQ ▸ More ▸ Paste from Clipboard.