Apple has made a surprise announcement about the AirPods Max 2, a $549 over-ear headphone upgrade that is up to 1.5 times more effective than its predecessor, the H2 chip. The new chip provides active noise cancellation, a significant leap for a pair of headphones that has not seen significant internal improvements since its December 2020 debut. The AirPod Max 2 also gain a new high dynamic range amplifier and personalized audio, allowing musicians to mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking. The headphones also feature a low-key Bluetooth connection, lossless audio at 24-bit, 48 kHz over the included USB-C cable, and a high-dynamic range amplifier. Battery life remains at 20 hours with ANC on, unchanged from the previous generation. Despite some criticism, Apple's new product enters a premium market where Sony and Bose are competitive.