AirPods Max sounds far away

I just picked up new AirPods Max (model A2096 / version 4E71). On my MacBook Pro (Monterey 12.6), on calls or even recording in sound recorder my voice just sounds far away, but if I click on my mouse or have music playing it sounds clearer.


I've seen other posts that suggest resetting to factory settings. That didn't work.

I've tried setting in Noise cancelling and Transparency modes. That didn't work either.


I have noticed. The first time I join bluetooth with the AirPods Max on my iPhone . It defaults to Noise Cancellation on. The sound is what I expect. If I actually change it to transparency or off, ti then continues to sound far away and changing back to noise cancellation then also sounds far away.

I cannot replicate this on my Mac though.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Oct 6, 2022 01:35 PM

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Oct 8, 2022 08:42 AM in response to jertha

Hi jertha,


Thanks for posting in Apple Communities.


We understand that your voice sounds far away when you're using your AirPods Max with your Mac. To address this behavior, if you have already restarted your computer, enter your Mac in safe mode and record your voice. safe mode limits start up items and runs a health check on your disc.


Depending on your Mac's process, enter safe mode:


Apple silicon
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.
3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”
4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

Intel processor
1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.
2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 
3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.


Find this information and additional steps in How to use safe mode on your Mac.



Regards.



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AirPods Max sounds far away

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