Has Active Noise Cancellation (Anc)
KEF Mu7
✓
Apple AirPods Max ✓
Active noise cancellation uses more advanced technology to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern of incoming noise and then inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 outside (noise from your surrounding) and adding -1 inside (counter sound within the device) to make 0 resulting in a reduced level of noise.
KEF Mu7 allow you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue as you don't have to crank up the volume to overcome background noise.
Apple AirPods Max too have active noise cancellation making both devices ideal for plane rides and morning commutes. Each may work with different noise cancellation modes, pick the setting, mode, or noise cancellation type that you prefer for commute or that enhances your relaxation time.
Has Passive Noise Reduction
KEF Mu7
✓
Apple AirPods Max ✓
Passive Noise Cancellation uses well-designed ear cups to seal out environment noise. This is used for both in-ear earphones and over-ear headphones where the headphone itself will keep surrounding noise out.
The KEF Mu7 sits tightly in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces background noise and prevents your music from leaking out.
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that also the Apple AirPods Max isolates you from ambient noise instead of actively using technology to cancel it out.
Driver Unit Size
KEF Mu7
40mm
Apple AirPods Max 40mm
The driver unit is the component that produces sound in the device, its size dictates the loudness of the headphone. KEF Mu7 driver unit is 40mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful and can produce better bass.
Apple AirPods Max driver unit is 40mm in diameter,
making both Apple AirPods Max, and KEF Mu7 similar in how loud their sound gets
, as many tend to believe that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers usually have difficulty reproducing high frequencies so it's true that, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not mean that they produce better sound.
Has A Neodymium Magnet
KEF Mu7
✓
Apple AirPods Max ✓
Neodymium magnets if used in audio devices produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help produce music at quite a high sound pressure level, SPL, with the use of high magnetic flux. The KEF Mu7 have this type of magnet.
Apple AirPods Max have it too, devices with neodymium magnets are lighter and more powerful than those which use ferrite magnets. It is also known that they have more bass and clear high notes.
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