Apple has had quite an eventful fall when it comes to hardware releases. Across three different live events, the company has introduced the first 5G-capable iPhones, the first Apple Silicon-based Macs, the HomePod Mini speaker, new iPads and Apple Watches, and more. Through that all, Apple has had a massive year financially, posting hugely profitable quarters and maintaining its status as the most valuable public company in the world, with a market cap of $2.11 trillion as of Tuesday.

Now, Apple has announced its final hardware release of the year: AirPods Max, new over-ear headphones which, per the company’s announcement, are “innovative wireless headphones that bring the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound.”

Available for $549, the AirPod Max headphones are open for preorders Tuesday and will arrive on the market Dec. 15. They join the existing AirPods line, which Apple first introduced in 2016. The second generation of AirPods arrived in 2019 (priced at $159), the same year the company introduced AirPods Pro (starting at $249.) 

The new product also joins the higher-end iPhone Pro Max as Apple products with the “Max” naming convention. 

“AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality, and iconic design. With AirPods Max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in the company’s release, which was not part of a live event. 

“The custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips, and advanced software enable AirPods Max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the ultimate personal listening experience.”

The new headphones come in five colors, which include space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink, and are boasted by such technologies as Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio. It also offers the “Digital Crown” technology, familiar from the Apple Watch, which “offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.”

Also offered is Automatic switching, which allows users to switch which Apple devices they’re pairing with the headphones. So a user can have the headphones paired with their iPhone, arrive at home, and switch to their Mac. 

The AirPod Max headphones also come with a soft Smart Case, and the headphones offer twenty hours of high-fidelity audio battery life.

Appel also said Tuesday that its Fitness+ service, part of the Apple one bundle, will formally launch on Dec. 14. The service was announced earlier this fall, along with the new Apple One bundle.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for the National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.