Dual Neodymium Ring Magnet Motor
Apple is essentially describing the mechanism by which the AirPods Max drivers operate. Drivers need magnets to create the electromagnetic field that can turn signals to sound, and then movement to actually pulse the driver to create vibrations (that’s the motor part).
These magnets need to be permanent to function in headphones, so natural magnetic materials are necessary. Neodymium simply describes the magnetic material Apple is using – it’s the most common choice for headsets like this, something you’ll see frequently listed in specs.
What makes these drivers interesting is that Apple claims this particular neodymium setup is unique and very, very efficient. Even at the highest volume, the company reports that the driver array has a total harmonic distortion of less than 1 percent. That should mean that audio stays very clear and distinct, although this is a difficult aspect to compare across headsets without a lot of in-depth experimentation.