March 16 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) on Monday unveiled the second generation of its premium AirPods Max over-ear headphones at $549, more than five years after the first version's launch.

The update marks Apple's ( AAPL ) first major refresh of the over-ear headphones since their 2020 debut, as the company adds new features and improved noise cancellation to compete more aggressively in the premium headphones market.

Currently, the segment is largely dominated by Japan's Sony Group ( SONY ), Bose and Sennheiser.

Powered by Apple's ( AAPL ) in-house H2 chip, which runs the latest range of AirPods devices, the new headphones will be available to order from March 25 in more than 30 countries, with retail availability beginning early next month, the company said.

Upgrades to the AirPods Max 2 include better active noise cancellation, an improved microphone system and a range of new features including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Live Translation.

Live translation, first introduced on the AirPods Pro 3 in September, enables users to translate in-person conversations across languages using Apple Intelligence, the company's artificial intelligence platform. 

AirPods Max 2 also supports high-resolution lossless audio when connected via USB-C, targeting music creators and professional users who require higher fidelity audio, Apple ( AAPL ) said.