Audeze Maxwell 2 Review: Maxwell 1.5?

Audeze's Maxwell is one of the best gaming headsets you can buy, mostly because it sounds fantastic. There's nothing quite like Audeze's 90mm planar magnetic drivers when it comes to pure audio quality — for both music and gaming. So we were naturally excited to see Audeze drop a new version of its now-three-year-old headset: the Audeze Maxwell 2.

The Maxwell 2 is the second generation of Audeze's foray into gaming, and it looks... a lot like the Maxwell. Not identical, but basically the same — both physically and on paper. Same overall gray-and-black build with big round earcups and suspension system with a leatherette head strap (though the strap is now wider and ventilated), detachable boom mic, and 80+ hour battery life. Also, same connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.3 — not simultaneous and not manually switchable. Upgrades for the new generation include updated 90mm planar magnetic drivers, the aforementioned head strap, roomier earcups, "punchier bass response" from the brand's patent-pending "SLAM" technology, and better AI microphone noise reduction technology. If those don't necessarily sound like a reason to buy a whole new headset, well... you're not the only one who thinks so. The Maxwell 2 is a great-sounding headset, but it's got the same issues as its predecessor — and some new ones.

The Maxwell 2 is available now, starting at $329 for the PlayStation version and going up to $349 for the Xbox version (both versions work with PC).

Design and Comfort of the Maxwell 2

The Maxwell 2 is a wireless over-ear (circumaural) headset with a detachable boom microphone. It looks very similar to the original Maxwell headset: It has the same large, round plastic earcups with plush, leatherette-covered memory foam earpads, the same lightly-padded steel headband with an adjustable leather headstrap, and it comes in the same gunmetal gray color scheme. It's not identical to its predecessor, however — there are a few visually noticeable differences, such as the Maxwell 2's wider ventilated headstrap and the fact that all of the controls are now located along the edge of the earcups. But for the most part, it's very similar.

It's not a particularly attractive or sleek-looking headset, though it does look very well-made. The gigantic earcups are necessary to house the 90mm planar magnetic drivers, so this might be about as sleek as you can get. Audeze's branding is fairly minimal — there's a small "A" logo printed in silver above each earcup, and "Audeze" is printed in black across the top of the headband; it's a pretty generic-looking headset, overall. There is future potential for customization, however, as the Maxwell 2 has magnetic, swappable side plates, and Audeze is planning on releasing side plates in different styles in the future. We don't know when, exactly, in the future, nor do we know the details — how much they'll cost, whether there will be bundles, etc.

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Adjustability on the Maxwell 2 is about the same as it was on the original Maxwell, which is to say, somewhat limited. The earcups tilt and swivel but are not independently height-adjustable — to adjust the length of the headband, you'll need to pop off the headstrap, which comes with three adjustment points on each side. This gives you five different length options (six, if you count using the headset without the headstrap at all, but I wouldn't recommend this), which is definitely not as nuanced as most other gaming headsets. This isn't as bad as it sounds, though. The headset doesn't need an incredibly nuanced height-adjustment system, because it has gigantic earcups (which are now roomier on the inside, so there's plenty of leeway for fit). The earcups are so large that the earpads are sculpted, like all of Audeze's earpads, to fit the curvature of your skull.

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Also, while the original Maxwell's earcups swiveled 90 degrees (flat) for easier storage and traveling, the Maxwell 2's earcups do not. They swivel about 45 degrees backwards and maybe 10 degrees forward, which is great for when they're on your head but not so great when you're trying to stuff them in a bag or put them around your neck (this is a heavy headset — I find it much more comfortable to wear the original Maxwell around my neck with the earcups swiveled flat).

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Speaking of heft, the Maxwell 2 has all of it. This headset weighs 1.23 pounds, or 19.75 ounces (560g), which makes it about 2.5 ounces (70g) heavier than the original Maxwell, which was already one of the heaviest headsets we've ever tested. Audeze has widened the leather headstrap (from about 1.75 inches / 44.5mm to 2.75 inches / 70mm) for better weight distribution, but it's still very heavy. (The headstrap is also ventilated, now, so you won't get too sweaty under all that weight.)

Despite its giant (and heavy) earcups, the Maxwell 2 is a surprisingly comfortable headset. In fact, with the new, wider headstrap and roomier earcups (they're wider on the inside), it's slightly more comfortable than the original Maxwell.

The Maxwell 2 has all of its controls along the sides of the earcups. On the right earcup, from back to front, there's a small power button and a tiny, recessed microphone mute switch. On the left earcup, from back to front, there are two clickable wheels (the first controls volume / EQ; the second controls game/chat mix and mic sidetone), a 3.5mm port for wired (analog) listening, a USB-C port for charging, and a 3.5mm port for plugging in the headset's boom mic. There's also a small button at the front that controls the headset's AI noise reduction feature.

I'm not a big fan of the new mute switch. It's small and recessed, which makes it pretty hard to operate (especially quickly). I have fairly small fingers, so I imagine it will be even trickier for people with larger hands. It is on the right earcup, which is the earcup without the boom mic plug, so hopefully whoever you're speaking to won't hear too much of your struggle when you try to mute.

The headset comes with a handful of accessories in the box, including a 5-foot (1.5m) USB-C to USB-C charging cable, a 4-foot (1.2m) 3.5mm analog cable, and a 1-foot (0.3m) USB-C to USB-A converter. It also comes with a 2.4GHz wireless USB-C dongle and a detachable boom mic with a removable foam pop filter.

Specs

Audio Performance of the Maxwell 2

The Maxwell 2 has Audeze's 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which have a frequency response of 10 - 50,000 Hz (wider than most gaming headsets, which typically stick around the 20 - 20,000 Hz range). These are an updated version of the 90mm planar magnetic drivers you'll find in the original Maxwell, and they sound great — though there were some issues with bass power when I first received the headset that seem to have been mostly fixed by a recent firmware update.

If you're looking for a gaming headset that you can also listen to music on, this is it. There's nothing quite like planar magnetic drivers (in my opinion) for hearing all those crisp, minuscule details in your favorite tracks, without sacrificing that powerful, thumping bass. As I mentioned earlier, there were some issues with the bass when I first received the headset (it just wasn't as powerful as I expected it to be), but a recent firmware update seems to have largely addressed that issue. (So, that's also good news — there's a lot that can be fixed through firmware updates, and the Audeze team seems to be paying some attention to issues people are having.)

Anyway, thanks to the firmware update, music sounds great on the Maxwell 2. You can hear all of the details and layers in complex songs like Beyonce's Single Ladies, and the subtle roll of the timpani at the beginning of Lorde's Royals. Mid-range heavy songs such as Enya's Orinoco Flow and K-391's Lonely World are especially dynamic, and there's plenty of spark in the high end without anything feeling too unbearable. The firmware update brought back the thumping bass you'll "feel" rather than hear in songs like Kaskade's POW POW POW, but it's still not quite as powerful as the bass in the original Maxwell, so hopefully we'll see another firmware update in the near future. It is a little disappointing, however, as a "punchier bass response" was one of the promised upgrades in the Maxwell 2, and I have yet to be impressed.

Games also sound excellent on the Maxwell 2, though I didn't notice much difference between the game-specific EQ presets (e.g. "Footsteps" didn't seem to do much to boost the sound of footsteps or reloads for me). Immersive audio is especially good, thanks to the Maxwell 2's wide sound stage and highly-detailed planar magnetic drivers: I was (finally) able to effectively track those crickets in Where Winds Meet by auditory cues alone (though I still needed to look at the screen to capture them).

Microphone of the Maxwell 2

The Maxwell 2 has both a detachable boom microphone and built-in mics in the earcups. The boom mic sits at the end of a 4-inch-long flexible metal gooseneck arm, and is pretty good — it's not the best boom mic I've seen on a headset, but it does a decent job of capturing the fullness of your voice and giving it a broadcast-y quality.

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The built-in mics are still pretty bad, though. They don't seem to be quite as bad as the built-in mics on the original Maxwell, but that might be the AI noise reduction tech at work. There's definitely a noticeable difference between the boom mic and the built-in mics; the built-in mics sound hollow and have a lot of echoing, though they're decent enough for casual communication. Both mics work with the headset's "AI-powered noise removal," which can be activated by pressing the button on the front of the left earcup. There are three levels (high, low, and off), and while it doesn't seem to do much to reduce background noise (though background noise pickup was pretty minimal to begin with in my testing), it does boost your voice so it comes through louder and clearer.

Features and Software of the Maxwell 2

The Maxwell 2 works with Audeze's new Audeze app, which is fairly simple and straightforward, with a handful of settings that can (mostly) also be adjusted directly from the headset.

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These include game / chat mix, microphone sidetone, and the AI noise reduction feature for the mic. It also has a 10-band EQ, with six presets and four custom options. Your custom options save directly to the headset, and you can cycle through all options on the headset by pressing the volume wheel and scrolling. I was a little disappointed to find that only the custom options are customizable, especially since I didn't find the game-ready presets to be quite what I was looking for. It would be nice to be able to customize the existing presets, in addition to being able to add your own.

Battery Life of the Maxwell 2

Battery life and connectivity of the Maxwell 2 is basically the same as what you'll find on the original Maxwell. The Maxwell 2 has 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, but not it’s simultaneous and there's no way to manually switch between the two: It switches automatically, prioritizing the Bluetooth connection. I cannot emphasize how frustrating this is — while it's true that not everyone needs or will find a use for a simultaneous dual-wireless connection (like you'll find on the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 or the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro), I cannot imagine most people will always want their Bluetooth device to take priority, without the option to manually switch.

The Maxwell 2 gets up to 80 hours of battery life over both its 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connection, which is still pretty solid. It's no longer leagues ahead of the competition, but it's longer than you'll get on most wireless gaming headsets, and it's especially good for planar magnetic drivers.

Bottom Line

The Maxwell 2 is a great headset, because the original Maxwell was a great headset. And the Maxwell 2 is... very, very similar. Maybe too similar. This feels more like a product refresh than a second generation, and not much of a refresh at that — it is heavier, after all (though, in my opinion, more comfortable). Even with its slightly lackluster bass response, music and games sound very, very good on the Maxwell 2, and I want to recommend it on audio quality alone (including outgoing audio quality; the mic's pretty good). But it seems to be going through some stuff at the moment: It's heavier than the original Maxwell, the earcups no longer swivel flat, and it still has the most frustrating application of dual wireless connectivity I've ever seen in any headset, ever. As far as I'm concerned, this is not practical as a dual-wireless headset: I don't want my Bluetooth device to take priority every single time, so I end up having to disconnect Bluetooth.

And, well, you can get all these things — great sound, decent mic, extremely frustrating Bluetooth situation — in the original Maxwell headset. The Maxwell 2 starts at $329 for the PlayStation version and goes up to $349 for the Xbox version (both versions work with PC), which makes it one of the priciest gaming headsets around. The BlackShark V3 Pro may not sound as good, but it's lighter and has real dual-wireless connectivity and costs almost $100 less.