Audeze Maxwell review: great audio held back by avoidable limitations

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Audeze Maxwell: Two-minute review

The Audeze Maxwell has immoderate beauteous large shoes to fill. As a brand, Audeze has built its representation astir audiophile products, adjacent erstwhile it comes to its gaming headset series. So expectations are ever going to beryllium precocious for immoderate caller release.

What’s worse for the Maxwell, however, is that it follows straight successful the footsteps of the highly-praised Audeze Penrose, which contempt its ain stock of flaws has gathered rather a fanbase acknowledgment to its breathtaking dependable quality. Factor successful the information that it has a wide soundstage, a terrific mic, and multiplatform compatibility, and it shares the spotlight with galore of the best gaming headsets and is 1 of the best wireless gaming headsets connected the market.

It’s a bully happening that the Audeze Maxwell is up for the task, not needfully to instrumentality the mantle from the Penrose but to assistance grow the brand’s gaming enactment and springiness fans much options to take from. Its audio show is strong, and it seems to person inherited the Penrose’s immersive soundstage and awesome mic. Even better, it has addressed astatine slightest a mates of the biggest idiosyncratic complaints astir the older exemplary – namely, that ace tight, brain-squeezing clamping unit and the middling artillery life.

But, it besides arrives with its stock of baggage, sadly, and for the price, I would person preferred little of it. I’m the benignant who would gladly wage wealth for a top-notch product, but I honestly cannot accidental I would bash truthful with this for respective reasons – the archetypal being its design.

We present unrecorded successful a satellite wherever the enactment betwixt gaming headsets and audiophile headphones are starting to blur, not conscionable successful audio show but plan arsenic well. The Audeze Penrose is, successful fact, 1 of the champion examples of that. It inactive has immoderate trimmings that marque you think, yes, this is made for gaming. However, nary 1 would beryllium embarrassed to don it connected a commute oregon astatine the airport.

You’d deliberation Audeze would physique up from that, and yet it went the other mode with the Audeze Maxwell. Not that the headset has that antiquated in-your-face gaming aesthetic that I’m gladsome we’ve genuinely near successful the past, but it’s besides unapologetic successful its size and bulk. I brought it with maine to the Google I/O league and had it 1 the full clip during my 10-hour hold astatine the San Jose airdrome after, and let’s conscionable accidental I caught people’s attraction with this monolithic happening astir my head.

Its earcups aren’t conscionable large successful diameter; they are heavy arsenic well. And portion the headband and suspension set aren’t monolithic themselves, they widen beauteous wide implicit my head. The wide effect? I looked similar a wannabe combatant pilot, and not successful a chill Top Gun mode – though, to beryllium fair, galore gaming headsets thin to look bigger than they are connected my head.

Thank goodness Audeze opted for a bully acheronian grey finish, though I bash privation it had done a amended occupation with that overgarment of paint. Sadly, the overgarment connected the aluminum set and yoke is easy scratched off. If you truthful overmuch arsenic accidentally brushwood the headset against a hard aboveground similar a wall, that bully decorativeness volition travel off. This, connected apical of its size and weight, makes maine deliberation this does not beryllium anyplace other extracurricular of your gaming abstraction – contempt the information that the mic is removable, and it comes with Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices.

You don’t person to interest astir the Penrose’s notorious clamping unit being inherited by the Maxwell. This gaming headset is wider and has a overmuch much flexible band. However, that occurrence is somewhat marred by the unnecessarily dense earcups. Their value doesn’t conscionable remainder connected the sides of your head, but due to the fact that some are truthful heavy, they extremity up pulling each different in, putting added unit connected your head. After astir 30 oregon truthful minutes of wearing it, I commencement to consciousness that pressure, which means that this isn’t precisely perfect for agelong gaming sessions.

At slightest the receptor pads and the suspension set offset immoderate of it by providing comfort. The receptor pads successful peculiar are precise plush, brushed to the touch, and decently breathable.

In my opinion, the controls connected the near receptor cups consciousness clunky, reminiscent of controls connected headsets from 8 years ago. I would person expected much modern and much elegant buttons and dials here, considering the price. However, they bash enactment good truthful they’re not precisely deal-breakers.

What is modern present are the connectivity options. Apart from the USB-C larboard for charging, you’re getting 2.4GHz ultra-low latency wireless and Bluetooth 5.3, and alternatively of a USB dongle, you’re getting a USB-C 1 with a power for PS5 and PC.

Unsurprisingly, the dependable prime connected the Audeze Maxwell is fantastic. Just a measurement beneath a existent audiophile performance, it delivers detailed, articulate highs, affluent mids, extended debased end, and a large immersive soundstage. It’s wide and elaborate with tons of headroom, making games similar Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy incredibly immersive to play.

The bass is close capable that you tin perceive each the sub-bass elements well. Though the bass goes deep, it’s worthy noting that it is quieter than different neutral headphones and gaming headsets. It’s got a wider frequence range, yes, but it does not person a batch of oomph. As a result, explosions successful games, videos, and euphony bash not deed that hard unless you crook the measurement up to 90% oregon the contented itself has a batch of sub-bass. 

As an example, Kendrick Lamar’s Humble has a batch of sub-bass truthful there’s a batch of debased extremity coming done connected the Maxwell. However, Dua Lipa’s Levitating, which has a beardown low-end but not a batch of sub-bass extension, sounds a small weak. Same with Cyberpunk 2077, which has a precise assertive soundtrack with tons of mid-range guitars and buzzard synths. It sounds fantastic, particularly since you’re truly proceeding the debased ambient noise, but erstwhile it comes to explosions, you’re not going to get that satisfying rumble.

The mid scope is affluent without being excessively full, and astir 70% volume, it sounds great. However, little than that, it gets quieter and starts sounding restrained, which is not bully quality if you similar to perceive astatine little volumes since the precocious extremity is besides a tiny spot darker. Don’t get maine wrong; astatine higher volumes, it sounds fantastic. However, unless you crook this headset up, the audio starts to dependable boring.

On the upside, the mic sounds incredible. Your dependable volition travel done crisp and clear, and the radical connected the different broadside volition hardly perceive immoderate inheritance sound similar you fastener mashing connected your keyboard. As a bonus, it does look to stress the little mids, which makes your dependable dependable a small fuller oregon deeper. That’s a bully other particularly if your dependable is arsenic high-pitched oregon arsenic grating arsenic mine.

The artillery beingness is evidently a marquee diagnostic here, giving you much oregon little 80 hours of playtime astatine afloat charge. That’s 8 afloat days of playing, if you’re clocking successful astir 10 hours a day, which evidently not galore radical do. If you’re playing astatine a much realistic 2 hours per day, that’s astir 20 days until your adjacent charge.

Though I haven’t utilized this headset for that galore hours, what I tin archer you is that I’ve been investigating it for astir a week now, and I person yet to complaint it again.

Audeze Maxwell: Price & availability

• How overmuch does it cost? From $299 / £319 (about AU$450)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where tin you get it? Available successful the US, UK, and Australia

The Audeze Maxwell sits successful the premium market, starting astatine $299 / £319 (about AU$450) for the PC/PlayStation exemplary and $329 / £349 (about AU$495) for the Xbox version, putting it retired of astir people’s budget. It is thing we’ve travel to expect from Audeze’s gaming headsets, with the much-lauded Audeze Penrose mounting gamers backmost $299 / £299 / AU$399. 

But here’s the thing: genuinely amazing, elaborate audio is hard to find cheap, truthful it’s thing we’re not astatine each amazed about. In fact, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is adjacent pricier astatine $349 / £329 / AU$649 – though it has a batch much versatility and features than others. 

If you cannot spell that high, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless is much affordable successful the US and the UK astatine conscionable $179 / £174. There are overmuch cheaper options retired there, but this one’s amended sounding than the remainder of them.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Audeze Maxwell: Specs

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Audeze Maxwell: Also consider

How I tested the Audeze Maxwell

• Spent a week investigating it
• Used it for gaming, streaming, and euphony listening
• Tested it with a assortment of games, songs, and movies

I tested the Audeze Maxwell arsenic my gaming headset for a fewer days past brought it with maine to Google I/O arsenic my question headphones, utilizing it astatine airports and aboard planes.

Besides utilizing it with games similar Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy, I besides utilized it to ticker Ted Lasso and a mates of movies, arsenic good arsenic to perceive to music.

I’ve been testing, reviewing, and utilizing gaming headsets for years arsenic a freelance tech writer and present arsenic 1 of the Computing editors astatine TechRadar. My years of acquisition on with my discerning audio tastes marque maine much than qualified to trial and vet these devices for you.

Read much astir however we test

First reviewed May 2023