Audeze Maxwell 2

RTINGS comes away mildly positive about the Audeze Maxwell 2. Their review praises a superb microphone, class-leading battery life (around 77 hours), accurate, balanced sound, and low latency for gaming, but repeatedly flags serious downsides: the cans are heavy, fit and seal are inconsistent (especially for glasses wearers), and they offer poor low‑frequency isolation. The tone is measured—enthusiastic about voice quality and long runtimes, cautious about everyday comfort and use outside quiet spaces—so the recommendation is conditional: excellent if you prioritize mic performance and sound accuracy for gaming or calls, less so if you need lightweight comfort, reliable bass consistency, or good noise isolation for travel or noisy environments.

SoundGuys’ Jhaycee Calvez is generally positive but measured about the Audeze Maxwell 2. They call it a meaningful upgrade over the original—especially for competitive FPS play, with strong separation, precise spatial width, and long battery life—yet caution that it’s firmly a gaming headset, not a comfort-first or critical-listening option. The review praises the planar drivers and app-based EQ while flagging practical issues: heavy 567g weight, sticky pleather earcups that get uncomfortable after ~4 hours, a fiddly headband, a rattling mute switch, audible noise floor and a treble peak that can be fatiguing, plus quirky app/USB behavior and imperfect AI mic processing. Recommendation: worth buying if you don’t already own the original Maxwell, but Calvez suggests waiting for the announced ANC model if you own the first version or need quieter, longer-wear comfort.

IGN’s Michael Higham is broadly impressed and cautiously enthusiastic about the Audeze Maxwell 2. He treats it as a confident refresh rather than a reinvention: sound quality remains excellent thanks to 90mm planar drivers, battery life is stellar, and comfort holds up for long sessions, while subtle tweaks—wider headstrap, slimmer earpads, cleaner mids/highs—improve fit and clarity. He’s disappointed there aren’t dramatic changes: the headset is heavier, controls shifted awkwardly, Bluetooth can’t truly run simultaneously with the dongle, and the app stays intentionally minimal. Real-world testing across PC and PS5, plus side-by-side listening, leaves him convinced it outperforms most rivals in audio fidelity; but for owners of the original Maxwell the upgrade feels incremental. Overall, he recommends the Maxwell 2 as a top-tier pick if you’re buying above the $300 range, even if it’s not a must-upgrade.

TechRadar’s Phil Iwaniuk is impressed but measured: he loves the Maxwell 2’s sound yet stops short of an outright recommendation. He gushes over the 90mm drivers, calling the audio emotive, detailed and bassy without bloat, and praises build quality and an 80‑hour battery — real audiophile-level wins in a gaming headset. But enthusiasm cools when he compares it to the original Maxwell: Gen 1 often matches performance for less cash, and the Gen 2’s modest feature upgrades (Bluetooth, SLAM tuning, nicer controls) and added weight don’t justify the price hike for many buyers. Mic performance and limited simultaneous Bluetooth/2.4GHz behavior are notable disappointments, especially at this tier. Bottom line: outstanding sound that excites the reviewer, tempered by pragmatic reservations about value and a few practical flaws.

Tom's Guide’s Peter Wolinski is clearly impressed overall. He praises the Maxwell 2 for its superb 90mm planar drivers, spacious soundstage, excellent mic and battery life, calling it one of the best gaming headsets—especially for gamers who also love music—while also warning that it isn’t an upgrade-worthy jump from the original. He balances enthusiasm with practical gripes: the headset remains bulky and heavy, uses an awkward three-position headband adjustment, lacks simultaneous wireless audio, and its planar design sacrifices the chest-thumping bass some players want (and can exhibit a minor driver tick). The new SLAM plates and revamped app/EQ help, and the AI noise reduction works but can thin vocals, so overall Wolinski recommends the Maxwell 2 for fidelity and comfort despite a few usability and size trade-offs.

Tom's Hardware's Sarah Jacobsson Purewal is overall positive but restrained about the Maxwell 2. She praises its excellent, detailed planar-magnetic sound, roomy comfort, long battery life, and decent boom mic—calling it one of the best-sounding gaming headsets—yet repeatedly frames the headset as more of a modest refresh than a true second generation. Key gripes include extra weight, loss of flat-swivel earcups, a fiddly recessed mute switch, and an infuriating automatic Bluetooth/2.4GHz switching behavior that prevents manual control; promised “punchier” bass feels underwhelming despite a firmware fix. The verdict: if you value top-tier audio and comfort and don’t mind a heavier, pricey headset with annoying connectivity quirks (and little advantage over the original Maxwell), the Maxwell 2 is easy to recommend on sound alone—but it’s not the big leap many buyers might expect.

Harish Jonnalagadda at Android Central is impressed overall. He praises the Maxwell 2’s class-leading planar sound — roomy tonality, quick transients, clean bass and a wide soundstage that make it the best-sounding gaming headset in its price tier — and applauds the tough build, battery life, and flexible connectivity. At the same time he’s measured about real drawbacks: it’s very heavy and awkward to adjust, and the built-in mic is only serviceable rather than broadcast-ready, problems carried over from the previous model. He calls the Maxwell 2 a niche buy for gamers whose top priority is audio fidelity, noting sensible software EQ and customization, and suggests lighter headsets with better mics for those who value comfort or streaming. Overall the tone is admiring but balanced — enthusiastic about sound, pragmatic about ergonomics and mic performance.

PC Gamer’s Nick Evanson is cautiously positive about the Maxwell 2. He praises its majestic planar sound—clear, well-defined lows and excellent spatial detail that make games and movies sing—but he’s lukewarm about Audeze’s design choices: added SLAM plates slightly improve bass and reduce a “claustrophobic” feel, yet they increase weight and worsen long-term comfort, make earcups non-rotatable, and introduce fiddly controls and awkward mic ergonomics. Battery life, passive isolation, and quick dongle pairing remain strong points, and the reviewer appreciates that Audeze avoided gaudy RGB. Overall Evanson recommends the Maxwell 2 for its sound quality while warning it’s not a clear upgrade over the original; it’s an impressive headset hampered by regressions in comfort and usability, so it’s a worthwhile buy only if you prioritize audiophile-grade gaming audio and can tolerate the trade-offs.

GamesRadar+'s Tabitha Baker is positively impressed overall. She praises the Maxwell 2 for delivering the clearest, most articulate in-game and music performance among gaming headsets she’s tested, with superb mids and highs, excellent staging, and much-improved comfort over the original; battery life is strong and the planar drivers stay true to an audiophile sensibility. Her enthusiasm is tempered, though: the bass is lean compared with bass-forward rivals, the claimed SLAM tweaks feel incremental, the mic is merely adequate, and higher-end convenience features are missing—no simultaneous Bluetooth/2.4GHz pairing, no hot-swap batteries or charging dock, and thinner software features than some competitors. In short, Baker recommends the Maxwell 2 for buyers who prioritize balanced, high-fidelity sound and improved wearability, but warns casual gamers wanting bass, extra features, or an easy upgrade path to consider alternatives.

GameRevolution’s Mack Ashworth comes away positively impressed. He praises the Maxwell 2 as a careful, effective refinement of Audeze’s original—planar magnetic drivers and SLAM tuning give clear, tightly controlled bass and excellent soundstage, the wireless options and claimed 80‑hour battery impress, and the metal build feels genuinely premium. He appreciates the 10‑band EQ and app controls but flags real weaknesses too: the headset is heavier than most and the detachable microphone feels like an afterthought, good for in‑game chat but not for streaming. Overall the review is upbeat and confident—this is a high‑quality, thoughtfully evolved gaming headset with a pricey but justified focus on sound and construction, tempered by a middling mic and extra weight.