Audeze Maxwell 2 Review: Gaming’s New Sound Champion

Audeze has long been the gold standard for audiophile-grade planar magnetic headphones, and with the Maxwell 2, they’re bringing that legendary sound quality to the gaming world. At $329, this headset isn’t cheap, but it delivers an audio experience that simply crushes the competition.

Design and Build: Built Like a Tank

The Maxwell 2 maintains the industrial, no-nonsense aesthetic that Audeze is known for. This isn’t a headset trying to look cool with RGB lighting or aggressive angles—it’s a serious piece of audio equipment. The steel headband with ventilated leather cushioning feels premium, and the magnetically-detachable ear cups allow for easy customization (with 3D-printed designs coming soon).

However, there’s a significant trade-off: at 560g, this is one of the heaviest gaming headsets on the market. That’s nearly 150g heavier than Corsair’s Virtuoso Max and almost double the weight of Sony’s INZONE H9 II. The limited height adjustability and lack of folding ear cups make it less portable, though the weight is well-distributed across the headband.

Connectivity: The Most Versatile Gaming Headset

Where the Maxwell 2 truly shines is in its connectivity options. Audeze has packed in:

• Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio support
• LC3 and LC3+ codecs
• Auracast compatibility
• LDAC support
• Traditional AAC and SBC
• 2.4GHz wireless
• USB-C and 3.5mm wired connections

This means you can connect to virtually any device—your gaming PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android phone, or iPad Pro—and switch between them seamlessly. The ability to connect to two devices simultaneously is particularly useful for gamers who want to take calls without interrupting their gameplay.

Sound Quality: Simply Unmatched

The 90mm planar magnetic drivers deliver audio that’s in a completely different league from conventional gaming headsets. The fast transients provide incredible immediacy, making every gunshot, footstep, and environmental detail crystal clear. The bass has genuine impact without overwhelming the mix, the mids are perfectly neutral for clear dialogue, and the treble extends beautifully without harshness.

The soundstage is expansive, giving you precise positional audio that’s crucial for competitive gaming. Whether you’re playing a battle royale, an immersive RPG, or just enjoying music during your downtime, the Maxwell 2 delivers an experience that makes other gaming headsets sound compressed and lifeless by comparison.

Battery Life: Game All Weekend

With an 1,800mAh battery, the Maxwell 2 offers close to 80 hours of playback on a single charge. That’s more than double what most gaming headsets provide, meaning you can go an entire weekend gaming marathon without needing to plug in.

The Achilles’ Heel: Microphone Quality

Unfortunately, the microphone doesn’t match the excellence of the audio drivers. While it’s serviceable for gaming and includes Audeze’s Filter AI for noise reduction, it doesn’t deliver broadcast-quality audio. This was a weakness in the original Maxwell, and it remains an issue here. If crystal-clear voice communication is your priority, you might want to consider alternatives like the Sony INZONE H9 II.

Should You Buy It?

The Audeze Maxwell 2 is for gamers who prioritize sound quality above all else. It’s not the most comfortable for long sessions, it’s not the lightest, and the microphone won’t impress streamers—but the audio quality is simply unmatched in the gaming headset category.

At $329, it’s a significant investment, but for audiophiles and serious gamers who want the best possible sound experience, the Maxwell 2 delivers in ways that cheaper headsets simply cannot match.

Tags & Viral Phrases:

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• “Prepare for audio nirvana”
• “This is what gaming audio should sound like”
• “The headset that makes everything else obsolete”
• “Sound quality so good it’s unfair”
• “The Rolls-Royce of gaming audio”
• “Once you hear it, you can’t go back”
• “The difference is night and day”

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