Usage and Comfort
Comfort
I had high hopes for the Audeze Maxwell and, thankfully, the headset didn’t disappoint.
The rounder cups, coupled with much denser earpads, create a truly comfortable experience when worn. Interestingly, compared to the Mobius I previously used, the new Audeze feels even lighter on my head, despite its increased weight. An impressive feat, ranking the Maxwell in my toplist of bluetooth headphones in terms of comfort.
The suspended headband is a nice inclusion too, even if I’d have preferred an elastic system like the one found on Meze’s 109 Pro.But, the real game changer here remained the earpads. Plushy and rounder, they perfectly distributed the pressure around my ears, and even compared to my Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro-X, I was surprised to favor the Audeze over long listening sessions.
And guess what? No sweaty ear syndrome! Granted, it’s winter as I write this, so maybe Mother Nature’s giving me a cold pass, but I’ve got a hunch that the Maxwell is just playing in a different league compared to the Mobius when it comes to keeping your ears chill
Bravo!
Everyday Use
On a daily basis, the Maxwell was a bliss to use, thanks to the wide range of possible inputs, giving you the opportunity to connect the headset to all and every source you own. But, let’s talk about the elephant in the room first: why an Xbox and PlayStation versions? Simple answer: Dolby Atmos.
In fact, technically both versions share the exact same inner design and could be used on the same sources but, “due to differing hardware, firmware, and (most obviously) licensing requirements, the PlayStation will not work on Xbox”. Although, you might be able to use the Xbox version on the PlayStation, with an USB-USB cable, minus some limitations like in-volume control.
And yes, I did ask (and got) the Xbox version. I own an Xbox series X, and a Dolby Atmos home theater so I was more than eager to try out that feature on the Audeze, especially after using the Mobius for so many years.
Which leads us to one of the best features of the Maxwell: its USB dongle. A feature inherited from the Penrose, that allows quick and simple pairing with virtually any source, as an alternative to the classic Bluetooth pairing. It even worked on my iPhone, with the Apple Camera Connection Kit!
Of course, if you’re more inclined towards a classic Bluetooth connection, that’s totally doable with the Audeze. It boasts a top-of-the-line Bluetooth 5.3 chipset, which supports the latest standards like LE Audio, LC3plus, and LDAC, ensuring you’re up to speed with the latest in audio transmission.
If you’d rather go back to a wired connection, Audeze has you covered with a USB-C cable that’s ready to connect to nearly any modern device. I tested it on my MAC, PC, and iPad, and each time, the Maxwell was recognized instantly, showcasing its versatile and user-friendly design.
The only drawback here? The impossibility to connect an headphone amp, or any powerful source like a DAP, due to the active headset nature of the Maxwell. The risk? Circuit overcharge that could harm the integrated amplifier so favor digital inputs on this one!
Isolation
If there’s one area where the Maxwell truly sets itself apart from the competition – and notably outperforms its siblings, the Penrose and Mobius – it’s undoubtedly in noise reduction.
Audeze announced “industry-leading passive noise reduction” thanks to their reinforced dual-chamber earcups and, for once, all that marketing verbiage appeared to be true. Even with just a tiny bit of music, the Maxwell effectively cut most unwanted noise, especially outside conversations, and compared to the DT900 Pro-X I use daily, the Audeze was markedly better here.
If you commute a lot, subway/train/plane/street/open space, the Maxwell will create a real comfort zone, that will cut you off the other people, minus the usual sound pressure felt by some with active noise cancellation headphones. It’s not equally good to the one found on the AirPods Max or AirPods Pro, but overall, I’d grade it a solid eight out of ten.
The review continues on Page four, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Jay
A comparison the the LCD GX would be great.
MhtLion
A great review as always! Has anyone tried if there is any method to enjoy Apple Dolby Atmos music with Maxwell through either a Macbook or iPad Pro with USB-C? That will be amazing!
Alex Izzet
I wish you could also experience it with LDAC and HiFi music. Regardless, it was a great review I enjoyed reading!
Raziel
To the part where you wrote that they sound better with iphone over USB-lightning:
It’s because apple doesnt support better bluetooth codecs for other brands other than Apples headphones. Best codecs at the moment are developed by Qualcomm – AptX adaptive and they recently released a new and better one (I forgot name). Only other option is the one by Sony. Most widely used and supported even by apple is AAC with much lower bitrate.
One more thing – these higher bitrate bluetooth codecs usualy dont support two way communication so dont expect to be able to have good sound quality while using microphone (exception is MS Teams with supported BT hardware and headphones). Thats why we have radio frequency dongles included.
Some time ago I did some research so I wanted to share. Its a bit more complicated overall. There are of course some exceptions in some cases etc.