Audeze Maxwell Review

Sound performance

For this review, I mostly used my Xbox, a MacBook Air and my iPhone as sources, with the help of Audeze own wireless transmitters

As for the source, music was streamed directly from my computer with Apple Music (Hi-Res), my own Plex library (Hi-Res), and Spotify (Lo-Res)

Overall signature

Let’s cut to the chase, for a gaming headphone, the Audeze Maxwell is exceptionally good. I’d even dare to say that as an audiophile headphone, this one even gives some competition to many hard-wired competitors

Full bass? Check. Clean mids? Check. Shining highs? Check again. And when Audeze tuned down the high-mids on the Penrose, the Maxwell went back to its original root with a more linear sound displaying none to zero distortion. Paired with my iPhone in Bluetooth, I found the dynamic range a little less impressive than in direct USB-C to Lightning connection, but compared to my AirPods Max, the difference was negligible.

There is no distortion, even if you crank up the volume to the max. ADSR is excellent and, compared to popular Bluetooth headphones from Sony, Bowers&Wilkins, or even Sennheiser, the Audeze gave me a better experience overall, thanks to its flatter sound signature, and incredible sound pressure.

The previous emphasis on the lower end of the spectrum is now long gone, but bass never overwhelms the rest of the spectrum. The driver moves a lot of air, and you constantly feel the pressure on your eardrum, but that’s never harmful either. Spaciousness is astounding and even with simple stereo tracks, the Maxwell never ceased to amaze me on this aspect. 

In fact, the Audeze Maxwell blends true analog sound, with high-end technology and you’d be surprised by how clean it sounds. I tried heavy-paced electro with saturated chords, to see how deep those drivers could reach, and always found the low-note I aimed for. Of course, video games soundtracks were reproduced with ease, and my fist listening of Hans Zimmer’s latest record was a complete thrill.

Dynamic range is excellent, with a rich presentation and superb layering. Highs are energetic, even if a bit shy, but that annoying sibilant often found on the LCD-XC is nowhere to be found. Whatever the genre, the Maxwell always seemed in control getting you that deep heavy bass you’d expect from a planar headphone while keeping the voices clear and poised, especially in-game.

Improved isolation plays an important role here and during my commutes, I was surprised to hear some nuances that were only available on ANC headphones like the AirPods Max and the spaciousness is above all the other closed-back headphones.

Last but not least, I had to try the Dolby Atmos render on this headphone. I hooked up the Maxwell to my Xbox, launched a few games and to my surprise, I do think that this new headphone surpasses the previous Mobius in terms of spatial rendering. With the feature enabled and a compatible game launched, the result was simply astonishing with some effect blowing me away. In audio we constantly talk about positioning and sound placement, but I think that nothing compares to what you can experience with this kind of solution.

I did a few test on my computer too, with Dolby Atmos movies, and if it lacked the physical pressure of a subwoofer, in terms of sensation, I’d dare to say that for less than $400, this setup competes with some very high-end solution. Even my beloved Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro-X with a dedicated DAC and Dolby Atmos emulated render felt like a cheap knock-off when I got back to the Maxwell – in addition to the fantastic sound performances…

An incredible feat, that makes the Maxwell my new favorite Bluetooth headphone.

Tonality

Highs: digital prowess. The Audeze Maxwell highs are impressive with great decay and zero distortion. Add super wide dynamic range, AdaptativeEQ and you end up with a render nothing short of amazing for a Bluetooth headphone, or any headphone.

Good test-track: Too Soon – Breakbot

Mids: transparent. Mids are well-balanced and voices sound clear in any configuration. Be it jazz, pop, or even heavy metal, the Audeze Maxwell offers performances on par with its bigger siblings. It cannot reach the level of precision heard in the LCD-X or LCD-4, but those are also ten times more expensive…

Good test-track: San-Francisco Street – Sun Rai

Lows: deep phat bass. Planar headphones remain the best choice for bass-lovers, and that’s still the case with the Penrose. The bass can reach the lowest notes with little to no distortion while keeping the other frequencies untouched. I played GTA 5 with this headphone, and that felt ridiculously good.

Good test-track: People Hold on – Zimcerla

Conclusion

Once again, Audeze amazed me with a wondrous device, exceeding all my expectations, at a price that sounds almost too good to be true – for an Audeze.

If the Mobius was already great, the new Audeze Maxwell is nothing short of amazing, packing everything that the brand ever developed, in better, sturdier package, while maintaining a level of sonic refinement I didn’t think possible in this category before.

Build quality is excellent, I/O is amazing, and either as a pure stereo headphone or a Dolby Atmos endpoint, the headphone was just flawless. Sure, there are better sounding, traditional, headphones available, at the same price, but none pack as many features as the Maxwell and none gave me this sensation that we are, finally, venturing into the whelm of successful spatial audio.

I just love it: instant recommended buy!

Pros

• very good sounding, amazing with the Dolby Atmos
• excellent noise isolation and exceptional battery life 
• extensive bundle and improved wireless dongle
• great build quality and replaceable parts
• amazing I/O and future proof connectivity
• phenomenal price/performance/use ratio

Cons

• Audeze App is still buggy