I’ve tried several gaming headsets over the years and at this point, it almost feels like there are fewer and fewer things that I can be impressed by. Enter the Audeze Maxwell, a gaming headset from a brand that has a storied history in the high-end audio community. When Audeze reached out and asked if I wanted to try the Maxwell, I of course said yes. I’d been wanting to try it for a couple of years now. So I jumped at the chance.
My main reasoning was to see if it could hold a candle to what I found to be the best gaming headset on the market, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Up until I tried the Maxwell, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless had been my go-to. I was using it for gaming on PS5, PC, and even mobile. It was the only headset I would use for basically anything. Including streaming movies and music. Not only was the sound great, it was just so convenient and comfortable.
That being said, it wasn’t without its faults. The more I dabbled in high-end audio I also wanted to see if Audeze had something to offer that could sway my opinion on what the best value in gaming headsets is. Without beating around the bush, the Audeze Maxwell has exceeded nearly every expectation I had. At $299, it’s not an inexpensive gaming headset option. However, it does a lot of things right and I think that after this review, you’ll probably agree that it’s at the very least, worth considering. That being said, let’s break down the Audeze Maxwell and see if it’s worth your hard-earned money.
Audeze Maxwell Review: Hardware & Design
I’ll be honest when I say the Maxwell isn’t my favorite when it comes to the design of a gaming headset. That isn’t to say it looks bad by any means. It’s stylish, just not as stylish as some others I’ve used in the past. However, I want to follow that up with the very obvious realization that this is a completely subjective point. While I do think there are better-looking gaming headsets out there, this really matters very little.
What’s most important is how the headset functions, and that it’s made with high quality. These are two things that the Audeze Maxwell knocks out of the park. Design-wise, the Maxwell is a big headset. Probably the biggest I’ve ever tested, at least when it comes to wireless options. While I think the size takes a tiny bit away from the design, it also means you get nice, sizeable ear cups that hug your ears in a pillowy embrace, so comfort is a definite factor here.
The larger size also means there’s more room in those ear cups for things like the planar magnetic drivers. Which, goes a long way to making this the best-sounding headset on the market across the board.
What’s in the Box
When it comes to the hardware, there’s a lot to unpack. Both literally and metaphorically. When you open up the box, you get the headset, the detachable mic, the low-latency USB-C dongle, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and a 3.5mm TRRS analog cable.
Hardware & Build Quality
The Audeze Maxwell features a high-quality metal construction that makes it very clear a lot of thought and attention to detail went into building this headset. The ear cups swivel to adjust to head shape, and you can twist them so they sit flat if you slide the headset down to wear it around your neck during breaks. This also makes it decent for packing in a bag, although it’s still a massive gaming headset so it’ll take up a decent amount of space anyway.
What I really like is that there’s a physical mute switch you can toggle when you need or want to shut the mic off for a second. You also get physical controls for volume adjustment, and there are separate volume wheels for game audio and chat audio, something that I think is very underused in gaming headsets as they often incorporate both into a single dial that forces you to pick what’s louder.
The headset itself doesn’t have an extendable headband like some do. Instead, the Audeze Maxwell uses an inner band with three holes on each side. These can be fitted to the knobs on the left and right sides of the main band to adjust for sizing. The band itself is made from high-quality leather that feels premium, which I love, and it’s also pretty comfortable against my head even after longer gaming or listening sessions.
The only complaint I have about the band is that because it’s made of leather, the sizing holes don’t expand at all. This makes it quite a chore to adjust the band for sizing if needed. Luckily, you may only have to do this once if you’re the only one using the headset. So once that’s out of the way, you won’t have to mess with it ever again. In my experience, I wasn’t quite sure if the band was where I needed it to be. So I tried adjusting it to a different size and it was just more difficult to do than I had anticipated.
As it turns out, the band was at the right size for my head right out of the box (the middle of the three holes), so I never needed to mess with it in the first place. However, I do think it’s important that you find the right fit before you really start using it. So you may want to test all three size options anyway. Just be aware that you might have to fiddle with the band for a few minutes.
In terms of remaining hardware, there’s also a nice big physical power button and a button for turning the active noise cancellation on and off as you desire. Overall, the Audeze Maxwell is a very well-built gaming headset from top to bottom. There are just a couple of things I would personally change.
Audeze Maxwell Review: Comfort & Fit
I thought I knew what comfort was before I put the Audeze Maxwell on for the first time, and I was wrong. At least in part. I have more than a few gaming headsets hanging up right now and they’re all pretty comfortable. Some more than others. The Audeze Maxwell overshadows all of them. Like I said earlier, the headset is big because the ear cups are big. By design, the ear pads are also big. They’re nice and thick and they envelop your ears in a soft cushion that does a great job at isolating sound even if the ANC is turned off.
And yet, even with the good seal to isolate outside noise, they’re still breathable enough that I didn’t have to worry about sweat after wearing this headset for hours. I can confidently say that this is the most comfortable gaming headset I have ever used. That does come with a caveat though. And in my opinion, it’s a caveat that might turn some people away. The Audeze Maxwell is a very heavy gaming headset by comparison. It weighs 500 grams which is kind of astonishing when you look at other options on the market.
The only reason I say this is a caveat is because it can impact comfort, mostly in the long term. I still think the Audeze Maxwell is the most comfortable gaming headset I’ve used. However, its weight can’t be ignored and it can lead to issues with long-term comfort. Not over the lifespan of the headset, but over a longer period of use in a single session. For example, I find that the Maxwell has a tendency to start putting pressure on my neck if I wear it for longer than 4-5 hours.
Now, you might be thinking, “4-5 hours is a pretty long time just take the headset off and take a break.” And you’re right. I can just take the headset off. In most cases, this is exactly what I do. I take little breaks throughout my gaming sessions pretty often. Whether it’s to get up and grab a snack and walk around for a few minutes, or to go do something else for a little while. There are times though when I sit down and play all day and if I’m in chat, I often leave the headset on because I’m talking with friends the whole time.
In these situations, it’s very easy to get lost in the moment and before you know it, several hours have flown by. This is where the weight of the Audeze Maxwell can start to become a minor issue. If you play games for very long periods of time, just know that this might become a factor for you, and it might not.
In terms of fit, the headset fits very securely and there are zero issues here in my opinion. I think for the most part, the weight isn’t going to hinder the experience for most gamers, but it is something that I felt needed to be mentioned. Overall, the comfort is really high up there and I’d even venture to say the Maxwell is more comfortable than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, even if only by a little bit.
Audeze Maxwell Review: Microphone Quality
The microphone is always an important part of any gaming headset if you’re planning on using it for game chat. Whether that’s in-game chat or through something like Discord, you want a good microphone so your voice comes through clearly. The last thing you want is for your teammates to have a hard time hearing you. Especially if you’re playing games where clear callouts are a major part of the gameplay.
Of all the gaming headsets I’ve tested over the years, I have only ever had issues with a few microphones. That’s based on feedback from friends who I chat with telling me I don’t sound good and that I’m just a little harder to hear. These are people I have played games with and sat in chat with for several years. So they know the sound of my voice and I trust their opinions on the matter. With that being said, I want to start by saying that I have had zero complaints from friends when chatting while using the Audeze Maxwell.
The microphone quality, from my end, seems to be top-notch and, it might just be the best microphone of any gaming headset I’ve used so far. As I’ve said, I normally use the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, which I thought had a pretty good microphone. After using it for 2+ years, my friends agree. Once I started using the Audeze Maxwell, I held off for a few sessions before asking how I sounded in comparison to how I normally sounded. Everyone I asked said I sounded just fine, while a few even said I sounded better than usual.
My voice comes through more clearly and that’s really an important detail for callouts. Now this won’t matter for every game. However, we often play games like Call of Duty where callouts in multiplayer are a big deal to us as a team. We’re very vocal in calling out the enemy position to try and win. We also play a lot of Destiny 2 where callouts are important for endgame content like raids and dungeons. The slightest trouble in hearing one another could mean a wipe, and that’s no fun for anyone. This was never an issue in all my time using the headset for gaming so far.
So I think it’s safe to say I will probably never have an issue with the microphone on the Audeze Maxwell. I obviously can’t speak to how this will be long-term. But given the build quality of the headset, I don’t anticipate the microphone quality degrading over time. If there’s anything I would change with the mic, I would add a few more options in the companion software to adjust the sound and really fine-tune it. This is something that I really appreciate about the SteelSeries GG app. It has tons of settings for adjusting how the mic sounds, that being said, you don’t need a SteelSeries headset to use that software. So really, you could use it with the Audeze Maxwell if you really wanted to, and just tweak things in the Sonar tab. Though I don’t know if this is really necessary.
Audeze Maxwell Review: Sound Quality
There was a time when sound quality didn’t matter very much to me when playing games. It was a simpler time. As long as the headset I was using sounded relatively decent, I was fine with it. Then I started using nicer and nicer headsets, and now I’ve arrived at Audeze’s Maxwell headset. An option that clearly stands above most options on the market for sound quality.
That shouldn’t be surprising. Audeze specializes in high-end audio. I knew the headset would sound good, I just didn’t know it would sound better than anything else I’ve ever used. While I am not an audio expert, I have used several high-end headsets at this point so I do have some inkling of when one clearly sounds better than another. The Audeze Maxwell provides a sound experience for games that I really do feel is unmatched.
While using it in games like Space Marine 2 or Diablo IV, I can more easily pick up the nuances of the varied and layered tracks laid on top of the rest of the game’s audio. The ambient tracks of Space Marine 2 come alive as if I was standing in the crowd at a concert. And there’s something magical about having that kind of audio quality for in-game music as you’re ripping into aliens with a chainsaw sword. Speaking of, the Maxwell really amps up these kinds of sounds too.
In an age where some games are best when they can immerse you in the world, playing Space Marine 2 while wearing the Maxwell headset almost made it seem as if I was actually the Ultramarine revving up the sword to slice and dice the enemies of humanity. For Diablo IV, the Maxwell really shined with the different music tracks of each zone. But even little details like the sound of a health potion dropping and then being consumed were more pronounced. The screams of my character as they were cutting down demons were more clear.
In games like Final Fantasy XIV, which is packed to the gills with a damn near life-changing soundtrack, the Maxwell not only brought the music to life but it made the world of the game feel more real. The sound even gets a little more lively if I’m playing with my DualSense controller plugged in. Because when it’s plugged in for Final Fantasy XIV, the advanced haptics of that controller kick in.
So walking on grass almost feels like walking on grass. Harvesting wood from a tree and chopping away at it with your hatchet sort of feels like the vibrations you might feel from the wooden handle as the blade of the hatchet meets the tree on impact. And the sounds that are linked to those haptics are clear as day with the Maxwell. It all really just plays into the fantasy that I’m in the world of the game, walking on that patch of grass myself, or chopping away at that tree. Now, part of this is a true testament to the skills of the game’s audio engineers.
At the same time, it’s a testament to Audeze. For being able to harness what the game’s audio engineers have done and make you feel like you’re in the game you’re playing. Based solely on delivering sound so rich with life, that you start to feel like you’re hearing these sounds in person.
I’ll say it again, there was a time when the sound quality of my gaming headsets didn’t matter much to me. Those times are gone and the Maxwell has a part in my shifting opinion on the matter. Using the Maxwell is not so transcendent of an experience that I can’t ever use anything else. It is however very enjoyable to hear my games in a way that makes them significantly more lively. And Audeze deserves a lot of praise for it. The Maxwell is quickly becoming one of my favorite headsets to use, if not my favorite headset.
Out of the box, the Maxwell headset sounds superb and you don’t need to do anything to it to enjoy the audio experience. However, you can fine-tune things by adjusting the sound profiles inside the Audeze HQ app.
Audeze Maxwell Review: The Audeze HQ App
The app is your tool for playing with the preconfigured sound profiles as well as updating the dongle and headset. For instance, there’s an option to change to a Footsteps profile so you can better hear footsteps in games like Call of Duty.
The headset picks up footsteps and relays their unique sound signature to you pretty well without turning on this sound profile. Better than most headsets I’ve tried, too. But in using the Footsteps profile it amplifies their sound slightly so they’re just a bit easier to hear. You can certainly choose to ignore the footsteps in these kinds of multiplayer games, but I find that you will almost always do better if you’re paying attention to these audio cues.
One thing I’ve noticed is that while using this particular sound profile with the Maxwell, there wasn’t a major difference between when it was on and when it was off. It was a subtle change, but still noticeable. In the end, it makes a difference, however small, so it’s worth picking as opposed to leaving the headset on the default “Audeze” setting. Alternatively, if you’re playing an RPG or another type of game where it’s very story/narrative heavy, you can choose the headset’s Immersive sound profile to bring the game to life.
This is the kind of profile I chose for games like Final Fantasy XIV, Diablo IV, and Space Marine 2. There are also profiles for bass boost and treble boost among a few others. You can also choose one of the few “Preset” options that are there if you want to manually adjust the EQ and save these as specific profiles. So you get complete granular control of how all the frequencies sound and adjust things to your precise specifications.
In addition to the different sound profiles, the HQ app also lets you toggle the side tone, with a slider bar for how much of the sidetone level you want to hear. This is just so you want to be able to hear your own voice while in chat. It acts as a way to see how you sound to others, while also letting you know how loud you are. It’s intended to help nail down the best possible sound for the mic so your voice is clear and at a reasonable volume level for others.
On top of that, there’s another feature for mixing the game and chat audio, although I left this untouched as I can control the volume of my chats in Discord directly while using the volume wheel on my keyboard for game audio. All of this is doable with the PC app, but unfortunately, there’s no app for PS5. There is an app for mobile, but changing the sound profiles didn’t seem to do anything for the sound coming out of my PS5. A nice touch with the PC app is that there’s a tab with a layout of the headset that tells you what all the controls are for.
It’s nothing major, just a nice little addition if you weren’t quite sure what everything on the headset does. Overall it’s a decent app but nothing too special. No bells and whistles or extra features. Just the basic stuff you’d need. And that’s completely fine.
Audeze Maxwell Review: Battery Life
I talked for several months with my boss about this headset. He’s been using it for a while and wouldn’t shut up about how good it is. I take his opinion about audio seriously because he takes audio seriously. More seriously than anyone else I know. Still, despite his praise for the Maxwell, I had my reservations. Mainly for two reasons. One, the lack of its ability to play simultaneous audio from two sources if I was connected using the low-latency dongle (it will allow this if you have the headset wired and connected to another device with Bluetooth), and the battery life.
One of the reasons I love the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wireless so much is because of these two things. The battery life in particular is a non-issue. Because it utilizes a hot-swappable battery you can just pop out and replace it when it needs to be recharged. So you ALWAYS have a charged battery ready to go, and you basically have 100% uptime on the headset. I didn’t want to give up this convenience. How does Audeze get around that with the Maxwell? With a battery life that lasts for up to 80+ hours.
That’s an astounding amount of time between charges, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I went an entire two to three weeks before I needed to plug the Maxwell in. I still kind of prefer the convenience of not having to plug in a headset at all. That being said, I can overlook this fact with the Maxwell because it lasts so long between charges. I can easily plug it in during the start of my day and it’ll be done well before I need or want to use it again. Then it’s back to a full battery which will last me for a few more weeks.
What’s more, is that the Maxwell supports fast charging. If the battery happens to die on me while using it, I can plug the headset in for only 20 minutes and get several hours of game time. Likely more than I’ll need. Then I can plug it in for a full charge after I’m done. All-in-all, the battery life on the Audeze Maxwell is stellar, and I don’t think anyone is going to have a single complaint about it.
Should you buy the Audeze Maxwell?
Getting down to brass tax, I think there’s a large subset of the gaming community that would never buy this headset. That’s not because it’s bad, as my review clearly shows it’s the exact opposite. It’s simply because there are many gamers out there who just don’t care about all the little niceties that the Audeze Maxwell headset provides. They just want something that works and isn’t going to fall apart on them in two to six months.
Having said that, I think there are still plenty of people who would spend the money on this headset if it meant an overall better and more enjoyable gaming experience. Sound plays a big part in games. Certainly, more than many people give it credit for. You can’t truly experience how influential it is though if you don’t have a headset that can deliver audio at that level. The Maxwell delivers. It has a few flaws, as everything does. It’s heavy, for one. It’s also not the most portable so you’ll probably need something else entirely if you want an over-ear or on-ear headset for listening to music outside of the home.
Those issues notwithstanding, everything else about the Audeze Maxwell has been an amazing experience. So if you don’t mind spending a little more money on a gaming headset, I can confidently say I don’t think anyone who can and would buy this headset would regret the purchase.
You should buy the Audeze Maxwell if:
- You want a high-end audio experience when playing games
- You’re looking for something with long-lasting battery life
- You want a comfortable headset
- You want or need a really high-quality microphone
You shouldn’t buy the Audeze Maxwell if:
- You’re looking for something more budget-friendly
- You don’t care about audio quality
