At a look

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Impressive audio that sounds heat and full-bodied
• Strong and sturdy design
• Excellent cross compatibility

Cons

• It’s fairly heavy and enormous
• The headband isn’t extendable
• The software program app is simply too easy

Our Verdict

The Audeze Maxwell Wireless produces the sort of audiophile-grade sound that you just’d look forward to finding in a high-end studio headset, but it’s expertly tailor-made for avid gamers with all of the consolation and gamer-centric performance you’d count on in a premium wi-fi gaming headset.

Price When Reviewed

329

Best Prices Today: Audeze Maxwell Wireless

Finding a wi-fi gaming headset with a sound high quality nearly as good as any studio grade pair of cans is not any straightforward feat. Many premium headsets sound nice – spectacular even – however a gaming headset reaching the standing of audiophile grade? That’s notably uncommon.
Audeze begs to vary, with the corporate’s latest gaming headset, the Maxwell Wireless, which is kind of merely one of many best-sounding gaming headsets I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing.

Its secret sauce? Try the 90mm planar magnetic drivers for starters, which produce a particularly heat, high-fidelity audio that ought to please even essentially the most discerning audiophiles. Yet regardless of the distinctive high quality on supply, this set is ideally primed for the very particular world of wi-fi gaming.

It is available in two variants, an Xbox model (my overview mannequin) or a PlayStation possibility, each of which undercut some close to rivals in worth, whereas additionally they upstage cheaper fashions in performance. Read on to search out out extra.

Further studying: See our roundup of the the best wireless gaming headsets to find out about competing merchandise.

Design and construct

Oval-shaped cups are sometimes known as spherical by reviewers, however the Maxwell’s cups are literally spherical. I’m speaking the traditional UFO-saucer sort of form. Of course, spherical cups will solely match snugly over oval ears once they’re fairly massive — which is strictly the case right here. The earcups are so massive actually that Audeze has ignored any mechanism to regulate the scarf up or down — it’s a one-size-fits-all size.

Still on that thread, my first thought after unboxing it was: Why so massive? Then it dawned on me… you want bloomin’ massive cups to suit 90mm drivers. Yes, of us, the Audeze Maxwell has among the greatest audio drivers you could find in a gaming headset and it’s apparent that its kind is dictated by that formidable {hardware}.

For its half, although, the Maxwell Wireless has loads of luxe attraction because of the high-end supplies in its chassis. The headband, as an illustration, is created from spring metal, whereas the yokes are a premium aluminum. Of course, all that steel takes a toll on weight — it weighs barely greater than a pound (490 grams), which is quite a bit, even for a headset on this premium class.

But actually, I by no means discovered the burden a problem, there’s sufficient luxurious on board to counteract any discomfort I may need felt. For instance, the leatherette materials over the tender reminiscence foam pads felt plush on my ears and there was ample cushioning to maintain my head feeling unpressed.

Doing just a little take a look at on how lengthy I might put on the headset with out taking it off noticed me final roughly three hours, which is fairly respectable for a headset of this measurement. Then once more, I solely wanted to take it off as a result of my ears have been turning into just a little too scorching — the leatherette feels nice, however as I’ve discovered so usually in headsets with leatherette, it does lack the breathability of mesh and tends to warmth up just a little after some time.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Despite there being no vertical adjustment out there within the headband correct, there’s loads of motion within the set total. The cups tilted upwards within the yokes, offering me with a medium-grade clamp stress. They additionally swiveled 180 levels so I might comfortably relaxation them on my neck — the headset wasn’t fairly lengthy sufficient to achieve my chest.

An inside versatile suspension strap is positioned beneath the primary band — this distributed many of the headset’s weight neatly throughout the highest of my head. It’s adjustable to a few consolation settings and replaceable ought to it put on out, but it surely does endure from a cumbersome hole-punch adjustment mechanism.

As to the styling, the Maxwell is exceptionally elegant, sporting a metallic end, the type I used to be completely satisfied to put on wherever. I particularly preferred the distinction between the gun steel outer elements and the black cup coverings.

Connectivity and compatibility

I had the Xbox variant of the headset, which is designed to work with Windows PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox X/S, and Nintendo Switch, in addition to Android and iOS gadgets. But I additionally managed to get it to work with a PlayStation 5 console utilizing the provided USB-C to USB-A adapter.

This sort of cross compatibility is just not doable with the Xbox if you buy the PlayStation variant, which implies the Xbox variant is the one you’ll really need for those who’re searching for the very best connectivity you will get.

One level of warning on that, although, is that this system isn’t formally sanctioned to work with PlayStation, so there’s no means of figuring out if it’ll work down the road when Sony or Audeze resolve to replace their firmware.

As effectively because the aforementioned USB-C to USB-A adapter, you get a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle for low-latency Wi-Fi, a USB-C to USB-C cable for establishing a wired connection, and a 3.5mm cable for making an old-school analog connection.

After plugging the dongle into my laptop computer, the headset labored instantly, with out me having to do something additional. To pair Bluetooth, nevertheless, was a bit difficult. The on/off swap doubles because the Bluetooth pairing button, which implies it’s sort of straightforward to unintentionally flip off the set whereas making an attempt to pair. A devoted Bluetooth button would have been helpful right here. Still, since my telephone remembered the system as soon as I paired it, it’s an issue I solely encountered as soon as.

I used to be barely bummed additionally by the truth that the Audeze Maxwell’s chipset doesn’t help simultaneous Bluetooth audio whereas utilizing the Wi-Fi dongle, like you may within the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset. Still, all is just not misplaced because it does help simultaneous audio when utilizing Bluetooth and a wired connection or Bluetooth and an Aux connection. That simply means you’ll must be tethered to take pleasure in that performance.

Controls and microphone

The management setup on the Maxwell Wireless is identical as its predecessor the Audeze Mobius. Located on the left earcup is an influence button and a mute mic swap, in addition to two dials — one to manage the audio and one other the mic quantity. The cluster of controls additionally features a button on the entrance to show the AI noise suppression function for the microphone on and off.

Overall, I discovered the controls straightforward to make use of. I might tweak the Bluetooth quantity from the highest dial on the headset, which saved me having to do it on the system itself. The controls are additionally effectively spaced out, which meant I by no means hit the flawed one by mistake.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Attaching the headset’s removable hypercardioid increase microphone was as straightforward as slotting it into the underside of the left earcup. It labored very well, conveying my voice loudly and clearly in voice chats, whereas properly blocking out undesirable noise with the AI noise suppression function switched on.

An enormous win for the microphone is the addition of the pop filter that helped soften the enter of my voice. It sounded altogether smoother at first and ending of phrases — one thing my gamer mates observed in our chats.

Audio efficiency

As effectively as spectacular 90mm Audeze planar magnetic drivers, the Maxwell options improved driver housing that Audeze says makes it “more acoustically balanced than the Penrose and Mobius” gaming headsets.

Not having both predecessor for comparability I used to be nonetheless very impressed by the balanced (as much as 24-bit / 96kHz) sound coming by my cups, and much more impressed by how full-bodied it sounded, being primarily accustomed to the extra restricted audio from headsets with smaller 40mm or 50mm neodymium drivers.

There’s no doubting how effectively the audio was primed for aggressive gaming too. In video games like CounterStrike: Global Offensive and Fortnite, the headset delivered balanced impartial tones by the decrease to mid finish of the spectrum, whereas tones on the larger finish of the spectrum — just like the higher mids and highs — sounded exceptionally detailed and pronounced.

This is strictly the sort of audio that critical avid gamers are searching for, in that they will distinctly select delicate sport appears like footsteps and explosions within the distance — audio cues that always get misplaced in headsets with narrower audio signatures.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

I personally discovered sounds that are likely to fall by the wayside in my video games lots simpler to listen to — just like the chug of opponents’ weapons reloading, their footfalls, and bursts of fireplace within the distance. Environmental appears like birds’ chirps and the pitter patter of rain drops additionally sounded eminently extra real looking than I’m used to listening to in video games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Although there’s no Active Noice Cancellation (ANC) to talk of, the passive noise cancellation is great in these cans. The spherical cups met my ears with a skintight match that reduce out many of the ambient noise instantly round me. It additionally did a terrific job maintaining additional away sounds just like the roar of a leaf blower outdoors and the incessant muttering of a radio in a next-door neighbor’s residence down to only faraway murmurings that had no influence on my play.

If that weren’t sufficient, the Maxwell Wireless can play again audio for lots longer than a bunch of rival headsets. Despite all its power-draining performance, its battery life is rated for a large 80 hours. That’s a formidable determine that’s double the Razer Barracuda Pro’s 40 hours, and just below thrice longer than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro’s 22-hour battery life.

With such an extended battery life, I truly didn’t must cost as soon as throughout my playtesting. But had I wanted to, the headset’s fast-charging functionality might have mounted me up proper good — it expenses the unit to one hundred pc in as little as two hours.

Software

Should you wish to tinker with EQ settings, or change presets, you are able to do that within the Audeze HQ software program app. The app is straightforward to navigate and is completely appropriate for making these sorts of adjustments, but it surely’s not as detailed or as person pleasant as some rival apps. Indeed, for those who’re used to utilizing competitor apps like SteelSeries GG with Sonar — you could be wishing the Audeze had one thing related.

Being the Xbox variant, my headset additionally got here with a Dolby Atmos license for Windows 10/11 and Xbox. Setting it up on Xbox was merely a matter of connecting the system after which deciding on Dolby Atmos for Headphones from Audio Settings — a course of that took below a minute. On PC it was nearly as straightforward, requiring me to first obtain the Dolby Atmos app from the Microsoft Store, then join the system and launch Dolby Access.

Dolby Atmos is a world class app that actually does elevate your gaming expertise, offering you the sort of encompass sound expertise that can assist provide you with an edge in aggressive play. For that cause, it’s a terrific worth addition by Audeze.

How does the Audeze Maxwell Wireless evaluate to rivals?

My Xbox variant at present prices $329 (£349.00) whereas the PlayStation prices $299 9 (£319.00). While these costs are on the excessive finish of the size for what you’d count on to pay for a premium gaming headset, for those who take a look at what you’re getting right here versus the competitors, it doesn’t appear exorbitant.

For instance, the $349 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is dearer than the Maxwell, and but it lacks audio applied sciences that the Maxwell has — like beamforming microphones and an AI noise filtration processor. It additionally has only one third of the Maxwell’s exceptionally lengthy 80-hour battery life. Although, on the flipside, this headset does function simultaneous Bluetooth audio that works with the headset’s USB dongle, one thing I want the Maxwell had too.

Reversing the value dial, and choices just like the $249 Razer Barracuda Pro, and $299 Astro A50 Gen4 are cheaper than the Maxwell, nevertheless they evaluate even much less favorably in design and performance comparisons. For instance, the Razer’s plastic construct is lots flimsier than the Maxwell’s stable steel one and the headset lacks a removable microphone.

The Astro A50 Gen4, alternatively, lacks a suspension headband, has only a 15-hour battery life, and in addition omits a swathe of audio applied sciences you could find within the Maxwell. Consequently, and on stability, I feel it’s totally worthwhile spending just a little extra for the sort of premium performance Audeze is providing right here.

Should you purchase the Audeze Maxwell Wireless?

Despite its massive and heavy design, Audeze’s Maxwell Wireless headset is a powerful audiophile-grade wi-fi gaming headset with a full set of premium options for avid gamers. As effectively as a snug and sturdy design, this headset sports activities glorious cross compatibility and the benefit of all the most important connectivity sorts.

Thanks to its 90mm planar magnetic drivers, the headset’s audio high quality is without doubt one of the finest within the enterprise, sounding heat and full-bodied and tuned completely to focus on delicate cues in aggressive video games. The microphone additionally produces a close to good voice replica, which is simply perfect for voice chats.

To prime that each one off this system has an extended battery life the likes of which leaves rivals lapping at its heels. Ergo, recommending this headset is straightforward: It’s definitely among the finest premium gaming headsets cash should buy.