Audeze Maxwell 2 launches with major upgrades and notable omissions

Audeze just announced the Maxwell 2, and if you’ve been waiting for them to fix the original’s comfort issues, this just might be the update you’ve been asking for. The first Maxwell earned our Editor’s Choice award and became a favorite among audiophile gamers despite its quirks. Now Audeze is back with meaningful upgrades that directly address the biggest complaints—starting with that problematic headband.

Better bass, redesigned comfort

The headline feature is new acoustic management technology in the updated 90mm planar magnetic drivers. Audeze claims this delivers punchier bass and better spatial imaging. Our original Maxwell review noted that the default tuning underemphasized sub-bass by roughly 7dB compared to our target curve, requiring EQ tweaks through the app to achieve the desired sound. If this new tech works as advertised, the Maxwell 2 should sound better straight out of the box.

More importantly, Audeze completely redesigned the headband. The original’s weird hybrid suspension strap was a bit finicky. At 490g, the Maxwell was already heavy, and that headband did a terrible job distributing the weight. I could wear them for a few hours, but some of my colleagues couldn’t make it past 30 minutes. The Maxwell 2 gets a wider, ventilated suspension strap and redesigned earpads with a magnetic attachment system for easy swapping. Audeze says there’s more internal space to accommodate different head shapes, which should help with fit issues.

Notably, Audeze has not yet listed a weight spec. If they’d managed to shed significant mass from 490g, I would think they’d be advertising it. The silence tells me it’s probably still a chunky headset, which means that the new headband really needs to deliver.

AI microphone, still no ANC

The boom microphone gets an upgrade with AI-powered noise removal at 48kHz bandwidth—double the original. Background noise will supposedly be eliminated in real-time, which should help streamers and competitive players. The internal mic option appears to be gone entirely.

Audeze also hasn’t addressed complaints about sidetone quality or the game/chat mix wheel not functioning properly on PlayStation—two issues that frustrated original Maxwell owners. The AI noise removal is a nice addition, but the underlying microphone hardware appears unchanged.

There’s still no active noise canceling for listening, despite it being on our wishlist. If ANC is a must-have feature for you, it might be worth waiting to see what else Audeze has in store. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless has ANC at a similar price point if you need it now.

Everything else stays excellent

Connectivity remains comprehensive: ultra-low latency USB-C wireless dongle, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio and LDAC, wired USB-C, and 3.5mm analog. Battery life is still over 80 hours. Platform-specific versions continue—PlayStation ($329) and Xbox ($349)—but both work with PC, Mac, Android, iOS, and Switch.

There is one notable omission, however, which is that the Maxwell 2 still doesn’t support simultaneous Bluetooth and dongle audio. You can’t listen to your PC via the dongle while taking a phone call over Bluetooth, or mix Discord from your phone with game audio from your console. Competitors like the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless offer this feature. You can switch between sources, but not use both at once.

The original Audeze HQ app was desktop-only for Windows and Mac. Now there’s a completely redesigned Audeze app coming to iOS and Android as well, which is a significant upgrade for mobile users. Audeze promises improved responsiveness and customization management, but hasn’t detailed what new features are coming beyond the interface overhaul. The original app had EQ presets, firmware updates, and spatial audio controls—presumably those carry over with potential additions. The good news is the new app supports both Maxwell models, so original owners get the upgrade too.

Worth the price bump?

At $329-349 versus the original’s $299, the Maxwell 2 costs $30-50 more. That’s a significant jump for a headset that still weighs the same and lacks ANC. But if the comfort improvements actually work and the bass sounds right without EQ tweaking, it might justify the premium.

The original Maxwell earned its reputation despite its flaws—if Audeze nailed the fixes, the Maxwell 2 could be exactly what the community has been asking for. We’ll have a full review with measurements soon. Until then, check out our best gaming headsets list to see how the original Maxwell stacks up against the competition.