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Audeze just gave its Maxwell 2 gaming headset the upgrade you were asking for
Jul 17, 2026 — 9:00 AM ET
- Audeze has launched the Maxwell 2, adding active noise cancelation to its flagship gaming headset for the first time.
- The new adaptive hybrid ANC is designed to block background noise while preserving directional audio cues, such as footsteps and gunfire, for gaming.
- The Maxwell 2 ANC starts at $429, supports PlayStation, Xbox, Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, and Nintendo Switch, and is available now.
When Audeze launched the original Maxwell back in 2023, it quickly earned a reputation as one of the best-sounding gaming headsets under $300. Earlier this year, the company returned with the Maxwell 2, polishing the experience with a more comfortable design, a better microphone, and several smart audio upgrades. There was one feature, however, that remained conspicuously absent from a headset at this price point: active noise cancelation. That’s no longer the case.
Audeze has now unveiled the Maxwell 2, a new version of its flagship gaming headset that finally brings active noise cancelation into the mix. While ANC has become commonplace on premium headphones, it’s still relatively rare on gaming headsets, especially those that prioritize accurate, low-latency audio.
For many gamers, the biggest distraction isn’t what’s happening in-game — it’s everything happening around them. The whir of a ceiling fan, a noisy air conditioner, loud keyboard switches, or even someone watching TV nearby can break your concentration during a competitive match. The Maxwell 2 ANC aims to reduce those distractions with an adaptive hybrid noise cancelation system that filters out ambient noise while preserving directional in-game audio cues like footsteps and gunfire, so they remain easy to pinpoint.
The headset also picks up a handful of smart features alongside ANC. It can automatically adjust its noise cancelation settings, supports voice commands, offers an improved transparency mode when you need to hear your surroundings, and even lets you listen to audio from a wired device and a Bluetooth connection simultaneously. That means you could stay connected to a Discord call or answer your phone over Bluetooth without interrupting your game audio.
Everything else that made the Maxwell 2 a premium headset remains unchanged. Audeze continues to use its planar magnetic drivers alongside its “slam” technology, promising the same detailed, high-fidelity sound that helped the Maxwell series stand out in the first place.
The Maxwell 2 ANC is now available on Audeze’s website and at select retailers. It costs $429 for the PlayStation version and $449 for the Xbox model. Both versions also support Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, and Nintendo Switch.
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