The Audeze Maxwell Wi-fi Gaming Headset is nearly the most effective gaming headset I’ve ever used.
It’s a type of uncommon items of {hardware} that truly stands out from the remainder, and genuinely makes me unhappy to return after reviewing. It’s a triple risk – it sounds distinctive, it appears to be like and feels nice, and the battery life is so good that you just’re shocked whenever you’re finally reminded that it’s a must to cost it.
For these unfamiliar with the corporate, Audeze is a longtime audiophile headphone model primarily based out of the USA, designing high-end audio gear primarily for musicians, studio engineers, and wealthy lovers. I’ve at all times had the impression it’s far more of a boutique model than the giants of Sennheiser and Audio-Technica, and as such, its merchandise have at all times flown excessive above my private value vary. I’ve solely ever recognized them by popularity, reasonably than expertise.
However like these aforementioned manufacturers, Audeze should have seen an enormous alternative within the gaming market – and it has entered the area with a product that’s way more inexpensive than its typical flagship ranges, however continues to be very top quality the place it counts. The Audeze Maxwell Wi-fi Gaming Headset can also be competitively priced towards its gaming headset rivals.
And on condition that the corporate was not too long ago acquired by PlayStation, it looks like there’s even greater issues in retailer.
Design and Construct
The Audeze Maxwell doesn’t appear like a gaming headset. Pull the removable growth mic off, and it mainly appears to be like like the corporate’s entry-level studio headphones, the MM-100’s. This fits my tastes completely.
Quite a lot of gaming accent producers supply up the thought of utilizing their high-end headsets for functions apart from gaming, to make the funding appear extra justifiable (like moveable music listening, for example). However personally, I definitely wouldn’t need to be sporting a few of these aesthetic designs whereas strolling down the road. The Maxwell nevertheless, is a distinct story.
The Maxwell is glossy and understated, and feels prefer it might mix into various situations. However extra necessary than that, its construct high quality is superb. The chassis of the Audeze Maxwell is constructed out of aluminium and metal, with sturdy hinges and yokes throughout the board, and a really snug and replaceable leatherette suspension strap. The development feels very strong, providing you with the arrogance that this pair of cans might survive being thrown right into a bag and getting used exterior of the home for a protracted time frame.
Performance
Its unbelievable battery life can also be a testomony to its capabilities as a powerful, multi-purpose headset – the corporate regards it as 80+ hoursand on condition that I solely wanted to cost the headset as soon as each 1.5 weeks or so with heavy utilization, that determine appears greater than honest.
The Maxwell has various connectivity choices, that includes uncommon help for the environment friendly and high-quality Bluetooth 5.3 LC3plus codec, in addition to help for USB-C and three.5mm jacks for direct Digital and Analog choices. All of those choices are good to be used in quite a lot of conditions, together with smartphones and
For enjoying PC and console video games, the Audeze Maxwell has its personal wi-fi frequency, delivered over a USB-C dongle, and is the bottom latency resolution. And whereas there usually aren’t notable issues to say in regards to the completely different wi-fi options utilized by completely different audio producers, with the Maxwells, I used to be undoubtedly struck by the absence of interference in my very signal-heavy room (most wi-fi headsets have a tendency to chop out and in often).
Extra impressively, I used to be struck by the unbelievable vary it managed to carry, piping by clear audio as I walked to the opposite aspect of the home, by a number of rooms and brick partitions (over no less than 20 metres, by my estimate).
Audio High quality
Naturally, the place the Maxwell shines strongest is in its audio high quality. The headset sports activities Audeze’s longtime signature Planar Magnetic Drivers, which offer a really excessive stage of constancy. I gained’t dive into graph comparisons, as that type of granular information is definitely obtainable elsewhere. However anecdotally, its strengths have been very simply noticeable in our direct sound comparability checks, utilizing each a PlayStation Pulse 3D Headset and a higher-end Sennheiser GSP 670 as reference factors.
On paper, the frequency response of the Maxwell is double each of the reference headsets, and its drivers are 90mm in dimension, whereas most of its nearest rivals are round 40-45mm at most. Virtually, the distinction is like evening and day. Its dealing with of bass-heavy sounds was impressively clear, whereas nonetheless being very highly effective, and soundscapes greater up within the vary are captured with an incredible crispness.
Being a closed-back pair of headphones, there are some inherent audio traits that may sway your choice, relying on what sort of audio profile you want. The strengths within the Maxwell come from its very bodily roomy and noise-isolating earcup chambers, which additional intensify lower-end sounds by trapping the reverberations in there and retaining most exterior sounds out. The corporate additionally factors to a strengthened earcup design that leads to higher passive noise discount.
However as somebody who prefers open-back headphones for music listening, the power of those Audeze drivers – my first extended expertise with them – had me questioning about greater prospects. It additionally put me in a number of robust spots once I couldn’t hear somebody shouting at me from simply a few metres away, however that’s extra a private drawback.
Different niceties, like comfortable, thick and deep leatherette earpads, a bodily mute swap for when the growth mic is hooked up, and on-board microphone noise suppression spherical out the very sturdy gaming function set for the Audeze Maxwell. Quantity and chat mixing are fortunately managed by dials, and the headset additionally helps Tempest 3D Audio on the PlayStation 5 mannequin – as the vast majority of headphones do – in addition to Dolby Atmos help on the Xbox model.
Those that typically store for gaming headsets may discover the shortage of flashy options like digital encompass sound and different minor bells and whistles – however that’s what makes the Audeze Maxwell stand out.
This can be a headset that focuses and excels in any respect its core features. It prioritises sturdy construct high quality and elegance, consolation and performance that lends itself to true multipurpose use, distinctive battery life and wi-fi tech, and naturally, industry-leading audio high quality. For the audiophile who desires a cheap, high-end wi-fi headset for video games and probably different issues as properly, the Audeze Maxwell is it.
5 Stars: ★★★★
Audeze Maxwell Wi-fi Gaming Headset
Producer: Hear
Launch Date: Accessible Now
Worth: PlayStation: AUD$469 / NZD$549 / USD $299.00 | Xbox: AUD$519 / NZD$599 / USD $329
The Audeze Maxwell Wi-fi Gaming Headset is on the market solely in Australia and New Zealand by Busisoft AV sellers, comparable to Hooked on Audio.
The Audeze Maxwell Wi-fi Gaming Headset was supplied on a brief mortgage for the needs of this evaluate.
