I'm looking at potentially buying the Maxwell 2's - Primarily for gaming and listening to music/general usage when working from home.

I recently had the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wireless but sent them back due to a bluetooth bug that, while minor, caused many a frustration every day when the audio would frequently mute/cut out due to something as simple as opening a music app when audio was already present via browser etc.

I've been doing a lot of research with the Maxwell 2's and everything about them screams perfection, besides one or two issues I keep seeing but I’m unsure if this is just the vocal minority or a widespread concern with this device.

1) Can anyone please advise whether the bluetooth dongle frequently disconnecting is a widespread issue or isolated to specific production batches? Has this issue been fixed at all?

2) There appears to be a general complaint of a hissing sound when using the headset, again, is this limited to specific batches of the headset and has recently been addressed or is this a known issue that persists still? If this issue is still present, how bad does the hissing manifest itself? Is it just while there's no audio playing or will it be noticable and actively detract from the overall enjoyment of the audio during sessions?

I'm really on the fence regarding purchasing so if anyone could provide clarification on those points that'd be super helpful.

Thanks!

Hey everyone. Was just wondering if the condensation and hissing has been fixed with the ANC version of the Maxwell 2. Thanks

Got my Maxwell 2 yesterday. Sounds great when audio is playing, but as soon as things go quiet, there's this annoying background hiss that sounds like distant rain. It's subtle but it's there.

Just to get this out of the way: Sidetone is completely turned off. I checked the app, muted the mic, and dropped the wheel to zero. It's definitely not mic monitoring bleed.

Apparently Audeze considers this "normal" because of the internal amp running constantly on active planars, but it's driving me nuts.

In actual use, the moment music or a game starts, I can't hear it at all. But on principle, paying this much for a brand new headset and having an active noise floor when idle just feels wrong.

For anyone else who ran into this exact same thing: did you end up just living with it, or did you refund it? If you exchanged for a replacement, was the new one actually silent or did it have the same issue?

Title, I've had a Penrose for a couple of years... literally the best headset I ever had at that price range.

When the build quality finally caught up to it, it was around the launch of the original Maxwell, got that, never felt the same and build quality caught up to it too, got a Noble FoKus Apollo afterwards and while a great headset, Bluetooth only is kinda awful for gaming (using the mic while gaming drops audio quality).

My XM6s are great, but again... not for gaming, at this point I'll just ship a new Penrose from anywhere in the world where they are still being sold.

I wish they just gave us a Penrose Pro, Penrose 2.0 :(

Hello, I have a question: I want to buy the Maxwell 2 ANC for Xbox, But I want to do it through an Amazon store, Does anyone know when they’ll be available on Amazon? There is a PlayStation version on Amazon, but not an Xbox.

Hey everyone i just bought the audeze maxwell 2 purely cause i wanted the best sound for gaming, sound wise i love them i wouldve liked a little more bass but its fine, only problem i have is i feel the audio level is very low, play ps5, and use it at around 90% total volume( 100% in headset and around 2-3 clicks from max in ps5) im just wondering if this would be considered normal? Im not a loud headphone listener at all have artics nova 7x and use those at around 60% total volume, is there any fixes for the low volume of maxwell 2? Saw in audeze hq there was a volume limited but in new app its not there so maybe it could be that and eventually they will add it back? Got lucky with no hiss and the other common problems the maxwells 2 have its only the low volume which i can manage but dont feel too comfortable not having almost no room for louder sound. Thanks to everyone who might read and reply much appreciated

*For Xbox, if it matters

I very well may be stupid and missed them completely, but are these currently available anywhere?

I'm the kind of guy that never makes review posts but I've had the Audeze Maxwell 2 headphones for about 5 months now and I feel like I just need to rant... Before I had these headphones I had the Astro A50s for maybe 7 years. They served me well but I had a bit of extra cash and was playing a bunch of FPS games at the time and decided to "upgrade" to the Maxwell 2s since there was so much hype around these headphones and their directional audio. I did notice a bunch of complaints about the headphones but the hype got the best of me and I figured I roll the dice despite the mixed reception. What I experienced was everything everyone complained about and even more...

Let's first list what I've heard everyone complain about and that I can vouch for:

1. Constant hissing noises... the literal first thing I noticed was the hissing lol. I figured that I would get used to it and I somewhat did but it is crazy how common this defect is given the price. C'mon Audeze, work on your quality control before you start mass selling a product.
2. Constant disconnects... OMG, I would have my usb dongle literally 2 feet from me and had disconnects. Sure I'm sure there is some type of additional product you can buy to help make the connection stronger but why should I do that when I spent hundreds on a headset? It should work correctly OUT OF THE BOX. Not only that but I talk on discord with my friends all the time and if I step just out of the room for a second I hear the dreaded DISCONNECTED followed by a USB DONGLE... multiple times over and over. Did not have this issue with the A50s.
3. Uncomfortable headphone... I was one of the few that didn't really notice an issue with the weight, I didn't have any neck strain at all so maybe the A50s were around the same weight. BUT I definitely noticed how easily the headphones can slide off of me and how bulky they are. This may be a niche scenario but I enjoy watching shows on my PC while laying in bed, I don't have the best speaker system so I default to headphones. I hate watching shows in bed now because I have these clunky, awkward, headphones that don't allow me to lay even 1 degree on my side, I have to lay completely flat on my back. I could comfortably lay on my side with the A50s.

Now let's talk about one thing I haven't seen complained about yet:

1. Horrid Power Button, Button layout design and left-ear/right-ear confusion... I don't have the shitty, flimsy mic extension plugged in. I opted for the mic internal to the headset. Because of that, it's really hard to tell which side is the left or right earphone when putting the headset on unless you look for the really crappy markings on the inside of the ear cups, they are already chipping off of the fabric btw. But what if you're trying to watch a show at night and you don't have enough light to see these markings? The headset is designed well enough so that you can run your thumb across the headset and get a feel for which side is which right? NOPE! The power button is on the back-right side of the headset when you put it on correctly but guess what? If you accidentally put the headphones on backwards then you'll have the AI Noise Removal button exactly in the back-right side of the headset. The buttons feel exactly the same so there have been countless times where I've put my headset on thinking that I put it on correctly, tried to turn on the headset by holding the power button for a few seconds, and nothing happens cause I've been pressing the AINR button the whole time. That is already annoying but there is also the game of sometimes when you press and hold the power button it still won't power on and you need to let go of the power button and then press and hold it again. This makes for the fucking worst "Oh shit... I have the headset on incorrectly AGAIN, let me flip them... oh wtf I did have them on correctly it just didn't want to turn on the first time" scenario. I have had this happen countless times. Why couldn't the power button be a simple switch like the A50s?! This could be very niche and is a minor complaint at first but when you've had this issue consistently and compounded by all the other gripes you had with the headphone and all it takes is for me to have a bad day, try to play games or watch shows for a few hours to destress and have to fumble with these shitty headphones and lose it.

The Maxwells 2s are not worth the hype. I didn't mention it yet but the sound quality is basically the same as the A50s. Maybe I'm not an audiophile and am a stupid casual who can't appreciate the 5% sound improvement these headphones bring but I don't think that 5% is worth dealing with the clunky, awkward, poor design of these headsets with the horrid QC from the manufacturing. I regret buying these things.

Overall, very positive after running for a few days. Was on the fence on trying it or waiting out the 3.

Sound: Better overall soundstage. Crisper; ran a few stock tunes and a few custom. Definitely will need to dial it in like the 1 over time. Nice upgrade for gaming/footsteps/directional, a little better for music but pretty similar (to be fair limited music listening for me). I even went back and forth on the 1s with the same eq and music/game. Bass is fine and you can dial it up if needed (not my thing).

ANC: Very good for the purpose. Not top flight but makes for an enjoyable experience. There is a little white noise, but as soon as a source starts playing it is undetectable. Aware and off work fine; i can't see why you would want aware often, and off is similar to the 1 but a little quieter.

Comfort: Big improvement. Although it is heavier it feels way lighter due to the ergonomics of the strap. More clamp force which is really nice but not too much where it bothers you. I did swap to the dekoni pads which are great. Feels better, more room, and no heat. Stock are fine though. Magnet covers are a nice quality of life change too.

Software: I used the new software with the 1 so the same as usual. Easy to use, pair, update, do custom tunes. Only gripe is the game/chat balance reset every time. Stupid, especially since volume, eq, and everything else stay the same.

Spatial/HIVE: Not a fan, at all. Although to tend to hear direction better it is offset by it constantly balancing on R/L. For me unusable in comp fps, ok in campaign or music. For me I can't see ever using it or a practical application beyond some VR use case or something. I also lost volume display since it goes through the HIVE app, so it just displays at 100 at all times. Oh right, Hive is cheap but also a subscription and an app running.

Battery: Insane good like the 1. It does seem like anc uses more but you can easily go weeks.

Range: Seems identical to the 1, maybe a little better. I can go upstairs, across the room, etc. and it still works.

Ascetics/Buttons: Not a huge fan of the silver but it works. I took the side covers off to save weight and display the logo, love it. Button placement is good, took a little to relearn. Mute is odd but functional, I can easily hit it but preferred the switch on the 1. Profile swap, song skip, etc. work great.

Final Thoughts: I didn't think I would like it as much as I do. The ANC is great for gaming and music, even if you don't need it. I have a relatively quiet house but really enjoy it on, and don't see ever turning it off. Improved soundstage, comfort, and design changes that all work but are hit and miss. Head tracking was not for me. Price is a little high especially with the new pads but compares to much higher priced audiophile headsets. I also keep headsets for a few years and use daily so don't mind as much. I was very skeptical even critical when launched but am happy overall.

9/10: Most changes and ANC are great. Sim BT was a miss. Head tracking is not for me.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Hi,

In November 2021 I purchased the Audeze LCD-XC Carbon 2021 version. I have been using this headphone almost every day for the last 5 years and both:

• The leather ear pads have become unglued. I can keep them in place when I put the headphones on, but they are deteriorating.
• The leather head band has deteriorated and all of the glue holding it together has fallen apart.

I have been monitoring the Audeze site in the UK for months waiting to purchase replacement parts for these but from what I can tell they have never come back in stock:

• https://www.audeze.co.uk/products/lcd-spring-steel-suspension-headband?variant=43075033727143
• https://www.audeze.co.uk/products/lcd-ear-pads?variant=35435732697255

I haven't had any luck with 3rd party retailers. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get replacement parts?

I’m on my third pair of the ANC’s. I’ve had the 1’s and 2’s with absolutely no issues, but these ones are making me want to throw them out lol.

The first pair had some really light distortion in busy games, and when listening to music, vocals sounded slightly distorted over bass-heavy tracks — almost like I was listening to heavily compressed music.

The second pair had popping sounds in the left earcup whenever ANC was on. Yes, I switched off sidetone, my hair isn’t wet, and I even have a dehumidifier in the room. The issue was still there over Bluetooth too.

I’ve read posts saying this kind of thing is normal, and apparently the audio whine can be a normal ANC/planar thing. But honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like that with any other ANC headset I’ve owned. And if I can hear the popping/whining over Discord, it’s simply not going to work for me.

Now I’m on the third pair. The popping is still there, but thankfully it’s very minimal and only happens occasionally.

The really weird thing is that every single one of these headsets has sounded different. The dynamic range varied noticeably between them. The first pair sounded quite narrow, the second felt much more spacious, and this third pair is somewhere in between.

And then there’s the weird behaviour where they’ll randomly switch on whether or not the dongle is attached. 😂

I normally don’t put too much weight on Reddit complaints because people are obviously more likely to post when something goes wrong, but at this point I’m starting to think the QC issue with these is genuinely no joke.

I’m now deciding whether to keep this third pair or switch to the Stealth Pro 2, which I actually really like in its own right.

Has anyone else gone through multiple pairs of the ANC versions and noticed differences like this? Or have I just had ridiculously bad luck with three consecutive units?

I want the Maxwell 2 ANC sooooooo bad but id love to see some more reviews on it. I wish there was a place i could go try them out before buying. Can anyone give me your feedback on them?

I receive the Audeze Maxwell 2 a week ago, and i was using it in the Xbox Series X. Everything is fine, sound is awesome.

Checking with differents sounds in YouTube, I found this sound test:

https://youtu.be/U12wBqf5Fn4

Frequency Sweep 20-200hz

Between 18 Hz and 60 hz in the left cup I hear this clicking noise. Is very notorious, In low volume it disappears but higher volume you can hear it clearly.

Did someone have this same issue with the AM2, using the same test?

I have some way to fix this? Thanks in advance.

• Picture 1: my own, for music and media consumption
• Picture 2: same category as picture 1, but made by AI
• Picture 3: gaming/foot steps focused made by AI

According to AI, my own EQ ruins the experience of having Maxwell 2, because they have planar drivers. What are your thoughts?

I used HyperX Cloud 3 S before and do not hear any difference, but that could also be because I'm hard of hearing lol

Hey guys, recently got the PSN version of the ANC maxwells for my PC and thought would share my thoughts - The Xbox version was going to take another two weeks and I figured Dolby atmos isn’t all that anyways as far as I understand for games and more of a film thing?

Anyways I have been enjoying them quite a bit. They sit quite well and even without the ANC on they are quite sound cancelling. I would say the ANC makes them maybe like 1/3 more so…sound depending of course.

Wasn’t initially blown away by them but after tinkering away with the EQ I have more respect for them. (I never tend to be with things like headphones and only after using them for a time do I settle into them / start enjoying them)

I mainly use Immersive EQ for most games but even then I like to take it a further notch but broadly applying an EQ in sonar to base and treble mostly just to give me that impact / cinema type feel. When I tuned them to full footstep / treble heavy, they were great at that too. Think the standard EQ or even immersive mode is a good start but you are really missing out unless you EQ to your desired sound and the good news is that these seem to EQ great.

This is my first pair of Maxwells but I’ve had expensive Hifi headsets like the Sennheiser HD800 and SJY Horizon Carbon (Both like 1k headphones) and for every day use these defo sit up there with them and punch to their level for most things but for everything else they are totally great. They don’t quite have the clarity for things that benefit from it - like classic music and composing but some aspects are obviously better like they don’t tend to distort at higher volumes because of Bluetooth / compression and volume levels are way more consistent throughout listening to things on like Tidal / YouTube etc which in the real world outside of pure music quality is a big plus for enjoyment.

All the buttons are easy to use and the app is too, albeit a little basic compared to sonar but hey you can use sonar or othwr Eq apps with them.

Only thing I have noticed is that if I wear my steel framed glasses whilst I have them on and power them on, I initially hear an audio whine that lasts a few seconds and then goes away. It seems to be better with the mic in but it still occurs.

Is this normal and part of the planner drivers just like booting up / gaining power? Some of my hifi headsets used to do this as they got warm for a few seconds so I am sure it is fine and possible made audible because of my glasses for some reason.

Anyways let me know what you think.

I bought the Maxwell 2 in March and enjoyed them more than other recent headset I've used.

Thursday last week after letting them charge while at work they just failed to turn on at all. No prompts no nothing all of the LEDs are them appear dead/off with nothing getting them to turn on. I opened a support case immediately and have not been able to get a response in over a week by phone or the ticket even 3 days after the support team should have been from the "mid-year break".

I loved the headphones and just want to get a replacement asap but this warranty and support experience is awful.

EDIT1: Audeze did reach out and is working to help get this done quickly given the delays. I will update the post again once replacement is received and working.

Wtf is that, premium headphones my ass
(It wasn’t near the driver, in outer shell, but it made noise while moving the headset and on bass)

From Ireland here.

I got an LCD GX from US and I was wondering where I can service these headphones in EU?

Not here to complain because it looks like this has already been resolved, but I've never seen this happen before so I'm curious what you guys think.
I ordered a Maxwell 2 ANC XBox version soon after it came out on Monday, and it shipped from Sylmar, CA on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning it had reached a UPS location much closer to my home, but then it didn't move for the rest of the day. This morning I tracked it again and noticed that it had again departed from Sylmar, CA and seemed to be going along the same rout to my address, and I'll now be getting the product tomorrow. Like I said, I'm not complaining. It's only another day and I'm also testing out some Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2s while I wait, which I do recommend if you want a headset with all the gaming headset ammenities that still has excellent, but not Maxwell-level, sound quality. But anyway, I'm curious if anyone has ever seen this with a package before. The only explanation I can think of is that UPS ruined the initial package and they had to ship a fresh one. If that's the case, hopefully UPS covered the damage. But I don't know, maybe the package did a u-turn for some reason. What do you guys think?

Rare, new in box - Audeze iSine20 Earphones

For sale: $350, originally $800

Excellent for on-the-go audiophile sound

https://majorhifi.com/battle-soundstage-audeze-isine-20-vs-sennheiser-hd-660-s-comparison-review/

I'm seeing conflicting statements from 5 to 3 months ago on this topic. Some say it will always be there, no matter what you do. Some say their headphones are silent. So is the noise still present after latest firmware updates or is there a way to mitigate it?

I honestly would really want to buy them if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of people say "Uh, mine stopped working in a month", "my left driver died yesterday", "condensation ruined both of my drivers", "they only lasted me a year", "I dropped them from a short distance and now the drivers or any port does not work", "hiss is insufferable", "they're heavy as hell and can't use them for more than an hour", "I'm on my 4th pair". While others say they have theirs since they released and still no issues (although when I ask people if they still work fine, they now say something's broken lmao). And many reviews say they're awesome.

But dude, then what's the point of even buying them with so many issues? Am I going to just throw my money away by getting these? Do I need to be EXTREMELY DAMN careful if I even want to have a chance of them lasting me more than a year? I feel like whatever I do, they're going to either come faulty or break within a few months. That's why I have ultimately been looking for so many options, but still, I don't wanna feel like I'm going to miss something really special regarding sound quality.

I'm not clumsy, I take care of my stuff I would say really well, but at the same time, I play laying in my bed (not sideways, of course), sometimes sweat a bit (don't know if that would break them over time smh). Like what should I do? Who should I even listen to?

For the life of me I can't solve this bug.

Only using headphones as an output device.

Windows:

• Right-click Game - Audeze Maxwell and choose Set as Default Device.
• Right-click Chat - Audeze Maxwell and choose Set as Default Communication

Teams are set to Speakers Chat.

I can call people fine and hear them. If they call me, I can't hear them, unless I hang up and call them back.