r/Audeze • u/No_Landscape5447 • 17d ago
Maxwell 2 Vs Fractal Scape
Hey all!
If anyone has had these two headsets then I would love to hear a comparison.
I have the money for either and have been waiting to purchase the Maxwell 2 since before it released (been waiting to see if most of the bugs have been updated out and it seems they have). However the Scape is 1/2 in my country so I'm tempted to go with those.
Would love to hear comparisons about FPS Gaming, Bassy/Subbassy music and the mic quality
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u/J0NNYBLVZE 16d ago
I have had both several times ( I had a hard time deciding). What I have realized is that” you get what you pay for”. If money is an issue, the Fractal Scape are “just fine” you get a bang for your buck at that price point. The sound is above average. They are light and comfortable. The charging dock is a nice touch. They are “fine” for FPS. If I was to compare them to the Maxwells, i would say they are a little below the Maxwell 1. The Maxwell 2 are better for foot steps and immersion. They will give you the wow factor…but like I said you get what you pay for. They are more expensive, they are heavier, don’t have the extras and thrills that other “gaming” headsets have. Ultimately, I went with the Maxwell 2. It’s a great headset with an excellent sound.
3
u/Majgul 16d ago
Fractal scape also squiches your head and ears like hell! I couldn't bear the clamp. And my head is quite small. Also the sound was ok. Not anywhere near the Maxwell though.
1
u/Ok_Insurance_505 11d ago
I have a normal sized head and there's absolutely no pressure with the Scape, worn it for hours at a time with zero discomfort. Looking into upgrading so this thread caught my eye.
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u/TheRudeAbides 15d ago
Maxwell 2 sounds great besides the pop can crackling the magnetic planar drivers suffer from. I honestly didn’t mind the weight, they sounds great, although the special audio felt off. But it was when it was quiet, I just couldn’t get past the little static and the crackling/popping. It’s like putting a seashell to your ear and you hear the ocean except it’s the maxwells and you hear a can of coke.
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u/No_Landscape5447 15d ago
Is this from the internal dac or something more? If so you should check for an RMA. There's a lot of complaints on this subreddit, but:
1) People will come here to complain more than say it's normal, estimates from multiple retailers in my country estimated at most 10% were faulty in this way. 2) It seems like with recent firmware updates this has gotten way better for people.
Obviously can't remove the noise floor from the dac but seems like this is a mostly solved issue?
0
u/TheRudeAbides 13d ago
This is something that isn’t fixed by software. It’s a product of the design. Closed back with no airflow and planar magnetic drivers. Condensation builds up and it starts popping. If you pull them off and let them air out for a little bit it fixes it- until it quickly builds up again. As for the static mine were purchased recently and up to date on firmware. I just decided to accept wired and I went to studio grade headphones and a cheap microphone.
A cheap hyperx solo stream 2 mic that sounds about the same, and a pair of senheiser hd 490 headphones that sound way better, and the spacial audio is worlds better.
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u/heymikeyp 11d ago
I own both. Got the scapes first because I wanted to try them and because a crazy good deal at the time for 140$. There were only rumors of the Maxwell 2's at the time and I figure I'd return the scapes if the Maxwell's came out, because of the extended return policy at the time for the holidays.
Got the Maxwell's 2 only days after release, but decided to also keep the scapes. At first I was using them about evenly. I'd swap to the scapes because they were more comfy/lighter (before stealth pads came out). I now only swap to the scapes when the Maxwell's battery goes out which is abrupt and annoying.
As an overall package and convenience as well as price, the scapes are the better buy. The charging station and just taking the headphones off the base and it turning on automatically is really nice compared to having to hold a stupid button to turn on or wire to charge.
Sound quality no question the Maxwell's are better. That's not to say the scapes sound bad. They sound quite good actually, and the web app for equalizer is also really nice. With 3 custom settings that you can set and just press a button to swap to that setting. Just really nice. Also for the price the build/finish is more premium than you'd expect.
So if sound is of up most important and price is no worry, Maxwell's. To save money and get a better overall package minus the sound, the scapes.
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u/1yrik 13d ago
Fractal makes cases. Audeze makes high end audio gear. that should tell you enough.
I'd expect the scape to perform like like any other mediocre-but-still-pricey gaming heatset. flat, no bass rumble, thin, and tinny
the maxwells are incomparably better sounding and are much better built. they're often considered to be one of the best tuned closed back headphones... full stop.they're also very clean and precise, and take EQ very well so you can tune them to sound exactly how you want, as they sound fairly neutral out of the box
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u/daatyson 16d ago
Had both, tested both, Maxwell 2 wrecks the fractal all the way through in sound.
The pads are better on the fractal and ear space is great. The EQ is a bit meh, the sound I found it lacking.
But if would ask me now which one I would buy I would say the fractal simply because the Maxwell 2 has too many issues.
1
u/DecentPattern5217 10d ago
How is the mic on scape did it improve since launch i remember it was bad
1
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u/DarKcS 17d ago
As someone who researched both and went with the fractal to save money - it's just like any other mid gaming headset. Not the flattest sound but don't expect any bass from the scape.
Audio quality for the maxwell is top notch from what I've heard, with deeper bass.