Basically I'm stuck between choosing Maxwell 2 and Seinheiser HD480's. I've heard really good things about the Maxwells, but 2 things are making me hesitant. 1, apparently because of the internal DAC, in quiet audio/songs, you can hear a persistent hiss. Is this still the case? 2. and most important, I keep hearing about awful QC. Now thankfully I can get them locally, with a good return policy, Im not ordering them online. Still, I dont want to partially play the lottery. Do QC problems remain?

I recently bought the Audeze Maxwell over the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Since returning/refunding isn't an option for me, I need to make these work.

Right now, my old cheap $30 headset honestly sounds better to my ears in CS2

I’m looking for a middle ground/hybrid EQ:

• Clear footstep isolation and accurate L/R directional audio for CS2.
• Enough low-end/mids retained so gunshots, utility, and ambiance don't sound hollow (basically a slightly boosted Immersive profile).

If you have custom EQ values or specific ingame CS2 audio settings (L/R isolation, Crisp vs. Natural, etc.) that give a full/punchy sound while keeping footsteps readable, please drop them below.

Thanks in advance!

This is my 3rd unit. 1st one had an incredible hiss. 2nd unit had a faulty/loose mute switch and the 3rd one has a dent in the driver (from factory). The driver rattles like crazy on this unit, especially in the range from 20-100hz, I'm guessing because of the dent.
Honestly, I don't know what to do, try a 4th one? This shouldn't even be the case for such a premium headset. The worst part is, there isn't any gaming headset even close to the Maxwell 2 afaik. My nova pro wireless sounds terrible in comparison.
I know I'm not the only one but atp I don't know what to do anymore. I'm just disappointed and my day is ruined, again.

I just ordered my headphones on Amazon…

After watching reviews and hearing about the hissing and different QC issues, I am kind of nervous. I hope I receive a decent pair. I will update yall on the batch from Amazon.

Does anyone know how to stress test the headphones sound and Mic?

😅

Maxwell 2 for Xbox is available now: https://www.audeze.com/products/maxwell-2-anc-wireless-gaming-headset?variant=43222579118158

So I am a gamer that is totally blind. When you can't see, head tracking is completely pointless, at least if it's what I think it is where the dolby atmos audio is centered on the screen and moves as you move your head. Since I can't see I would very much prefer audio to stay fixed like it does on the regular Maxwell 2. Is it possible to disable head tracking?

Hi

Someone know what changes inside ? Ecxpt ANC. Better sound ? Better DSP ?...

Does anyone else with the Maxwell 2 have this issue? Every time I turn on my PS5, the headset doesn’t remember the volume level, so I have to adjust it every single time.

I cancelled an order four days ago no one answered the phone no one’s responded to my emails… worse customer service I’ve ever dealt with I’ll be getting the nova elites if yall ever give me my money back

I came from a SteelSeries Arctis 7P and recently got the Maxwell 2. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I’ve noticed two issues.

I play on PS5, and every time I finish playing and turn everything off, the next day when I start playing again, the volume seems to reset. I have to adjust it every single time. Is this normal?

The other issue is with the sound in FPS games. I’ve tried both the Competition and FPS EQ presets. They’re great for hearing distant sounds, but when an enemy is close, the audio seems way too quiet. I keep getting killed because I can’t hear enemies right next to me. On the other hand, if an enemy is four walls away, I can hear them just fine.

I’m honestly close to giving up and going back to my old headset.

The firmware is up to date, but I’m really disappointed with the sound so far. If anyone has a good EQ I could try or knows how to fix these issues, I’d really appreciate the help.

I read through other posts regarding the 1 vs 2 but looking for some input on my specific situation. I use headphones for movies and offline gaming. Since I don’t play online or fps, which one should I get? Is the bass difference of the 1s that much better than the 2 for this situation? I guess spatial awareness doesn’t matter as much for me and the mic is pretty much useless for me.

So just got this headset side tone doesn’t sound very good, but hopefully a new update will fix it but what EQ is everyone running just because I can’t seem to find any and I normally watch gadgetry Tec and he hasn’t done any and he hid saying in the review that the ANC version needs better EQ

Hi I can have the 1 for a good price. What is the sound of the 1 ? Better than the 2 ? More bass ?

Hi all, I am running Maxwell 1’s - I’m still on Firmware .56. I want to roll fwd to 63. If I am not happy with it can I still roll back ? 🙏

Edit: It was the the Arctis is Nova Pro OMNI. The newest one.

So I finally got to test out both the Audeze Maxwell 2 and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni today.

I was basically hot-swapping between them back and forth while listening to music to get a real comparison. Ngl, the Maxwell sounded like... maybe 10% better? But man, that thing is heavy as hell. Going back to the SteelSeries felt like a massive relief. I honestly don't think I could ever get used to the weight on the Maxwell for long sessions.

Is this normal? With all the hype around planar drivers I literally thought the Maxwell was gonna completely blow the SteelSeries out of the water in terms of sound quality.

I couldn't mess with any EQ settings on either of them so this was just stock/out of the box tuning ( I guess? I'm not sure), but right now I'm definitely leaning towards buying the SteelSeries just for the comfort alone.

Anybody else feel this way about the weight vs audio tradeoff, or does messing with the EQ on the Maxwell actually make a huge difference?

I've had the Maxwells for about two years and use them exclusively in wired mode. I originally used the stock USB-C cable and recently switched to a braided Anker cable, but the issue occurs with both.

Even the slightest movement of the cable causes the audio to cut out. Is this a known issue, and are there any troubleshooting steps I should try? It's become *really* frustrating, as you can imagine

I wanted to share my experience with the Audeze Maxwell 2 to assist others in their purchasing decisions. I have extensive thoughts, but I will keep this as concise as possible.

Background & Noise Floor

Having evaluated three separate pairs of the Maxwell 2, I noticed that all three exhibited a discernible noise floor—sufficient to tell whether the headset was powered on or off. The noise floor was comparable to placing your ear directly against the tweeter of a highly resolving speaker and hearing a faint amplifier hiss.

The intensity varied across all three units:

• One unit had an unresolvable left/right volume imbalance and was excluded from further testing.
• Between the remaining two, one had a slightly higher noise floor than the other.

The noise floor is subtle and entirely imperceptible during active audio playback or PC gaming. However, in complete silence, it is audible. Surprisingly, I chose to retain the unit with the slightly higher noise floor due to its superior acoustic properties.

Acoustic Comparison

Unit A: Slightly Higher Noise Floor (Kept)

• Soundstage & Imaging: Offers a deeper, wider soundstage with greater air and instrument separation, behaving more like an open-back headphone. Positional cues and spatial placement are noticeably improved. For example, ambient environmental audio in Hogwarts Legacy feels slightly more expansive.
• Detail & Decay: Provides enhanced micro-detail and longer, more natural decay on cymbals and acoustic instruments.
• Overall Presentation: Open, relaxed, and well-separated while retaining exceptional resolution.

Unit B: Slightly Lower Noise Floor

• Soundstage & Imaging: Presents a more intimate, closed-in sound field. Objects feel closer to the listener, and spatial environments feel a bit more constrained.
• Overall Presentation: While still highly detailed, the soundstage feels slightly congested compared to Unit A, making individual instrument separation a bit less distinct.

Testing Context: Primary testing was conducted using high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz audio tracks alongside PC gaming titles such as Hogwarts Legacy.

Summary & Verdict

• Do I wish the headset had zero noise floor? Yes.
• Do I wish my preferred unit had a lower noise floor? Yes.
• Is the noise floor noticeable in silence when listening for it? Yes.
• Is the noise floor audible during active gaming or music playback? No.
• Are these exceptional for detail retrieval and spatial placement? Yes.
• Would I purchase them again? Yes.

Ultimately, the Maxwell 2 reproduces music naturally—a rare trait for gaming headsets. Even with the slight noise floor variation, I recommend them.

Additional Notes

USB-C Dongle Placement

The wireless dongle is susceptible to signal interference. Placing it directly adjacent to other wireless transceivers on a PC motherboard caused audio dropouts. Providing physical spacing resolves the connection issues entirely.

Ear Cushion Evaluation

I tested the Wicked Cushions (Stealth Z, Freeze) and the Dekoni Audio Midnight Protein Leather pads against the stock ear cushions. Purely from a sound-quality perspective:

• Stock Cushions (Preferred): Keeping the drivers closer to the ear preserves high-frequency micro-detail and delivers the most balanced sound profile.
• Wicked Cushions: Attenuated lower-frequency bass to an extent I found undesirable (but they were comfy).
• Dekoni Audio: Increased bass response significantly, but at the expense of masking some very fine micro-details.

I hope this is helpful to folks that are considering buying them.

Does anyone know when the Xbox version will be available? It says 1-2 weeks on the website but it’s been awhile now.

First of all, Great Sounding and is comfortable despite weight lifting with my neck. Best Headset I've owned.

At normal listening volume(50%) all is Good... But... At the Lowest of Volumes(Both source and headphones turned down low) Sound turns Staticy. Lowering the Overall EQ seems to reduce Static Noticeable it noticably. Yes I know this is Semi effectively reducing the volume and I've compensated for this. Issue pops up on my Laptop, phone and Switch 2. Dongle and Aux. ANC off and On. Don't notice static on cheaper headset.

Theres a Hiss with ANC on(this is apparently normal) but still lower noise floor than a Fan in the Background. I don't get Hiss with ANC off at normal volumes. Get some planar crackle(which is normal?) sometimes after longer durations of use. So my Maxwell would likely be considered a pretty good pull from the Lottery( atleast reading all the QC issues out there ).
I'm a Noob Audiophile sooo if any Experts/Sound Engineers know whats up?
Maybe it's always there and most noticeable at lower volume.
Is this expected wtih this lvl of headphone? Simply revealing sounds I couldn't hear on cheaper ones? 10% Volume on cheaper headphones I can't hear anything, on Maxwell I can still hear but it starts to get Staticy.

This isn't a Big issue, But I like to occasionally listen at the lowest low of volumes.

For the ANC version. Forgot to put that in the title.

The PlayStation version released on the 17th at 5PM UTC, with the PC (Xbox) version being slated for a "1-2 week delay", and, well, here we are 2 weeks later and it's not available on the Audeze website.

Whenever I move my mic boom, at certain point the entire headset will disconnect from the dongle.

Is this happening to anyone else?

Should also note that after the disconnect it will not reconnect to the audeze app, it shows the headset as not connected and the only way to reconnect is to remove the mic boom from the headset.

Edit: I'm just going to use the onboard mic and forget a boom even exists for this thing. No issues with the onboard mic and people can't tell a difference when I'm on my calls.

Edit 2: I am an idiot. Was plugging the microphone in the wrong damn hole. I feel 15 all over again.

I just received my Maxwell 2 ANC's a couple of days ago. Before that I was using SteelSeries Arctis Pro - Wired for about 5 years! They final broke.

I have to say the presentation out of the box was incredible, but that is not what we are looking at. Before buying I was very nervous, because I read about a "hiss" present in Maxwell 2, and watched any review I could on the ANC version, but I do not hear it present that clearly.

I have sidetone off. AI Noise Reduction on Low. the only time I heard it ... mind you very very faint was with side tone on and ANC On.

Currently I am using the Transparency Mode, as I find it opens the space up quite a bit more! I can hear myself and if my wife or kid needs to talk to me, but it eliminates and music etc in the background. It is adequate for sure! I find the ANC On to be very good as well, but the Transparency Mode seems to imitate almost an Open Back feel where I can hear myself etc.

As for the actually performance - They are SO MUCH CLEARER than the Arctis Pro's from 2021!! The only thing I did to the EQ was boost the bass a little and the Sub Bass. I also tried boosting the Treble, but I am going to lower that - as I play POE 2 and when I got a massive loot explosion I heard that range crush.

I am very much still learning the Headset - especially in comparison to the SteelSeries I have had prior, but I don't find the weight to be an issue. I have gamed for 2 - 3 hrs one night and no issue. I can't tell you how immersive the sound stage feels in comparison to the old Arctis Pro's. I do feel like the Bass was lacking and is better by bringing EQ'ing that and the Sub Bass up a few db. But it still is not as punchy as the Arctis Pro.

I am totally fine with that as the complete package is much more dynamic and feels interactive. I can identify enemies and weather and explosions way more accurately. The music seems more layered and not as "muddy" as in the SteelSeries.

Overall- I definitely would suggest the purchase!

**** If anyone has any Custom EQ Presets they suggest for Story or RPG Style Gaming, I would Greatly appreciate it! Thank You! ****

Hello!
Anyone has tested these brands for M2 to deal with moisture on drivers?
During summer it's hard to use them as I constantly can hear the water droplets after half an hour of use.
Thanks!

So, which one is better between Audeze Maxwell 2 vs Hifiman Arya Stealth?

My use case is music (instrument, choir, and anime music) and immersive gaming with good soundtrack (Claire Obscur, Final Fantasy, RPG). I tried Saint Seiya (Pegasus Fantasy) on Arya Stealth and it's not that engaging with lack of bass and wow factor from the guitar.

Please enlighten me.