Audeze Maxwell 2 for Xbox, PC, Mac, Switch, and PlayStation (new Version 2026) 80 Hours Battery Life, Low-Latency Bluetooth, Dark Gray with Microsoft Security chip

I’ve gone through a lot of headsets over the years, and the Audeze Maxwell 2 are easily the best I’ve owned so far. The sound quality is on another level — clear, detailed, and powerful without being muddy. Whether it’s gaming, music, or just general use, everything sounds rich and well-balanced. A lot of people mention the weight as a downside, but honestly, I don’t see it. They feel solid, not heavy. In fact, the weight adds to the premium feel. I can wear them for long sessions without any discomfort. Comfort is excellent, and the build quality is exactly what you’d expect at this price point - sturdy, well-made, and built like something that’s meant to last. They actually feel like you got your money’s worth the moment you pick them up. If you’re on the fence, don’t be. These are a serious upgrade from typical gaming headsets.

MJ · 2026-03-18 · via amazon

After EQ, the sound and spatial immersion this headset provides you is jaw dropping. I play on PC and PS and have tried most of the top rated headsets. As soon as I strapped on the Maxwells, I was blown away. Small details in the game come alive. Throughout chaos you can hear every detail. During quiet moments, sounds have dimensionality and immersion that I haven’t heard before on any headphones. They fixed the side tone static from gen 1. Side tone is now excellent. The headset is slightly heavier but more comfortable because of the design updates. The object separation is much better on the Maxwell 2. Well worth the update over gen 1. 10/10!

Drum · 2026-05-07 · via amazon

I picked these up specifically for Arc Raiders. Originally I was going to grab the original Maxwell, but the buzzing sidetone issue on the first version is well documented, and when I saw the Maxwell 2 had just launched with that addressed, I jumped. Here’s how it went. Starting with the good, because there’s a lot of it. The build quality is fantastic. Real metal throughout, and it feels like a piece of gear you could hand down to your grandkids. Sound quality is genuinely audiophile level. For online shooters, the separation is some of the best I’ve heard, full stop. Footsteps, directional cues, gunfire, voice chat, nothing ever gets muddled even when a fight gets chaotic. The earcups are huge and actually cup my ears rather than squishing them, which contributes to that sense of open space around the sound. You know the feeling, where the audio has room to breathe. Mic quality is excellent too, and the 2.4 GHz dongle paired with my PS5 Pro without any hassle. Non-negotiable feature for me, and it works flawlessly. Now the problems. That beautiful metal construction comes with a cost. These things are heavy. Boat anchor heavy. Within 30 minutes of putting them on, my neck and the top of my head were genuinely sore. I’ve seen the photos of people whose skulls have been reshaped by headset abuse over years, and I started to feel like mine was getting a head start after one gaming session. The widened headband helps with distribution, but it doesn’t change the fundamental physics of strapping over half a kilogram to your skull. No active noise cancellation, just passive isolation. I didn’t need cancellation, but worth knowing if you’re shopping. The thing I couldn’t get past was the sidetone. Because they isolate so well without actively canceling, you get that “voice in your own head” sensation when you talk. I updated firmware, cranked sidetone to max in the app, tried every configuration I could find. It was still quiet and muffled compared to what I wanted. On top of that, whatever is happening in the mic pickup puts a heavy emphasis on “S” sounds specifically. Every word with an S in it got fed back into my ears louder than the rest of my voice, and it made me weirdly self-conscious about how I was pronouncing things. You don’t realize how often you say S sounds until you’re hearing every single one of them bounce back at you. Normally I could live with imperfect sidetone, but I’m on prox chat and in coop voice constantly with friends, and hours of sibilant self-monitoring drove me up a wall. These are also pricey, which stings more when the headset ends up back in the box. I ended up swapping them for an even pricier option that was a very slight audio downgrade but came with actual noise cancellation, far better sidetone, and a dramatically lighter frame. For pure sound quality on a short listening or solo gaming session, the Maxwell 2 is genuinely extraordinary. For multi-hour coop with heavy voice chat, the weight and sidetone made them a nonstarter for me. Your mileage will vary depending on how you play and how much you talk. If only the sidetone was better, I’d honestly have pushed past the weight and head pain for the audio quality. Not a bad headset. Just not the right one for my specific setup.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Amazon Customer · 2026-04-18 · via amazon

A great set of headphones. The sound is clear and realistic.

Tony Iverson · 2026-04-20 · via amazon

Serious quality control issues, bought a pair that had constant noise while the headset was on, returned them and got a replacement, which also had a similar constant white noise. Absolutely unacceptable for over 300$. I would not recommend these headphones at all.

Ashton · 2026-05-09 · via amazon

Best Buy

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MSI

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Newegg

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Newegg (Open Box)

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