Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox & Windows

Product Information

Maxwell uses an All-New Reinforced Chassis Built with Aluminum yokes, spring steel headband, and glass infused nylon for other structural parts including the cups. In terms of chipset improvements, the Maxwell uses a newer more powerful dedicated DAC and amp sections. The DSP is also much more powerful compared to Penrose. This gives Maxwell much larger dynamic range and a lower noise floor compared to Mobius and Penrose. After years of relentless innovation building the world’s best wireless gaming headset, Audeze presents Maxwell, designed from the ground up for serious gamers. Sound quality, wireless performance, and battery life are all pushed to new extremes, along with the latest spatial audio features and multi-platform compatibility. From an audio point of view - using my Penrose experience from memory - these sound a bit more spacious and a bit less 'shouty' - I've been using Audeze and Immersive modes so far. No issues here with the Audeze HQ PC or Android apps and they've worked flawlessly for phone calls with my iPhone also.

With up to 80 hours battery life, the Maxwell’s last twice as long as many rivals. What’s more, a full recharge via USB-C takes just 2 hours, with 25% charge available in just 20 minutes. Mine were delivered yesterday, a replacement for my broken Penrose which I had for just over 2 years (fantastic service from Audeze UK/HFH I might add) and the Maxwell are a step up and an improvement in almost every way on the already fantastic Penrose. Built quality is very impressive, they're built like a tank.Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 26th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)

Mic quality is excellent too, noise suppression on low is the sweet spot - on high I was told my voice was a bit deeper and more muffled than on the other settings. Low provides just the right amount of noise cancellation for me, I'm not in a noisy environment. Of course, you want a great-sounding gaming headset. There are several factors to consider for the best audio performance. Driver size is important, and 40 mm is often the standard, but bigger usually means better. The drivers are internal mechanisms that create the sound waves you hear. A larger driver allows for more air to pass through, making not only louder sounds but also more nuanced, wider frequencies. The Maxwell's I've been reading are really hard to get hold of and there's some teething issues. unbalanced sound L&R and the wireless sound limits like OP says.Compatibility: PC, PS5, mobile | Connectivity: 2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth 5.3 | Drivers: 8.4mm Dynamic | Surround sound modes: 360 Spatial Audio | Battery life: 12 hours (2.4GHz dongle), 24 hours (Bluetooth), additional 24-48 hours from case | Weight: 6.5g (per earbud) Compatibility: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, Mobile | Connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, 3.5mm audio cable, USB-C | Surround sound modes: Dolby Atmos | Battery life: 12-24 hours | Weight: 311g For most head shapes and sizes, as long as you don’t need both sides to be on the lowest screws (which maximizes size for the biggest heads), the headband will be suspension style. Do note that while we try to accommodate all head shapes and sizes, there are some limits to the design of any headphone, and some touching of the headband might occur on larger adjustments and larger heads. Compatibility: PS4, Xbox One, PC/Mac, Nintendo Switch, Mobile | Connectivity: USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm audio cable | Drivers: 100mm Planar | Surround sound modes: 7.1 | Battery life: 10 hours | Weight: 368g

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless offers just about everything you could want in a wireless headset. You have multi-device connectivity, and even if you go for the Xbox over the PS5 version, you’ll still get compatibility with PS5, along with the Nintendo Switch, PC, and other devices over a lag-free 2.4 GHz wireless or Bluetooth. The headset even comes with a convenient USB hub to wire up devices out of sight, adjust different sound settings, and charge the hot-swappable spare battery — to ensure you never stop listening. On the Penrose and Penrose X, the Game/Chat Mix was done by pressing the Microphone wheel and then adjusting up and down, as the default scroll action on the wheel was your mic volume. On Maxwell, as there is no microphone volume control (Maxwell uses AGC - Automatic Gain Control) to control the output level of your mic. Game/Chat balance is now the default action, meaning that you only have to adjust the lower wheel up and down to adjust the game/chat balance.Had my set a day now after previously having the Penrose (until a few month's ago when I went wired using HD560s and Beyer T1.2). Xbox: Maxwell Xbox is still pending Microsoft's final approval, but we're pressing as hard as we can to make that happen soon. One of the biggest improvements comes from the new housing. In the Penrose/Mobius housing the left and right side were not acoustically balanced due to the presence of PCB on one side, and the battery on the other. Buttons were also mostly on the left. With Maxwell, we have a dual chamber design. There is an inner housing that acoustically isolates the driver from the electronics. This alone makes a huge improvement. Compatibility: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC/Mac, Nintendo Switch, Mobile | Connectivity: wired | Drivers: 50mm graphene | Weight: 338g It seems like most headsets have gone wireless over the past few years, but there is still something to be said for a wired option. A wired connection means better sound quality, less latency, and no need to worry about losing charge. And the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro + GameDAC is a wired unicorn. With it, you get GameDAC, so you can benefit from easy access to exciting ancillary components as well as controls for balancing game/chat mix, toggling between two audio sources, and a plethora of other options. If you want to make further customizations to their sound, SteelSeries’ Sonar software allows the headphones to support spatial audio and 360-degree surround sound, along with more fine-tuned customizations to the audio settings. You’ll enjoy gaming or listening to just about anything else, as you won’t find a sound this headset can’t handle.

Thank goodness Audeze opted for a nice dark gray finish, although I do wish it had done a better job with that coat of paint. Sadly, the paint on the aluminum band and yoke is easily scratched off. If you so much as accidentally brush the headset against a hard surface like a wall, that nice finish will come off. This, on top of its size and weight, makes me think this does not belong anywhere else outside of your gaming space – despite the fact that the mic is removable, and it comes with Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices. In short:Game/Chat balance is simply done by adjusting the lower wheel (chat/communication wheel) up and down. Mic gain is now automatically controlled (adjusts microphone volume automatically). Is the Aux/3.5mm connection passive? Will it work like a normal headset without the unit being powered on? As you might expect here Audeze have given their new gaming headset a complete overhaul. The Maxwell has a chassis made of aluminum and steel (longevity +++). The integrated battery will also last up to 80 hours and if you forget to charge your headset, a 20 minute charge will get the headset to work for a full day (Battery +++! In addition to this, a new noise filter has been integrated (FILTER™ is Audeze tech). Dolby Atmos is also supported, but this only applies to the Xbox version or for use on the PC. The microphone is also detachable. It is a boom microphone with hypercardioid characteristics (think broadcasting microphones) that has 5 beamforming mics integrated too. So yes, when it gets sweaty on the battlefield, you will still sound clear as day. Key Features:

Battle-Ready Durability and Comfort

Compatibility: PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC/Mac, Nintendo Switch, Mobile | Interface: wired | Connectivity: 2 x USB-C, 3.5mm aux, stereo | Drivers: 40mm Neodymium | Surround sound modes:360° Spatial Audio, 3D Audio, Microsoft Spatial Sound | Weight: 338g Audeze consistently offers state-of-the-art, great-sounding headsets, and the Audeze Maxwell is the latest addition to their lineup, taking the spot of the Penrose X. This pair of cans offers 90mm planar magnetic drivers with magnetic arrays and waveguides loaded on each earcup, letting everything from the in-game sound to music mix to come across clearly. Sound cues in your games, like enemies rustling the leaves in shadows and helicopters coming in the distance, will remain easily discernable thanks to the headsets’ support of Dolby Atmos for some stellar spatial audio. Battery life - my Penrose would give a 'low battery'' warning on a long gaming session after about 6-8hrs, so probably 10hrs on a good day. I simply charged them after every session so it wasn't a big issue. The Maxwell though... After about 5hrs of gaming on MW2 the battery shown in the phone app was at 95%. Compatibility: PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC/Mac, Nintendo Switch, Mobile | Connectivity: 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, 3.5mm analog | Drivers: 40mm Neodymium | Surround sound modes: 360° Spatial Audio, 3D Audio, Microsoft Spatial Sound, Dolby Atmos | Weight: 338g Maxwell will work with existing Dolby Atmos licenses. If it was previously enabled on PC, you can continue using it for Maxwell as well.