A trend has emerged in Gaming headsets over this past year that has perhaps raised the bar regarding what to expect from our favourite headsets. Headphone brands such as Audeze, known for their beautifully designed and built Audiophile-grade drivers, have broken into the gaming market and are bringing their years of expertise to the table. Thus, the Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset has entered the fray and offers some incredible technology and design to shake up the market.
The Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset features an incredible 90mm planar magnetic driver designed to produce an incredibly clean and detailed audio profile for gamers to immerse themselves in. While they are not the first audiophile headphone maker to branch out into the world of gaming headsets, they are perhaps the most advantageous in their approach to design.
Built primarily from aluminum and steel, the Maxwell feels rugged and durable. The swivel joint that connects the earcups to the headband is, likewise, just as rugged and sturdy, providing the most robust build I’ve worked with. An adjustable inner headband allows the user to comfortably bear the weight of this hefty 490g headset. While not uncomfortable, one does feel the weight after only a short time of use. This is perhaps the only real critique I have of the Maxwell, while the sturdiest headset I’ve tested it is also by far the heaviest wireless headset I’ve tested. This is the cost of a premium, durable headset.
However, despite the weight, the Maxwell is quite comfortable to wear thanks, in part, to the soft, plus earcup foam pads. When worn, the Maxwell provides some fairly decent passive noise cancellation that can be attributed to both the aforementioned foam as well as the contoured, closed-back design. Additionally, the Maxwell does feature active noise suppression that performed adequately during testing. When all are brought together, the final design is comfortable and sits quite well over each ear. It is worth noting that, like most close-backed earcups, they do get a bit warm after a long gaming session. Not unbearable by any means but a reality of the design.
The Maxwell also includes a detachable, hyper-cardioid microphone with dedicated noise-cancellation AI. Two notes on the microphone. The inclusion of a hyper-cardioid capsule is an impressive addition to the already impressive build. Hyper-cardioid mics specialize in focused, directional pick-up patterns and excel at nullifying noise outside their intended range. In fact, because of this design, hyper-cardioid mics are used as the primary boom mic in the film industry.
“The Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset features an incredible 90mm planar magnetic driver designed to produce an incredibly clean and detailed audio profile for gamers to immerse themselves in.”
The second note is that the dedicated noise-cancellation AI is by far the best I’ve ever heard. It does an incredible job at filtering out any unwanted noise across any platform it’s used on. When these two features are combined the result is the best headset microphone I’ve ever tested, bar none.
In testing, I was very impressed at how well the microphone captured my voice while also filtering out background noise. Even when running the PC fans at full speed on the desk I was testing at, the Maxwell still did an impressive job at capturing my vocals while filtering out background noise. As a rule, I never recommend headset mics for live streaming or recording, and while that is still my general rule, the Maxwell is the exception. It easily surpasses anything I’ve tested and the final audio capture is clean, quite accurate and devoid of almost all background noise.
Shifting to the audio reproduction, this is where the Maxwell shines. With the aforementioned 90mm planar magnetic drivers, the Maxwell simply outperforms any gaming headset I’ve tested thus far. In frequency tests, the Maxwell presented a clean, clear test across the entire frequency range. The low end was punchy but clean, the mids offered a nice rounded profile, and the highs were crisp and clear. The result was an incredible audio profile that managed to capture seemingly every element of the mix and present it as a beautifully balanced package.
In game testing, the Maxwell was quite spectacular. As a shocker to no one, I tested the Maxwell with DOOM Eternal. The reason for this, other than it being one of my all-time favourite titles, is that the audio in DOOM Eternal is its own character. Every aspect of the audio is intentionally visceral, guttural and full of feeling. When combined with the incredible soundtracks, the result is a complex and beautiful listening experience.
The Maxwell provided one of the best gaming audio experiences I’ve tested to date. Every element that makes up the audio experience of DOOM Eternal was on full display, as it were, with every sound and track coming out in full force. As for the spatial audio testing, it was a treat. The Maxwell provides one of the most immersive gaming experiences I’ve had to date. With support for both Spatial Audio for gaming and production, the Maxwell can double as a solid option for professionals.
Music and movie testing provided similar results. In the former, the audio profile presented in the Maxwell for Hans Zimmer’s Dark Knight Melody was beautiful. Every instrument was distinct and well balanced and the overall mix sounded amazing on those 90mm drivers. Likewise, watching a movie or TV presents clear dialogue with excellent backtracks and sound effects. At no point did any one element feel over or underwhelming.
It’s important to note that Maxwell doesn’t sound as amazing as it does simply because it has jammed larger drivers into the earcups. It’s how the 90mm drivers are designed that seems to make the difference. Not only is the transducer comprised of planar magnetic materials, but it leverages a Fluxor magnetic array specifically, which is a bit different than the average magnetic array. What makes it special is the material itself, which allows for a much thinner, lighter, but still strong driver. This means that it’s easier to install a larger driver in the earcup as they end up taking up less room overall.
The Fluxor magnets also create a powerful magnetic field, which results in much more control over the diaphragm. This, in turn, translates to much better audio definition and clarity. While this might all sound like techno-babble, the proof is in the pudding, and if we are taking that catchphrase further than one should, the Maxwell makes some delicious pudding.
Finally, the Fluxor magnets are quite power efficient requiring less power to produce equal or greater results. When brought together the final product is a driver that pushes the boundaries on what to expect from a gaming headset. It’s a smart design that further spotlights Audeze’s experience and expertise as a high-profile headphone designer.
“With ultra-low-latency wireless support, AI noise filtering and the best onboard mic, bar none, there is a lot to be impressed with in the Maxwell.”
Speaking of power efficiency, the Maxwell comes with a lithium-polymer battery rated for 1800mAh. In testing, they had no problem reaching the 80-hour mark as advertised and charged within the two-hour window noted on the spec sheet. As for charging, the Maxwell includes a fast charge-enabled USB-C cable that plugs into the base of the left ear cup.
As for connecting the Maxwell, this can be handled in a few different ways. The Maxwell comes equipped with an ultra-low-latency wireless dongle that can be toggled between PC and Xbox (a PlayStation version is also available). Connecting is as easy as plugging it and flipping the onboard switch to whichever platform you’re connected to. Bluetooth 5.3 is also supported, offering full Lossless audio and multipoint support and is connected via the onboard pairing button, also located on the left ear cup. Finally, digital and analog wired connections are available via included USB-C and 3.5 TRRS active cables. When all combined the Maxwell becomes one of the most versatile gaming headsets on the market.
While the stock AUDEZE audio profile is excellent the Maxwell is capable of swapping between several preset audio mixes (optional manual EQ is also available). This along with audio-to-chat ratios is handled through the Audeze HQ app, available on PC, Mac, Android and iOS. The app is fairly basic but does allow for easy control of the aforementioned features.
The Maxwell from Audeze is by far one of the best-sounding headsets on the market. With ultra-low-latency wireless support, AI noise filtering and the best onboard mic, bar none, there is a lot to be impressed with in the Maxwell. Its premium, durable design adds to the already excellent headset with the small cost of weight, which could be an issue for some. However, this minor critique pales in comparison to the overall excellent quality of the Audeze Maxwell.
