Planar magnetic driver, 80 hours of battery and a low-latency USB dongle
Indicative price captured on Amazon on September 21, 2026. It may have changed: check it on Amazon before buying.
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A dynamic driver pushes a cone from its centre; a planar magnetic one moves a flat diaphragm evenly across its whole surface. The measurable consequence is less distortion and a flatter response, and the practical consequence in a tactical shooter is that distant footsteps don't get buried under the bass of a nearby explosion. It's the reason this headset costs what it costs.
Audeze includes a proprietary USB dongle for gaming and leaves Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC for your phone. That separation is the right one: Bluetooth adds tens of milliseconds that are unacceptable in a shooter, while giving good quality for music. And here you can have both at once: USB for the game and Bluetooth for Discord on your phone.
Eighty hours is the longest runtime among the premium wireless headsets on this site, and the chassis combines aluminium and stainless steel instead of the usual plastic. You feel it in the weight, which is its weak point, and you feel it in the fact that this is a five-year headset, not a two-year one.
Scores from 0 to 10 assigned by our editors from the spec sheet and compared within each category. These aren't manufacturer figures: they're our judgement. You can read the method in how we choose.
| Audio | |
|---|---|
| Driver diameter | — |
| Driver type | Planar magnetic |
| Frequency response | Up to 40 kHz |
| Impedance | 18 Ω |
| Sensitivity | — |
| Spatial audio | SLAM technology (patent pending) |
| Latency & connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Low-latency USB dongle + Bluetooth 5.3 (LDAC, LE Audio) + AUX |
| Wireless technology | Proprietary low-latency USB dongle |
| Battery life | 80 h |
| Wireless range | — |
| Microphone & comfort | |
| Microphone | Built-in boom microphone |
| Weight | — |
| Earpads | Foam earpads with passive isolation |
| Chassis | Aluminium, stainless steel and plastic |
| Other | |
| Warranty | 1 years |
| Other listing details | |
| Planar driver | A flat diaphragm with a magnetic circuit instead of a dynamic cone: less distortion and a flatter response |
| SLAM | Technology inherited from Audeze's LCD-S20 and CRBN2 models, aimed at slam and spatial precision |
| Simultaneous audio | USB + Bluetooth and AUX + Bluetooth at the same time |
| AuraCast | Multipoint connection with compatible devices |
| Version | 2026 revision of the Maxwell |
| Weight | The listing says 3 pounds, which corresponds to the full package rather than the headset, so we leave it blank |
Fields with no data show as “—”: it means neither Amazon nor the manufacturer publishes that figure. We'd rather leave it empty than estimate it.
The audio quality is the best on the site and the low-latency dongle keeps sound in sync. That said, in tactical shooters a 330-dollar headset won't give you twice the information a 130-dollar one does: diminishing returns are real. What you're buying here is sound, not a competitive edge.
This is where the planar really shows, because Rocket League rewards atmosphere and music as much as information. If you use the same headset for gaming and listening to music, this is the one you'll enjoy most.
Excellent for long sessions with music or podcasts in the background, with 80 hours of battery that keeps the cable away. The weight is the only thing that may bother you in a marathon.
Honestly, it's disproportionate. For voice chat and casual Roblox shooters, any of the best-value headsets on this list does the same job for a fraction of the price.
Ideal for: Someone who wants the best possible sound in a gaming headset and will use it for music too, accepting the weight and the price.
It's the lowest-rated product on the site: a 3.7 average across 191 reviews, striking for a headset at this level and from this brand. It's the 2026 revision of the Maxwell, and in recent Audeze launches complaints have tended to point at firmware and software rather than sound — but with an average like that it's worth reading the negative reviews before spending 330 dollars.
I’ve been really impressed with the Audeze Maxwell 2. The sound quality is excellent, with a lot of detail and really good separation between different sounds. I mainly use them on PS5, and with 3D Audio enabled, the positional audio in games like Battlefield is amazing. I can hear footsteps clearly, tell what direction enemies are coming from, and sometimes hear them before they even peek. The headset also has great bass without overpowering everything else, and the EQ customization makes it easy to fine-tune the sound exactly how you want it. Battery life has also been great, and the wireless connection has been solid. I did have an issue with the iOS app after a firmware update, but Audez
Honestly a really good pair od headphones and while you CAN use the boom mic for better sound isolation honestly its not bad even without it, the audio is clear and if you download the app you can tune to rediculous levels. The noise isolation is phanominal. And the dials on the side are really nice tactile for headphones like this. Battery life is absurd, ive literally gone weeks without charging, and they charge FAST this coming from someone who was used to 2 hours of charging for 1 hour of listening going to "Wait... those were dead like ten minutes ago." While these werent on that level, honestly if they die, making and eating a meal probably gets you to a spot where you can charge overn
The sound quality is okay, weak bass, not as good as my old lighter pair that broke. But the big problem is it is heavy, I mean really heavy. Just so uncomfortable and hot, couldn't wear it for more than 30mins. Sweaty ears, never had that happen before. Also literally no instructions included. Mic had issues and noise canceling is meager to non existent. Sorry AINC, you can't just shove AI into everything and act like it is better. The onboard AI voice is annoying. On the plus side, they look great and they feel durable. But they are just unusable. Returned.
I'm used to using Skullcandy crushers. I'm a bass head so this is lacking slot in the bass department. But I needed something for gaming. And this does it. And does it good. It has to 3.5mm audio jack entry point. But only one is for microphone and other is for connection to your audio source. If you don't place it properly dongle will keep dropping connection. One problem it has is that rarely I get this static broken echoing sound for like 5 seconds. I don't know maybe some future software update would fix this. If this will be your gaming headset, buy it. But for music, if you like bass, pick something else. Passive noise cancellation was good enough for me. Didnt seem like I had to spend
Reviews reproduced from the product page on Amazon on the capture date (September 21, 2026). We haven't edited or translated them: they're what the listing itself shows.
