I tried out the Audeze Maxwell Wasabi and this headset sounds as good as it looks.
The Audeze Maxwell Wasabi is a stunning audio treat all wrapped up in a cool aesthetic, that might just be worth the cost.
It’s easy enough to guess that the Audeze Maxwell gaming headset stands apart from the rest of the gaming rabble. Where brilliant desktop and console audio options are available from the usual players, the latest hardware from audio specialists Audeze melds together a stunning design, a pair of whopping 90mm high-end planar drivers, tons of connectivity, and a retail price that demands impressive performance. It’s a headset that aims high, and even at $329 it proves to be far more than a statement piece.
Before I even get this headset out of the box, it’s worth talking about the hardware that’s inside this headset. Audeze doesn’t sound like the rest of the class. The Californian company develops and produces audio equipment around their high-end planar drivers. These sit at the core of each earcup and are the key to turning electrical signals into actual sound. While most other gaming headsets commonly move a small diaphragm by connecting this film to an electrically charged coil, planar drivers use a larger set of magnets set across the width of this component to move the entire diaphragm as a single unit.
Audeze details this in its own FAQ, but this generally results in a perceptibly clearer and punchier sound than most of the branded alternatives. Alongside the defining driver technology, the Audeze Maxwell range includes the following
Specifications
General
- Weight – 490g
- Style – Over-ear (circumaural), closed-back
Audio
- Transducer type – Planar Magnetic
- Magnetic structure – Fluxor™ magnet array
- Phase management – Fazor™
- Magnet type – Neodymium N50
- Diaphragm type – Ultra-Thin Uniforce™
- Transducer size – 90 mm
- Maximum SPL – >120dB
- Frequency response – 10Hz – 50kHz
- THD – <0.1% (@ 1 kHz, 1mW)
- Spatial Audio – Dolby Atmos® (Xbox Version) or PlayStation Tempest based on version
- Microphones – Detachable, Hypercardioid
- Beamforming / Physical and AI noise reduction, Internal mic for chat
Power
- Battery type – Lithium-polymer, 1800mAh
- Battery life – Over 80 hrs wireless playback @ 80dBA
- Fast charge – USB-C, 5v 1.8 Amp max – 25% charge / 20min (Full charge 2hr)
Connections
- Wireless – Ultra-low-latency Wireless / Bluet
- ooth: 5.3 ( Multipoint, LE Audio, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC, AAC, SBC )
- Wired – USB-C / 3.5mm TRRS active
Out The Box
Out of the box, the Wasabi version of the Maxwell is simply stunning. The standard form and shape are relatively understated, with a headband, closed-back earcups, and a fairly formal shape that doesn’t make too much noise. The standard variant would sit just as neatly in a minimalist work setup as an RGB-infested gamer cave. The Wasabi version is, however, not even slightly subtle. A brilliant metallic duo chrome glistens across the top of the headband and around the earcups screams for attention, and fingerprints. Much like the audio tech inside it, the color scheme is a unique approach that sidesteps the usual gamer tropes but still manages to be flashy. Honestly, I love it!
The physical construction is equally appealing. Starting from the top, a metal headband holds things together. This pleasingly sturdy start is interrupted by corporate branding and winds down towards two sizeable earcups in a blaze of colored chrome. A thick pleather suspension strap hangs between either end to bear the weight of ranked ambition and the planar drivers below. The metal headband tapers off into a set of plastic closed-back, earcups that are mostly minimalist. Dancing between the duo chrome color and matt black materials, each earcup houses a hefty 90mm planar driver, DAC, and required batteries. These make up the majority of the 490g weight, meaning the ‘deluxe contoured earpads’ need to be adequately plush.
A pinhole is the only interruption to the right-hand earcup’s closed back, while all the important buttons are available on the other side. You’ll find the microphone mute toggle and power button on the outer face of the left ear, while the AI Noise reduction button, boom mic port, USB-C port, aux input, volume, and game/chat balance wheel are all lined up along the bottom edge of the earcup.
Alongside the headset, we also got a set of USB A and C cables, a USB-C to USB-A converter cable, a USB-C wireless adaptor, a sticker, a Dolby Atmos license, and several sets of instructions. These might seem inconsequential compared to the brightly colored headset, but none of the accessories feel knowingly undersold either. The cables feel solid, and who doesn’t love a free and completely pointless sticker. Do be careful to pick up the right version, however. While most of the box wont change, PlayStation owners can’t use a Dolby Atmos license and PC owners won’t need the help of Tempest 3D audio enhancements.
Plugging in the USB-C wireless adapter and setting it to PC or XBOX mode means using the highest resolution wireless connection without any inertia in the process. The power button is set into the surface of the left earcup in an obvious location. A tactile difference makes it obvious among the other materials, even with the headset on your dome. The other surface mounted button is the mic mute slider. This is also easy to distinguish, thanks to a different shape, feel, and location. An AI noise suppression button is situated towards the front of the same earcup and is separated from the rest of the controls by the microphone and other input ports. The volume and side tone dials are the only slight aberration in this very considered layout. It’s clear that you needn’t look at the headset to operate it, even if the volume and side tone are difficult to distinguish.
Connectivity
The wireless mode is the optimal option for keeping human and keyboard unimpeded and unlocks the highest fidelity cable-free audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz. Plenty of other options are also included, with Bluetooth supporting LE Audio, LC3plus, LDAC. Wireless automatically connects when the required dongle is plugged in and Bluetooth pairing is accessible with a simple double tap on the power button. I cannot express how much better than having to hold for an arbitrary number of seconds this is. Gamers who end up on call can keep simultaneous connections with both Bluetooth devices and the wireless dongle. Default settings don’t seem to allow both connections to play audio at once or provide much control over which takes priority, but the auto switching between streams when Bluetooth audio plays does seem to suggest you’ll be expected to run a gaming rig and a mobile phone in tandem. In the case that you use the included 3.5 mm jack to hook up, there’s already an internal DAC stuffed into the Audeze Maxwell, so expect wired and Wireless connection to sound immediately stellar.
While you won’t be getting up and walking away from the raid with a wired setup, both wireless and Bluetooth connections are more than adequate. Both are consistent and clear with plenty of range. Bluetooth 5.3 estimates something in the range of 240m, but if the audio is still solid after I’ve walked to the other end of a British two-bedroom house, out the front door, across the driveway, and out onto the sidewalk then I’ve got bigger problems than hearing how heroes’ never die!
Audio Impressions and Initial Thoughts
After settling back down in front of the action, first impressions are impressive. Expectations for a headset that drops in at more than $300 or local equivalent are high, and thankfully the audio coming out of the Audeze Maxwell is just superbly clear. There’s an obvious balance to the tuning here and a natural tone in the mids that’s kind of unnerving for anybody who is used to the warped rumble of bass-heavy gaming headsets. The bass is still plenty punchy, however, and the soundstage and breadth of the audio is as impressive as you’d expect. Things seem a little light at the top range of the spectrum, but that’s not where gaming headsets live anyway.
While most gaming-focused headsets feel very direct. The audio landscape is a little larger here. While the world isn’t pushed right into your earholes, the overall stage feels wider than most of the direct competition, but still narrower than open-back equivalents. It’s a reasonable balance that epitomizes the choices of an audiophile brand dabbling in game.
Unscientific Testing
We might not have a dedicated sound suite here at Gamespace, but what tests we did carry typically confirmed those initial expectations. Using the default tuning, a mic, and a simple sine sweep, the response of the Audeze hit the mark in terms of range, despite falling off quite quickly at around 20,000Hz across a number of configurations. Mids were consistent in a series of frequency response tests, and the ability to even reproduce a range as low as 10Hz puts the Maxwell in sparse company.
In Game
Like almost every headset I have the pleasure of trying out, DOOM and Apex Legends are firm favorites. Doom provides a great test of layered audio. Crushing riffs, the whine of a plasma rifle, the roar of Hell, and the howl of the Martian wind all felt clear and present. There was a clear delineation between each of the audio events, rather than feeling mushed together and overwhelmed by the outstanding metal soundtrack. Like any planar option, the dynamic response was just fantastic. The impact of explosions and the crack of a shotgun were present in a way that’s difficult to describe until you’ve heard a sniper rifle go off in game.
For a change, I actually got a few kills during Apex Legends, but the Maxwell won’t make you any better in competitions. What it will do, is provide a soundscape where the rapid ratatatat of automatic fire or the echo of a shotgun has a definitive direction and presence. The aforementioned precision of different in game sounds means footsteps and fire become meaningful when all the virtual surround options are turned on. Gunfire sounds distinct, and if you’re any good at recognizing the different weapons up close, then this could do wonders for your immersion, at least.
RPGs and narrative titles benefit from the Audeze design in a different way. Instead of looking for the direction of fire, the soundscape or more immersive, movie-focused Dolby Atmos settings make the constrained space of a desktop sound like a trip to the movie theatre. It may not quite the same, but it is a universe away from the experience that any big brand gaming headset can manage. Similarly, for the likes of movies and TV shows, you’ll want to leverage the EQ and Dolby settings to amplify the experience and draw the flat sound of the latest binge-watch around you.
The Microphone
While the sound output is game-changing, the included mic is also far above average expectations. Incorporated as a plug-in 3.5 mm boom arm, the Audeze Maxwell microphone specifications sound fairly indistinguishable from a raft of other gaming headsets, but the sound is obviously better. Clear, consistent, and warm, the adjustable mic arm produces a sound somewhere between the normal afterthought of its competitors and mid range stand alone microphones. The onboard noise cancelation can be invoked using a single button push and can add low or high level noise cancellation. Again, this is a pleasant outcome. The microphone tests we tried managed to handle basic office noise, AC, and heal spams without making sample recordings sound sharp or particularly robotic.
A Encumbered Fit
The Audeze Maxwell headset isn’t a subtle beast. Packing in a sturdy headband, its own DAC, a set of powerful drivers, and a wildly over specced 80 hour battery life doesn’t come free of charge. Your wallet might get lighter, but 490g doesn’t go unnoticed.
This is partly down to the 80 hour battery life. In reality, I found the 50-60 hour lifespan of a single charge is more than enough. A week between recharges is impressive, but I didn’t manage more than 6 hours with the headset on. There’s no escaping the weight, and some of the design choices don’t particularly help. The suspension headband can only be configured using a set of pre-punched holes which don’t give a whole lot of extra length, and while the earcups do rotate along the horizontal axis, there’s little other give. This is a huge upgrade on the Penrose, but a definite deciding factor if you have a low tolerance for heavy headsets.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s the glistening shell of the Xbox-styled Wasabi edition or the standard fare, the Audeze Maxwell headset is a sublime sound. Some fantastic dynamic response, great clarity, and delightful sound set it apart from the competition. The addition of some really thoughtful design choices and improvements on the Penrose makes this a very worthy winner in the audio arena. It is heavy, and there are some questionable decisions regarding comfort that will absolutely put off anybody who doesn’t roll a heavy class. If a 490g headset doesn’t leave you encumbered and you have the gold, the Audeze Maxwell and its Wasabi variant are both truly exceptional headsets.
