[christophermx4]

I've been using this headset (Xbox version) for a couple of days now and this is one of those rare times where my own internal hype and excitement was matched by the performance of the product. I absolutely LOVE getting new headphones/earphones and this was my first experience with planar headphones. While I think certain other headphones I own have better individual attributes than the Maxwell, the Maxwell seems to bring the best of what I need in a headphone into one device.

• Game Audio Quality: Performance is roughly equal to my GSP 670s. The soundstage seems more spacious on the Maxwell and I definitely have more awareness. I haven't fine tuned the EQ like I have my 670s and I go from having have too much bass to not enough with my own attempts creating a custom EQ. I like I how I can use the Android app and adjust settings while using the Maxwell on PC. I've primarily played OW2 with the headset so far, and I've loved how the game sounds.
• Music Audio Quality: My go-to headphones for music are the discontinued Audio-Technica ATH-WS1100iS. Bass quality on ATH-WS1100iS is better than the Maxwell and I seem to hear more "detail" vs. the Maxwells. I'm pleasantly surprised how much bass the Maxwells can pump out but it doesn't seem as rich as the ATH-WS1100iS. That said, similar to the 670s I've spent hours customizing the EQ (I use a Qudelix 5k as an amp/EQ) and I don't believe I've reached that level of fine tuning with the Maxwells.
• Microphone Quality: Superior to the GSP 670s and the AI noise suppression does work well - almost as good as the NVIDA broadcast I was using with the 670s. I'm CPU constrained with my computer (8700k paired with 4090), and I'm very happy to use the Maxwell's software vs. having something else running in the background taking precious CPU resources.
• Sidetone: This is a big deal for me (I've returned so many headphones for this not being loud enough) and I'm thrilled to say I love the implementation on the Maxwells. I did have to disable volume limiter to get the sidetone volume level I need but it sounds just as clear/loud as the 670s. I think I've said this elsewhere in this thread but I have a speech impediment (I stutter) and I have to clearly hear myself to not stutter. The Maxwell's sidetone cuts right through everything in the audio mix and makes it feel like I'm not wearing headphones at all. I don't notice any static issues with the sidetone but I'm probably the outlier who wants all the outside audio noises pumped into the mix. I wish I could buy a round of drinks for the folks who designed/engineered the sidetone feature on the Maxwells. It's probably niche feature for most but it means so much to me.
• Comfort: It's essentially perfect for me and it's just comfortable as the Arctis 7 headphones I use at work. The ski band design works and the clamping force is just right for me. I don't feel like they're going to fly off my head if I move quickly but I also don't feel like my head is in a vice grip. The massive plush earpads are weirdly comforting with the amount of room they have give to my ears. I like how no part of the earpad touches my actual ear.
• Other notes: Transparency mode with the microphone removed is really good and almost makes me want to wear these headphones outside of the house. My GSP 670s were the last device I had that used micro-USB and I'm glad to transition fully to USB C. Signal strength is excellent and fair superior to any other gaming headset I've ever used. I appreciate the unobtrusive white light on the dongle that lets you know it has power. I do wish the USB-A to USB-C cable was a bit shorter.

All in all, I appreciate the hard work and ingenuity from the Audeze team. The wait/delays ended up being totally worth it and I'm certainly going to be looking at other headphones that Audeze makes. I'm curious how their more premium headphones sound now. I know my taste in headphones isn't refined (I love bass too much) but I'd like to see how deep something like the LCD headphones go.

 

[Elwildos]

Has anyone gotten close to the 80 hours battery life as advertised seen other posts when some only get closer to 50 hours+

 

[Chase10784]

Has anyone gotten close to the 80 hours battery life as advertised seen other posts when some only get closer to 50 hours+

I've had mine for a couple weeks and haven't charged it yet with about 60% battery left with playing 2-3 hours if games a night plus phone calls

 

[Dev1ous]

I've been using this headset (Xbox version) for a couple of days now and this is one of those rare times where my own internal hype and excitement was matched by the performance of the product. I absolutely LOVE getting new headphones/earphones and this was my first experience with planar headphones. While I think certain other headphones I own have better individual attributes than the Maxwell, the Maxwell seems to bring the best of what I need in a headphone into one device.

• Game Audio Quality: Performance is roughly equal to my GSP 670s. The soundstage seems more spacious on the Maxwell and I definitely have more awareness. I haven't fine tuned the EQ like I have my 670s and I go from having have too much bass to not enough with my own attempts creating a custom EQ. I like I how I can use the Android app and adjust settings while using the Maxwell on PC. I've primarily played OW2 with the headset so far, and I've loved how the game sounds.
• Music Audio Quality: My go-to headphones for music are the discontinued Audio-Technica ATH-WS1100iS. Bass quality on ATH-WS1100iS is better than the Maxwell and I seem to hear more "detail" vs. the Maxwells. I'm pleasantly surprised how much bass the Maxwells can pump out but it doesn't seem as rich as the ATH-WS1100iS. That said, similar to the 670s I've spent hours customizing the EQ (I use a Qudelix 5k as an amp/EQ) and I don't believe I've reached that level of fine tuning with the Maxwells.
• Microphone Quality: Superior to the GSP 670s and the AI noise suppression does work well - almost as good as the NVIDA broadcast I was using with the 670s. I'm CPU constrained with my computer (8700k paired with 4090), and I'm very happy to use the Maxwell's software vs. having something else running in the background taking precious CPU resources.
• Sidetone: This is a big deal for me (I've returned so many headphones for this not being loud enough) and I'm thrilled to say I love the implementation on the Maxwells. I did have to disable volume limiter to get the sidetone volume level I need but it sounds just as clear/loud as the 670s. I think I've said this elsewhere in this thread but I have a speech impediment (I stutter) and I have to clearly hear myself to not stutter. The Maxwell's sidetone cuts right through everything in the audio mix and makes it feel like I'm not wearing headphones at all. I don't notice any static issues with the sidetone but I'm probably the outlier who wants all the outside audio noises pumped into the mix. I wish I could buy a round of drinks for the folks who designed/engineered the sidetone feature on the Maxwells. It's probably niche feature for most but it means so much to me.
• Comfort: It's essentially perfect for me and it's just comfortable as the Arctis 7 headphones I use at work. The ski band design works and the clamping force is just right for me. I don't feel like they're going to fly off my head if I move quickly but I also don't feel like my head is in a vice grip. The massive plush earpads are weirdly comforting with the amount of room they have give to my ears. I like how no part of the earpad touches my actual ear.
• Other notes: Transparency mode with the microphone removed is really good and almost makes me want to wear these headphones outside of the house. My GSP 670s were the last device I had that used micro-USB and I'm glad to transition fully to USB C. Signal strength is excellent and fair superior to any other gaming headset I've ever used. I appreciate the unobtrusive white light on the dongle that lets you know it has power. I do wish the USB-A to USB-C cable was a bit shorter.

All in all, I appreciate the hard work and ingenuity from the Audeze team. The wait/delays ended up being totally worth it and I'm certainly going to be looking at other headphones that Audeze makes. I'm curious how their more premium headphones sound now. I know my taste in headphones isn't refined (I love bass too much) but I'd like to see how deep something like the LCD headphones go.

How did you disable volume limiter to make sidetone louder

 

[timwillhack]

I played for maybe an hour yesterday, listened to music for maybe another hour, then left it on all night with nothing playing through it and played games today from maybe 10 to 6, so I'm about 10 hours with audio MAX and I'm at 59%, for today I've had dolby atmos on (I believe) while gaming. I've had them powered on for about 23 hours now (literally got them 6pm yesterday but didn't open them for at least an hour, then charged them for a bit just to make sure it was at 100%). So they were on all night so I can't really fault them to not include that in the battery life, but was hoping they would auto turn off if no audio for a while. I'll be honest, I wanted 80hrs and was hoping having noise suppression off, sidetone off, and no bluetooth connected would put me close to it or over it but its not even close to that. I'm not upset about it, my current open back wired up to be wireless headset (hifiman xx) on qudelix 5k only gets like 6hrs! I'll be honest I'm impressed with them so far, other than discomfort on my long session today but thats compared to a pair of Meze Empyreans on my wired setup, I can wear that all day and not even notice. (volume limiter in audeze hz at bottom left corner)

 

[pixelcowboy]

So, the volume limiter in the apps option is for the sound volume or the mic volume?

 

[Itsjustmd]

So, the volume limiter in the apps option is for the sound volume or the mic volume?

Sound volume, but he/she probably had to turn the volume up a lot.

 

[christophermx4]

How did you disable volume limiter to make sidetone louder

Volume limiter in the Audeze HQ PC application is what I turned off to reach max sidetone volume. For reference, I have overall volume set around 60% in Windows. That's plenty loud for me, I suspect any higher and I could possibly get hearing damage.

I used to have absolutely zero concern about hearing loss but 15 years of hearing tests (I'm an engineer in manufacturing) have made me acutely aware of the slow degradation of my own hearing. Spoiler alert: if the volume level is causing you pain you're way past the point of causing permanent hearing loss.

 

[Helvetica bold]

Sound volume, but he/she probably had to turn the volume up a lot.

Best to keep volume limiter on?

 

[Itsjustmd]

Best to keep volume limiter on?

I keep it off so I can just control the volume as I see fit.

 

[onek00lj4y]

No sir, I initially ordered via Audeze US which was around 50 Euro cheaper (even including shipping from US to GER) but cancelled that order after Audeze confirmed that any warranty claims would have to run through them in the US. Didn't wanna risk it so re-ordered via the German distributor

OK thanks,that makes sense!

 

[cooleddie21]

I have had my maxwell for a few weeks and im loving the headset. I have been playing on the immersive setting and everything is perfect but the base is weak in my opinion. Do you guys mind sharing your eq settings? I mainly play story games

 

[Granmir]

I have had my maxwell for a few weeks and im loving the headset. I have been playing on the immersive setting and everything is perfect but the base is weak in my opinion. Do you guys mind sharing your eq settings? I mainly play story games

It depends on the game I use these 2 for story mode.
It is not seen in the screenshots, 16khz both at +8db.

 

[BCM88]

Have to say that whilst the wait was agonising, Maxwell has really lived up to the hype.

Every time I pick them up to use them I'm impressed. Hard to pinpoint any one thing I would add/change in a gaming headset.

 

[timwillhack]

I agree that the Maxwell headphones are pretty impressive, but as someone who takes their tech seriously, I always think there's room for improvement. While the single and double-click features are handy, I'm surprised that there isn't a button to switch between inputs. It would be great if the developers took note of user feedback on forums, as many people want to be able to use both their dongle and Bluetooth devices at the same time or switch between them more easily.

There's also a small issue where pressing the power button when connected to both a PC and Bluetooth device starts playing music on both at once. Since Bluetooth takes priority over the dongle, your phone audio will play instead of your PC audio. To turn off Bluetooth connection during startup, you have to disconnect manually on your phone every time you turn on the Maxwell headphones or switch off Bluetooth on your phone, which is a bit of a pain. (Unless someone can point out some functionality I don't know about yet) It would be helpful if there was a third tap on the game/chat mix wheel to control which device is active, like dongle, aux, Bluetooth, or all. And something like a third tap on the power button to turn off Bluetooth would also be useful.

I also think the suppression button could be used for something else, since there are already so many hold-for-x or double-tap-for-x functions elsewhere. The button's light always stays white, whether the suppression function is on or off, so it's hard to tell what's going on if you turn off voice prompts. While some of these issues might seem small, they're real problems that could be fixed with firmware upgrades. It would be great if Audeze allowed downgrading to an older firmware in case a new bug is introduced or someone prefers an older feature. These seems to have already happened with someone earlier discussing that simultaneous playback doesn't work the same way it did out of the box. They might need to clarify how it changed but people have been asking for that feature for a while, and since it was even present in Audeze's previous gaming headphones, Penrose. Why remove something users want just to match an internal Audeze specification? I understand that something like that could introduce noise and although I have had the penrose and appreciated the feature myself but didn't use it much, I'd rather have it than not. Having a single pair of headphones on your head to create a private audio environment instead of speakers is a wonderful prospect.

I'm sorry I'm just being as honest as I can and haven't had my coffee yet. These are the best bluetooth/gaming connected headphones I've ever owned so far, but I need to spend more time with them on my head to maintain that praise as these issues do exist and I'm sure there are more.