This product is available to pre-order with an ETA of approx. mid August.
Unencumbered Audio
At the heart of the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC are massive 90-millimeter laser-etched planar magnetic drivers — nearly three times the size of those in typical gaming headsets — delivering exceptional detail, speed, and realism. Audeze’s Fluxor Magnet Array delivers up to twice the driving force of conventional magnet designs, while SLAM technology uses precisely engineered acoustic channels to enhance bass impact and spatial accuracy without sacrificing clarity.
Combined with carefully tuned acoustic damping for improved passive noise reduction, the impressive ANC eliminates unwanted background noise, delivering a deeply immersive experience that keeps you locked in to your match, mix, or music with fewer distractions. High-resolution lossless audio up to 24-bit/96kHz is supported over both USB wired and low-latency wireless connections, ensuring pristine playback and precise positional awareness.
Rounding out the experience, a high-bandwidth AI noise-removal microphone keeps your voice clear and focused, even in loud environments — so your team hears only what matters, right when it matters.
Fatigue-Free Comfort
After a test run, audio aficionados at Sweetwater found that the Maxwell 2 ANC design excels during long-term gaming and production sessions. For starters, the headphones’ aluminum yokes pair with an extra-wide, ventilated suspension head strap that delivers a breathable, fatigue-free fit built to handle marathon sessions with ease.
Likewise, upgraded magnetically attached ear cushions with specialized memory foam optimize noise cancellation, provide enhanced comfort, and offer additional internal space, accommodating a wider range of users with minimal pressure and reduced ear fatigue — even during overnight championships and hours-long raiding parties.
To top it all off, the circumaural, closed-back design with improved acoustic damping helps block external noise even further, keeping you locked into the action at all times.
Immersive Spatial Audio, Streamlined Control
Whether working in the studio on a high-profile track or coordinating strategies with your teammates, adding spatial audio to the mix maximizes awareness and sharpens control over your environment.
The Maxwell 2 ANC builds on this immersive experience with integrated head tracking and support for platform-specific spatial formats such as Dolby Atmos (Xbox and PC) and Tempest 3D (PlayStation), without requiring external tracking hardware.
Alongside these advanced spatial features, Maxwell 2 ANC launches with an all-new Audeze app, redesigned from the ground up for quick, convenient control over headset settings and audio customization on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Simply connect, adjust your preferences, and enjoy a precise, three-dimensional soundstage that enhances both competitive gameplay and critical listening.
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ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT PRODUCT NOTES:
Sidetone
When the sidetone (microphone monitoring) function is enabled, this allows the user to play back their microphone input in real-time through the earcups, which in turn allows them to hear their own voice and surroundings clearly. In order to facilitate this functionality, a very slight and minor static is introduced when this function is enabled. This is normal and expected behaviour, and is a well-documented phenomenon which is not considered to be a defect.
If using the headset for quiet listening only and not gaming at reasonable volumes, the sidetone function should be switched to the "Off" position to avoid perceiving this static sound in quiet use scenarios.
Humidity, Condensation & Planar Magnetic drivers
Condensation on the Audeze Maxwell's planar magnetic drivers can cause popping or crackling noises during quiet use. This builds up when body heat and trapped moisture hit the thin diaphragm, and it is a common occurrence in headphones with thin planar films.
Planar magnetic drivers use incredibly thin films that are sensitive to air pressure and moisture. When you wear the headphones, the micro-climate inside the ear cup can cause moisture to condense directly on the driver, which makes the film stick slightly or move unevenly, creating that crinkling or "soda popping" sound you may hear. This is not considered to be a defect, and is simply how planar magnetic drivers naturally respond to use in high humidity settings.
Effective ways to limit this phenomenon:
- The Vacuum Trick: Some users have found it helps to gently press the earcups against their head to create a tiny vacuum, then slowly pull them off. This can pop the driver back into its normal position and temporarily clear the static.
- Ventilate: Take the headphones off and let them air out in a dry room. Do not use direct, intense heat or a hairdryer, but blowing a gentle room-temperature fan over them can help evaporate any moisture. If practicable, we recommend also being mindful of the humidity in the environment in which the headphones are being used, and avoiding high humidity environments.
- Switch Earpads: The stock leatherette earpads can trap heat and sweat. Users that may be effected by this may wish to consider swapping out the stock ear pads for more breathable options such as fabric/suede/hybrid pads to promote airflow.
Inherent low-level hum/hiss
The Audeze Maxwell headphones emit a "pop" sound on power on/off, and feature an inherent low-level hiss due to their fully active internal DAC, amplifier, and highly sensitive planar magnetic drivers. This baseline noise floor is an expected characteristic and byproduct of the product's high-resolution, premium and uncompressed audio engineering, and is not considered to be a defect. This is very similar to how powered studio monitors emit a slight hiss when idle; it is a normal reality of high-fidelity audio gear.
