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I am a naughty audiophile. Fortunately the brand new Audeze Maxwell gaming headset means I not need to be. You see, I like actually good audio. I like the tingle down my backbone that accompanies listening to a tune very well, however immediately listening to one thing new in it; I like getting immersed in an all-encompassing sport world now dropped at vivid life, all due to the {hardware} I am utilizing.
However I am additionally intrinsically lazy. It is a curse.
And that curse means I might moderately not need to cope with the particular problem of wired headphones even when I do know that I am getting an objectively worse aural expertise consequently. That is why I ditched the beautiful-sounding Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones from my house PC setup in favour of the cable-free Razer BlackShark V2 Professional.
Not that the wi-fi Razer cans are dangerous—they truthfully sound nearly as good, if not higher, than the HyperX Cloud Alpha (opens in new tab), which is excessive reward from me—however they simply do not come near the heat or tonal readability of a very good set of planar magnetic headphones, of which the LCD-1s are, nicely, one. The BlackShark V2 Professional is, nonetheless, a wi-fi gaming headset; the liberty of motion, and normal high quality of life, that affords trumps the sound for me basically use.
Maxwell specs
Model: Over-ear, closed-back
Driver: 90mm planar magnetic
Frequency response: 10Hz – 50,000Hz
Microphone: Inside beamforming, removable hypercardioid increase
Battery life: 80+hours (@80dBA)
Connection: 2.4GHz wi-fi (Kind-C dongle), Bluetooth 5.3, USB Kind-C cable, 3.5mm analogue cable
Weight: 490g
Worth: $299 (opens in new tab) | £319 (opens in new tab)
However the Audeze Maxwell (opens in new tab) means I not need to make that compromise, as a result of I can have each planar magnetic drivers, attractive sound, and a wi-fi gaming headset in a single. In equity, Audeze has already created such a gaming headset in its Penrose, but it surely lacked both the battery life or the high-res audio chops of this new up to date Maxwell design.
So what’s my obsessive cope with planar magnetic drivers? Your customary gaming headset makes use of dynamic drivers, which function on a precept largely much like conventional audio system. They’ve a cone-shaped diaphragm that’s vibrated utilizing a single magnet, and a magnetised coil, to generate sound. It is comparatively easy, however creates a definite form of wavefront because the sound hits your ears.
With planar magnetic drivers, nonetheless, you (typically) have a pair of magnets both facet of a flat diaphragm. Primarily, the best way they generate sound waves is similar—utilizing electrical currents to work together with the magnetic fields and transfer the diaphragm—however due to the broader, flatter construction of the motive force the best way the sound hits your ears is broader and extra pure.
This is the reason planar magnetic drivers are in a position to create such a pure soundstage, and why I feel they’re one of the best know-how for gaming headsets if you wish to deeply immerse your self in your chosen sport world.
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The primary situation, although, is that they find yourself being moderately heavy because of the bigger magnets. And in a wi-fi headset, that has to additionally cope with an added battery. Collectively the burden can grow to be a difficulty. At 490g, the Audeze Maxwell is heavy, and there is no getting away from that. However fortunately the design of the scarf and ear cups is such that I’ve by no means felt fatigued from carrying them, even after lengthy gaming classes.
The leather-looking head strap means the band is suspended in your head and the ear cups press in gently from the facet. I’ve had headsets that pretty attempt to crush your jaw due to the drive with which they attempt to grip onto your cranium, conversely the Maxwell has by no means felt prefer it’s acquired me in loss of life grip. That stated, it is safe and the asymmetrical design of the ear cups means you get a very good match and due to this fact some first rate passive noise cancelling, too.
I am into the general aesthetic as nicely. The previous Penrose regarded and felt somewhat too ‘gamer’ for my tastes, and the extra basic styling of the Maxwell works for me, and is extra in line with Audeze’s customary audiophile headphones. It is value noting there are two discrete designs of the headset, nonetheless: an Xbox and a PlayStation model. The distinction is both inexperienced or blue accents and an included Dolby Atmos license with the Xbox set.
For the PC consumer I would advocate the PlayStation model; it is somewhat cheaper at $299, as an alternative of $329, and also you’re not likely dropping any performance. You are still getting all of the goodness of the 90mm PM drivers, and all the identical controls. These are constructed into the left-hand ear cup, supplying you with the power to regulate quantity, sport/chat combine, mic mute, and AI noise cancelling, too.
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By way of the precise connection, you’ve gotten 4 selections. You may both join by an analogue 3.5mm jack, a USB type-C cable, Bluetooth 5.3, or a low latency 2.4GHz wi-fi connection through an included USB type-C dongle. You too can set it up with each Bluetooth and a pair of.4GHz wi-fi on the similar time, although that does not imply you’ll be able to hear each on the similar time. If it is related to your cellphone and PC then should you get a name it’ll auto-switch to the Bluetooth enter so you’ll be able to chat.
And it is all tremendous fast, and fairly slick. We’re fairly used to latency not being a difficulty with 2.4GHz wi-fi, however Maxwell additionally permits for high-res audio to be flung over that wi-fi connection. With the Penrose you have been restricted to 16bit/48KHz, however the Maxwell goes all the best way as much as 24-bit/96KHz audio. Should you have been after correct audiophile wi-fi chops, Audeze has delivered right here, and in a gaming headset.
The Bluetooth connection is fast, too. I’ve gamed on a bunch of various wi-fi earbuds lately with the Steam Deck (opens in new tab) and hooked as much as GeForce Now (opens in new tab) on my Nvidia Defend machine, and few cope with the latency points with out some disappointing audio points. The Maxwell fortunately related to my Defend and delivered a gaming expertise that was imperceptibly completely different to the wi-fi expertise I had on my PC, the connection is that fast.
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I would cease typing simply to pay attention slack-jawed to what was going into my earholes.
After which there’s the audio. Ah, it is simply nice.
It truthfully does not matter whether or not you are listening to high-res music (Tidal Grasp is my jam) otherwise you’re gaming, the Audeze Maxwell headset is ready to ship a generally astonishing aural expertise. The primary factor, for me, is the extent of readability and tonal separation I get with this headset—it is proper up there with one of the best audiophile headphones I’ve ever used. Meaning with the ability to pick and isolate virtually any sound pumping at your ears, and it is that which makes listening to music nicely such a pleasure.
Immediately listening to a bassline you’d by no means picked out earlier than is usually a actual stop-what-you’re-doing second. And I had a bunch of these carrying the Maxwell headset throughout testing, the place I would cease gaming or typing simply to pay attention slack-jawed to what was going into my earholes.
One thing that has shocked me is that I’ve not likely wanted to burn them in, as I’ve with different planar magnetic headphones I’ve used, even my earlier Audeze set. Beforehand, such headphones would possibly sound somewhat too detailed out of the field, and doubtlessly that made them somewhat sharp and spikey. However after a interval of use they might heat as much as the purpose the place they grow to be hotter and ship a richer sound. The Maxwell headset, nonetheless, sounds nice from the moment I hooked it up.
One of many actually spectacular issues is the pure soundscape the drivers ship even with a closed again working precept. Usually you’d solely get that expansive sound from an open again headset, but the Maxwell provides readability and glorious positional audio cues out of your gaming atmosphere. The flat wavefront of the planar magnetic drivers is what results in that extra pure expertise versus the focused, formed wavefront dynamic drivers ship direct at your ears.
The opposite advantage of utilizing planar magnetic drivers is the bass response. They’ll actually plumb the depths of both bass-heavy music, or make you actually really feel the ‘splodes. They’re additionally much more able to slicing the bass when it is not being generated, and that makes it really feel much more punchy, too.
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Lastly, there’s the microphone, which is mostly the weakest a part of a gaming headset. We’ve, nonetheless, seen enhancements on this sphere lately, what with Audio-Technica’s StreamSet (opens in new tab) completely nailing it. I am not going to name the Maxwell’s removable increase mic broadcast high quality, however I have been impressed with its readability, too. There’s additionally a noise filter you’ll be able to entry on the press of a button, which is able to assist with background noise. On its highest setting you’ll be able to sound somewhat robotic, but it surely’s first rate for positive.
There’s additionally a fall-back possibility of inside mics utilizing beamforming to seize your voice. For me, it is an emergency backup should you simply wish to shortly chat with out having to plug within the increase mic, however makes the Maxwell supremely versatile.
What about battery life? I have been utilizing the headset for weeks now and have solely needed to cost it a few instances. Audeze is quoting an 80+ hour battery life, and I am not going to argue with that, it is actually there or thereabouts. It is also extremely fast charging through USB type-C; you’ll be able to pump the battery up by 25% in simply 20 minutes.
The weakest a part of the bundle, nonetheless—and it all the time appears to be the best way of issues in tech—is the software program. The Audeze HQ app is clunky at greatest, insufficient at worst. Fortunately, you do not ever really want to enter the applying itself as a result of all of the controls can be found immediately on the headset. However there are oddities, such because the EQ settings that provide six completely different presets, and one other 4 presumably editable ones. Besides there is no functionality to try this. There’s additionally alleged to be a five-band equalizer for the mic, so you’ll be able to tune it “to sound excellent” besides once more the software program does not offer you entry to that.
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The most effective aural expertise you are going to get in a gaming headset.
That is actually not a deal-breaker for me, nonetheless, all I would like the Maxwell to do is sound nice over wi-fi and never run out of battery throughout my sport time. And in that it excels. In truth, I am discovering it exhausting to justify some other high-end wi-fi gaming headset in the marketplace. The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wi-fi has that distinctive battery life, and the Razer BlackShark V2 Professional is a bit more reasonably priced nonetheless, however should you’re after audiophile sound in a wi-fi headset nothing else comes near the Maxwell. Actually not for the cash.
Positive, $299 is quite a lot of money to drop on any peripheral, however that is not quite a lot of money to spend on a planar magnetic headset, even much less so on one which’s able to high-res audio over wi-fi in addition. It is actually a greater worth bundle than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Professional (opens in new tab), our earlier favorite high-end headset, and a better-sounding one, too.
The Audeze Maxwell is totally now my each day driver of a headset. It companies each my need for wi-fi freedom and my pretentious audiophile pretentions, and it is simply one of the best aural expertise you are going to get in a gaming headset.
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