Audeze recently announced the launch of the brand-new Maxwell 2 ANC headset. The pair finally brings active and adaptive noise cancellation and "enhanced smart-audio capabilities" to the fan-favorite audiophile cups so you can play your favorite games and entirely shut out the world around you - just the way plenty of us nerds like it.
This upgraded Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC is available now for $429 (Audeze) / £429 (HiFiheadphones) for PC and PS5, and there's an Xbox model arriving shortly if you don't mind parting with an additional $20 / £20. Both models are a bit pricier than previous Maxwell pairs, but Audeze states that this new bundled ANC is the "most advanced quieting system ever"
The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC is back again with its wireless ways, bringing "Aviation-Grade" noise cancellation to the table, alongside an upcoming Xbox model - which doesn't have a release date quite yet. Just like before, the new Maxwell 2 ANC is also compatible with the Audeze app via desktop, Android, or iOS.
UK: £429 at HiFiheadphones
If you're sitting there thinking "wait, didn't the Audeze Maxwell 2 already release?" then you'd be entirely correct.
The Audeze Maxwell 2 headset launched earlier this year and ended up in our best gaming headset guide after our team's Tabitha Baker took it for a test run and was a fan of its "balanced, clear, high quality audio" and its comfort upgrades over the original. It's the long-awaited follow-up to the Audeze Maxwell, and includes a newly fangled headband that helped offset the previous pair's comfort issues.
It launched without any noise cancelling, which is where the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC comes in. This is the same headset as before but with ANC in tow, powered by a system that combines feedforward (outside microphones) and feedback noise (interior microphones) to combat unwanted sounds.
According to Audeze, this quieting audio system reduces that outside noise while still "preserving positional audio accuracy", which basically means that it doesn't negatively impact the sound conjured up by the headset's 90mm Planar Magnetic audio drivers. The new Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC also includes AI-controlled ANC parameters, alongside some voice-activated commands, and simultaneous wired and Bluetooth audio.
Unfortunately, there's still no sign of any simultaneous Bluetooth and 2.4GHz audio, which was sorely missing from the previous Maxwell 2 despite it being a common feature of most premium and high-end headsets. Remind me to break that news to our team's Tabtha Baker later, and she was "shocked to find out the Maxwell 2s won't play ball" with such a common high-end feature during her original Audeze Maxwell 2 review.
However, at least this pair keeps its compatibility with the interchangeable ReSkin earcup covers intact, alongside the older Maxwell 2's long list of features, which is ideally what you'd hope for from a headset that has a $400+ MSRP and is $100 more than its predecessor.
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