Audeze Maxwell: Audeze's newest closed-back (gaming) headphone

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Philimon, May 5, 2023.

  1. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Audeze Maxwell: @Resolve review: Headphones.com thread with impressions and measures.


    VIDEO NOTES:
    - bass is typical planar, extended and detailed but doesnt have the impact or slam. However it can take lots of EQ.
    - more resolving than DCA Aeon X closed
    - more balanced tone that most all things
    - insane value, hard to believe its priced this low
    - default EQ settings will suit most people, and only a few db off for Resolve’s preference (a tad too much 3kHz)
    - app includes EQ presets and customizable EQ (PEQ hopefully someday)
    - approx 500g, but comfortabe due to good weight distribution, should not be a problem for average user but could be problem for people who wear for very long periods, ymmv
    - 80 hour battery life and recharges super fast
    - Audeze's best tuned headphone. Yes, uses DSP. Meant to be used wirelessly but wired is an option. [editor / Phil note: Im not sure if DSP is bypassed when wired, didnt listen to video that well I guess and didnt read Audeze pamphlet. And if DSP were bypassed I bet it might sound like shit less preferable.]
    - Some dongle included for lower latency and specific versions because PS5 and XBOX not compatible. (?)
    - Muuuuch better than Audeze's past attempts at gaming headphones, better sound and better build quality. Much better than that Drop Panda POS.
    - comfortable earpads with large openings
    - some tech stuff about the microphone to help reduce background noise, but the voice quality isnt the best but fine for gaming. [editor note: i dont game much so I fast forwarded through this part of video]

    Resolves measures of default EQ setting.:
    [​IMG]

    Apparently a small batch of orders have shipped but otherwise its still in pre-order and expected for June launch.

    Why is this headphone interesting to me (Philimon)? For $300 you apparently get mucho build quality, tech, and sound. For less discerning ears like mine you can skip all the amps, dacs, tether cables, etc. in exchange for more convenience and cheaper cost and still have satisfactory sound. Also apparently good noise isolation (with inherit drawbacks of closed back). A very nice option to have. As someone who spends much more time using cheap wireless portables (w DSP EQ) over hifi desktop rig, I can say that Maxwell is very interesting.

    Will I pre-order then cancel like I did MM-100? Undecided.

    Thanks @Resolve . I hope you dont mind my linking and my notes interpretation of your video.

    Audeze Maxwell store with specs.
     
  2. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Im going to start a Maxwell thread with basic intro description for general discussion. Ill ask a mod to merge this thread as a subsequent post. This thread looks too much like a Maxwell advertisement because Resolve's review is so positive. To be clear, I wasnt approving / agreeing with Resolve's review. I was just trying to summarize his words and share awareness for a product I think might be great. I've not seen many of Resolve's reviews so Ive not much perspective on his perspective. Im aware he works for a headphone dealer / pro reviewer website so his words are naturally suspect but I am hoping his opinions aren't so tainted because I really want a great full-sized portable closed-back.
     
  3. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Audeze Maxwell
    [​IMG]
    ^ "The newest trend in virgin-wear." - @YMO

    [​IMG]
    ^ Pads are not glued on. Audeze can produce amazing tech but only until now did they figure out detachable pads? Maybe it wasnt an interesting enough challenge for them. Credit to Major Hifi for pic.

    Passive connection? Screenshot from website description:
    Screen Shot 2023-05-05 at 12.00.28 PM.png

    Why am I creating a thread for a headphone Ive never heard? Because Ive been effected by hype elsewhere and now Im spreading the contagion to SBAF. Will SBAF get a loaner to examine and develop a cure or will SBAF just let me board the train and see what happens? Its $300.

    @moderators, please merge my Resolve Review summary thread as subsequent post.
    Rtings review and performance investigation is interesting because they found a fault with phase mismatch and Audeze disagreed.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2023
  4. HHS

    HHS Almost "Made"

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    I've had the Maxwell since February and I largely agree with Resolve's review. Brief impressions:
    • Default "Audeze" preset is essentially my ideal frequency response. Very balanced with no big shortcomings.
    • It takes EQ very well, though the app only has a pretty simplistic custom EQ at this point
    • Resolution is much better than other wireless headphones I've heard in this price range, and even competitive with good wired closed headphones in this range.
    • It does lack a bit in dynamics and the staging is pretty intimate.
    • Build quality feels rock solid. Still need to see long-term to be sure but it's leagues above the Penrose for sure.
    • Battery life is excellent
    • Very comfortable, plenty of room inside the earpads and the comfort strap was a great decision
    Some things to keep in mind:
    • Unlike the Penrose, there is no lossless audio using the dongle. You'll have to wire in with USB if you want lossless. Honestly it sounds transparent to me using the dongle, so I don't care, but it is a technical limitation
    • Range and stability when using the dongle is much better than Penrose
    • Unlike the Penrose, no noticable difference in tonality between dongle and Bluetooth, likely because the dongle here is using Bluetooth (LC3plus codec)
    • No way to bypass DSP. The 3.5mm input is active and can only be used with the headphones powered on. Audeze recommends against using with headphone amps, and to exercise caution with how much power you feed them if you decided to do it anyway
    • Comfort strap has three size settings, with in between settings possible by adjusting it unevenly (i.e. small setting on left side, medium setting on right side, etc.). At the largest setting your head will touch the underside of the headband, but it is cushioned.
    • There have been reports of channel imbalance on some units. Hard to say how widespread the issue is.
    • Bluetooth codecs are LC3plus, AAC, SBC and LDAC, so no flavors of aptX
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2023
  5. elwappo99

    elwappo99 Friend

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    I've had this guy around for about a month and wanted to bump this thread. I wasn't planning on upgrading from the Penrose, but I decided to jump and I'm very glad I did. I'm sure @rhythmdevils will have tons to say considering how much he enjoyed the Penrose (as did I).

    It's hard to really compare this headphone to most headphones I have. It's a $300 wireless headphone with dac/amp/eq all built in. Keeping that in mind, for $300, I think it's excellent

    @HHS really nailed it here IMO. I think this guy is a large step ahead of the Penrose is many ways. Repeating some of the comments above:

    • Battery life is a massive improvement. After a whole day of usage, I was around 84% battery left. Penrose required mid-day recharges.
    • Comfort is also a large bump over the Penrose with the suspended strap
    • Build quality is a leap over the Penrose. The Penrose had a headband sliding mechanism that was basically designed to fail. The only moving part on the headband is a swivel for the cup. Time will tell if there are any issues.
    • This unit has both an internal and external mic you can hookup. So you can use them without having the boom mic constantly swinging around, which is great for the impromptu Teams/Zoom call.
    • A good amount of bass control over the Penrose and Mobius on this. There's more bass and it's much more controlled which gives the bass much more heft and impact.
    • Built in "Audeze" and "bass boost" EQs are excellent.
    • Imaging is a step behind dynamic driver headphones at this price point, but still on par for a planar at this price point.
    • Overall, sound quality is pretty excellent. It's really impressive the amount of features packed into this thing, with this much sound quality at this price



    Complaints are really more of minor first world problems for this headphone.
    • The headband suspension strap has 3 settings. On the loosest one my head hits the wire in the headband and hurts after 4+ hours. The next tightest one is just a bit snug on my head. One right in between would have been perfect.
    • If these are connected to my phone and computer (via usb dongle), they "reconnect" bluetooth every 30 minutes or so which causes them to stop playing music, have a voice prompt telling me they're reconnecting to bluetooth and then beeping. It's annoying enough that they're disconnected from all bluetooth devices and only run on the USB dongle.



    Other ramblings
    • My big ears hit the baffle which end up a bit uncomfortable after long long gaming sessions. The only other pads available are the "Wicked Cushion" pads which are a bit thicker and have a softer material on the pad that touches the skin (think Hifiman serenity pad or whatever they call it). It's a welcome improvement and having a porous material on that part breaks up the seal to reduce the chances of the planar crinkle developing. Some reviewers say there's no change in sound and my skepticism was right. There's a pretty hefty treble peak so be prepared to lose those great built in EQs and start making your own.

    If this headphone was out when I first started into higher end audio in 2006 or so, I think I would have just gotten this an been happy. It's a great headphone and Audeze is going to sell a lot of them.
     
  6. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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    This looks really cool. I've always been interested since they tried the Mobius, but it didn't look like any of their wireless headsets landed.

    The question I have is can you mute the mic from just the headset? I take a lot of Zoom calls pacing around my office, and I need to be totally untethered. So far this means I'm limited to mediocre Logitech headsets, so this could be a game changer.
     
  7. elwappo99

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    Yes, there's a hard toggle switch on the side which is very handy. One comments I forgot to mention is that these are a bit heavier than the Penrose and more gaming headsets. I'm used to Audeze weight, so it's not an issue but I have seen some comments. I think a lot of that weight is coming from the heavier and thicker materials.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    The sound path from Roon, after upsampling to 96, shows 96/24, and the Maxwell Dongle device confighuration shows 96/24 as well. Exactly the same as if connected with USB cable. Maybe it was the frameware update buit it looks like the Dongle may be lossless, unless I am missing something.
    upload_2023-11-9_18-16-56.png
    upload_2023-11-9_18-20-45.png

    I do not experience this on my setup but..
    I have different problem: when using USB cable there is noticeable static and I think this may be just a shitty, shared laptop USB port. @Resolve mentioned in the review that could be a problem. I am very reluctant use any kind of USB "cleaning" but I wonder if something like iSilencer+ would help. Or just a simple power hub. By the way with Dongle there is no static, it is very quiet.
     
  9. Bina

    Bina MOT - Shanling

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    I'm curious, if you compare these to other Audeze closed models, how would they do?
     
  10. HHS

    HHS Almost "Made"

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    Hi-Res ≠ Lossless

    The dongle apparently uses the LC3plus Bluetooth codec, based on some early documentation from Audeze (they’ve since become more coy about what protocol is being used by the dongle), which is capable of 24/96, but still appears to be lossy based on everything I’ve read about the codec. So what you’re seeing makes sense, but doesn’t mean you’re getting lossless.
     
  11. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    I briefly tried 2021 LCD-XC
    It is very confusing. Fraunhofer describes LC3Plus as wireless codec and " LC3plus is also suitable for Bluetooth. "
    https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/iis/en/doc/ame/Whitepaper/AME_LC3plus_High_Resolution.pdf
    On the Maxwell page Adobe describes LC3Plus as delivering lossless-quality hi res audio, but does it mean lossless?.
    And if they can transmit 24/96 why it is not lossless?
    "lossless-quality high-resolution audio with the latest in wireless technology, compatible with LC3plus"
     
  12. HHS

    HHS Almost "Made"

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    I have a feeling that “lossless-quality” here is actually marketing-speak for “transparent”, so it’s a claim that it sounds as good as lossless rather than literally being lossless, but Audeze really hasn’t clarified this. There’s an early version of some Maxwell documentation that says the dongle uses LC3plus and the FCC tear down doesn’t show a separate antenna for 2.4GHz antenna like the Penrose had, which did make the Penrose capable of lossless (just 16/44 I think?). So I’m 99.9% certain the Maxwell uses LC3plus and nothing I’ve found documents that codec being capable of lossless. But yeah, the whole thing is confusing
     
  13. wormcycle

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    It was bothering me enough that I started investigating possible solutions.
    The main motivation is that Maxwell is so good for listening from a laptop that I want to squeeze everything from it.
    The static noise is louder at the start of a track, and is fading away during playback.

    For the best tweak describe here, iBasso DX220 USB to Maxwell, Neutron player upsampling to 96, I could not hear any static.

    In the worst case scenario, a laptop with few peripherals and C power, it was very bothering.
    1. Quality USB from the source
      Defnitelly makes a difference but the results depend on the setup
      1. First eliminating possible sources of noise of LG Gram USB ports, trying with ROON or Foobar.
        Removing all USB peripherals, one by one, did not bring much improvement until I unplugged the C port PSU. USB disk did not make much difference, Logitech dongle neither.
        But the C power brings all the noise and it persists
      2. Moving the headphones to simpler USB environment: KannCube seems to have very quiet, when Wi-fi is off I really do not have too many objections, that's USB audio.
        Very low level of static is still there but is almost imperceptible during playback.
      3. But Neuron on iBasso performs better, OTL from IBasso DX220. Absolutely best results with Neutron player resamplink everything to 96, see Audeze tweaks below,
      4. But that makes me think that on laptop a like iPurifier2, may help. Would like to find out if there is a USB cable that would make a difference by itself
    2. Audeze tweaks:
      1. in the Framework release notes v1.0.1.51 there is a mysterios statement- "Fixed : Select 24bits/96KHz in USB mode noise issue." In Roon you can upsample the source to 24/96, and setup the Maxwell USB to accept max 24/96. Neutron player installed on iBasso has good resampler and there it makes real difference
      2. Impossible to chack with Kann Cube, its DSP is shit. And Neutron cannot be installed there.
    This is good heaphone: I compared HE500 with AMP8 on iBasso with Maxwell on USB. Frankly, on this DAP I would go with Maxwell, Audeze preset.
     

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