Audeze - Our Maxwell Gaming Headsets! (latest: Firmware v61 and HQ v97)
Apr 4, 2023 at 11:31 AM Post #2,866 of 4,467
As I've been on the headphone journey for many years at this point, I've started to prioritize comfort more and more. I just can't enjoy a headphone, no matter how amazing it may sound, if it isn't comfortable and able to be worn for long periods of time (e.g. hifiman anything). In fact, I will gladly sacrifice some amount of sound quality for comfort.

For gaming in particular, something lightweight that "disappears" on the head is what I'd prefer. So my main hesitation with the Maxwell is comfort. 500+ g is just a lot of weight for a headphone.

Is anyone else able to make some comments on comfort?


I have no issues with comfort. I think the headband does a great job of distributing the weight, and the pads are comfortable. Nothing slides around and there's just enough clamp force for me. No, it is not going to be SHP9500 or HD660S weightless type of comfort, but it's still very comfortable and the weight hasn't bothered me.

My headband is on the middle setting.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 11:36 AM Post #2,867 of 4,467
If comfort is so important for you you should look for something else. I think they are comfortable enough, but the clamping force is strong and they are heavy. For me I wear them all day for work, and can stand them, but I do need breaks and they start weighting on me by the end of the day. I'm not saying they are uncomfortable, but they might be for some people. For me they are fine.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 12:36 PM Post #2,868 of 4,467
On an unrelated matter, I have been testing DTS headphones X and Dolby Atmos in some single player games (on PC). My initial tests were using the Witcher 3, and I was ready to conclude that DTS was superior, as you get a really balanced presentation and a huge sense of spatial depth which really shines with all of the game's different environments (caves, cellars, forests, riversides). Voices are very clear, although everything lacks a bit of bass. Dolby Atmos sounds much more spatially compressed and voices have depth and bass, but they sound a bit harsh.

However, I then tested two other native Dolby Atmos games, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Metro Exodus. In both cases, Dolby Atmos was far superior, and the sound mix of the games, specially Shadow of the Tomb Raider, is nothing but amazing, specially in the jungle environments where you can hear all the animals buzzing and chirping around you. Metro Exodus can also be really impressive too, like when you shoot a shotgun you can hear the loud bassy boom initially and then the echo as it reverberates in the environment, it's insanely realistic. DTS sounds like a cheap reverb filter in comparison in both games.

So my conclusion is simply that some spatial filters sound better in some games than others, and ideally you could own both and use them accordingly. My theory is that DTS will work better in games that don't have a very good spatial mix (so it might 'fake' it better) or in games mixed natively for DTS, but Dolby Atmos will work better for games that have a 'native' Dolby Atmos fix, which there are more of.
However, I already own Dolby Atmos, and DTS is a bit pricey ($20), so I might wait until there is some sort of sale to buy it.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 12:41 PM Post #2,869 of 4,467
Hi @Audeze,

I found that the app can connect to my headset without any paring process in advance.
I wonder if someone nearby can connect to my headset and mess around my settings by just using this IOS app?

Were you paired previously to downloading the IOS app?


Good day @Audeze

I’m in South Africa and a local retailer is awaiting stock of the Xbox variant.

I have a couple of questions I’d appreciate being answered before I pull the trigger.

1. The software/firmware issues, are we still in a situation where there are issues Headset/Dongle/PC etc that need to be resolved? I ask because I just updated the iOS Audeze HQ app and the EQ presets are broken when using my LCD-i3 in ears. You have to toggle between settings and EQ until the display sorts itself out. This makes me feel like the software is still not polished. See attached. Is there a list anywhere of known bugs that are being worked on?
2. Will there ever be an open back version of the Maxwell?

Much appreciated!

1. Yes, we are still fixing some issues related to software and firmware.

LCD-i3 using the cipher Bluetooth cable? In the disclaimer for the app page you will note that we stated that it does not work with the cipher BT cables. We should also mention that it also isn't for Penrose and Mobius. This is why you're having issues. The app is specifically for Maxwell.

2. We do not comment on anything outside publicly unveiled products.
 
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Apr 4, 2023 at 1:34 PM Post #2,870 of 4,467
Were you paired previously to downloading the IOS app?




1. Yes, we are still fixing some issues related to software and firmware.

LCD-i3 using the cipher Bluetooth cable? In the disclaimer for the app page you will note that we stated that it does not work with the cipher BT cables. We should also mention that it also isn't for Penrose and Mobius. This is why you're having issues. The app is specifically for Maxwell.

2. We do not comment on anything outside publicly unveiled products.
No I’m using the Cipher V2 Cable on my iPhone. It worked well before today’s update.

Regarding your statement about not commenting on a potential open back Maxwell - 100% understood. Thanks for your responses.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 2:17 PM Post #2,871 of 4,467
No I’m using the Cipher V2 Cable on my iPhone. It worked well before today’s update.

Regarding your statement about not commenting on a potential open back Maxwell - 100% understood. Thanks for your responses.
Unfortunately, the app no longer supports that Cipher v2 cable.

As it is a very old product, I would not anticipate getting official support for this at this time.

TO BE CLEAR: The Cipher cable still works without any differences in playback. EQ Settings made before updating the app are not affected.

There is a workaround: - Tap Settings, go back to EQ, and it works as it did before.
 
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Apr 4, 2023 at 2:58 PM Post #2,872 of 4,467
Has anyone got the auto shutdown to work? I have it set to 45 minutes but the headphones never turn off. Even in the morning they are still on. Have them only connected to PC.
Thankfully the battery life is so good this isn't a major problem but would be nice if it worked. With Penrose there were no issues with this.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 3:15 PM Post #2,873 of 4,467
Has anyone got the auto shutdown to work? I have it set to 45 minutes but the headphones never turn off. Even in the morning they are still on. Have them only connected to PC.
Thankfully the battery life is so good this isn't a major problem but would be nice if it worked. With Penrose there were no issues with this.
I think that they go into auto standy in like 2-5 minutes or something. Which probably lowers the battery drain considerably.
(my theory, not confirmed) The auto idle feature is the reason why the sound fades in when you start playing some audio after the headset being idle for some minutes.
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 3:19 PM Post #2,874 of 4,467
It's been a while since I've been on the site. I sold my audiophile gear since everything seemed to be uncomfortable and gave me aches and pains.

Since then I've bought and used DT 990 pros for music mixing which are super comfortable and I use the 3D Pulse for my Psvr 2 setup. When I found out about the Maxwell I was interested, Penrose was great but was unbearable to wear because of how tight it was.

Put an order in for the Maxwell and received them today. The audio quality is great. Haven't heard music like this in a while, Vr games were fantastic and I could tell the step up in quality compared to the Pulse. I was told they were much more comfortable than the Penrose and many people had no issues with clamp force.

Unfortunately I'm not one of those people. The weight doesn't bother me so much but the clamp force is noticeable. The 990s and pulse can be worn for hours and when I take them off it's like I wasn't even wearing anything. The Maxwell on the other hand clamp too hard and cause some pain. It'll eventually lead to a headache as I've been down this road before, if not jaw or pain in front of the ears.

I'll give the band a stretch and see what happens but I've been here before. I'm hoping they can get comfortable for me but they'll eventually go back if I can't wear them without discomfort. It's a shame cuz they are fantastic
The clamping force was a bit too harsh for me as well. My fix was to set the headband to the max holes (lower), which lowers the clamping force a lot. However, it makes them too big. The way to solve this is to add some padding to compensate. I ripped the headband padding of my old (broken) sennheiser pc360 and used double sided tape to attach it to the leather band of the maxwell.

And now they fit perfectly, its a lot more comfy and the clamping force is just right.

Also, every head is different, so might not work for you. But try with some padding you have lying around (for example you could test with some packaging foam)
 
Apr 4, 2023 at 3:37 PM Post #2,875 of 4,467
Apr 4, 2023 at 4:19 PM Post #2,876 of 4,467
Ordered Thursday night and got them on Monday
It looks like they are out of stock on headphones.com and are on pre-order status. Does anyone know which of these retailers that have them in stock are legit? Most of them look dodgy.

Edit: I just bought these off headphones.com. Their site says the PlayStation unit is on preorder but I asked customer service and they have a few units in stock left.
 
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Apr 4, 2023 at 11:29 PM Post #2,877 of 4,467
Unfortunately, the app no longer supports that Cipher v2 cable.

As it is a very old product, I would not anticipate getting official support for this at this time.

TO BE CLEAR: The Cipher cable still works without any differences in playback. EQ Settings made before updating the app are not affected.

There is a workaround: - Tap Settings, go back to EQ, and it works as it did before.
any chance of some maxwell earbuds?
 
Apr 5, 2023 at 4:30 AM Post #2,878 of 4,467
I am very interested in Audeze Maxwell and thinking about using it as a wireless headphone for music enjoyment. I like to know how it compares to Sony's XM5 and Airpod Max in terms of Sound Quality for music listening? Appreciate your inputs.
 

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