AUDEZE MAXWELL

Pre-Order the AUDEZE Maxwell Now!

After years of relentless innovation building the world’s best wireless gaming headset, Audeze presents Maxwell, designed from the ground up for serious gamers. Sound quality, wireless performance, and battery life are all pushed to new extremes, along with the latest spatial audio features and multi-platform compatibility.

Audeze HQ

Award-winning Audeze 90mm planar magnetic drivers

A real plus on the forthcoming Maxwell are Audeze 90mm planar magnetic drivers. These have already received a number of awards and, because of their size, will provide a fantastic sound for gaming, delivering powerful bass and pinpoint precision. It must be noted that many other popular gaming headsets only use 40 mm drivers here. The drivers are supplemented by other extra tech in the equipment list such as: Uniforce voice coils, fluxor magnets and Fazor waveguides.

In layman’s terms, the integrated technology will provide high-resolution sound with bit rates of up to 96 kHz / 24 bit. This applies to the connection of the headset via USB as well as with Bluetooth 5.3. When using Bluetooth, there will be many advantages compared to current 2.4 GHz technology. The range will go three times as far before disconnecting and the latency will be significantly lower than competitor models.

New design, upgraded chassis & more!

As you might expect here Audeze have given their new gaming headset a complete overhaul. The Maxwell has a chassis made of aluminum and steel (longevity +++). The integrated battery will also last up to 80 hours and if you forget to charge your headset, a 20 minute charge will get the headset to work for a full day (Battery +++! In addition to this, a new noise filter has been integrated (FILTER is Audeze tech). Dolby Atmos is also supported, but this only applies to the Xbox version or for use on the PC. The microphone is also detachable. It is a boom microphone with hypercardioid characteristics (think broadcasting microphones) that has 5 beamforming mics integrated too. So yes, when it gets sweaty on the battlefield, you will still sound clear as day.

Key Features:

• 80hr+ Battery Life with Fast Charge for All Day Play in 20 min
• Ultra-Low Latency Wireless with 3X Range of Traditional 2.4Ghz
• First-in-Class Bluetooth 5.3 supports LE Audio, LC3plus, LDAC
• Class-Leading High-Resolution Audio up to 24-bit/96kHz
• Embedded Dolby Atmos® License (Xbox version only)
• All-New Reinforced Chassis Built with Aluminum and Steel
• FILTER Noise Reduction Technology for Clear Communications
• Award-winning Audeze 90mm Planar Magnetic Drivers

View Comparison and Compatibility Chart

You can Pre-Order the Audeze Maxwell Today!

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Aesthetics and Build Quality

It probably won’t take many people long to figure out where the LCD-4’s come from, with their big bold look and chrome grills, you guessed it the USA. They are not subtle, they are not low key, they have lovely dark wooden housings, shiny chrome grills and a carbon fibre headband. Big leather pads and a silver/black braided cable, the LCD-4 look stunning if not a little OTT.

Build quality is superb, as would be expected at this price range. They are solid and well put together, with good materials and not a blemish in sight. The included cable is also excellent with great strain relief and thickness. They also come with an excellent case to store them in when not in use, the LCD-4 sure feel like they are built to last.

Comfort

The LCD-4 are heavy, there is no doubting that. But the headband is well made to distribute the pressure well, and the pads are soft and well cushioned. Depending on your resilience to the weight of headphones, the LCD-4 are surprisingly comfortable for relatively long listening sessions. This all comes down to personal thresholds though.

Sound

Bass: Audeze are usually known for making headphones that have a warmer, more bass oriented sound signature, and that is true for a few of their models. The LCD-4 and LCD-X however follow a more reference style tuning, these handle the low end with effortless extension and punch without any bleeding or bloat. The low end is tight and controlled, and very accurate to the source. Every bit of the recording can be heard, the layering down low is expertly handled and they never step out of line. There is always a slight underlying warmth to the LCD-4, but they are not a dark sounding headphone.

Midrange: The LCD-4 don’t tend to accentuate any part of the midrange, allowing them to portray it in an open and natural way. Again the layering really stands out, allowing every instrument and vocal track sit in it’s own space whilst always sounding coherent. Guitars sound exceptionally good, you can hear each finger pick of an acoustic guitar, yet throw on something heavier and they have good crunch and energy. The same goes for vocals, every little detail is present and can be heard without much effort, this does mean they pair best with well recorded material as they do show up compression artefacts.

Treble: Snares snap, cymbals crash, violins sing, the top end is open and extended yet they have an incredibly smooth and fatigue free delivery. They are not exaggerated to sound more detailed or energetic, instead they offer up a refined and open sounding top end that is not distracting yet offers up plenty of insight into the recording. Tonality up top is spot on, they have great control and an excellent sense of space, helping open up the soundstage.

The soundstage is very holographic with good width, depth and height, it also has pinpoint precision.

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MrSpeakers Aeon Closed Back Headphone Review

MrSpeakers is one of those small companies which gets some big attention; not content with their excellent Ether models, they’re back with another design! The MrSpeakers Aeon is a slight departure from the norm, as MrSpeakers has elected to go with some teardrop-shaped earcups for this one. Perhaps they’re designed to match the tears currently falling down our cheeks.. but are they tears of pure frisson, or rage?

Pros:

• Light and comfortable
• Excellent sound for a closed back
• Tuning/modding foam included
• Isolation impressive

Cons:

• Nothing worth mentioning!

Design and Appearance

Much like its MrSpeakers forebears, the Aeon is a light and thoughtfully constructed headphone with ‘memory metal’ headband and a decent real leather strap. The earcups are mostly plastic with metal housings for the drivers; it’s all rock solid though, despite the low weight of the Aeon.

Durability and Build Quality

There’s not a lot to go wrong with the design; there are no hinges which can sometimes give trouble eventually, and the sturdy case supplied with the headphones will protect them well between uses. The ‘Dummer’ cable is about 1.8m long and is much like those we’ve seen on the previous Ether models; fabric coated and substantial enough without becoming too cumbersome.

Comfort

Comfort is not an issue with the MrSpeakers Aeon; these are very light for what they do and can be worn for many hours. Clamping force may be more noticeable but the soft pads ensure that no pressure points announce themselves.

Suitability for intended application

The Aeon is primarily intended for the home or office, but wouldn’t look out of place outdoors. The Aeon is a little hard to drive with portable equipment so a separate amp may be required for this, or a capable player. The isolation on the Aeon is quite impressive so it could be a worthwhile thing to try.

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READ MORE: Shanling M2s Digital Audio Player Review

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Sound Characteristics

At first listen the Aeon is quite a neutral-sounding headphone; nothing sticks out too much and there are no obvious dips in the frequency response. After a while though, the Aeon’s character starts to come through. MrSpeakers has also included some small foam pads to modify the sound somewhat; this fills in the upper bass and smooths upper midrange frequencies a bit if needed.

• Bass

Bass starts with a bump, and the sub bass is really rather nice; a lot of what certain tracks require is just waiting in the wings and pops out to make a great bottom end. Further up towards the upper reaches of the bass, there is a feeling that more presence would be good as it meets the midrange but it’s slight. Overall the bass is tight and well behaved, giving a solid feeling to proceedings.

• Mids

Midrange is extremely clear and revealing; it has a natural and loose feel to it which is impressive for a closed-back model. It has a well balanced quality which is not too hard, nor too lush. There’s no issue with sibilance here either, despite the impression that midrange is fully present within the tuning of the MrSpeakers Aeon.

• Treble

Up at the top, there’s good extension and a decent amount of sparkle although there is no obvious emphasis here; treble continues on from midrange without any problem. Cymbals are rendered very well with decent detail, and attacks are good and sharp.

• Soundstage and Separation

We keep needing to remind ourselves that this is a closed-back headphone; the soundstage is very impressive indeed with great depth too. Imaging and separation are excellent, making a very entertaining and enjoyable headphone.

Music genres good for and why

Many genres were tried and none failed to hit the mark. Classical is treated with delicacy, hip hop is thrown down, and jazz gets playful. The MrSpeakers Aeon handles it all equally well!

Summary

MrSpeakers’ Aeon is a very capable headphone which is worthy of the high price, and equally suitable for use outdoors as well as relaxing at home.

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