That’s like my dream job haha. Maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to open a local one (we only have two good ones in the metro area).
1 Like
I’ve tried all of those. Maxwell is my personal favorite. I feel the detail retrieval is very good, and it’s easy to eq.
3 Likes
Been waiting for the past month, and still waiting for my pair to arrive 
.
Has anyone tried the wicked cushions pads for the Maxwell? They just got released and according to the measurements done in this video by a YouTuber, and that despite the deeper dimensions, they surprisingly change the frequency response only minimally:
Apart from the cooling gel/breathabiliy etc, those of you that have problems with pad depth/seal may see improvements from this pair of pads as well, though they are a fair bit heavier than the stock pads.
1 Like
I got mine in recently. While I am impressed by the sense of space here for a closed back and the sense of separation/incisiveness during busier tracks, I have to say the dynamics are probably some of the weakest area for these imo. I’m probably spoiled by the dynamism and zippiness of my LCD-5s but these seem to have some softness/fuzziness to its transients that make for a very laid back but less exciting/engaging listen. And the mic leaves much to be desired… a mixed bag right now.
1 Like
I got some wicked cushion pads for these the other day. For me the stock pads were a bit spicy, and I find the new pads very cozy and are a huge recommend.
I think those pads will work with the MM-100 but have yet to see Audeze respond on Twitter.
I haven’t actually tried the mic yet as I’m largely down to single-player games these days. Have been really enjoying the Maxwells with Diablo 4. Final Fantasy XVI just dropped today as well and I can’t wait to experience that soundtrack with the Maxwells!
Going from the Mobius to the Maxwells, I’d say the Maxwells are a step up in a number of ways for me except for in comfort as the weight difference is noticeable. But I also understand that people had some issues with the build on the Mobius and there were some changes made on the Maxwell to make them sturdier so it was hard to get around the weight there.
After spending about 2 months with the Maxwells I’m pretty impressed with them so far. I’ve yet to really dive into the app experience or EQ profiles though so still a lot to play around with!
3 Likes
Yea, fair assessment. To be honest, after acclimating more to the Maxwell, I don’t have as many gripes with them as I initially had. I think part of the issue is that I daily-drive my LCD-5s and its not a fair comparison to make by any means, but once I grew accustomed to them I’ve accepted their more chill, laid back sound in comparison to the more intense characteristics of the 5. To reiterate, I am still impressed with the technical capability and relatively spacious imaging within its price-point (and it helps that I can use this one in the office too!).
2 Likes
I just got these today. I had heard these a couple times at CanJam SoCal 2023. Last week I purchased an open box Focal Bathys (which I also heard an CanJam). I already decided that the Maxwell sounded better, but wanted to hear them side by side. This is not even a fair fight.The Maxwell, to my ears, is a considerably better sounding headphone for all genres. Also the Maxwell has a lot more power/volume for older, quieter recordings. The Bathys is better than all the other ANC headphones, but the Maxwell is the best sounding wireless headphone to me. The build quality is great, the app is great. The microphone(s) are way better than on any wireless headsets I have sampled (even without the AI noise cancelling activated). I will be using these for work for music and calls. I will also travel with them. Passive noise suppression on these is not bad. No ANC, no problem. I listed the Focal Bathys for sale four hours ago and already sold them.
4 Likes
I wanted to love this but the bathys really puts it to shame in DAC & transparency mode, both are great but there really is no soundstage and the imaging is weird on the Maxwell. This wouldn’t be such a big deal to me if it wasn’t for gaming, which is so imaging/soundstage specific.
Also found that my friends said the bathys mic is much better, so I just use it in DAC mode while I game
I like these headphones, they are really great (although I do prefer the sound of my SA6).
Did anyone compare the sound via usb cable? Is there a noticeable difference compared to the dongle?
@SwedishMike reminded me of this, as he got some Dekoni pads for his Audeze.
The Dekoni sheepskin pads for the Maxwell are excellent. They are very comfortable, and do give a slight bass boost to the sound. They are slightly thicker than the stock pads.
1 Like
I’m on my third pair of Maxwells now. I can only agree about the sound quality, but the QA from Audeze is below par. I always used my Maxwells very carefully and got planar crackle every time.
3 Likes
Does anyone know the approximate Q value of the EQ adjustments when using the Audeze HQ application?
Would anyone recommend the Audeze Maxwell for audio engineering since it’s tuning is very natural and almost identical to the HD650 with better low end extension?
@Resolve I’d particularly appreciate your input because I feel like your taste and expectations of how a headphone should perform are very similar.
Only thing drawback I could imagine is the downside of them not being open back in terms of soundstaging and the quality of the audio signal generally after it’s gone through the Maxwell’s dedicated amp / DAC.
@Resolve Also, you mentioned an 8 dB slope during the measurements of the Maxwell, is that to match the measurements with the current Harman target curve? Because the 5128 has an IEM low end target?
I’m a bit confused because on your graph it shows that the low end is boosted compared to linearity, on rtings however it’s linear in their measurements in stock settings?
Also, do you happen to have an Audeze App EQ profile that would enhance its linearity according to your measurements?
Generally: My favorite, unbeaten, daily driver headphone for both audio engineering and gaming is currently still the HD650.
I’ve just received a pair of Audeze Maxwells and Sennheiser 490 Pros which I’ll be testing the coming week to see which will fit my preference.
I tried the Hifiman Sundara, Edition XS, Sennheiser HD560s and Audeze MM-500 and returned them all because they couldn’t really compete with my HD650s, or offer something new while being similar sonically, in terms of what I perceive as a good neutral headphone.
I would not say it’s exactly like an HD 650 with better low frequency… but I can see why you’d say that. I do think it would work great for professional use.
Don’t worry about the whole soundstage thing, as it’s a psychoacoustic effect that generally comes at the cost of timbre. So there is no acoustic property of ‘soundstage’ that’s a real thing, the only thing to do with soundstage is merely the perception of spaciousness, caused by FR relationships and certain colorations.
No… we did measurements this way before we had the new visualization style, and using the DF tilt method has taken on a life of its own in a way that wasn’t exactly intended when we started doing that.
Think of DF tilt as the most coarse-grained view of the downward slope that most people prefer in speakers/headphones. How you get there is still somewhat up for debate, but the Harman method is one well-tested way of achieving that same bass to treble delta.
You can think of Maxwell as achieving ‘Harman OE’ fairly well. It’s one of the better headphones at achieving that target.
As for EQ, I’d just use the default Audeze preset. The HD 490 Pro is one where without EQ it’s maybe not quite as good, but it’s not hard to EQ it to be great, and it’s definitely more comfortable.
With that said… if your go-to is the HD 650, you could always just EQ up the bass on that and you’ll be fine. No need to go deep into the rabbit hole.
3 Likes
One of the other main reason I’m looking currently for an alternative to my trusted HD650s is the transient response (which even compared to my new nearfield monitors for mixing is competitively rather mushy), which is probably an upgrade with either the Maxwell or 490 Pro. Do you feel the same way with the HD650 compared to newer drivers?
Do you have any input about that on the latter devices? Do you think the 490 Pro with the mixpads is a worthy alternative to the HD650, without EQ? Or the Maxwell?
Transient response in headphones is entirely a function of frequency response; if you’re unhappy with that aspect of your HD 650’s performance, it can be addressed with EQ.
Additionally, when’s the last time you changed the pads? If they’re mushy, changing the pads could help bring treble back and help transients sound clearer.
2 Likes
That does make a dramatic difference. Plus I feel like Sennheiser OEM pads don’t hold up all that well, they start degrading pretty quickly (>6 months?). I’m sure it depends on how much you use them…
Transient response, at least in passive speaker technology, is heavily dependent on the driver technology used and the material of the membrane.
My ProAc SM 100, while being very linear, are technology-wise soon 30 years old with paper cones, even though they’ve been updated and improved in 2021 and do sound a bit more responsive than the original model.
On the other hand my second pair, the Amphion One 18s, also very linear speakers, are relatively new, equipped with titanium tweeters and aluminum woofers, which compared to the ProAcs sound like a veil is lifted from the sound with a much better separation of the individual instruments and resonance clarity. Simply put, drivers of the One 18 physically just react much faster, talking about the membrane going back and forth, which you can even see yourself, which from a listener’s perspective makes the ProAc sound more musical and the Amphions more clinical and precise.
Isn’t the aforementioned also the case with new headphone driver technology in terms of transient response? With a more efficient magnet, more responsive diaphragm, better voicecoil and much more flexible suspension?
I’ll give it a try, it’s 3 years old now.
1 Like