Before I joined the team at PC Gamer, I had my own little hardware blog. Being a small fish in a big pond, it was difficult for me to get hardware samples to review, so I used to borrow (steal) recent hardware purchases off of friends for a few days to review—before reluctantly handing them back.
And never was I more reluctant to give back an object than this set of gaming cans. The Audeze Maxwell is quite simply the best-sounding wireless gaming headset I’ve ever heard, and every time I see one on offer, something deep in my heart leaps in response.
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It’s still not exactly cheap, mind, but for $270 at Amazon right now I reckon this sonic marvel is a fantastic early Black Friday deal.
It’s not just me that thinks so, either. Our hardware overlord Dave James gave it 93% in his review, a score I think is perfectly reflective of its immense abilities.
So what makes it so special? Well, the key here is its planar magnetic drivers, normally the reserve of hyper-expensive audio gear not meant to be purchased by us mere mortals. They are truly fabulous units, capable of stonkingly good bass and sparkly treble in all the right ratios, which is enough to make your ears tingle whether you’re music-listening, gaming, or simply kicking back with a movie or two.
Seriously, if you’ve never heard a pair, you’re missing out. But the trick here is encompassing these wonder-drivers in a gaming headset that makes a whole lot of sense no matter which way you look at it.
It’s comfy, it’s got a choice of a detachable cardioid mic or built-in beamforming units, a 2.4 GHz wireless dongle and Bluetooth 5.3 support for audio on the move, and an 80 hour + battery life. Pretty much a shopping list of everything I want in the best wireless audiophile gaming headset right there, and oh look, it’s our top pick in exactly that category.
Of course, nothing’s truly perfect. At 490 g it’s a pretty weighty affair, although thanks to an adjustable headband it sits nicely atop your dome over long sessions. The passive noise cancellation is merely fine, not exceptional, and the software could do with some work.
But if you’re chasing ultimate sound quality, there’s simply no better wireless headset you can buy right now. At full price it’s just enough money to make me hold back my wallet, but with $30 off? It’s seriously tempting.
I get lots of fabulous headsets in to review now, but honestly? I’d trade them all for this one, and that’s about the best recommendation I could possibly give a set of cans.
