(Image credit: Audeze)

When you have a product that's generally deemed to be the best in its class, it can sometimes be hard to think of ways to make it better. But in the case of the Maxwell planar magnetic gaming headset, Audeze has given it 16 "community inspired" improvements and just as importantly, rolled out a fresh new app for all its audio gear.

Naturally, the new version has a simple moniker, the Maxwell 2, and a cursory glance through the spec sheets shows that Audeze has kept the fundamentals very much the same as the first iteration. Which is a very good thing, as the original Maxwell headset is outstanding, and there's been nothing to beat it as the best for gaming audiophiles since it launched two years ago.

Meet Maxwell 2 — elevate your game with industry-leading audio, upgraded ergonomics, and AI-powered microphones. Shipping now. pic.twitter.com/Cfe5f1pWSbJanuary 5, 2026

The Maxwell 2 sports the same 90 mm planar magnetic transducers (aka drivers), Fluxor array of magnets, and Fazor audio phase management system. Even the 1800 mAh battery is identical. However, the weight has increased from 490 to 560 g, so something has clearly been added.

Almost all of that additional weight will be the introduction of Audeze's SLAM or Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator. We first came across this in the LCD-S20 headset, and it's essentially a physical system of channels to improve the bass response and overall balance of the audio.

If you carefully compare the two Maxwell models, you'll also spot some of the other changes: the ear cup backs now sport a small degree of porting (possibly to help make the bass response more punchy) and the headstrap is now vented (ported!) to stop your nogging from overheating in a long gaming session. Lastly, you can now customise the ear cups with different magnetically-attached skins.