Over-Ear
Apple AirPods Max 2
83Outstanding
$430
Full review dataApple AirPods Max 2 vs Audeze Maxwell 2: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Audeze Maxwell 2 comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 88. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Audeze Maxwell 2 - Outstanding overall at around $329.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 leads on 6 of 7 measures.
- Apple AirPods Max 2
- Audeze Maxwell 2
HearWiki score
83
88
Sound
8.7
9.5
Noise cancelling
9.3
-
Battery
5.5
9.5
Calls
8.0
9.0
Value
6.5
7.5
Price (USD)
$430
$330
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
New platform
Both shipped in 2026. The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the newer platform here: Top codec LC3 against AAC and LE Audio (LC3).
- AirPods Max 22026
- Maxwell 22026
What differsAirPods Max 2Maxwell 2
- Top codec
- AAC
- LC3
- LE Audio (LC3)
- No
- Yes
- Multipoint pairing
- No
- Yes
- Wear detection
- Yes
- No
- Custom EQ
- No
- Yes
- Companion app
- No
- Yes
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Bluetooth, ANC type, USB-C, Transparency mode.
Specifications
AirPods Max 2Maxwell 2
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $330
- HearWiki score
- 83
- 88
- Released
- 2026
- 2026
- Availability
- Sold new
- Sold new
- Driver
- dynamic
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- planar
- Driver size
- -
- 90 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- -
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.3
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- No
- Yes
- Battery life
- 20 h
- 80 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 20 h
- 35 h
- Full charge time
- -
- 120 min
- Quick charge
- 5 min → 1.5 h
- -
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- adaptive
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- No
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- No
- Yes
- Wear detection
- Yes
- No
- Controls
- both
- buttons
- Voice assistant
- Siri
- -
- Weight
- 386.2 g
- 560 g
- Case weight
- 134.5 g
- -
- Foldable
- No
- -
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 9
- 2
- Microphone type
- MEMS
- -
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- Yes
- Call NR technology
- -
- AI ENC
What reviewers said
Apple AirPods Max 2
Apple's second-generation over-ear headphones deliver adaptive noise cancellation and a transparency mode, powered by a custom dynamic driver and an H2 chip. With nine microphones for voice pickup and a 20-hour battery life with ANC active, they offer a premium wireless experience, though they lack app support and multipoint connectivity. The design remains non-foldable and relies on SBC and AAC codecs for Bluetooth audio.
- Pro:Adaptive ANC and transparency mode
- Pro:Long 20-hour battery with ANC on
- Pro:Nine microphones for clear calls
- Con:No custom EQ or app support
- Con:No multipoint connection
- Con:Non-foldable design
Audeze Maxwell 2
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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