Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
88Outstanding
$430
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs HiFiMAN HE 4: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs HiFiMAN HE 4, side by side. Where a product has no HearWiki score yet, not enough reviews have been aggregated to rate it.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC leads on 6 of 7 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
- HiFiMAN HE 4
HearWiki score
88
-
Sound
9.3
-
Noise cancelling
8.5
-
Battery
8.0
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
6.5
-
Price (USD)
$430
$400
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?
Same generation
The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC is 14 years newer, but it is the same generation of hardware: nothing in the radio, the codecs or the noise cancelling separates them. The platform is level; the newer hardware shows up in convenience features instead - the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC adds USB-C. For 14 years between them, that is a thin return - treat this as a restyle rather than a new platform.
- Maxwell 2 ANC202614 yr newer
- HE 42012
What differsMaxwell 2 ANCHE 4
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2 ANCHE 4
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $400
- HearWiki score
- 88
- Not scored
- Released
- 2026
- 2012
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- 100 mm planar magnetic
- Driver type
- planar
- planar
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- 100 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 10 Hz - 60 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 38 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 115 dB/mW
- 86 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- -
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- -
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- -
- Battery life
- 40 h
- -
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- -
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- -
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- -
- ANC type
- adaptive
- -
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- -
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- both
- none
- Weight
- 560 g
- 350 g
- Detachable cable
- -
- Yes
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Balanced connection
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- -
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
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