Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs Mpow H17: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 88. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC leads on 7 of 7 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
- Mpow H17
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?
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC (2026) against Mpow H17 (2019). The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 5.3 against 4.1, Top codec LC3 against SBC, LE Audio (LC3) and ANC type Adaptive against Feed-forward. It also adds Multipoint pairing, USB-C, Transparency mode and Companion app.
- Maxwell 2 ANC20267 yr newer
- H172019
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 4.1
- Top codec
- LC3
- SBC
- LE Audio (LC3)
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Feed-forward
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- No
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Companion app
- Yes
- No
Platform
Everyday features
Specifications
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $860
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 38
- Released
- 2026
- 2019
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- 40 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- planar
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- 40 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 32 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 115 dB/mW
- -
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 4.1
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- SBC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- No
- Wireless range
- -
- 10 m
- Battery life
- 40 h
- 45 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- 20 h
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 10 min
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- feedforward
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Companion app
- Yes
- No
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- both
- buttons
- Voice assistant
- -
- Google Assistant, Siri
- Weight
- 560 g
- 204 g
- Water resistance
- -
- none
- Foldable
- -
- Yes
- Detachable cable
- -
- Yes
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Pad material
- -
- protein-leather
- Microphones
- 2
- 1
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- Yes
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- cVc 6.0
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Mpow H17
It’s lightweight and foldable, making it a practical choice for commuters, though its sound signature is dark and better suited for bass lovers than critical listeners.
- Pro:Long battery life, especially with ANC off
- Pro:Lightweight and foldable design for portability
- Pro:Strong bass emphasis for bass-forward music
- Con:Sound can feel congested and dark
- Con:ANC performance is only modest
- Con:No transparency mode or app support
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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