Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
88Outstanding
$430
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs Nectar Hive: 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.
Our pick: Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC - Outstanding overall at around $429.
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
- Nectar Hive
HearWiki score
88
64
Sound
9.3
8.4
Noise cancelling
8.5
-
Battery
8.0
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
6.5
6.8
Price (USD)
$430
$700
Specifications
Maxwell 2 ANCHive
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $700
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 64
- Released
- 2026
- 2022
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- electrostatic
- Driver type
- planar
- electrostatic
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- -
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- -
- Sound signature
- -
- neutral-bright
- Sensitivity
- 115 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
- -
- Weight
- 560 g
- 370 g
- USB-C
- Yes
- -
- Microphones
- 2
- -
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Nectar Hive
The Nectar Hive is a premium wired over-ear headphone featuring an electrostatic driver design, delivering a neutral-bright sound signature that emphasizes clarity and detail. Weighing just 370 grams, it balances a lightweight build with high-end technical performance, making it a strong contender for audiophiles seeking precise, revealing audio.
- Pro:Excellent technical performance with clear detail retrieval
- Pro:Lightweight design at 370g for comfortable extended listening
- Pro:Neutral-bright tuning offers engaging, analytical sound
- Con:Requires dedicated electrostatic amplifier, limiting portability
- Con:Bright signature may be fatiguing for sensitive listeners
- Con:Premium price point around $699 may not suit all budgets
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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