Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
88Outstanding
$430
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs Shure Srh1540: 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.
Over-Ear
Shure Srh1540
74Great
$550
Full review dataScore 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
- Shure Srh1540
HearWiki score
88
74
Sound
9.3
8.3
Noise cancelling
8.5
-
Battery
8.0
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
6.5
6.7
Price (USD)
$430
$550
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?
Half a step newer
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC (2026) against Shure Srh1540 (2014). The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against None. It also adds Multipoint pairing and USB-C.
- Maxwell 2 ANC202612 yr newer
- Srh15402014
What differsMaxwell 2 ANCSrh1540
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- No
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
Platform
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2 ANCSrh1540
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $550
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 74
- Released
- 2026
- 2014
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- 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
- 5 Hz - 25 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 46 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 115 dB/mW
- 99 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- -
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- -
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- No
- Battery life
- 40 h
- -
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- -
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- -
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- adaptive
- -
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- -
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- both
- -
- Weight
- 560 g
- 286 g
- Water resistance
- -
- none
- Detachable cable
- -
- Yes
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Connector
- -
- 3.5 mm
- Balanced connection
- -
- 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.
Shure Srh1540
The Shure SRH1540 is a premium closed-back over-ear headphone praised for its balanced, detailed sound and exceptionally comfortable fit. With a lightweight design and quality 40mm dynamic drivers, it delivers accurate audio reproduction with deep lows and crisp highs, making it a strong choice for critical listening. While it lacks wireless features and active noise cancellation, its wired connection with balanced support suits audiophile use.
- Pro:Accurate, balanced sound signature
- Pro:Very comfortable for long sessions
- Pro:Lightweight build at 286g
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Average passive isolation
- Con:Wired only, no wireless option
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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