Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
88Outstanding
$430
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs STAX SR-L500: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC vs STAX SR-L500, 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 7 of 7 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC
- STAX SR-L500
HearWiki score
88
-
Sound
9.3
-
Noise cancelling
8.5
-
Battery
8.0
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
6.5
-
Price (USD)
$430
$830
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 STAX SR-L500 (2016). The Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against None. It also adds USB-C.
- Maxwell 2 ANC202610 yr newer
- SR-L5002016
What differsMaxwell 2 ANCSR-L500
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
Platform
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2 ANCSR-L500
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $430
- $830
- HearWiki score
- 88
- Not scored
- Released
- 2026
- 2016
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- hybrid
- Driver type
- planar
- hybrid
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- -
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- -
- Impedance
- -
- 145000 Ω
- Sensitivity
- 115 dB/mW
- 101 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
- No
- ANC type
- adaptive
- -
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- -
- Companion app
- Yes
- -
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- -
- Wear detection
- No
- -
- Controls
- both
- -
- Weight
- 560 g
- 339 g
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Pad material
- -
- leatherette
- 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.
STAX SR-L500
The STAX SR-L500 is a premium electrostatic over-ear headphone designed for audiophiles seeking a detailed and transparent listening experience. It combines a hand-selected thin-film diaphragm with robust stainless steel electrodes, housed in a redesigned enclosure that prioritizes comfort via a 10-click adjustable headband. The included low-capacitance HiFC cable ensures clean signal transfer to the drivers.
- Pro:Detailed and transparent electrostatic sound
- Pro:Comfortable adjustable headband with 10-click fit
- Pro:High-quality low-capacitance cable for signal purity
- Con:Requires a dedicated electrostatic amplifier (not included)
- Con:Very high impedance may limit source compatibility
- Con:No active noise cancellation or wireless connectivity
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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