Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs Grado Ps500 Special: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Audeze Maxwell 2 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 - Outstanding overall at around $329.
Over-Ear
Grado Ps500 Special
63Good
$600
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 leads on 6 of 6 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- Grado Ps500 Special
HearWiki score
88
63
Sound
9.5
7.9
Battery
9.5
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
7.5
-
Price (USD)
$330
$600
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 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 adds USB-C. For 14 years between them, that is a thin return - treat this as a restyle rather than a new platform.
- Maxwell 2202614 yr newer
- Ps500 Special2012
What differsMaxwell 2Ps500 Special
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2Ps500 Special
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $600
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 63
- Released
- 2026
- 2012
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- 44 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- planar
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- 44 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 14 Hz - 29 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 38 Ω
- Sensitivity
- -
- 98.8 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- -
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- -
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- -
- Battery life
- 80 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
- buttons
- buttons
- Weight
- 560 g
- 335 g
- Detachable cable
- -
- Yes
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Connector
- -
- 6.35 mm
- Microphones
- 2
- -
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
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