Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs HiFiMAN Arya: 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.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 leads on 5 of 6 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- HiFiMAN Arya
HearWiki score
88
79
Sound
9.5
9.0
Battery
9.5
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
7.5
9.2
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 5 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 5 years between them, that is a thin return - treat this as a restyle rather than a new platform.
- Maxwell 220265 yr newer
- Arya2021
What differsMaxwell 2Arya
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2Arya
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $600
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 79
- Released
- 2026
- 2021
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- planar magnetic
- Driver type
- planar
- planar
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 8 Hz - 65 kHz
- Sound signature
- -
- neutral-bright
- Impedance
- -
- 35 Ω
- 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
- -
- Weight
- 560 g
- 404 g
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Balanced connection
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- -
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
HiFiMAN Arya
The HiFiMAN Arya is a wired open-back planar magnetic headphone with a neutral-bright sound signature, emphasizing clarity and detail across a wide frequency range. It offers a balanced connection for audiophile setups and a lightweight 404g frame, though it requires an external amp to perform at its best. Pricing around $599 positions it as a high-value option in the planar flagship tier.
- Pro:Excellent detail retrieval and resolution
- Pro:Neutral-bright tuning with natural timbre
- Pro:Wide soundstage and precise imaging
- Con:Requires a powerful amplifier
- Con:Open-back design leaks sound
- Con:Bright treble may fatigue sensitive listeners
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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