Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs HiFiMAN Edition S: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Audeze Maxwell 2 vs HiFiMAN Edition S, 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 leads on 5 of 6 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- HiFiMAN Edition S
HearWiki score
88
-
Sound
9.5
-
Battery
9.5
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
7.5
-
Price (USD)
$330
$250
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 (2026) against HiFiMAN Edition S (2016). The Audeze Maxwell 2 edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against None. It also adds USB-C, Transparency mode, Custom EQ and Companion app.
- Maxwell 2202610 yr newer
- Edition S2016
What differsMaxwell 2Edition S
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- No
- Companion app
- Yes
- No
Platform
Everyday features
Specifications
Maxwell 2Edition S
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $250
- HearWiki score
- 88
- Not scored
- Released
- 2026
- 2016
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- 50 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- planar
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- 50 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 15 Hz - 22 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 18 Ω
- Sensitivity
- -
- 113 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
- No
- ANC type
- adaptive
- none
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Companion app
- Yes
- No
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- No
- Wear detection
- No
- No
- Controls
- buttons
- buttons
- Weight
- 560 g
- -
- USB-C
- Yes
- No
- Balanced connection
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- 1
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
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