Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs Jabra Elite 85h: 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 7 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- Jabra Elite 85h
HearWiki score
88
55
Sound
9.5
7.0
Noise cancelling
-
5.5
Battery
9.5
7.2
Calls
9.0
6.6
Value
7.5
-
Price (USD)
$330
$230
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?
New platform
Audeze Maxwell 2 (2026) against Jabra Elite 85h (2019). The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 5.3 against 5.0, Top codec LC3 against AAC, LE Audio (LC3) and ANC type Adaptive against Hybrid. The Jabra Elite 85h answers on convenience features: it adds Wear detection.
- Maxwell 220267 yr newer
- Elite 85h2019
What differsMaxwell 2Elite 85h
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.0
- Top codec
- LC3
- AAC
- LE Audio (LC3)
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Hybrid
- Wear detection
- No
- Yes
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Multipoint pairing, USB-C, Transparency mode, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
Maxwell 2Elite 85h
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $230
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 55
- Released
- 2026
- 2019
- 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
- 10 Hz - 20 kHz
- Sensitivity
- -
- 102 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.0
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- SBC, AAC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Battery life
- 80 h
- 41 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- 36 h
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 150 min
- Quick charge
- -
- 15 min → 5 h
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- hybrid
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- No
- Yes
- Controls
- buttons
- buttons
- Voice assistant
- -
- Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
- Weight
- 560 g
- 296 g
- Water resistance
- -
- none
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- 8
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Jabra Elite 85h
The Jabra Elite 85h is a wireless over-ear headphone with hybrid active noise cancellation, delivering up to 36 hours of playback with ANC enabled. It offers Bluetooth 5.0, multipoint connectivity, and an 8-microphone setup for clear calls, all housed in a comfortable, foldable design.
- Pro:Excellent battery life with ANC on
- Pro:Hybrid ANC effectively reduces ambient noise
- Pro:Multipoint allows pairing with two devices simultaneously
- Con:No water resistance rating
- Con:Lacks wireless charging support
- Con:Only SBC and AAC codecs, no aptX or LDAC
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
Compare something else
Swap either side out, or start again from the picker.