Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs Nothing Headphone 1: 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
Nothing Headphone 1
74Great
$220
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Audeze Maxwell 2 leads on 4 of 7 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- Nothing Headphone 1
HearWiki score
88
74
Sound
9.5
7.3
Noise cancelling
-
8.5
Battery
9.5
8.9
Calls
9.0
5.5
Value
7.5
7.7
Price (USD)
$330
$220
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 Nothing Headphone 1 (2025). The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the newer platform here: LE Audio (LC3) and ANC type Adaptive against Hybrid. The Nothing Headphone 1 answers on convenience features: it adds Wear detection.
- Maxwell 220261 yr newer
- Headphone 12025
What differsMaxwell 2Headphone 1
- LE Audio (LC3)
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- Hybrid
- Wear detection
- No
- Yes
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Bluetooth, Top codec, Multipoint pairing, USB-C, Transparency mode, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
Maxwell 2Headphone 1
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $220
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 74
- Released
- 2026
- 2025
- Availability
- Sold new
- 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
- 20 Hz - 40 kHz
- Sound signature
- -
- warm
- Impedance
- -
- 16 Ω
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.3
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Battery life
- 80 h
- 80 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- 35 h
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 5 min
- Quick charge
- -
- 5 min → 2.4 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
- both
- Weight
- 560 g
- 329 g
- Case weight
- -
- 264 g
- Water resistance
- -
- IP52
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Pad material
- -
- leatherette
- Connector
- -
- 3.5 mm
- Microphones
- 2
- 4
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Nothing Headphone 1
The Nothing Headphone (1) is a stylish over-ear wireless headphone with hybrid active noise cancellation, a 40 mm dynamic driver, and support for SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs. Its design-forward approach and feature-rich package make it a competitive option in the mid-range wireless headphone space.
- Pro:Distinctive, eye-catching design
- Pro:Excellent battery life with ANC off
- Pro:Supports LDAC for high-quality wireless audio
- Con:No wireless charging support
- Con:Sound quality may not match top-tier rivals at this price
- Con:Touch controls and app may require adjustment
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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