Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs Sony MDR-3: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Audeze Maxwell 2 vs Sony MDR-3, 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 6 of 6 measures.
- Audeze Maxwell 2
- Sony MDR-3
HearWiki score
88
-
Sound
9.5
-
Battery
9.5
-
Calls
9.0
-
Value
7.5
-
Price (USD)
$330
-
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 Sony MDR-3 (1980). The Audeze Maxwell 2 edges ahead on platform, but only just: ANC type Adaptive against None.
- Maxwell 2202646 yr newer
- MDR-31980
What differsMaxwell 2MDR-3
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
Platform
Specifications
Maxwell 2MDR-3
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- -
- HearWiki score
- 88
- Not scored
- Released
- 2026
- 1980
- Availability
- Sold new
- Discontinued
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- dynamic
- Driver type
- planar
- dynamic
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- -
- Drivers per side
- 1
- -
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 32 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
- 75 g
- USB-C
- 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.
Sony MDR-3
The Sony MDR-3 is a lightweight, wired over-ear headphone from the early 1980s, designed for straightforward listening without active noise cancellation. With a 32-ohm impedance and a 20Hz–20kHz range, it pairs easily with vintage or modern sources, making it a simple, nostalgic choice for casual use.
- Pro:Very lightweight at just 75g
- Pro:Easy to drive with 32-ohm impedance
- Pro:Wide frequency response for its era
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Dated design may lack modern comfort
- Con:Limited to wired connection only
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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