Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs Sony WH-1000XM4: 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
Sony WH-1000XM4
75Great
$320
Full review dataScore 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
- Sony WH-1000XM4
HearWiki score
88
75
Sound
9.5
8.0
Noise cancelling
-
8.2
Battery
9.5
8.5
Calls
9.0
6.1
Value
7.5
4.2
Price (USD)
$330
$320
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 Sony WH-1000XM4 (2020). The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 5.3 against 5.0 and LE Audio (LC3). The Sony WH-1000XM4 answers on convenience features: it adds Wear detection.
- Maxwell 220266 yr newer
- WH-1000XM42020
What differsMaxwell 2WH-1000XM4
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.0
- LE Audio (LC3)
- Yes
- No
- Wear detection
- No
- Yes
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Top codec, ANC type, Multipoint pairing, USB-C, Transparency mode, Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
Maxwell 2WH-1000XM4
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- $320
- HearWiki score
- 88
- 75
- Released
- 2026
- 2020
- 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
- 4 Hz - 40 kHz
- Impedance
- -
- 16 Ω
- Sensitivity
- -
- 105 dB/mW
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.0
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Battery life
- 80 h
- 38 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- 30 h
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 180 min
- Quick charge
- -
- 10 min → 5 h
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- Yes
- ANC type
- adaptive
- adaptive
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- Yes
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- No
- Yes
- Controls
- buttons
- touch
- Voice assistant
- -
- Alexa, Google Assistant
- Weight
- 560 g
- 254 g
- Water resistance
- -
- none
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- 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 WH-1000XM4
The Sony WH-1000XM4 are premium wireless over-ear headphones that deliver outstanding active noise cancellation and balanced, detailed sound. They remain a top pick thanks to their comfortable fit, long battery life, and useful features like adaptive ANC, multipoint pairing, and touch controls. Despite being a few years old, they still compete strongly with newer flagships.
- Pro:Excellent adaptive noise cancellation
- Pro:Rich, well-balanced audio with LDAC support
- Pro:Comfortable lightweight design for long sessions
- Con:No water resistance rating
- Con:No wireless charging support
- Con:Touch controls can be finicky for some users
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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