Over-Ear
Audeze Maxwell 2
88Outstanding
$330
Full review dataAudeze Maxwell 2 vs STAX Spirit S3: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Audeze Maxwell 2 vs STAX Spirit S3, 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
- STAX Spirit S3
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?
New platform
The Audeze Maxwell 2 is the newer platform here: Bluetooth 5.3 against 5.2, Top codec LC3 against SBC, LE Audio (LC3) and ANC type Adaptive against None.
- Maxwell 22026
- Spirit S3Year unknown
What differsMaxwell 2Spirit S3
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.2
- Top codec
- LC3
- SBC
- LE Audio (LC3)
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
Platform
Level on: Multipoint pairing, USB-C.
Specifications
Maxwell 2Spirit S3
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $330
- -
- HearWiki score
- 88
- Not scored
- Released
- 2026
- -
- Availability
- Sold new
- Availability unknown
- Driver
- 90 mm planar magnetic
- 89 mm planar magnetic
- Driver type
- planar
- planar
- Driver size
- 90 mm
- 89 mm
- Drivers per side
- 1
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 50 kHz
- 20 Hz - 40 kHz
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- 5.2
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC
- SBC
- Multipoint pairing
- Yes
- Yes
- Battery life
- 80 h
- 80 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 35 h
- -
- Full charge time
- 120 min
- 90 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
- 329 g
- USB-C
- Yes
- Yes
- Microphones
- 2
- -
- Microphone type
- -
- MEMS
- Mic sensitivity
- -
- -37 dBV
- Call noise reduction
- Yes
- -
- Call NR technology
- AI ENC
- -
What reviewers said
Audeze Maxwell 2
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
STAX Spirit S3
The STAX Spirit S3 is a closed-back wireless over-ear headphone that leans on a large planar magnetic driver for its sound, paired with a long-lasting 80-hour battery. It supports Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint and high-quality aptX codecs, plus a companion app for adjusting tonal balance. While it lacks active noise cancellation, its passive isolation and lightweight build make it a solid choice for home or travel listening.
- Pro:Exceptional 80-hour battery life
- Pro:Large planar magnetic driver for detailed audio
- Pro:Multipoint Bluetooth 5.2 for seamless device switching
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Limited to SBC and aptX codecs (no AAC or LDAC)
- Con:Closed-back design may feel isolating for some
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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