Is the Denon Ah-D5200 worth the upgrade from the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Denon Ah-D5200 actually scores 17.1 points below the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on sound (9.3 to 8.3) and value (6.5 to 5.7). On paper: weight 560 g to 385 g. Worth checking: active noise cancelling goes Yes to No and multipoint pairing goes Yes to No. And it costs $370 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound9.38.3
- Value6.55.7
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Maxwell 2 ANC | Ah-D5200 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancelling | Yes | No | |
| Weight | 560 g | 385 g | |
| Multipoint pairing | Yes | No | |
| Driver size | 90 mm | 50 mm | |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No | |
| Custom EQ | Yes | No | |
| USB-C | Yes | No | |
| ANC type | adaptive | none | |
| Controls | both | none | |
| Driver | 90 mm planar magnetic | 50 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz - 50 kHz | 5 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Maxwell 2 ANC to Ah-D5200". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.