Delivering high-res, no-latency audio from a games console via a plug-in USB dongle, the Audeze Maxwell 2 provides an immersive gaming experience that I will be sorry to give up – to the point where I’m considering buying a pair. A disappointing first experience listening to music notwithstanding, this is an excellent – if massive – pair of headphones for gaming first and foremost, but a 10-band EQ means it can work for music too with some finessing.

For – Immersive spatial audio for gaming; low-latency USB-C dongle works with consoles; 80-hour battery life. Against – Drab stock sound for music (can be EQ’d); big, heavy and unattractive.

The Audeze Maxwell 2 headphone is well-named because maximalism is the order of the day. This pair of high-end gaming headphones is powered by 90mm audio drivers, and is designed to give you the absolute most – the most audio fidelity, the most bass response, the most lag-free gaming experience.

Whenever I test a pair of headphones, the first thing I do is hook it up and put on some music. With the Audeze Maxwell 2, my first experience with this pair was pretty disappointing as the sound produced by this headphone was just so… drab. There was none of the richness and warmth I’ve come to appreciate from premium headphones.

Now, it’s important to say that this is fixable, and I’ll talk about it more when I talk about the EQ in the next section. But we also have to acknowledge that nobody is buying the Audeze Maxwell 2 as a primary driver for listening to music. This is a pair of gaming headphones! So, let’s game.