Audeze Maxwell vs Audeze MM-100, Closed vs Open Planar Headphone

[@danielhipwell3607]

One note on the headband, 5 points of adjustment but yeah great review I like that you said the open backs have better bass. I’m mulling it over about buying mm-100’s.

[@matfax]

Try the Edifier Stax S3. Have been using both the Maxwell and Stax for quite some time but when it comes to vibrancy and clarity, soundstage as well, the Stax slightly outshine the Maxwell. They also use the same/similar drivers, so it might be the material choice that makes the difference, getting closer to open backs. And another plus is the low weight. The main disadvantage is the microphone.

[@ryanhostudio]

yeah I saw that headphone it looked quite interesting since they use audeze drivers. I imagine it to sound very close to the maxwell. Personally I was more interested in maxwell because I am a gamer so the wireless dongle and low latency was more of what I was looking for

[@dankeplace]

I got the Stax 3, they sound great, comfort is an issue for me but for TV cans, I mean they cannot be beat. I paid $300 AUD which is around 192 USD. 80 hr battery time? I mean there is NOTHING on the market for this $. I also picked up a pair of Hifiman Edition XX Planar and updated my HPA to a SMSL HO100 which I got today and wasn't wowed by it. Then when I was A and Bing, I realized how bad my other HPA was, a Caiman Gatorized Burson. I am using my Motu828ES as a DAC so no need for an external DAC, I never realized how bloated my bass was on the Caiman, both cost the same and now all my mixes I fear may sound a little bass shy on how I mixed. Now I originally wanted the M100s but I think the ear shape of the XX may appeal to me better. My HD6XX feel a little constrictive, I hate anything touching my ears. My Phillips XR2 are worse for this even though they have deep shells. I am hearing things with this new amp that I have been missing on my old one, had it not been for my Edifier S3s, I would never have gone down this route and may get the M100s when they're finally released.

[@dankeplace]

@@xdarshan so build quality over sound quality? The creaks are nothing, if you're moving your head around all the time, you won't be wanting to wear either can. Maxwells are over priced for the asking. I got my S3 for around 185 USD

[@lugovoy1]

​@@dankeplacesooo how you edifier doing? I think they already broken😢. Build quality there is really pretty bad, so the safety of planers is bad.

[@onepieceatatime]

I would be interested in your take on the Wicked Cushions replacement pads for the Maxwell. I got them and they are way more comfortable/cooler, and to me they sound the same.

[@unityagar7385]

The maxwells don't have plastic, the plasticy feeling parts are aluminum. Much lighter than the other metal to save on weight. As far as I've seen, they have no plastic on them besides the button and mic on/off switch. Edit: *look at comments for updates*

[@ryanhostudio]

hate to break it you to but if you scroll down to FAQ they specifically say cups are made with glass infused nylon….aka plastic. The yokes are aluminum and has a steel headband www.audeze.com/products/maxwell-wireless-gaming-headset

[@unityagar7385]

@@ryanhostudio Then I was lied to by the guy who had their pair break, and have Audeze send them a new one detailing how they along with the inner part where the screws are, are welded aluminum after calling it out as plastic. I could've misconstrued two different reviews together though, since I've seen every english speaking/subtitled video on them out. All information is good to have, so thank you for pointing this out regardless. Mine arrive Thursday :)

[@zeyadlol958]

great video so far 😊 the mm100 is definitely interesting

[@ryanhostudio]

It really is!

[@rickgear2579]

I ordered thg mm-100s I hope they sound great for gaming.

[@fagiolo2376]

Great comparison, subbed. How do this 2 compare to the Hifiman Edition XS and the Sennheiser HD660s2 (both currently going for under $399) mainly for HiFi music and FPS gaming (footsteps and clear sound). - Currently on Logitech 635 and Bose Qc35 II. Thanks a lot.

[@ryanhostudio]

personally like mm-100 over hifiman xs. The hd660s2 has a better tuning in vocals i think but the mm-100 has more detail so a toss up there

[@jd5787]

Hi! How are the mm100 VS Sundara please in terms of sound quality and sound stage please? Thanks!

[@ryanhostudio]

@@jd5787 hi i did post a video comparing the two

[@jd5787]

@@ryanhostudio cool thanks. I will check it out!

[@Hijynx87]

Ey Ryan, are you able to check out the fiio ft3? I’m really enjoying that headphone compared to maxwell. It’s a 60mm dd. Pretty close to harmon out of the box. I’m not really a competitive gamer though, just prefer a warmer sound and dynamic bass. Maxwell has the benefit of being wireless though, gotta use a btr7 to get wireless from my ft3, but it runs off of it just fine.

[@ryanhostudio]

i wish but I dont think my channel is big enough yet for fiio to send me a review unit :[ Sounds like you got two great headphones already!

[@miforesenelanbiente1966]

audeze Maxwell 8 dais used 7 hour nice love ❤❤❤

[@Mdroplets]

Hi, how would you compare the Bathys with the Maxwell, and MM-100 when it comes to overall sound quality, Soundstage, and imaging? I was planning on buying the MM-100, or Maxwell, but I saw a store online where they sell the Bathys cheaper than other stores selling the Bathys.

[@ryanhostudio]

not sure i might be able to demo it next week at canjam. Last time i saw bathys at a shop i was too lazy to figure out how to pair it with my phone

[@aaronjohnson2999]

I had horrible popping with my Maxwell and couldn't figure it out. I tried it in BT and that had zero popping so I figured it has to be related to the USB dongle so I did a couple things. I used the USB extender cord that it came with I think it's just a USB 2.0/3.0 connector, and also shut off other devices in the device manager that could have been causing the popping issue.

[@An_Enraged_Pig]

You need to lower the side tone setting to 0. That’s what I did

[@KateKehoe-on6cf]

for the price of the maxwells it's unbelievable

[@ryanhostudio]

i agree it’s so good!

[@mohitomish]

Hi there, I got the maxwell and although I like the sound quality, i was the expecting the soundstage to be a lot in front of me. Is this only possible on an open back headphone? Should I get the HSev2 with a nice amp? Any recommendations?

[@ryanhostudio]

if your looking for soundstage than open back headphones definitely have more like the audeze mm-100. I have a comparison of he6sev2 vs audeze mm-100 video coming out in an hour if that helps you decide.

[@theemusicman]

I’m still rocking the Audeze Sine. I wonder how much of a step up these two would be?

[@ryanhostudio]

never tried audeze sine it was discontinued, but i imagine quite different since it was old audeze tech versus there newer tunings + digital EQ on maxwell

[@zanychelly]

You connected the Maswell to a DAC/Amplifier? It creates distortions, since the maxwell already have a DAC and amplifier built in.

[@ryanhostudio]

well if you connect maxwell 3.5mm to a controller or switch, it’s a dac and amplifier too, so your creating distortion…food for thought

[@zanychelly]

@@ryanhostudio Power is not enough to distort anything

[@kirthgersen291]

Hi. Have you already tested the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 against the Audeze Maxwell in terms of wired sound quality?

[@ryanhostudio]

nope i have never tried the mmx

[@dranek]

How do the maxwells compare to the Dan Clark Drop Aeon closed x?

[@ryanhostudio]

just get the maxwells, the aeon series is old and will be eventually replaced by dan newer meta material tunings that are way superior

[@dranek]

@@ryanhostudio thanks. What about Maxwell vs Ananda Nano vs Fiio FT5? I don’t really need the wireless/gaming features as I use the Inzone H9 for that. I just want the best planar under $500 for listening to mostly bass heavy genres. I don’t need a strong bass boost but at least want good presence, texture, and extension.

[@Lego_Fish]

Can you use regular 3,5mm jack cables with MM-100, like Vmoda Boom Pro?

[@ryanhostudio]

you can use regular 3.5mm cables i don’t have the vmoda boom pro though. If i had to guess, the mic should work with the mm-100 unique wiring. I did a cable video if you want to check that out

[@traktorpro10]

Listened to both at CanJam SoCal, liked both, Maxwell puts too much pressure on top of my head after about 15 mins., MM 100 better value compared to the MM 500.

[@ryanhostudio]

yeah the mm-100 is a good value. I listened to lcd-5 mm-500 and mm-100 side by side too

[@corneliusmaye5789]

I'm trying to decide between the lcd-x, mm-500, and mm-100.

[@ryanhostudio]

mm-500 than mm-100, i severely dislike the lcd-x the treble too sharp, midrange isn’t even as good as mm-500 and it’s actually a neck breaker weight

[@carlhil2]

I canceled my mm-100 preorder and bought the LCD 2 Rosewoods...

[@corneliusmaye5789]

@carlhil2 I was wondering about those, too. How different are they from the lcd-2c?

[@carlhil2]

@@corneliusmaye5789 They didn't ship yet. I just. like the wood. I will lace them with Morphit first to see what sound I can get out of them...

[@mikedergalev]

​@@ryanhostudioX has sharp treble? Wow, never would've thought honestly 😄

[@Hijynx87]

Are these the same drivers? I see the headband is the same.

[@ryanhostudio]

audeze states they are closer to the mm-500 driver design (which makes sense because there open back headphones)

[@JKYWY]

Don't buy maxwell past the warranty, there's no way to fix it, you have to throw it away

[@miforesenelanbiente1966]

Audeze Maxwell Wireless In comparison, they are the best, there is no hearing aid that compares.the best in the world in headphones

[@Hijynx87]

Eh, they are pretty great closed backs until you get to the aeon closed x. Definitely the best wireless, maybe not as convenient as others though.

[@Arccanos]

They're the best gaming cans. Not even close to the best outside of that. Probably not in the top 50.

[@mew1534]

@@Arccanosactually I’ve compared them to senheiser 4-5k headsets and Maxwell crushes any audiophile headphones to date

[@Arccanos]

@@mew1534 Maxwell are great. They're about where I'd tell people to stop chasing the dragon. However, for people that want to chase the dragon, there are dozens of options better than the Maxwell. Granted, all of those options are significantly more expensive.

[@mew1534]

Honestly, I've compared maxwells to sennheisers 4-5k headsets even their 50k set up and maxwell blows everything under 50k through the water. @@Arccanos

[@anatol1204]

How do they compare to hd 650 or dt 770 are they a step up or not ?

[@ryanhostudio]

easily a step up from the hd650, i actually havent gotten a chance to demo the dt 770 yet

[@anatol1204]

@@ryanhostudio that's good news I m waiting forward to see their graph somewhere before purchasing them.. thanks 👍

[@Hijynx87]

For sure a step up from the 770s. You might be used to the sound signature of those though so give it some time.

[@anatol1204]

@@Hijynx87 have you bought them ?Here they re not available yet

[@yooanto9465]

have you heard Audeze lcd3?

[@ryanhostudio]

yep its not as upper midrange focus like the mm-100

[@sennasoura]

Hi there, i want to buy headphone for all rounder, which one you would choose between audeze maxwell and epos h3 pro hybrid? In my country, epos h3 pro hybrid got 50% discount this month, what do you think about price to performance?

[@ryanhostudio]

id still skip and go audeze maxwell