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Maxwell User Guide
Welcome
to
Audeze Maxwell
The Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset is the culmination
of
years
of
gaming headphone production and experience, and represents the next leap forward
in
Audeze gaming headphones. Maxwell features Audeze's legendary planar
magnetic drivers, tough-wearing industrial materials, bleeding edge tech with its Al
noise filtration, and exceptional comfort
for
an incredible gaming experience.
What's
Included
with
your
Maxwell
โข Maxwell Wireless Planar Magnetic Gaming Headphones
โข USB-C Wireless dongle
โข USB-C Charging and data cable
โข USB-C to USB-A adapter
โข Warranty and information card
โข Quick start sheet
MAXWELL
I Function Guide
LED
Indicator
โข
Whitโข
(:ยปltd)
โข
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eonn-ected
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White/Blue
(
bllnk
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8T
pa
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Slue (bllnkin,g) โข
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Green
{s
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-
Battery
fulty char.gad
Red
(~otld)
-
t.ow
batlOty
Red
(blinki
ng)
โข
Charg
J
n9
Al
No
ise
Reduction
ยท
Single
Pre::
โข Togglo
nOia
reduction
Boom
Mic
Port
--
Romove
to
t1so
In
ternal
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D
ata
and
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0
0
M
icro
phone
Mute Switch
Slid
โฆ
Up
โข
Vnm
ute
Slide
Down
โข
Mut
e
Power
Bu
tton
Hold
3
Second;
โข Power
On/O'f
St.ngle Pre~~ . Pl
ay
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call
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le Pre:.:. ยท
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pairing
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eadphone
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m
ix
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tono volume
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b
le
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detone
On
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f
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nput
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Getting Started
Your Maxwell has an expected battery lifespan
of
80+ hours. We recommend fully
charging your Maxwell before first use via any 5v USB source. Maxwell supports 1.8
Amp
fast chargers and will be capable
of
20 to 30 hours
of
charge time
in
20 minutes
Power on your Maxwell by holding down the power button on the front cup for 3
seconds (Audio cue: Power On). Your Maxwell will automatically connect to the first
connected source
in
the connection priority.
Maxwell will connect to the dongle
out
of
the box as long as it's plugged into a
compatible device and the switch on the dongle is
set
to the appropriate mode for
that device (Audio cue: Connected
).
To
turn the microphone on
or
off
, use the toggle switch on the outside
of
the left
earcup (up is on, down is off).
Bluetooth Connection
Pairing via Bluetooth is similar on most platforms.
To
pu
t your Maxwell into Bluetooth
pa
iring
mode,
just
double tap the power button (Audio c
ue
~ Pairing).
M
axvvell
supports
sw
ift pair on Windows and quick pair on Android phones. Simply put your
Maxwell into pairing mode near yo
ur
Windows machine or Android phone and it should prompt
you to pair automatically.
Note: When pairing to any device;
do
not select "Audeze Maxwell BLE". This refers to the
low
energy mode and is not the correct device
fo
r initi
al
pairing.
For system specific pairing inst
ruc
tions, see below:
Windows
From Windows settings, go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Add Device.
Click โBluetoothโ and then โAudeze Maxwell BTโ from the device menu.
Mac
From
the
desktop, click t
he
control panel icon
at
the top right
comer
. Click t
he
Bluetooth button, then click "Bluetoo
th
Preferences" on
the
following
wi
ndow. On t
he
Bluetooth
Se
ttings window, click t
he
"Conn
ec
t"
button adjacent to
"Audeze M
ax
we
ll
BT'
.
Androi
d
Go to
Se
ttin
gs>
Bluetooth. With
our
Maxwell in pairing mode it will show in the devices
lis
t:
iOS
Go to
Se
ttings > Bluetooth. With our Maxwell in pairing m
ode
it
will show in the devices
lis
t:
USS Connection
Your Maxwell wi
ll
automatically switch to U
SB
mode
(Audio cue:
US
B) when a USB cable is
plugged into the port
on
your headphones with
an
active
da
ta connection.
USB
mode supports
24bi
t/
96khz lossless hi-res audio on compatible systems.
If you
wa
nt to charge your Maxwell Play Station
ยทw
hile using it in Bluetooth mode, you'll need
to
plug it in
to
a power only USB port like a wall wart charger (a USB
Co
ndom wi
ll
also work for
charging on sources
wi
th
a
da
ta connection).
AUX Connection
M
axvvell
will automatically
sw
itch
to
AUX mode when
an
AUX cable is plugged into the corr
ect
port on
yo
ur
headphones. PLEASE NOTE: There are two AUX in ports on yo
ur
headphones,
the AUX in port is
the
one
at
the bottom
of
the headphones nearer to the
vo
lume wheels.
The
recessed port at the front
of
the headphones is for the Boom mic only.
Using the Wireless Dongle
When using your dongle on
your
preferred console, the switch on the side
of
the
dongle must be set to the appropriate setting
for
full functionality.
To
set the dongle,
unplug it from your source device and flip the switch to PS
or
Xbox (depending on
the version you own) and plug it back in. Your Maxwell will automatically reconnect
to the dongle
if
it's detected (Audio cue: USB Dongle
).
To
pair a
new
dongle
or
re-pair an existing
one
to
your
headset (as
of
firmware
version 32):
1. Insert dongle into a source device
2.
Insert a paperclip into the small hole on the side
of
the dongle and press the
button down until the LED on the dongle begins to flash (you'll feel a slight
click when pressing).
3. Once the LED begins to flash, press hold the Noise Reduction button on the
front
of
your
headphones, and while that button
is
held down, press the
power button three times. Your headphones will power cycle and pair to the
dongle on the next boot.
P,l
ait
For
m
swi
tch
P
ress
un
trl
L
ED
fla
shes
-----
โข
for
dongle
pa
I nng
Note on the "PC" dongle setting
The PC mode on the dongle should
be
used for
all
other
devices, including
other consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, etc. as well as PC and
Mac. The PS and Xbox modes are specifically tailored
to
those consoles and
PC mode will give you the best functionality on other devices.
The wireless dongle that comes with your Maxwell offers ultra low latency playback,
very robust wireless transmission strength and hi-res audio. For devices that support
Bluetooth LE Audio, the dongle is
not
required for low latency playback as long as
LE Audio enabled on your device (currently this option is in the Developer Options
menu on Android. This is a part
of
the
new
Bluetooth 5.3 protocol that will become
available on more Android devices in the future,
for
more information on setup, see
the Advanced Bluetooth Function section).
Simultaneous Audio
Your Maxwell chooses its connection automatically based
on
available connection types. If a
wired
co
nnection source is active w
hi
le using Maxwell via Bluetooth, it will attempt to play
through both audio sources. Please note that simultaneous audio through any connection
type while a Dongle connection is active,
or
through two simultaneous wired connections
(USB+AUX)
is
not
possible.
Note on charging while using the dongle: The USB dongle must be unplugged before the
USB cable wi
ll
functi
on
via wired connectio
n.
If you wish
to
charge your Maxwell whi
le
wired
USB
wh
ile listening to a dongle source, the USB cable must be plugged
in
to its wired source
BEF
OR
E you plug in the dongle. You can also use a USB condom or a power-only (no data)
usb charging
br
ick.
PlayStation Setup
Maxwell is compatible on PS4 and PS5 using the
USB
Dongle (into the console USB
ports), wired USB connection (into the console USB ports),
or
via 3.5mm
AUX
connection (into the controller). On PS5, you can connect the dongle or cable via the
USB-C port on
the
front
or
any USB-A port using the included adapter.
Maxwell will show as one
of
two devices depending on the connection method used:
Dongle connection -USB Headset (Audeze Maxwell PS Dongle)
USB
connection: USB Headset (Audeze Maxwell Headset)
Quick Access Menu
Most
PSS
audio settings can be accessed through the qui
ck
menu that you can access
by pressing the PS button on your controller, then navigating to the speaker icon.
You
can qu
ic
kly and easily change the output device, volume levels a
nd
game/chat mix
through this function.
Note on Play Station Game/Chat mix: Due to the complexity
of
the system, Sony has
not made the game/chat functionality publicly available for third party headphones and
the buil
t-
in game/chat interface
on
your headphones will not work with PlayStation's chat
features.
You
will need to adjust game/chat balance from the quick menu.
Note on sys1em volume controls: These controls are not tied to Maxwell's on-board
volume controls.
We
recommend leavi
ng
this setting close to max and fine-tuning the
volume from the headphones themselves to give yourself the maxim
um
headroom and
gain
control_
The lower this setting is, the less volume you'll have to play with
on
Maxwell's own physical volume controL
Here a brief explanation on PSS system audio settings:
Audio
Output
--...
So
und
Mi
crophone
Output
Device
Audio
0Ltput
Sw1tcl1
Output
Cl'v1
cc Au
tu111d
ti
cd
lly
3D
Audio
for
TV
Speak
..
3D
Audio
for
Headpho
. .
Vol
um
e
Headphones
Out
put
to
HeJdphones
Switch Output Device Automatically -With this setting, toggling it
on
will
allow
the Playstation to switch automatically
to
the Maxwell
as
soon
as
it is connected.
Output To Headphones -You can either set this
to
'All Audio'
or
'Voice Chat
Audio'. Self explanatory.
If
you wish
to
hear
all
audio
coming from the
Playstation
set
it
to
'All Audio'.
If
you only wish
to
hear
your party chat, set it
to 'Voice Chat Audio'. For the vast majority
of
users
, you will w
ant
to leave
this on 'All Audio
'.
G.ame/Chat mix
er
M
aX\,vell
features an
on-board
game/d1at mi
xer
whee
l
for
us
e on c
om
patib
le
pla
tf
orms
_ F
or
Xbox
, the
game
/chat
mixer
is integrated in
to
the con
so
le's party chat feature
and
wi
ll
work
out
of
the box. F
or
PC a
nd
Mac, the
cha
t mi
xer
wheel u
ses
two
endpoint au
dio
devices
to
sep
a
ra
te the
game
and
cha
t channels
for
individ
ua
l
co
ntro
l.
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Sound
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X
Oft.
These audio devices can
be
selected as
the
primary
or
secondary audio devices
using your machine's audio settings.
For
more specific instructions on
how
to set
up
this function, see
our
support article_
Adjusting the game/chat wheel on your headphones
or
in the
app
changes
the
relati
ve
volume levels
of
these
two
endpoints, meaning
that
you can
make
the chat
channel louder
or
quieter
compared to the game channel
by
scrolling
the
wheel up
or
down.
The
dual endpoint method
of
game/chat mix is available on PC and
Mac
platforms
on all connection methods except 3.5mm
AUX
.
On
other
platforms
that
don't support two simultaneous audio outputs like PS5
or
Nintendo Switch,
game
/
chat
mix
will have to be adjusted manually through system
settings on
the
source device (see Xbox and PS5 Setup sections
for
more info on
platform specific setup)-
Microphone
Mic Level - Adjusts how loud your microphone is for other users. This should
be set to a balanced level.
Note: Maxwell uses automatic gain control to help automatically optimize the
mic volume levels, so adjust your mic levels accordingly.
3D Audio Settings
These settings are used for customizing Sonyโs Tempest 3D audio engine.
Enable 3D Audio For Headphones - Off means Maxwell is set to basic stereo
output. Toggling this on will enable spatial 3D audio virtual surround on Maxwell.
Adjust 3D Audio Profile - Here you can select between 5 types, all which
have varying heights. Choose whichever sounds closest to your ear level for the
optimal 3D audio experience.
Listen and Compare - Here you can quickly switch between a test of basic
stereo, and 3D audio enabled.
Xbox Setup
Work in progress.
Adjusting the Head Strap
To adjust t
he
headband strap length, pull the strap straight off of t
he
se
t screws. You
do
not need to remove the screws
to
adjust the strap leng
th
. Li
ne
up
the
ho
l
es
of
the
appropriate
adjustment lev
el
and
sl
ide t
he
headband back ov
er
the screw
s.
For
very large adjustments, the
head strap can be removed entirely and
the
u
pp
er
band is cushioned to give more headroom for
th
ose
blessed with an extra I arge brain.
Attaching/Detaching Earpads
Maxvvell comes with
de
tachable earpads
for
quick swapping between new sets.
To
de
tach
the
earpads, pinch
one
si
de
of
the cushion
and
rotate the pad clockwise. It should
cl
ic
k
out
of
the
bracket and you can
pu
ll
it straight off. To attach a new
se
t
of
earpads, make sure you use the
appropriate side
(Lo
r R) and th
at
the
ear
p
ads
h
ave
t
he
correct side up. Slot the
cu
tou
ts
of the
plastic retention ring to the
"f
eet" on t
he
headphones and then rotate
the
earpad counter-
clockwise until it clicks into pl
ace
.
---
โข
โข
Sidetone
M
ax
well features a "sidetone" f
unct
ionality (al
so
kno
wn as mic monitoring) that lets
yo
u hear
yo
ur voice in real ti
me
by
playi
ng
back the mic audio in yo
ur
headpho
ne
s. This lets you adjust
yo
ur voice and hear what others are heari
ng
from your mic.
To
togg
le the sidetone
on
or off,
do
uble-click the game/chat wheel (Audio Cu
e:
Sidetone
on
,
Sidetone off)
To adjust the sidetone
vo
lume,
sing
le-press and scroll the game/chat wheel up or down (Audio
Cue: Sidetone).
You
wi
ll
hear a
lo
w bo
op
sou
nd when
yo
u reach minimum sidetone
vol
ume, and
a higher
pi
tched beep when
you
re
ach
max sidetone
vol
ume.
The wheel will revert to its normal
function after a
fe
w
se
conds if the wheel is not
ad
j
usted.
Media controls
In Bluetooth, wi
red
U
SB
, and wirel
ess
dongle modes you
can
c
on
trol
your media usi
ng
on-board
media controls:
Control Function
Po
wer Button - Single press Pl
ay
/Pause current track
Puwe,
Bu
ll
u
11
- Si
11yle
ยต1
e:s:s
(c
all
incoming)
A11:swe
1
ea
ll
E
11
d call
'
Vo
lume wheel
cl
ick (single
pre5s
) +
Nex
VForward Track
Wheel Up
Vo
lume wheel
cl
ick (single
pre5s
) +
Wheel
Do
wn Bac
k/P
revious Track
EQ Presets and Programming
Maxwell h
as
several on-board
EQ
settin
gs
, as well as 4 programmable EQ slots for custom
equalizations.
Yo
u can u
se
t
he
Audeze HQ
so
ft
ware
to
both sel
ect
EQ presets and program in
new
pr
esets.
To change t
he
EQ presets on-the-fly, you can double
tap
t
he
headset volu
me
wheel
(A
udio Cue:
EO). Scrolling
the
wheel
up
or
do
wn will toggle through the available EQ presets
(A
udio Cue
Competi
ti
on, F
oo
tste
ps
, lmm
er
sive, Bass B
oos
t, Treble Boost, Audeze, EQ1, EQ2, E
03
,
EQ
4)
Here's a quick break
do
wn of t
he
prema
de
EQ
se
ttings:
EQname
Sound profile
Audeze This is
our
de
fault
EQ
curve.
Our
engineers tuned
Maxwell with this "
ho
use sound" in mind, and it
brings out the most rounded and well-tuned
experien
ce
f
or
your headphones
Bass Boost This
EQ
curve a
pp
lies a bass shelf, and relaxes
th
e upper midrange. for a warm. punchy sound
inspired by vintage Audeze headphones.
lmmersive This
EQ
curve enhances environmental effects,
combining increased bass
ene
rgy for real-world
weight with heightened treble detail to high
li
ght
spatial and am ient sounds.
Competition This
EQ
curve brin
gs
fo
rw
ard details in t
he
midrange and low
er
treble, and lessens bass
from exfelosions and effects that can otherwise
overwh em critical game actions.
Footsteps This
EQ
curve is designed to enhan
ce
footstep
sounds in fir
st
-person shooter games, with
specific bass and midrange boosts and cuts
to
highlight them and lessen masking sounds.
Treble Boost This EQ curve is based on one of t
he
most
popular audiophile curves, and is going to give a
well balanced sound with a slightly b
oos
ted treble
response.
EQ
1, EQ2, E
Q3
,
EQ
4 These are bl
ank
EQ profiles that can
be
programmed using the Audeze
HQ
app to make
your own tailored audio experiences.
Programming Custom
EQ
Profiles
You
can program one
of
the 4 customizable EQ presets via the Audeze HQ
app to suit your personal preferences when it comes to your audio
experience. These EQ presets are saved onto the headset for on-the-fly
switching using the switching method detailed above.
Mobile app:
EQ Profiles can
be
saved to one
of
the four preset sl
ots
on your headphon
es
by
going to
the option menu in the upper right comer and selecting "Equalizer"
Note: Music mu
st
be playing while
EQ
adjustments are done.
/
