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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Audeze Maxwell Wireless vs Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Audeze Maxwell Wireless
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 17, 2025 08:11 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 13, 2025 06:33 PM

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Audeze Maxwell Wireless Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Picture

Variants

  • Maxwell for PlayStation (Dark Gray)
  • Maxwell for Xbox (Dark Gray)
  • BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 (Black)
  • BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 (White)

Our Verdict

Audeze Maxwell Wireless

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023

The Audeze Maxwell Wireless are better than the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 for gaming. The Audeze have a more balanced default sound profile and deliver audio more consistently. They have a longer continuous battery life and lower latency. On the other hand, the Razer's companion software includes a graphic EQ, and their mic has a better recording quality, so your voice sounds more natural during online games.

3 

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Dark Gray
Maxwell for Xbox
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Black
BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023
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Maxwell for PlayStation
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BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023
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Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.3
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

400 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-2.75 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.34 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Balanced (-1 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.2
5.3

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.68 dB
1.52 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.2
8.0

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.7 dB
2.78 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
35.64 Hz

Low Bass 
 

1.75 dB
-2.46 dB

Mid Bass 
 

2.54 dB
1.46 dB

High Bass 
 

0.69 dB
4.24 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.0
7.9

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.4 dB
2.84 dB

Low Mid 
 

-1.41 dB
0.84 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.68 dB
0.98 dB

High Mid 
 

0.44 dB
4.36 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.8
7.2

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.69 dB
4.15 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.32 dB
2.13 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.71 dB
4.98 dB

High Treble 
 

-2.37 dB
-5.38 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.8
7.0

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.24 dB
2.13 dB

Dips 
 

1.42 dB
1.18 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

5.1

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.6 dB
0.17

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.5 dB
1.3

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.3°
18.88
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

2.1

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

2.4 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless CSD

PRTF 
 

6.2
5.4

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

3.5 dB
2.44 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

4.08 dB
4.99 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.08 dB
8.52 dB

Openness 
 

4.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.7
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.9

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.10%
0.284

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.22%
0.128
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Impedance

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

107.9 dB
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

4.1
2.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

Dolby Atmos
THX Spatial Audio
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.0.1.74
2.4.2.0

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Audeze
Music (Default)

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.2

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.28

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.3°
18.88

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.6 dB
0.17

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.5 dB
1.3
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.7

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.10%
0.284

WHD @ 100 
 

0.22%
0.128
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Design Picture 2
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-Ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Planar Magnetic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.5

Comfort Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Comfort Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Comfort Picture

Weight  

1.07 lbs
0.73 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.1 lbs
1 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.6
7.1

Controls Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Controls Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

Yes
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth + Multi function
Presets
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

5.3
5.4

Portability Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Portability Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Portability Picture

 

10.2" (26.0 cm)
7.9" (20.0 cm)

 

9.1" (23.0 cm)
6.4" (16.4 cm)

 

2.4" (6.0 cm)
3.9" (10.0 cm)

Volume  

220.12 in³ (3,607.10 cm³)
208.17 in³ (3,411.25 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Case Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Build Quality 
 

8.0
6.5

Build Quality Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Build Quality Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.0
7.5

Stability Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Stability Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Angled Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Side Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Front Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Rear Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Top Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless In The Box Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

5.3
5.5

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-12.98 dB
-15.51 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

3.77 dB
1.09 dB

Mid 
 

-13.49 dB
-16.51 dB

Treble 
 

-32.74 dB
-32.88 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

4.4

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.48 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.99 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-11.12 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

7.4
7.6

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.39 dB
36.22 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

7.5
8.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

89.8 Hz
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.84 dB
2.11 dB

HFE 
 

6,088.74 Hz
10,540.06 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.307
0.531

Gain 
 

-6.85 dB
10.24 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

9.0
7.7

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

42.68 dB
36.15 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle
On/Off Toggle

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

9.0
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

9.0
8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

9.0
9.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

77.4 hrs
69.3 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

77.4 hrs
69.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.2 hrs
2.6 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

7.0
8.5

App Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless App Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 App Picture

App Name  

AudezeHQ
Razer Synapse 3.0

iOS  

Yes
No

Android  

Yes
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
Yes

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
Adjustable Level

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

8.3
10

Cable Picture  

Audeze Maxwell Wireless Cable Picture
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

USB-C
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.07 ft (1.24 m)
N/A

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
USB-C

Latency - Analog 
 

9.1 ms
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

13.0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
No Wired Audio
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.9
8.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.3
5.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

334.65 ft (102.00 m)
322.83 ft (98.40 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

186 ms
249 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

236 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

8.0
8.7

Line Of Sight Range 
 

173.88 ft (53.00 m)
276.57 ft (84.30 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

23 ms
43 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

3.4
3.4

Type 
 

Wireless USB Dongle
Wireless USB Dongle

USB Input 
 

Yes
Yes

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

USB
USB
Show Text 

Check Price

Dark Gray
Maxwell for Xbox
Searching
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Black
BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023
Searching
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Dark Gray
Maxwell for PlayStation
Searching
Finding store
White
BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023
Searching
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Audeze Maxwell Wireless

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023

Comments

  1. Comparison

Audeze Maxwell Wireless vs Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


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  1. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    Hi there,

    For our unit, we just simply left it off but if it’s something you’re curious about I suppose you could try it! I suspect that if it does change overtime, it’ll like be relatively minor, but I can’t say for sure as this isn’t something we’ve tried! That said, at the end of the day, settings do just come down to personal preference so it’s important to do what you think looks best! :)

  2. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    Wow! … Fast response to an old board but that’s why Rtings is my #1 source. What looks best at the end of the day can be difficult even with a side-by-side. What I was looking for was an evaluation of the AI effectiveness of the new next gen processors as this is one of the main selling points and the gen3 on the CX has even more AI settings than the C9. So the big question going forward is “Does it work” , “how effective is it” and “what am I losing or gaining by turning any of these features on or off” . I admit to some confusion to why no reviewers cover this main selling feature which if it works plays a big part in the overall experience. Your insights are valuable, Thanks again for being here.

  3. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    Wow! … Fast response to an old board but that’s why Rtings is my #1 source. What looks best at the end of the day can be difficult even with a side-by-side. What I was looking for was an evaluation of the AI effectiveness of the new next gen processors as this is one of the main selling points and the gen3 on the CX has even more AI settings than the C9. So the big question going forward is “Does it work” , “how effective is it” and “what am I losing or gaining by turning any of these features on or off” . I admit to some confusion to why no reviewers cover this main selling feature which if it works plays a big part in the overall experience. Your insights are valuable, Thanks again for being here.

    Hi there! No problem at all! We always do our best to respond to users as soon as we can! Thanks for being so patient! :) So we did try it the ‘AI Upscaling’ feature during our testing but I think the reason we didn’t go into detail about it was because it didn’t seem to do much. In fact, visually, we didn’t notice much of a difference with our test patterns. It really just seems like pretty standard detail enhancement that we’d probably recommend turning off. Hope this helps! :)

  4. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    Thanks again for the responding , I tried it on and off and gave it time and came to the same conclusion and now just leave it off and enjoy the picture and quit worrying about it and noticed a lot of ands in this response and hope this helps anyone else wondering the same thing.

  5. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    Thanks again for the responding , I tried it on and off and gave it time and came to the same conclusion and now just leave it off and enjoy the picture and quit worrying about it and noticed a lot of ands in this response and hope this helps anyone else wondering the same thing.

    No problem at all! If you have any other questions or concerns, let us know! :)