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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Audeze Maxwell Wireless vs Sony PULSE Elite
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Audeze Maxwell Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 17, 2025 08:11 PM
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 22, 2025 12:55 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble AmountBalanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureBalanced
Variants
- Maxwell for PlayStation (Dark Gray)
- Maxwell for Xbox (Dark Gray)
- PULSE Elite (White)
Our Verdict
Audeze Maxwell Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
The Audeze Maxwell Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Sony PULSE Elite, and they're better for most uses, too. Although both use planar magnetic drivers, the Audeze are better built and have a more balanced default sound profile. They also have a more intuitive control scheme and a longer continuous battery life and feature Bluetooth multipoint connectivity. That said, both headphones are similarly comfortable and have similarly performing microphones. The Audeze retail for quite a bit more, though.
Check Price
Dark Gray
Maxwell for Xbox
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Finding storeWhite
PULSE Elite
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Amazon.comDark Gray
Maxwell for PlayStation
Searching
Finding storeWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
B&HWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
BestBuy.comWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
Walmart.comMain Differences forSports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
6.6
6.4
Bluetooth Connection
8.9
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
1,350 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Balanced
Frequency Response Consistency
5.2
3.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.68 dB
3.47 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.2
8.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.7 dB
3.5 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
21.65 Hz
Low Bass
1.75 dB
-1.16 dB
Mid Bass
2.54 dB
4.4 dB
High Bass
0.69 dB
1.8 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.0
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.4 dB
2.14 dB
Low Mid
-1.41 dB
-1.78 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.68 dB
0.84 dB
High Mid
0.44 dB
-1.18 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.8
6.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.69 dB
4.6 dB
Low Treble
-1.32 dB
-3.21 dB
Mid Treble
-0.71 dB
4.4 dB
High Treble
-2.37 dB
-1.33 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.8
6.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.24 dB
2.04 dB
Dips
1.42 dB
2.59 dB
Stereo Mismatch
5.1
5.6
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.6 dB
0.9 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.5 dB
2.1 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.3°
4.7°
Group Delay
2.1
1.0
Weighted Group Delay
2.4 ms
4.9 ms
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
6.2
6.9
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.5 dB
4.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.08 dB
4.41 dB
PRTF Distance
11.08 dB
14.2 dB
Harmonic Distortion
8.9
8.5
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.10%
0.12%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.22%
0.38%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
107.9 dB
N/A
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
2.0
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
Yes
Test Settings
Firmware
1.0.1.74
0136
Power
On
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Audeze
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Boom
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-Ear
Over-Ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Planar Magnetic
Planar Magnetic
Comfort
7.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
1.07 lbs
0.75 lbs
Clamping Force
1.1 lbs
0.83 lbs
Controls
7.6
5.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
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
Bluetooth + Multi function
Portability
5.3
5.2
Portability Picture
L
10.2" (26.0 cm)
8.4" (21.3 cm)
W
9.1" (23.0 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
2.4" (6.0 cm)
5.1" (12.9 cm)
Volume
220.12 in³ (3,607.10 cm³)
259.90 in³ (4,258.94 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
0.0
Case Picture
Type
No case
No case
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
8.0
6.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.0
6.2
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
5.3
3.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-12.98 dB
-7.80 dB
Bass
3.77 dB
4.00 dB
Mid
-13.49 dB
-7.92 dB
Treble
-32.74 dB
-21.95 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.4
3.2
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-9.48 dB
-5.77 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-9.99 dB
-6.47 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-11.12 dB
-6.87 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
N/A
Leakage
7.4
5.9
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.39 dB
45.46 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
Yes
Detachable Boom
Yes
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.5
7.9
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
89.8 Hz
113.14 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.84 dB
0.99 dB
HFE
6,088.74 Hz
6,736.4 Hz
Weighted THD
0.307
1.821
Gain
-6.85 dB
8.46 dB
Noise Handling
9.0
8.8
SpNR
42.68 dB
63.8 dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
9.0
9.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
9.0
8.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
9.0
8.9
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
77.4 hrs
53 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
77.4 hrs
53 hrs
Charge Time
3.2 hrs
2.5 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
App Support
7.0
7.0
App Picture
App Name
AudezeHQ
PS5 Inferface
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
No
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
Yes
No
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
Connectivity
Wired Connection
8.3
8.4
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4.07 ft (1.24 m)
N/A
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRRS
Latency - Analog
9.1 ms
3.8 ms
Latency - USB
13.0 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.9
7.4
Bluetooth Version
5.3
Unspecified
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)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
186 ms
325 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
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.0
7.7
Line Of Sight Range
173.88 ft (53.00 m)
104.99 ft (32.00 m)
Latency - Dongle
23 ms
26 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
PS4 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not included)
PS5 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
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
Check Price
Dark Gray
Maxwell for Xbox
Searching
Finding storeWhite
PULSE Elite
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comDark Gray
Maxwell for PlayStation
Searching
Finding storeWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
B&HWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
BestBuy.comWhite
PULSE Elite
SEARCH
Walmart.com
Audeze Maxwell Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
Comments
Audeze Maxwell Wireless vs Sony PULSE Elite: Main Discussion
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