Audeze Maxwell 2 Wireless Gaming Headset vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Get the Audeze Maxwell 2. Unless you want noise cancelling, or never want to stop and charge — then the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.
Audeze Maxwell 2 Wireless Gaming Headset
The best-sounding gaming headset: big planar magnetic drivers, about 80 hours of battery and an excellent mic. It's heavy and expensive.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
A premium headset with noise cancelling, a desk base station with its own controls, and two swappable batteries so it never needs to stop and charge.
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The Maxwell 2's planar magnetic drivers sound better than any other gaming headset, its mic is excellent and it lasts about 80 hours, with a cable option too. The Nova Pro adds noise cancelling, a desk base with controls and two swappable batteries, and it's lighter on the head.
- —Sound quality matters most.
- —You also listen to music on it.
- —You want a great mic.
- —You game in a noisy home.
- —You want controls on your desk.
- —You want a lighter headset.
Key differences
Pros and cons
- +Planar magnetic sound, the best in a gaming headset
- +About 80 hours of battery
- +Dongle, Bluetooth and cable
- −Heavy, so it can tire you over long sessions.
- −Can't play the dongle and Bluetooth at the same time.
- −Blocks little outside noise, with no noise cancelling.
- −The bass drops if the seal breaks, for example with glasses.
- +Excellent, warm sound
- +Two swappable batteries
- +Noise cancelling and a desk control base
- −A small noise-cancelling mic inside each ear cup presses on some people's ears.
- −The leatherette pads can make ears hot.
- −Setting it up and getting the most from it on consoles is fiddly.
- Is the Audeze Maxwell 2 worth it?
- Is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless worth it?
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How we reached this verdict
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: RTINGS, Tom's Hardware, PC Gamer, manufacturer specifications.