How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a pure, wired, open-back audiophile headphone that prioritizes soundstage and long-session comfort, choose HIFIMAN HE600; if you need one headset that does gaming, calls, and wireless listening across PC and consoles, choose Audeze Maxwell 2.
• HIFIMAN HE600 — biggest strength: Open-back planar-magnetic design with an 8Hz–65kHz range and Gen.2 Neo Supernano diaphragm tuned to echo the classic HE6 sound.
• HIFIMAN HE600 — biggest trade-off: Wired-only with a 3.5mm jack, no microphone, no noise control, and an open-back build that leaks sound both ways.
• Audeze Maxwell 2 — biggest strength: 80 hours of battery, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio and LDAC, plus simultaneous wired-plus-wireless audio for gaming and calls.
• Audeze Maxwell 2 — biggest trade-off: Heavier build and a closed-back, feature-heavy design that trades some of the airy openness of a dedicated audiophile headphone.
• Pick HIFIMAN HE600 if you listen at a desk, care most about music fidelity, and already own a decent headphone amp.
• Pick Audeze Maxwell 2 if you want one headset for gaming, voice chat, and wireless music across multiple devices.
The HE600 is a wired, open-back, over-ear planar-magnetic headphone. That combination tells you almost everything about who it's built for. Open-back means the cups don't seal against your head, so sound escapes outward and the outside world leaks in. That's not a flaw — it's the whole point. The reward is a wide, natural presentation that closed-back headsets can't easily match, and the 8Hz–65kHz frequency range signals HIFIMAN designed this driver to cover a lot of ground at both ends.
The engineering story here is about efficiency. HIFIMAN built the HE600 around rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials and an optimally designed magnet structure, aiming to reach sensitivity that matches or approaches rare-earth drivers. The result is a 94dB sensitivity rating at 28Ω impedance, which means it can run from a standard headphone amplifier rather than demanding a monster power amp. HIFIMAN openly frames it as replicating the sound signature of the HE6 driven by a high-power amplifier — the appeal being that signature without the amplifier hassle. The Gen.2 Neo Supernano diaphragm is 60% of the first generation's thickness, and the 2nd Generation Ergonomic headband shaves 20g off the previous design with rotatable hinges. At 389g it isn't featherweight, but the weight trim and rotating cups make long listening sessions more tolerable. The housing is plastic in silver, and it ships with a cable.
Audeze Maxwell 2: Who It's For
The Maxwell 2 is the opposite philosophy: one headset to handle everything. Its headline feature is 80 hours of battery life, which changes how you live with it — you stop thinking about charging as a daily ritual. Connectivity is its real superpower. Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio and LDAC covers high-quality wireless listening from phones and laptops, Auracast support adds multi-point connection with compatible devices, and the low-latency dongle handles gaming where audio delay actually matters. It can also run simultaneous USB Audio plus Bluetooth, or simultaneous AUX plus Bluetooth, so you can stay on a wired game connection while still hearing your phone.
Audeze also brought its SLAM technology — the same approach used in its LCD-S20 and CRBN2 models — into this headset, claiming heightened spatial immersion, precision, and punchier bass. For gaming that's a meaningful claim, because positional accuracy and low-end impact are exactly what make footsteps and explosions readable. The microphone processing is improved with twice the bandwidth of the original Maxwell, which matters if you're on calls or in a squad chat all evening. The build is aluminum, plastic, and stainless steel in black and gray, and it supports passive noise cancellation, which is a physical seal rather than active processing — but a seal the HE600 simply doesn't have. Controls run through an app and on-board buttons.
Buy it if you want a single headset for PC, PlayStation, Mac, and Switch, with wireless convenience and a mic. Skip it if your only goal is critical music listening in a quiet room and you'd rather not pay for features you won't touch.
• Best for music fidelity and soundstage → HIFIMAN HE600. Open-back planar drivers and a 65kHz ceiling are built for critical listening.
• Best for gaming and voice chat → Audeze Maxwell 2. Low-latency wireless, an improved mic, and SLAM spatial processing.
• Best for battery life → Audeze Maxwell 2. 80 hours, and the HE600 has no battery because it's wired.
• Best for wireless freedom → Audeze Maxwell 2. Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio, LDAC, and Auracast.
• Best for amplifier-friendly efficiency → HIFIMAN HE600. 94dB sensitivity at 28Ω works with a standard headphone amp.
• Best for multi-device switching → Audeze Maxwell 2. Simultaneous USB or AUX plus Bluetooth keeps two sources live at once.
• Best for quiet-room isolation → Audeze Maxwell 2. Passive noise cancellation versus an open-back design that leaks both ways.
• Best for long-session comfort at a desk → HIFIMAN HE600. The 2nd-gen headband trims 20g with rotatable hinges.
In my opinion, these two barely compete — they solve different problems. If I wanted one headset to cover gaming, calls, and wireless music across a console and a laptop, I'd buy the Audeze Maxwell 2 and never look back; the 80-hour battery and simultaneous wired-plus-Bluetooth audio are genuinely useful every day. But if my listening is music at a desk with an amp, I'd take the HIFIMAN HE600. Its open-back planar design and HE6-inspired tuning are aimed squarely at that job, and the 94dB/28Ω spec means it doesn't demand exotic gear. Decide which of those two people you are, then buy accordingly.
The Maxwell 2, clearly. It has low-latency wireless, an improved microphone, and SLAM spatial processing. The HE600 has no mic, no wireless, and an open-back design that lets room noise in.
Not a powerful one. At 94dB sensitivity and 28Ω impedance, HIFIMAN designed it to run from a standard headphone amplifier rather than the high-power amp the original HE6 required.
Yes. It supports simultaneous USB Audio plus Bluetooth, and simultaneous AUX plus Bluetooth, so you can stay on a wired connection while still hearing a second device.
The Audeze Maxwell 2. Its passive noise cancellation seals out some ambient sound, while the HE600's open-back build lets noise in and leaks your audio out. For a quiet room, the HE600 is the more natural listen.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: WEIBEIQI Open Ear Bone vs Aurotlu Open Ear Clip, AFGHOA USB C Headphone vs BSWLMDD Earbuds, Monster Open Ear AC336 vs UZKO Open-Ear Headphones，360°, OYIB Earbuds vs YYFEIDBFEO Earbuds: Headphones for Gym