Audeze Maxwell vs Penrose
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Differences Summary
Connectivity
Controls
Headphone Audio Quality
Microphone Audio Quality
Build Quality and Comfort
Software
Verdict
Differences Summary
The Audeze Maxwell is the successor to the Penrose. Both are wireless, planar magnetic headsets. Here are the key differences:
The Maxwell has 90 mm planar magnetic drivers and the Penrose has 100 mm planar magnetic drivers. Audeze says the active area is the same, but in my testing the Penrose gets louder.
The Penrose battery lasts for up to 15 hours (closer to 8 in reality) and the Maxwell is rated for up to 80 hours.
The Penrose is made of brittle plastic, and the Maxwell has a spring steel headband with aluminum yokes.
The Maxwell’s cushions underneath the pleather ear pads are softer.
The Penrose uses a traditional headband frame that can be adjusted to be longer or shorter. The Maxwell uses a suspension style headband underneath the metal frame.
The Penrose only has a boom mic, but the Maxwell has integrated mics in addition to the boom mic.
The Penrose can connect using Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless with the dongle, simultaneous 2.4 wireless and Bluetooth, and the 3.5 mm aux cable. The Maxwell can use Bluetooth, wireless with the dongle, wired USB-C, and wired 3.5 mm. The Maxwell can simultaneously do Bluetooth + aux or Bluetooth + USB-C, but not wireless with the dongle + Bluetooth simultaneously like the Penrose.
The vibration of the sub-bass of the Penrose can be felt more, and it has a more trapped in sound. The Maxwell’s bass has more impact, but it doesn’t linger as much as the Penrose. The treble is also slightly tamed in the Maxwell in comparison to the Penrose which gives it a more balanced sound.
Connectivity
Wireless dongles for the Penrose (top) and Maxwell.
There are both PlayStation and Xbox versions of the Penrose and Maxwell. The Xbox version of the Penrose is called the Penrose X. The Xbox version of the Maxwell also comes with a Dolby Atmos license that works on Xbox and PC.
For the best compatibility on multiple consoles, it’s better to pick the Xbox verson of either headset, because they also work on PS4, PS5, the Switch, and PC. The PlayStation branded versions do not work on Xbox.
Audeze Penrose
The main advantage the Penrose has over the Maxwell is that it supports 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth audio simultaneously. This means you can have audio playing from your phone and your console or PC at the same time. You can also use an aux cable if you prefer with the Penrose.
Audeze Maxwell
Audeze has given the Maxwell some improvements in regards to connectivity, but it also comes with some major setbacks. The Penrose uses Bluetooth 5.0, and the Maxwell uses the newer Bluetooth 5.3 that supports LE Audio, LC3plus, and LDAC. In my experience, both the wireless (dongle) and Bluetooth has better range and less dropouts.
The Maxwell also supports audio through USB-C which the Penrose could not do. Simultaneous Bluetooth + USB-C and Bluetooth + aux is supported on the Maxwell and neither of these were possible on the Penrose. Now for the drawbacks…
Not only does the Maxwell not support simultaneous Bluetooth + wireless connectivity, but the method it uses to automatically swap between them is downright horrendous. Unlike the Penrose that has a dedicated button for selecting between Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz, and Bluetooth + 2.4 simultaneous, the Maxwell is technically connected to both the dongle and Bluetooth at the same time but it can only actively take audio from one source at a time.
Reddit post addressing the lack of simultaneous Bluetooth + wireless.
The headset will automatically swap between them when it detects any media being played. I say media and not audio because if you’re scrolling through Twitter on your phone, even while it’s muted, the auto playing videos trigger the Maxwell to detect media so it will switch to Bluetooth until that video stops. There’s about a 5 second delay between the time the headset stops detecting media from one source and switches to the other.
Something that’s happened several times is I’ll be playing a game like Call of Duty or be on a Discord call, get a notification on my phone which mutes the sound from my PC for a good 5-7 seconds before switching back to my PC. That can be a kill or two in Warzone 2 depending on the scenario and you’d better hope that Discord call wasn’t important…
Also when you reach the max range of the dongle but you’re still using Bluetooth, the headset will keep beeping and saying the prompt “USB dongle”. If you’re listening to your phone in a different room or in the backyard, you can’t just turn off the USB dongle connection like you can on the Penrose.
A simple button that could manually switch between Bluetooth and low-latency wireless would help a lot here. The automatic switching is just not the way.
Controls
Penrose
All the controls are on the left earcup. On the outside is a mic mute switch and a power button. The power button is for pausing tracks or answering calls, but you cannot skip tracks or go backwards.
Next is the headphone volume wheel. When held in for several seconds (with the latest firmware), you can swap to different EQ presets that are all customizable. Underneath that is the mic volume button. On the Penrose X this can control the game/chat mix on Xbox.
Three ports are on the bottom including the mic input, USB-C charging port, and aux port. Lastly, there is a connection control button which can toggle between 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz + Bluetooth simultaneously, and aux.
Maxwell
Just like the Penrose, all the controls are on the left earcup. On the outside is the power button and mic mute switch that functions the same as the Penrose.
The headphone volume wheel can be pressed in to allow for switching tracks. Pressing it in and scrolling lets you go forwards and bckwards in tracks. Double pressing and scrolling cycles through different EQ presets (also customizable).
The wheel with the mic icon controls the game/chat mix. This doesn’t work on PlayStation due to restrictions on Sony’s end. Double tapping it toggles sidetone on or off. Tapping it once and scrolling adjusts the sidetone volume.
There are the same three ports as on the Penrose (aux, USB-C, and mic input). Then there’s the noise suppression button which affects both the boom mic and integrated mics.
Build Quality and Comfort
This was the best change Audeze made going from the Penrose to the Maxwell. The build quality of the Penrose is frankly unacceptable. As you can see below, my Penrose cracked in two places on the frame with the larger crack making it break off almost entirely. The only thing holding it together is the wire inside.
Google “Audeze Penrose breaking” or even check reviews for the Penrose on basically any site that you can buy the device and you’ll see hundreds of posts mentioning that theirs broke in some way or other. No matter how careful you are with it, if you put it on and take it off enough times, it will break. The plastic is just too brittle.
Comfort is also an issue with the Penrose as the padding underneath the pleather is quite hard. One big advantage the Penrose has is its swivel. While both headsets have this functionality, being able to adjust the headband to be longer is something only the Penrose can do. This lets it be long enough to rest around your neck without being uncomfortable.
The Maxwell took the biggest weakness of the Penrose (build quality) and made it the new strength. The headband frame is made of spring steel and there’s a suspension headband underneath that. I wish it had more points of adjustment, but the three notches it comes with are decent.
The yokes are made of aluminum. I’ve used this device at tournaments, while working out, and during several weekends of manual labor and there are no signs of wear yet. If this changes, I’ll update this article, but so far the build quality is far superior to the Penrose.
The cushions inside the ear pads are also softer on the Maxwell. They run a bit warmer than my other headsets including the Penrose, but they don’t add as much pressure to the side of my head after an hour like the Penrose. Massive W for the Maxwell in both build quality and comfort.
Headphone Audio Quality
The Maxwell doesn’t necessarily sound better than the Penrose, but it’s different in ways that I enjoy.
In short, the Maxwell has less harsh highs, but also less physical vibration in the sub-bass. Additionally, the soundstage seems a bit wider in the Maxwell.
Modern Warfare II with the Penrose.
The Penrose has crushed every gaming headset in its price range and under from every other company I’ve tested. Nothing matches its detail and clarity. Still, everyone won’t be a fan of the sound. It’s far too treble heavy for my tastes, so massive EQ work is needed to get it close to how I like. The bass still doesn’t slam as hard as the Astro A50 for example, but in pretty much every other area, this device is incredible.
The Maxwell doesn’t deviate too far the from the Penrose and it really just refines the sound. Occasionally, there would be an electronic hiss in the left earcup of the Penrose. This has been fixed on the Maxwell by isolating the parts better. The highs are also toned down enough so that you don’t need to dip them so brutally with their EQ software to save your ears.
Dead Space 2 with the Maxwell.
The bass feels less trapped inside on the Maxwell - the Penrose’s sub-bass would tend to reverberate inside. That sounds great to me, but it’s one of the reasons some audiophiles avoid closed-back devices. Percussive instruments hit with lots of impact in the Maxwell and they stop just as fast as they start. No lingering. This is what is known as a fast transient response.
The result is less of a boomy sound even with very bass heavy EQ. This helps with footstep tracking especially. For FPS games or anything immersive, both devices are great, but the more balanced sound and quick hitting bass of the Maxwell puts it even above the Penrose.
As a basshead, I have mixed feelings. Neither of these really satisfy my desire for loud, thumping, booming bass. And the Maxwell does even less of that than the Penrose. Still, the fact that that highs don’t get too screechy in the Maxwell makes it a more pleasant music listening experience and I give it the advantage overall in terms of headphone audio quality.
Microphone Audio Quality
These mics are… okay. The boom mics are both below average. There’s a combination of them sounding both muffled but also too high pitched at the same time. Still the tonality of the Maxwell is much improved.
The Maxwell’s integrated mic doesn’t sound great simply because of the placement, but they’re better than I initially gave them credit for. For on-the-go calls, they’re enough.
The noise suppression is an interesting idea, but I find the boom mic of the Maxwell doesn’t actually pick up enough background noise to need that in the first place. And it doesn’t cut out enough keyboard clicking with the integrated mics to matter. SteelSeries Sonar software does a much better job of noise suppression.
Software
Both the Penrose and Maxwell use Audeze HQ. As of this writing, the app still doesn’t have full desktop functionality for the Maxwell. On the Penrose, you can adjust the EQ and set different presets, but the device has to be physically plugged into your PC to do so.
The phone app isn’t particularly responsive for either headset, and there’s often delay with the game/chat mixer. The desktop app still doesn’t scale up in size, so using it on a 4K monitor makes it criminally small. Nitpicks aside, Audeze HQ allows for basic functionality like changing the side tone level and game/chat mix. The phone app lets you customize EQ through Bluetooth on both headsets, and I prefer to use that over the desktop app.
The Xbox version of the Maxwell comes with a Dolby Atmos License. It comes with an equalizer which is a bit redundant since you already get one with Audeze HQ. The main “advantage” to using Atmos is the sound virtualizer. This artifically widens the soundstage by adding echo and changing the EQ (in a way that you can’t see exactly). I never use this, but if you’re into virtual surround sound software, then have at it.
A quick warning on the equalizer. The Maxwell doesn’t have as aggressive of a limiter as the Penrose, so even with it on, popping and cracking can be heard at high volumes if you extend the EQ too much in any of the frequencies.
Verdict
I recommend the Audeze Maxwell over the Penrose. The Maxwell is a great successor device that solves the build quality and comfort issues of the Penrose. The audio is even more pleasant to listen to with the more impactful (but a bit less booming) bass and less shrill treble. The lack of simultaneous Bluetooth + wireless is a big letdown, but otherwise the Maxwell is a better choice.
If you already have the Penrose, you don’t need to run out and grab one of these right away. But when - and I do mean when - your device breaks, you know where to look.
