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Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Audeze Maxwell provides a premium listening experience with excellent overall sound quality, great for gaming, music, and TV, and comes with features such as active noise cancelling, long battery life, and a comfortable over-ear design. They have wireless capabilities, support low latency via a dongle, and the planar driver type caters to audiophiles. However, they are more expensive and less portable. In contrast, the Steelseries TUSQ costs significantly less, offers good sound quality, particularly for gaming, and has a lightweight earbud design. They have a detachable boom mic and are more portable, but lack wireless connectivity and noise cancelling. If budget is crucial and you prioritize portability for gaming, the TUSQ may be your choice; if sound quality and feature set are paramount and the higher cost isn't a concern, the Maxwell will serve you better. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Audeze Maxwell
- Very good for music
- Very good for phone calls
- Excellent for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Very good for air travel
- Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Steelseries TUSQ
- The Steelseries TUSQ has no clear advantages over the Audeze Maxwell.
Key differences
Music
8.4
7.6
The Audeze Maxwell is very good for music, while the Steelseries TUSQ is good.
Gaming
9.0
8.5
The Audeze Maxwell is excellent for gaming, while the Steelseries TUSQ is very good.
Phone Calls
8.7
5.2
The Audeze Maxwell is very good for phone calls, while the Steelseries TUSQ is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
9.4
4.7
The Audeze Maxwell is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Steelseries TUSQ is poor.
TV and Video
8.9
7.3
The Audeze Maxwell is very good for TV and video, while the Steelseries TUSQ is good.
Battery
78.0 Hours
N/A
The Audeze Maxwell has 78 hours of battery life. The Steelseries TUSQ does not have a battery.
Cost
$299
$40
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Audeze Maxwell has a price of $299 and the Steelseries TUSQ costs $40.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Audeze Maxwell has excellent build quality, while the Steelseries TUSQ has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Noise Reduction
6.0
6.0
The Audeze Maxwell and Steelseries TUSQ are both only fair for noise reduction.
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How the Audeze Maxwell and the Steelseries TUSQ compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Audeze Maxwell | Steelseries TUSQ |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$299 | $40 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Audeze | Steelseries | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | August 1, 2021 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.4/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 8.7/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 9.1/10 | 8.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 8.9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.3/10 | 4.2/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 78 Hours | N/A | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | N/A | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | N/A | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.3 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6/10 | 6/10 | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | N/A | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | N/A | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | N/A | Large | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 498.9 Grams | 11 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Boom | Boom | |
Shopping
Audeze Maxwell
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Christian Thomas | August 2023
"Despite a few caveats, the Audeze Maxwell is one of the best-performing gaming headsets on the market and should top the ranks for a few buyers — provided the budget (and neck strength) is there. Gaming headsets have their work cut out for them, and their audience is historically unkind to performance flaws. If you’re an older gamer with some cash to blow, you should be pleased with the Audeze Maxwell."
Steelseries TUSQ
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Can Buy or Not
Aloysius Low | March 2021
"The SteelSeries Arctis Tusq is a great headset for those on a more modest budget. You can use it for gaming or music, and I daresay it's also great for Zoom meetings when you don't want to be wearing on-ear or over-ear headphones."
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About Audeze
Audeze is an, award-winning, American premium headphone manufacturer based in California. Founded in 2008, their products are developed around aerospace materials technology first used by NASA and are widely used by enthusiasts and professionals alike, not only in the fields of music and sound engineering but also in e-sports and the health industry.
About Steelseries
Steelseries is a Danish gaming products manufacturer founded in 2001 and owned by GN Store Nord. Beside a large variety of gaming peripherals like mice, keyboards, and mousemats, Steelseries markets the Arctis line of gaming headsets which feature integrated boom microphones and RGB lighting. Steelseries has partnered with several game publishers and studios for limited editions of their products like a line of Cyberpunk 2077 themed headsets in 2020.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.
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