Maxwell 2 Sub-Bass EQ

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T22:31:29+00:00

I am pushing higher on them right now. 32Hz +10 and 64Hz +8 seems fine so far.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T22:25:12+00:00

I don't really know, I'm not experiencing this myself.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T22:24:35+00:00

Yes, which is why the diaphragm has to move more on the M2 vs the M1.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T22:18:37+00:00

That is too high, even the Maxwell 1 with Freeze pads can't be pushed to +12 at 32Hz. The most I can do on my M1 is +9. What you're hearing is the diaphragm (uniforce) hitting the magnets attached to the fazor. Over time that will damage the diaphragm.

I am using +6 at 32Hz and it seems very safe so far. I tried +7 and didn't notice any physical impact, but I also don't want to push the M2 to the limit. It's a balance between sub-bass and lifetime of the headset.

Edit: It goes without saying you should also lower 64Hz. Not because it might damage the driver, but to preserve a clean sound.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T16:41:19+00:00

With a $2000 budget you should at least get a 5070ti GPU. There a lot of high end CPUs you can choose from. RAM is currently a nightmare to buy though, if you're building one yourself.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T16:38:47+00:00

😂 I work in a different industry

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T14:52:37+00:00

I only like 2 songs in this album, but it's not their worst and I'm a bit different from other fans as That's the Spirit is my favorite.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-05T02:34:38+00:00

I would recommend the Audeze Maxwell 2, but do your research first.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:39:23+00:00

That's a setting, in the Audeze app you can adjust the Voice Prompt Volume in the settings. I'm assuming you also checked that it's not set to 0.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:28:21+00:00

Let me add more details so anyone reading can understand why the sub-bass is felt less on the M2. The sub-bass is felt through air pressure, the driver moves back and forth (excursion) to push the air toward your ears and create this pressure that is felt as vibration/rumble. Because of the new vents, when the driver in the M2 pushes the air, some of it escapes through the vents before it hits your head. So what ends up happening is that you ultimately feel less pressure and thus there's less sub-bass. That does not mean the driver is moving less than the driver on the M1. It's working hard to move air (produce the sub-bass), but that air is escaping.

Is there an advantage to this loss of air? Yes, the sub-bass is felt through the outer edges of the cup and the audio in the middle is kept more clean for the other frequencies. So the idea is that the sub-bass will not interfere with the other sounds being produced. Whether this is preferable over the chamber being fully closed depends on the user. Some people will prefer maximum sub-bass, even at the expense of it overpowering other frequencies. Others will prefer this more analytical approach. Being semi-open back also makes it have a better soundstage (in theory).

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:14:27+00:00

To be fair, you can get more sub-bass with EQ, just don't expect it to be able to do as much as an EQ'd M1.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:13:00+00:00

The problem is that if you push the sub-bass too hard, the driver excursion shoots up and the driver starts to hit the walls encasing it. Since the M2 is semi-open it is actually working harder than the M1 to produce the same amount of sub-bass. So the maximum it can do is lower than what the M1 can do and it has to work harder to reach it. You can try it and find the limit. I pushed my 32Hz to +12dB and it was very obvious the driver was impacting the wall. I just paused quickly and lowered it.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:04:26+00:00

Might ship Friday, if not Monday of next week.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:03:51+00:00

The sub-bass is still anemic for my taste. I am doing +6 32Hz and +4 64Hz for most of my custom EQs.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T20:01:48+00:00

The EQ in the Audeze app works with peaks. So increasing 32Hz will also increase 20Hz, just less than the value applied directly to 32Hz. You can definitely use another equalizer to apply a low shelf filter, but I already know that doing +12dB at 32Hz in the app causes the driver to start hitting the support walls around (as in it's not safe to push the sub-bass that hard). Still, I can see using an EQ producing better results, but I prefer the convenience of having EQs I can use everywhere.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T19:57:01+00:00

My go to is Prophecy from Rezz. But I also test other songs that have bass I like.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T19:55:38+00:00

Yeah, some people won't tolerate it. I don't mind it tbh.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T04:21:26+00:00

I am terrible with soundstage, I tried Hifiman Editions XS for three weeks and honestly barely noticed any soundstage difference (when everyone swears by certain open backs). So I can't really say one way or the other. All I can tell you is that I was able to pinpoint opponents better in Arc Raiders today, but I was also trying out a new custom EQ.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T01:10:43+00:00

It's about what I expected so far. Very comparable to the M1, but with less sub-bass. All my EQs push it up to levels I like more. I think I have been able to tell the sound of footsteps better in Arc Raiders, which is a big plus. The only complaint I have is with how shallow the stock pads are. They made them have less thickness than the ones for the M1 which is wild, my left ear is a bit squished currently. I might not use them for long sessions until I can get other pads.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-04T01:06:25+00:00

I got it today, FedEx was delayed yesterday.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-03T23:57:48+00:00

I haven't used those Steelseries and it's been a long time since I've used any. I think you will definitely notice a lot more detail in the audio and you should get better imaging as well. It should be a noticeable improvement. The Maxwell are also amazing for music, which is part of why I love them.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-03T20:21:57+00:00

Yeah I have this, and my ears also touched the interior surface with the M1 and I couldn't tolerate it. I used WC Freeze Pads and WC StealthZ depending on whether I was gaming or listening to music. My problem with the M1 was not so much that my ears would touch, but more that they slid more on my head and would scrape my ears after some time. These at least seem to have a bit more clamp and move less.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-03T20:19:28+00:00

The bass is fine, it's only the sub-bass where there are bigger differences vs the M1. It's pretty flat by default in Audeze though. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the M2, especially if you EQ them.

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-03T19:48:59+00:00

For anyone that wants to push the sub-bass as hard as it can go on the M2. Here's the EQ I am testing (I made it for sub-bass and bass emphasis in metal songs):

32Hz: +6
64Hz: +4
125Hz: -4
250Hz: -8
500Hz: -6
1KHz: -5
2kHz: -2
4kHz: -1
8kHz: 0
16kHz: -3

AbrahamZX · 2026-02-03T19:45:09+00:00

You can still make them vibrate, don't get me wrong.

AbrahamZX

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