Audeze’s Maxwell series of headsets are one of our favourite pieces of audio equipment here at PC Gamer. These cans regularly feature in our best of lists, delivering audiophile quality sound thanks to those excellent planar magnetic drivers. As an extra special treat, once a year the brand partners with Xbox to release a special themed headset, and this years is a shocking floral delight.
The Maxwell Flora edition is the same wireless headset we love, with pops of realistic flowers on the trims. It’s a really unique piece of gamer equipment. Rather than going for bold bright lines or splashy RGB lighting, instead the Flora harkens back to vague memories of my grandmothers couch as a child, but classier. The way the design is just on the ear pads and head rest give it the look of a fancy black suit lined with detailed threadwork.
It’s so far from what I expect to see when I picture a gaming headset. Let alone a themed one in conjunction with Xbox. I never expected to see floral oil paintings from old masters on a headset for gamers. It forgoes the usual gamer aesthetic for some sort of cottage-core witchy designs and I’m really enjoying the contrast.
There’s nothing to back this up, but I also get the impression this headset would smell really, really good.
Aside from beautiful flowers on your ears, the Maxwell headset is known for portraying absolutely beautiful sound with its 90mm drivers. The drivers are hefty beasts which deliver amazing sound, but they are a little heavier for the trouble. While not a heavy headset, the Maxwell won’t be winning prizes for levity which is important to keep in mind.
When comparing the Maxwell to this floral version, only the outsides have changed. So you’re also still getting that stellar 80-hour battery life that also supports quick charging, able to get about a day’s worth of play in a 20 minute charge.
Image 1 of 5
These wireless units boast an ultra-low latency 2.4Ghz connection with a range 3x more than the standard. They also support Bluetooth connections with the latest 5.3 signal supported. As these are an Xbox collaboration, they also feature Embedded Dolby Atmos licensing, and did we mention the beautiful flowers?
Of course the downside is that these headsets are a limited edition, and they’re not cheap. They’re currently available for $339 USD from the Audeze website which is a $40 hike on the standard all black $299 USD regular Maxwell. Again, that’s no small amount of money but you could spend it far worse ways than getting the best audiophile wireless headset with a gorgeous floral trimming.
