Audeze Maxwell 1 Firmware Downgrade Tool
My Maxwell started sounding noticeably louder in the right ear (~5dB difference, measured). After browsing forums, I found that many people reported the same issue after updating to firmware v1.0.1.74.
Turns out Audeze has intentionally disabled the firmware rollback feature in both the old Audeze HQ app and the new Audeze App, the button is greyed out for everyone.
After about 10 hours of reverse engineering the Airoha RACE protocol and Audeze's SDK, I built a tool that can flash any firmware version to the Maxwell, bypassing Audeze's restrictions entirely.
What's included:
- Simple GUI (select platform, target, version, click Flash) or CLI
- Firmware files for v1.0.1.61, v1.0.1.63, and v1.0.1.74 (Xbox + PlayStation, dongle + headset)
- Fully self-contained — no Audeze software installation needed
- Only requires .NET 8 Runtime (free from Microsoft)
Important notes:
- Always flash the dongle first, then the headset. Both must match.
- For dongle updates: dongle plugged in, headset ON wirelessly
- For headset updates: connected via USB-C cable
- The only firmware versions I could find on Audeze's servers are .61, .63, and .74. If anyone has older firmware files, please share them.
Transparency: I'm not distributing compiled binaries, all source code is included so you can verify everything yourself. No admin privileges required. If you're cautious, you can run it in a VM with USB passthrough.
My result: Unfortunately, downgrading to .63 didn't fix my specific L/R imbalance, it appears to be a hardware issue in my case, and I'll just compensate with Windows channel balance. But for everyone else affected by the .74 firmware bug, you should have the right to downgrade your own headset.
I won't be posting this tool publicly to avoid Audeze finding a way to block this method. DM me if you want the files and instructions. If enough people want me to make it public, I will but then if it gets blocked, it’s not on me. Edit 4: https://github.com/kats1123/maxwell-firmware-downgrader
Edit 1: Grammar and spelling (it’s hard for me)
Edit 2: Someone DM'ed asking for a photo of the UI. I have attached it here as well!
Edit 3: First ever award, thank you!
Edit 5: I have been able to figure out some of the concrete changes between .63 and .74 I will make a dedicated Reddit post about it tomorrow but if anyone is interested: https://github.com/kats1123/maxwell-firmware-research . The TLDR is enough for most people!
Edit 6: V1.1 is out, adding HID for PS headset. both Xbox and PS headsets and dongles should work now!
Edit 7: V1.2 Out, just adding clearer instructions!
