diff --git a/doc/api/events.markdown b/doc/api/events.markdown
index 940b8e242ecab0..1403aa6cb62898 100644
--- a/doc/api/events.markdown
+++ b/doc/api/events.markdown
@@ -68,9 +68,19 @@ Removes all listeners, or those of the specified event.
 ### emitter.setMaxListeners(n)
 
 By default EventEmitters will print a warning if more than 10 listeners are
-added for a particular event. This is a useful default which helps finding memory leaks.
-Obviously not all Emitters should be limited to 10. This function allows
-that to be increased. Set to zero for unlimited.
+added for a particular event. This is a useful default which helps finding
+memory leaks. Obviously not all Emitters should be limited to 10. This function
+allows that to be increased. Set to zero for unlimited.
+
+
+### EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners
+
+`emitter.setMaxListeners(n)` sets the maximum on a per-instance basis.
+This class property lets you set it for *all* `EventEmitter` instances,
+current and future, effective immediately. Use with care.
+
+Note that `emitter.setMaxListeners(n)` still has precedence over
+`EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners`.
 
 
 ### emitter.listeners(event)
diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index 38422dab0f395f..ef9ff7426c5151 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -33,17 +33,18 @@ function EventEmitter() {
     }
   }
   this._events = this._events || {};
-  this._maxListeners = this._maxListeners || defaultMaxListeners;
+  this._maxListeners = this._maxListeners || undefined;
 }
 exports.EventEmitter = EventEmitter;
 
-// By default EventEmitters will print a warning if more than
-// 10 listeners are added to it. This is a useful default which
-// helps finding memory leaks.
-//
+
+// By default EventEmitters will print a warning if more than 10 listeners are
+// added to it. This is a useful default which helps finding memory leaks.
+EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners = 10;
+
+
 // Obviously not all Emitters should be limited to 10. This function allows
 // that to be increased. Set to zero for unlimited.
-var defaultMaxListeners = 10;
 EventEmitter.prototype.setMaxListeners = function(n) {
   if (typeof n !== 'number' || n < 0)
     throw TypeError('n must be a positive number');
@@ -150,7 +151,13 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.addListener = function(type, listener) {
 
   // Check for listener leak
   if (typeof this._events[type] === 'object' && !this._events[type].warned) {
-    m = this._maxListeners;
+    var m;
+    if (this._maxListeners !== undefined) {
+      m = this._maxListeners;
+    } else {
+      m = EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners;
+    }
+
     if (m && m > 0 && this._events[type].length > m) {
       this._events[type].warned = true;
       console.error('(node) warning: possible EventEmitter memory ' +
diff --git a/test/simple/test-event-emitter-check-listener-leaks.js b/test/simple/test-event-emitter-check-listener-leaks.js
index 7d9c203243c5dd..3d45e01c72105b 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-event-emitter-check-listener-leaks.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-event-emitter-check-listener-leaks.js
@@ -56,3 +56,29 @@ for (var i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
 }
 assert.ok(!e._events['unlimited'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
 
+// process-wide
+events.EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners = 42;
+e = new events.EventEmitter();
+
+for (var i = 0; i < 42; ++i) {
+  e.on('fortytwo', function() {});
+}
+assert.ok(!e._events['fortytwo'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
+e.on('fortytwo', function() {});
+assert.ok(e._events['fortytwo'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
+delete e._events['fortytwo'].warned;
+
+events.EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners = 44;
+e.on('fortytwo', function() {});
+assert.ok(!e._events['fortytwo'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
+e.on('fortytwo', function() {});
+assert.ok(e._events['fortytwo'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
+
+// but _maxListeners still has precedence over defaultMaxListeners
+events.EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners = 42;
+e = new events.EventEmitter();
+e.setMaxListeners(1);
+e.on('uno', function() {});
+assert.ok(!e._events['uno'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));
+e.on('uno', function() {});
+assert.ok(e._events['uno'].hasOwnProperty('warned'));