Sound performance
For this review, I mostly used my PS4 Pro, a computer, and my phone as sources. You can connect a wired source, but this doesn’t unleash the full potential of the Penrose in my opinion.
Most files used were FLAC 16bit/44kHz streamed from Spotify / Amazon Prime, my own catalog, or the game I played.
Overall signature
If you expect the Audeze Penrose to be a different-looking Mobius, you’d be awfully wrong.
Okay, not awfully, but yes, the Penrose took a very different turn compared to its bigger brother. Even with the regular preset activated, the Penrose sounds much more gaming than audiophile, unlike your usual Audeze headphone.
Full bass? Check. Clean mids? Check. Shining highs? uhhh, not so much. Audeze seriously tunes down the high-mids and, head-to-head, I thought the helmet had a gaming EQ activated. But no, Audeze just decided to give the Penrose a completely different sound signature, in the upper range only.
Strangely, you can fix that through Audeze HQ and push the 4kHz, even if I’d prefer a 5-6kHz boost, if available. I apply a +3dB correction, and the overall presentation sounded a lot more natural, at least to my ears.
The driver moves a lot of air, and you constantly feel the pressure on your eardrum, but that’s never harmful either. The Penrose blends true analog sound, with hi-end technology, and you’d be surprised by how clean it sounds. I tried heavy-paced electro with saturated chords, to see how deep those drivers can reach, and always found the low-note I was searching for.
Mids have this little emphasis on the upper part of the spectrum, but that’s clearly a choice as you can find this quirk in almost every Audeze headphone. And honestly, for $299, the result is almost spectacular, like the Mobius. I listened to Time Machine from Alicia Keys, followed by Mornin’ by Al Jarreau, and each time, I’ve been blown away by how wholesome and thick, everything sounded.
The spaciousness is above all the other closed-back headphones, only surpassed by Apple’s AirPods MAX, whose H1 chip flagger blaster me every time.
Attacks are superb and clearly, the ADSR is among one of the best you would find in this price range.
Dynamic range is excellent, with a rich presentation and superb layering. Highs are energetic, even if a bit shy, but that annoying sibilant often found on the LCD-XC is nowhere to be found. Whatever the genre, the Penrose always seemed in control. It got the deep heavy bass you’d expect from a planar headphone while keeping the voices clear and poised, especially in-game.
Yet, there are boundaries. The Penrose is only 16bit/44kHz compatible in Bluetooth or Wireless mode. To unlock the full audiophile performances, you’ll have to be in USB mode and that’s a bit sad when you see that Sony’s latest PS5 and Microsoft Xbox X now supports 3D-oriented tracks and Dolby Atmos games.
Tonality
Highs: slippery slope. The Audeze Penrose highs are a bit too damped in my opinion. The 8kHz bump is quite audible, but from 3kHz to 6kHz, there’s a massive gap, hiding a lot of small details in the sound. Thankfully, you can adjust your sound, but that’s still a tad worse than the Mobius by comparison
Good test-track: Too Soon – Breakbot
Mids: transparent. Mids are well-balanced and voices sound clear in any configuration. Be it jazz, pop, or even heavy metal, the Audeze Penrose offers performances on par with its bigger siblings. It cannot reach the level of precision heard in the LCD-X or LCD-4, but those are also ten times more expensive…
Good test-track: San-Francisco Street – Sun Rai
Lows: deep phat bass. Planar headphones remain the best choice for bass-lovers, and that’s still the case with the Penrose. The bass can reach the lowest notes with little to no distortion while keeping the other frequencies untouched. I played God of War with this headphone, and that felt ridiculously good.
Good test-track: People Hold on – Zimcerla
The review continues on Page Five, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Tobi
Hey thanks for the review,
I am currently looking for a replacement for my mobius as the left ear pad arch is almost broken off (out of warranty) and the biggest problem I have with the mobius is the constant hiss of the amlifier which is oversized in my opinion. I usually listen at sound level of 4/6 (out of 100) on windows. Because I am sensitive to that and hear it almost constantly my ears get tired and start to hurt quite quickly which is a big problem during covid having so many online lectures and other things online ( I am a student).
So my question if you noticed any difference regarding the amplifier compared to the mobius
Cheers
Tobi
Tanmoy Kumar Shapu
The Audeze Penrose is the Best Planar Magnetic Gaming Headphones ever I’ve found as of today.