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"A very good headphone, but overshadowed by its bigger sibling!" Says Headfonia of Audeze Penrose

April 22, 2021

"The Audeze Penrose is the latest addition to the brand catalog. If it looks a lot like the Mobius it’s still a very different headphone, not aiming at the same public. While the Mobius is kind of a jack-of-all-trades, suitable for movie enthusiasts, gamers, and audiophiles, the Penrose is explicitly focused on gamers."
"As a true gamer headset, the headphone is sweat-proof and scratch-proof. To do so, the Penrose is coated with a very sweet, soft-touch silicon, and enjoys replaceable earpads/headband. It will withstand the test of time, long Fortnite sessions or even your next rage-quit in Minecraft."
 
"Finally, you have the microphone. It comes separately, but that’s even better as you can choose to use it, or not. It’s a boom microphone, with built-in noise attenuation. Sadly, after a few tries, I found it to be not as good as the previous model, and most of the time, my voice came a bit muffled. Too bad!"
"In fact, the Penrose comes with a new 2.4GHz low-latency dongle that enables lag-free, lossless transmission. A neat feature, enabling cross-platform connectivity with devices such as Playstation, Xbox, Switch, or even old consoles and devices. I tried it on a Google Nexus 7, whose Bluetooth was not working anymore, and as soon as I hooked the dongle, the tablet immediately recognized the Penrose. Quite impressive! And, for those who prefer Bluetooth, the headphone also supports most protocols like AAC and aptX."
"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."
"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."
 
"The Audeze Penrose gives me perplex feelings. It’s a brilliant headphone, with superb presentation and the deep bass every planar lover craves, that you can virtually connect to any modern device, thanks to the wireless dongle. But, on the other hand, the sound signature doesn’t suit my taste, even more since I own the Mobius, which gives me that extra layer of definition I missed with the Penrose. On a daily basis, plugged into my console, the difference is negligible, but once you focus your attention, the Penrose feels like a cut-off version of the Mobius. A very good headphone, but overshadowed by its bigger sibling!"