Audeze Penrose X and Penrose
Dec 11, 2020 at 9:26 AM Post #3,109 of 7,191
All remaining Penrose pre-orders are going out the door today :)

I snuck a cheeky last minute change of heart order in about an hour ago, I wouldn't have minded paying for Saturday delivery but as I was unsure on availability I just left it as default as it would have been a faff for everyone if it was despatched next week or later because of refunds etc.
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 9:28 AM Post #3,110 of 7,191
Anyone else having issues going between BT and wireless? Since the wireless dongle range isn't that great, whenever I need to walk around and am on a work call I'll switch to bluetooth. I've noticed that this doesn't always work so great (probably 60/40 works vs has issues so far).

My main issues that I've seen when switching is the mic volume will set itself to 0 or the mic device in sound settings on the PC will mute itself and I have to go in and unmute it. I've also seen the BT audio set itself pretty low as well. This happens even if nothing is using the audio/mic and I preemptively switch from wireless to BT on the headset via the button.

Edit: also can is it possible for a future fix to the lady just saying "connected" over and over? If I have it on BT and wireless and I go out of wireless range all I hear is connected...which isn't helpful. To use BT and walk out of range I have to pull the dongle out of my PC to disable wireless.

Edit 2: I've also noticed on Zoom calls when using BT (wireless dongle not connected) that I get no audio using the "Audeze Penrose Stereo" even though music and other sounds will play over this. To get Zoom audio I HAVE to manually select the "Audeze PEnrose Hands-free AG Audio"
 
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Dec 11, 2020 at 10:09 AM Post #3,113 of 7,191
Dear @Audeze, I have an issue with the connection through wifi and bluetooth simultaneously. When I connect to them, the music of the wifi-connection drops to almost zero and there is no way to upper it without making the bluetooth sound way to loud, while still only hearing the wireless connection super soft at max level. Will it be possible to independently change volumes through the android application or by a firmware update?


Would love to hear from you as it was my primary reason to buy these headphones (ps5 + discord), so if this won't be fixed/better I will unfortunately have to return them asap.

This is something they are looking into, but the reply I was given is that they re unlikely to allow users to control the mix volume. What are you using discord on? If it's an android phone you can disable absolute volume and it will allow you to control independently that way
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:20 AM Post #3,114 of 7,191
Wow - wasn't expecting that - superb turnaround HFH :) With Special Delivery means I get to play on Monday I hope (unless Royal Mail are feeling super efficient and deliver tomorrow lol )

You can thank our amazing ops team, they have been incredibly efficient in turning these around :)
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:21 AM Post #3,115 of 7,191
A new update in my Penrose saga.
So I tried following the advice in this ticket regarding wireless stability:
https://audeze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050582971-Troubleshooting-wireless-stability-issues

I still think it's kind of nuts because I didn't have to do this for my Arctis 7p or Pulse 3D, but I'm growing to enjoy the audio of the Penrose enough that I'm willing to jump through some hoops to get the connection to work.
1) I connected it directly to my PS5 and not any USB hub. At first I tried the USB 2.0 port in the front as it's what Audeze originally recommended, but I had a lot of issues with this (some people have said the PS5 doesn't supply enough power to that port). I then connected it to a rear USB port directly and that seemed to work better.
2) I have clear line of sight with the dongle (nothing new, this was always the case even when I had constant dropouts).
3) I turned on my Penrose and then reset my mesh wifi router so that it could ideally use a less trafficked channel. I messaged Audeze support to inquire which channel their dongle uses, but haven't received a response yet. I noticed that my wifi router changed from channel 7 to channel 1 upon reboot.
4) Unfortunately I cannot disable 2.4ghz wireless since many of my smart home devices only accept 2.4ghz (come on Ring, get with the program). But I did disable my 2.4ghz network for my guest wifi.
5) I also would disconnect my Arctis dongle when using the Penrose and vice versa. Previously I kept them both connected for easy switching, but apparently that could potentially cause interference as well if they're both using the same channel, I suppose. (Or even different but adjacent channels, since sometimes the ranges overlap)

After ALL these steps, my wireless connection has stabilized! It's still not perfect and it's a sad shadow of the stability my Arctis 7p provides, but it's definitely playable. I played DMC5 SE for 2 hours last night switching between my Penrose and Arctis 7p (but with the majority of playtime on Penrose) and never experienced a disconnect except when I moved to the kitchen. I still do not get any such disconnect with my Arctis, but it's nice that I had no issues during play time. I did notice that the left earcup seems very vulnerable to interference; if I put my hand over the earcup to adjust it, I can get an occasional dropout or static/crackling. Sometimes even turning my head to the left will cause this issue, which I've never experienced with any other headphone. But the good news is I didn't experience any disconnect during gameplay, and just 1 or 2 rare static/crackling noise. HUGE improvement.

This also allowed me to A/B the Penrose and Arctis 7p more in depth during gameplay. Previously because of the constant disconnects, a proper A/B was not possible, and instead I tested Penrose via Bluetooth or 3.5mm vs Arctis 7p over wireless, which isn't an apples to apples comparison. I played the first boss fight in DMC5 SE (Goliath) 6 times total, thrice with the Penrose and thrice with the Arctis. In these cut scenes and gameplay, it was more readily apparent how "muffled" the Arctis sounded relatively with more lingering mid-bass during impacts and explosions. For example, in the cut scene right before Goliath, he throws a mini-van at Nero, which slams into the wall before Nero steps out unscathed. On the Arctis, all these impacts sound the same with exaggerated and generic bass. On the Penrose, the impacts sound more precise with less lingering mid-bass. The vocals are much more apparent as well, particularly when there are other explosions or impacts happening in the surroundings. With the Arctis, they sound a bit muffled, like they are speaking with a piece of cloth over their mouth. It's not that bad at first, but it did eventually get on my nerves. I had no such issue with the Penrose, and the vocals were distinct and clear. Gameplay was a similar story, with the Arctis providing a constant mid-bass rumble throughout the majority of the fight, whereas the Penrose offered more unique audio cues. I'm not a competitive gamer, so image separation isn't my top priority, but these differences were readily apparent when I'd play the fight again and again while switching headphones.

Even something as simple as the title song that plays on the PS5 home menu when hovering on the DMC5 icon sounded different. On the Arctis, it sounded a bit subdued, which I always thought was intentional. But when switching to the Penrose, it surprisingly sounded like normal music.

Oh, and the Penrose does win one point on convenience - for some reason, the Arctis does not switch to the headphones when turned on, or back to speakers when turned off. The PS5 seems to think the dongle is always on, so the automatic switching doesn't work. The Penrose, much like the Pulse 3D, does not suffer this problem. When turned on and connected, the PS5 will switch to the Penrose and vice versa. Not too big of a deal, but still nice. It's kind of dumb that if I ever wanted to use the mic on the Arctis, I'd have to open the PS5 quick menu to switch both the audio output and mic input after turning the headphones on.

All that to say - I'm still a bit conflicted. I've always thought the Penrose were superior headphones with a significant shortcoming in its wireless range and stability. I still think it is inferior in that regard to its competitors, but I feel like I've made it work for my setup. If Audeze could promise stability performances in the future, that would be perfect; for now, I'll need to keep testing to make sure this wasn't a one-off - I'll be somewhat annoyed if I have to reboot my wifi router every time I want to use the Penrose in order to ensure there is no interference, haha. The Arctis still reigns supreme in terms of comfort and convenience, and my ears would probably adjust to the lower fidelity after a while if necessary, but at this point I'm rooting for the Penrose and I hope Audeze can somehow improve its stability issues.
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:31 AM Post #3,117 of 7,191
This is something they are looking into, but the reply I was given is that they re unlikely to allow users to control the mix volume. What are you using discord on? If it's an android phone you can disable absolute volume and it will allow you to control independently that way

Thank you for your response. Im indeed on android. If they could just make the standard volume of the wifi connection a bit higher that would be a solution... Now even on full volume the PS5 is almost not hearable.

Another point btw is that the new firmware seems to have an adverse effect on my Penrose. I didnt have any "wind"-sound but since the firmware update there is wind noises whenever I pause my games. 🙁
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:38 AM Post #3,119 of 7,191
My order still shows up as unfulfilled, if it’s not too late can I have Saturday delivery? Happily pay the extra.

Order number 47341
@Oscar-HiFi Did my order #48166 manage to secure any of the current delivery or will I be waiting for the next lot? In the unlikely event it's there and being despatched today could I pay for DPD Sat on the card I bought them for?

I'm sure @Oscar-HiFi will be back to respond shortly, but thought worth mentioning, I asked if I could upgrade my RM Special Delivery to Sat delivery (RM or DPD) and pay the extra (asked via pm last night). Unless things have changed as today has progressed, it was not possible when I asked.
 
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:39 AM Post #3,120 of 7,191
I'm sure @Oscar-HiFi will be back to respond shortly, but thought worth mentioning, I asked if I could upgrade my RM Special Delivery to Sat delivery (RM or DPD) and pay the extra (asked via pm last night). Unless things have changed as today has progressed, it was not possible when I asked.

Thanks, not a big issue would just be a nice have but by no means a problem. I'm sure you can understand why I didn't bother paying for it when placing a pre-order not knowing when it will be sent.
 

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