[Scratchansniff]

Hi

I registered to post my observations. I am not sponsored or otherwise involved.

Current setup: Astro A50.
Previous headphones: Sennheiser HD 700, RT wireless line, HD 555/598/599.
Wired interface: Matrix Mini-i pro 2s + HD 700

Scenario: need classy wireless headphones. Not an audiophile, comfort and function equally important and audio quality is not "above all else" if all else fails.

I ordered Penrose to check if they'd be a viable solution to multiple source problem (PC, laptop, iPhone, TV). Astro A50 being only 2,4 GHz is limited. BT connectivity plus 2,4 GHz low latency, Penrose seemed like a good choice.

Firmware updated 1/13

Audio quality - when Penrose play, they deliver. Easy win over A50. Still, A50 is a strong contender and if AQ is not your sole concern, they do the job, especially since they do not present ANY sort of issues so prevalent in Penrose.

EQ presets - I don't tend to use these a lot, just pick one or use flat profile. Even then I think those presets in Penrose are a joke - you have to connect the USB wire to be able to switch between presets in the software - no way to switch them on the device. Talk about "wireless" headphones.

Penrose / A50 are comparable in clamp and weight. Penrose being much more in "closed" headphones category, although not as closed as for example Sennheiser HD 600, where you can actually hear your heart beat. But closed enough to hear your skin move against the padding. If you move your head much, you will probably hear it. A50 in that regard - no issue since they are open back and suede padded.

Noise floor, crackling, low range, drops. All of these stand out in Penrose. Noise floor I could live with if none of the other issues existed. Range is like two steps away and you get "Connected..connected" love message from Audeze bot. With A50 I can walk around the house and barely lose the connection. Intermittent crackling and noise (probably interference from the mouse and the keyboard and whatnot) are WAY more pronounced and noticeable than in A50 (if it ever picks up any). Still, not a deal breaker for me.

What breaks it for me are:

- clicking in the right speaker
I have no idea what that is, but a slightest move of my head produces a barely audible click in the right speaker. I thought for a sec it was indeed in my head, but no. Moving the pad with a hand also produced a slight clicking sound. Annoying.

- balance
My Penrose is leaning left. Just that tiny little bit, but still. Once noticed, it will not go away. I even tried to blow my nose to balance the pressure in my ear canals. Still there.

- connectivity
AUX I don't care about. 2,4 GHz is of the "two feet max" sorts, not impressive but I haven't noticed any substantial drops while remaining within two feet from the transmitter. It also serves well to use a USB extender to put the transmitter away from the PC. Once I connected it directly to the motherboard it picked up all sorts of interference to the point of zero usability.
A50 lacks BT connectivity. But BT connectivity in Penrose is limited (not sure if it's Audeze issue or BT in general). There does not appear to be a way to dynamically switch between BT sources (like Apple Airpods). The volume knob double click only connects to the last device, it does not switch between them. Also Penrose does not seem to be able to disconnect from the paired device by itself. For example my TV set, once paired and connected must first disconnect before I can reconnect to my iPhone. Not a convenient way, esp when somebody's calling. Maybe I expected too much from BT but being unable to switch between BT sources without unnecessary hassle is an annoyance to say the least. I can pretty much forget about multi device use (TV, laptop, iPhone). I wanted to love these cans, but as it stands now, too many issues and shortcomings, some of which are unlikely to be fixed.

Is there new firmware out?


Was the launch really that bad for some of you?.


Its been great for me honestly

 

[Evil Deadly]

Is there new firmware out?


Was the launch really that bad for some of you?.


Its been great for me honestly

Its been great for me as well. No issues.

 

[JeffLo]

yes i can confirm 100% bluetooth and aux doesnt have distortion pop crackles and disconect problem

 

[JeffLo]

Is there new firmware out?


Was the launch really that bad for some of you?.


Its been great for me honestly

are you using wifi dongle connected to a pc?

 

[jameswalker]

I ordered the DT990 headband and it doesn't fit nicely on the penrose for me. I am using it regardless as a proof of concept for the whole principle. It has improved the headband comfort situation but it is still not as plush feeling as any of my other cans.

 

[Twizzleshnizzle]

I ordered the DT990 headband and it doesn't fit nicely on the penrose for me. I am using it regardless as a proof of concept for the whole principle. It has improved the headband comfort situation but it is still not as plush feeling as any of my other cans.

Can you share a picture please?

I find the design choice a bit ropey on the whole. It's a gaming headset, and it most definitely looks like a gaming headset. Which is a shame.

 

[AshA]

Is the wireless receiver in the headset on the left ear? Every time I turn my head to the left to look out my window and face away from the dongle I get connected in my ear and I have to turn back again. Weird.

 

[gdawg3410]

5 hours and 40 minutes and still the red light blinking and still charging.
with a charger output:
5v/2.4A


And this is from audeze page:

Charging with a 1A charger should take about 3 hours with power off, from 0% to 100%


What the..............

This is crazy right?? I emailed them about my charging concerns and told them that the advertised charger is 5V/1A on their website and user manual as well. They replied and said it's not the case and I need to use 5V/2.4 A fast charger to fully charge the batteries in 3 hours. Just like you, I tried to charge it with a 2.4A fast charger and it took 5 hours this time. So the difference between a 1A and 2.4A charger was 40 minutes for me. Their recommendations contradict the user manual and their website. There is no way to charge these cans in 3 hours. Online reviewers of the product also state that they could not charge it in 3 hours. Charging it 5 hours and getting 12 hours of gameplay with the mic turned on seems not practical. I hope the new dongle they are sending me eliminates the clicking/popping and disconnection issues or I am returning these. I have not waited months for this subpar experience.

 

[X-Frame]

Is there any news on when we can expect the Mac Penrose app to be out?

 

[JeffLo]

for pc users having problems with the disconnect and crackles and pops try this out find settings like this on the motherboard bios its under usb settings depends on the board brand and model
also ive connected mine to a usb 3.0 and usb 3.1 port my distortions and disconnects had around 90% or more improvements after this


bios:
legacy USB to off
XHCI Hand-off enabled
Port 60/64 Emulation disabled



XHCI Hand-off to enabled ( if enabled lets the os control the usb 3 ports assignments ) ( if disable lets the bios do the assigment of ports )
i also disabled Port 60/64 Emulation which assigns a port for ps2 keyboard and mouse
and tested it out, the distortions poping and crackles and disconects was almost gone

thier also a EHCI hand-off on some motherboards (usb 2) try to play with its setting observe or a combination of settings to see if it has help, same thing with the usb3 above enabled lets the OS control port assignments and disable lets the bios do the assignments of ports on the usb device

ive been trouble shooting this one cause i love the sound quality on this headset and ive even went to lenghts to disable my 2.4ghz ban on the router, turned off all my phones and wireless gadgets, change to wired mouse, but the problem was still thier so i learning towards that this is a usb communication problem to the dongle not a wifi interference problem (maybe a windows driver solution can fix this)

 

[Scratchansniff]

are you using wifi dongle connected to a pc?

No I play on console and it works like a dream for me. No crackling or distortion.

 

[Jenza]

bios:
legacy USB to off
XHCI Hand-off enabled
Port 60/64 Emulation disabled

You're onto something. Haven't tried messing around with the settings yet as my last visit to BIOS dates back to 2018, but your way of thinking made me dig up an USB extension card https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/310.html and some old Creative MAG120290UA4 AC Adapter 12/2.9A. Mind you, for some reason the extension card running on the internal power setting does not work with the dongle (or be it the other way around) but providing external power via the 2.9A PS did the job. The noise floor dropped significantly and interference went away - at least for the testing time frame. The NF still exists, but now it sounds like NF, not an NF amplified with all sorts of alien interference. I wonder if changing those BIOS settings could prove equally beneficial, as adding an external card like this is an $150 expenditure which should NOT be a mandatory spending. That 2.4 GHz dongle is so last century, poor range, all kinds of interference antenna, sort of which I haven't seen in years. I wouldn't go as far as to suggest to turn off Wi-fi or whatever - those issues went away like years ago - I have all kinds of wireless gizmos talking to each other without any sort of lag, interference, drop outs or you name it. That really is the thing of the past - unless you use some medieval technology. If Penrose dongle does, it should be fixed - we shouldn't be made to dump our routers or wireless mice in order to get that thing to work. Or forced to tamper with arcane BIOS settings.

 

[undbecks85]

You're onto something. Haven't tried messing around with the settings yet as my last visit to BIOS dates back to 2018, but your way of thinking made me dig up an USB extension card https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/310.html and some old Creative MAG120290UA4 AC Adapter 12/2.9A. Mind you, for some reason the extension card running on the internal power setting does not work with the dongle (or be it the other way around) but providing external power via the 2.9A PS did the job. The noise floor dropped significantly and interference went away - at least for the testing time frame. The NF still exists, but now it sounds like NF, not an NF amplified with all sorts of alien interference. I wonder if changing those BIOS settings could prove equally beneficial, as adding an external card like this is an $150 expenditure which should NOT be a mandatory spending. That 2.4 GHz dongle is so last century, poor range, all kinds of interference antenna, sort of which I haven't seen in years. I wouldn't go as far as to suggest to turn off Wi-fi or whatever - those issues went away like years ago - I have all kinds of wireless gizmos talking to each other without any sort of lag, interference, drop outs or you name it. That really is the thing of the past - unless you use some medieval technology. If Penrose dongle does, it should be fixed - we shouldn't be made to dump our routers or wireless mice in order to get that thing to work. Or forced to tamper with arcane BIOS settings.

My connection issues on PC were solved by using a cheap usb 2.0 hub to circumvent the common interference caused to 2.4ghz adapters by usb 3.0/3.1 ports. I had to do this with a previous 2.4ghz headset as well.

 

[Kikomo9610]

My connection issues on PC were solved by using a cheap usb 2.0 hub to circumvent the common interference caused to 2.4ghz adapters by usb 3.0/3.1 ports. I had to do this with a previous 2.4ghz headset as well.

You meant using a ub 2.0 hub to conect all the wireless dongle?

 

[Jenza]

My connection issues on PC were solved by using a cheap usb 2.0 hub to circumvent the common interference caused to 2.4ghz adapters by usb 3.0/3.1 ports. I had to do this with a previous 2.4ghz headset as well.

I tried with an USB 3 extension straight from the mo-bo, but that went from no-use (dongle in the mo-bo) to usable but with load of interference (dongle in the ext cord). The USB extender card killed most of the interference, leaving some barely discernible white noise, sometimes below the hearing threshold.