[renkinjushi]

I get that Audeze explained that it's not possible to adjust the headset's volume through the PC's master volume (when connected via 2.4), but I was wondering if there is any workaround? I have a keyboard with a volume wheel, and would love to use that to adjust my music when I'm playing a game, but can't for the life of me figure out how to :/

 

[Ryan84]

So with the Penrose, is it true that if you lets say, increase Bass in the EQ settings that it will overall lower the actual volume when maxed? Yeesh. When using my DT770's on my DAC(Soundblasterx G6) & USB HUB/Splitter that it's routed too, at times it will make my headphones crackle, followed up with a quick disconnection until i start unplugging and replugging the cables only for it to eventually happen again....Plus, the G6's volume dial is so weird, finicky and touchy too. Annoying having to dial it up to max volume every time i use since it wont stay that way the moment i start using it again.

BTW I've never once had any whooshing, crackling or a disconnection when using the Penrose on Switch or PS4 when i was sitting about 9 feet away from the USB.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

So is it true that if you lets say, increase Bass in the EQ settings that it will overall lower the actual volume when maxed?
Yeesh. My DAC(Soundblasterx G6) or possibly the HUB/Splitter it's routed to will make my headphones crackle every now and then and completely lose it's connection. The G6's volume dial is so weird, finicky and touchy too. Annoying having to dial it up every time i use since it wont stay maxed when not in use.

BTW I've never once had any wooshing, crackling or a disconnection when using the Penrose on Switch or PS4 when i was sitting about 9 feet away from the USB.

That's how EQ works. If you're maxing out a volume, there's no way to compensate your bass 'boost' without lowering the overall output to maintain the higher amount of bass that you boosted. Bass, treble, whatever. There's an offset that must happen. One that can't happen if you're already maxed out on volume.

This is why if someone is heavily relying on EQ with typical non-powered headphones, it's good to have an amplifier with a ton of headroom to compensate.

As you've already hit the ceiling of the internal amplifiers, there's no more headroom to compensate, so if you want a specific range to be the loudest (etc, bass), the answer is to lower the volume of everything else.

 

[Montrez36]

Shipped my penrose back to audeze for the 3rd time. Constant popping and disconnecting. Audezd sent me another usb dongle. They said that this newer batch of dongles have a better wireless connection. That didn't work. Tried a USB extender and that didn't work either. Even tried turning off all Wi-Fi and was still having connection issues. Been looking at other alternatives for PS5 headset. I am currently using the Philips Fidelio X2HR and V-moda mic connected via the dual sense headphone jack. I think I am gonna inquire about a refund from audeze for the penrose. $300 wireless headset with connection issues is unacceptable.

 

[higgalls]

Shipped my penrose back to audeze for the 3rd time. Constant popping and disconnecting. Audezd sent me another usb dongle. They said that this newer batch of dongles have a better wireless connection. That didn't work. Tried a USB extender and that didn't work either. Even tried turning off all Wi-Fi and was still having connection issues. Been looking at other alternatives for PS5 headset. I am currently using the Philips Fidelio X2HR and V-moda mic connected via the dual sense headphone jack. I think I am gonna inquire about a refund from audeze for the penrose. $300 wireless headset with connection issues is unacceptable.

Yep - these connection issues shouldn't happen when much cheaper headphones have much longer range. In the end, they chose to go with a terrible wireless chipset.

They also made a decision not to include a chip to allow full connectivity on iOS, which is another very unacceptable thing they did.

Also, the lack of volume steps is also disappointing, and again is due to their choice of chipset.

Seems like they made some terrible hardware design choices. Hopefully they have learnt a lot through this process. The sound quality is good, but if another manufacturer comes out with comparable sound quality but even a couple of my issues resolved (which isn't hard), then the Penrose would be finished.

 

[Montrez36]

Yep - these connection issues shouldn't happen when much cheaper headphones have much longer range. In the end, they chose to go with a terrible wireless chipset.

They also made a decision not to include a chip to allow full connectivity on iOS, which is another very unacceptable thing they did.

Also, the lack of volume steps is also disappointing, and again is due to their choice of chipset.

Seems like they made some terrible hardware design choices. Hopefully they have learnt a lot through this process. The sound quality is good, but if another manufacturer comes out with comparable sound quality but even a couple of my issues resolved (which isn't hard), then the Penrose would be finished.

Sound is very subjective. I play only PS5. I can't speak for PC games but I dont think you need audiophile grade headphones for any of these games on PS5. Main thing is comfort. I play my shooters like BF 2042, destiny 2, rainbow six siege for hours. If your ears feel pain after 30 min then it doesn't matter how good they sound if you can't wear them. Then comes sound. Games have a ton of stuff going on. You have people talking on their mics in party chat, explosions, weather effects, dialogue, music playing, more crazy sound effects, and so on. I never thought to myself " Hey you know what I need all that to sound flat and neutral". Like I said sound is subjective so find something that you like.

The penrose do not sound bad by any means. The comfort is okay. I game for hours often and sometimes I do all night sessions. I have to take the penrose off after maybe 2hrs because my ears tend to start hurting. Back to the sound. The penrose doihave sharp sounding highs that I have to EQ. Even with the EQ settings the penrose do have a fatiguing sound after a few hours. The Mic is the next most important feature for me. The Mic isn't bad nor is it 10/10 amazing. It does get the job done and teamates are able to hear me. The mic monitoring I have not been able to get working on PS5. I have no way of telling if I am talking to loud to teammates. The connection issues on top of the other features being just okay make me wanna just give up on the penrose.

One thing I will give audeze a 10/10 is their customer service. Each rep that I have emailed has responded and have tried their best to help me. I have been looking at other headsets and trying to find the best option for me on PS5.

 

[waltdisneypixar]

i was using a tablet with my ps4 but now i am using a laptop to watch youtube at the same time as playing with my tv with my ps4 and now i am having cuts and disconnected
so that is weird and tablet and laptop use the same wifi so it has to be something on the pc that is making the problem

 

[amoeba1126]

As an pre-order adopter of the Penrose, I just wanted to stop by and chime in with my feedback after owning these cans for over a year.

Getting it out of the way first, I am not a power user, meaning I use the Penrose in a very simple, limited fashion. I use them purely as wireless headphones for when gaming on my PC. I don't even use the mic that comes with the Penrose as I have a USB desktop mic. What I was looking for when pre-ordering the Penrose was very specific; 2.4GHz headphones with fantastic audio quality. When I game with headphones, I cannot stand cables. I abhor them on an irrational level. At the same time, I disdain poor/mediocre audio quality and latency. This basically left me with one pair of headphones, the Audeze Penrose. So did they fit my needs? TLDR... Yes!

Negatives
Lets get the negatives out of the first. The Penrose are good sounding headphones, but not perfect and here are some shortcomings/drawbacks that I have discovered since owning them.

• The included pleather pads are incredibly uncomfortable. They get hot really quickly and in the time I used them, felt pretty stiff and shallow. Shortly after buying the Penrose, I had to replace them with some Dekoni velour pads. This changed them from being borderline unusable for long gaming sessions to very comfortable, so a HUGE change in quality of life.
• The dongle connectivity sucked when plugged into the back of my PC. Drops were fairly common until I got an extender and moved them out to on my desk at which point my issues went away. That said, if I walk downstairs with them, I get the dreaded connection warning over and over.
• The headband it comes with is serviceable, but ultimately the padding was lacking for extended usage. While not as significant as replacing the pads, getting a padded headphone cover was a huge QoL improvement.
• This one is 100% an aesthetic opinion, but I can only describe the Penrose's appearance as extremely tacky and tasteless. The relationship between "gaming" and stupidly bright colors needs to die yesterday. At the very least, there should be a blacked out or at least neutral color scheme available even if at a higher cost. The pair I have, the blue was so blue that I willingly spent like $40 more to buy the charcoal cups from the Mobius series.
• There is no live battery monitor on the headphones and as far as I am aware of, none via the 2.4GHz connection. I know they mentioned planning to add it in a later firmware and I have no idea if that ever happened, but this should have never, ever, EVER been a missing feature. It is mind boggling that this design decision (or lack thereof) ever was allowed to happen.

Positives

• These are the best sounding wireless headphones and it's not even close. In the world of wireless headphones, the Penrose are basically royalty and your typical gaming headsets from HyperX, Logitech, Corsair, etc are basically 2nd class citizens. That's how big the gap is.
• For planar headphones, they are pretty light. Once you put them on your head, you don't really feel the weight. Compared to the LCD-2 I owned, these are feather light in comparison.
• Audeze is a fantastic headphones company that stands behind their products in terms of support and commitment to improving them. Both the Mobius and Penrose have seen a lot of improvements over time, because Audeze takes customer feedback seriously.

 

[subtec]

For one,

Audeze offers planarmagnetic headphones. For open back, this means not having anything inside the cups which can block the huge driver surface area. Wireless headphones require a lot of internal circuitry, which gets crammed inside the earcups. Hence, you can see the issue here. If not, then you have to deal with a solution like Hifiman's wireless Deva, and those don't have all the gaming features necessary in a gaming headset. Then there's the battery location, etc.

There's possibilities, but this means ruining any real form, and just going with pure function. It would not be an elegant solution.

Open back planars and wireless is something not really all too feasible, without severe concessions made to their designs. Or greatly stripping features for the benefit of simple wireless.

Who knows in a far off future, but realistically speaking, right now, they don't really exist for a reason. Too many sacrifices would need to be made, and it'd likely cost way too much for the gaming demographic as a whole.

Why not put the electronics in the headband like AIAIAI is doing? Perfectly workable solutions if you venture outside the box.


Anyway, I hope we see a successor to the Penrose that addresses all the problems people are having. I'd also like to see:

• Metal construction at the stress points
• More subtle, less "gamer" styling
• Longer battery life and/or removable battery like the Arctis Pro Wireless
• Better comfort
• Open back option

 

[waltdisneypixar]

As an pre-order adopter of the Penrose, I just wanted to stop by and chime in with my feedback after owning these cans for over a year.

Getting it out of the way first, I am not a power user, meaning I use the Penrose in a very simple, limited fashion. I use them purely as wireless headphones for when gaming on my PC. I don't even use the mic that comes with the Penrose as I have a USB desktop mic. What I was looking for when pre-ordering the Penrose was very specific; 2.4GHz headphones with fantastic audio quality. When I game with headphones, I cannot stand cables. I abhor them on an irrational level. At the same time, I disdain poor/mediocre audio quality and latency. This basically left me with one pair of headphones, the Audeze Penrose. So did they fit my needs? TLDR... Yes!

Negatives
Lets get the negatives out of the first. The Penrose are good sounding headphones, but not perfect and here are some shortcomings/drawbacks that I have discovered since owning them.

• The included pleather pads are incredibly uncomfortable. They get hot really quickly and in the time I used them, felt pretty stiff and shallow. Shortly after buying the Penrose, I had to replace them with some Dekoni velour pads. This changed them from being borderline unusable for long gaming sessions to very comfortable, so a HUGE change in quality of life.
• The dongle connectivity sucked when plugged into the back of my PC. Drops were fairly common until I got an extender and moved them out to on my desk at which point my issues went away. That said, if I walk downstairs with them, I get the dreaded connection warning over and over.
• The headband it comes with is serviceable, but ultimately the padding was lacking for extended usage. While not as significant as replacing the pads, getting a padded headphone cover was a huge QoL improvement.
• This one is 100% an aesthetic opinion, but I can only describe the Penrose's appearance as extremely tacky and tasteless. The relationship between "gaming" and stupidly bright colors needs to die yesterday. At the very least, there should be a blacked out or at least neutral color scheme available even if at a higher cost. The pair I have, the blue was so blue that I willingly spent like $40 more to buy the charcoal cups from the Mobius series.
• There is no live battery monitor on the headphones and as far as I am aware of, none via the 2.4GHz connection. I know they mentioned planning to add it in a later firmware and I have no idea if that ever happened, but this should have never, ever, EVER been a missing feature. It is mind boggling that this design decision (or lack thereof) ever was allowed to happen.

Positives

• These are the best sounding wireless headphones and it's not even close. In the world of wireless headphones, the Penrose are basically royalty and your typical gaming headsets from HyperX, Logitech, Corsair, etc are basically 2nd class citizens. That's how big the gap is.
• For planar headphones, they are pretty light. Once you put them on your head, you don't really feel the weight. Compared to the LCD-2 I owned, these are feather light in comparison.
• Audeze is a fantastic headphones company that stands behind their products in terms of support and commitment to improving them. Both the Mobius and Penrose have seen a lot of improvements over time, because Audeze takes customer feedback seriously.

so you are okey with the volumen steps?

 

[amoeba1126]

so you are okey with the volumen steps?

I never have them not work accurately, so yes

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Why not put the electronics in the headband like AIAIAI is doing? Perfectly workable solutions if you venture outside the box.


Anyway, I hope we see a successor to the Penrose that addresses all the problems people are having. I'd also like to see:

• Metal construction at the stress points
• More subtle, less "gamer" styling
• Longer battery life and/or removable battery like the Arctis Pro Wireless
• Better comfort
• Open back option

It's an idea that has been thought up before, but placing all the electronics on the headband can lead to hotspotting and weight issues. Still, it's an idea worth reconsidering. I'll pass the idea along.

Something to realize is that planarmagnetic design is not as simple as dynamic driver design, and some considerations need to be taken. What works there, may not work for us.

 

[AlexKalopsia]

Is it not possible to connect to a Nintendo Switch without using the dongle? Even if I start pairing, the Switch never finds my Penrose in pairing mode

 

[Evil Deadly]

Any plans for a wired gaming headset that isnt $900?

 

[Audeze]

Any plans for a wired gaming headset that isnt $900?

We don't comment on future possibilities. Just know the gaming market is relatively new for us, and we're invested.