Are people with connection problems living in congestested wireless signal areas like apartments?
Audeze Penrose X and Penrose
- Thread starter Audeze
- Start date
EvilSmoothie
New Head-Fier
Mine arrived yesterday. I’m totally blown away.
I’ve come from the PlayStation Golds so I’m well aware that the bar had not been set high. I’ve got a set of AirPods Pro for the gym or running outdoors as it’s convenient more than anything.
Otherwise I’ve never owned a set of really good sounding headphones. I bought a PS5 and wanted some good quality plug and play headphones. So far I’m very happy.
i don’t find them uncomfortable at all. Granted I don’t play really long sessions. Normally play for a few hours at a time. Maybe 4 hours would be extended for me.
I’ve had zero connection issues, in fact they seem better than my PS Golds that couldn’t remain connected in the kitchen where these do. For the most part though I’m not sat very far away from the TV and it’s just plugged in to the front socket as I know the range was terrible if I plugged the golds dongle in the back so haven’t tried it with these. When I hear myself in the mic volume test on PS5 it feels like I sound very good and very clear. Not the most scientific test I know, but if that’s how I sound to others then I’m happy with that.
Only feature I miss is the chat / AudIo mix but the new PlayStation UI makes it easy enough to adjust.
I don’t really plan on doing anything too fancy with it like making Bluetooth calls at the same time or anything like that so can’t talk about that.
In my experience so far, if your use is to sit and use them on a PS5 then they sound phenomenal. That’s all I really wanted and in not disappointed.
This is all pre update as I only have iPhones and a MacBook Pro. I’ll probably have to setup boot camp to do the update unless they release the mac version soon but I’m in no desperate rush at all.
Many thanks to @Oscar-HiFi for getting them churned out so quickly and excellent customer service.
I’ve come from the PlayStation Golds so I’m well aware that the bar had not been set high. I’ve got a set of AirPods Pro for the gym or running outdoors as it’s convenient more than anything.
Otherwise I’ve never owned a set of really good sounding headphones. I bought a PS5 and wanted some good quality plug and play headphones. So far I’m very happy.
i don’t find them uncomfortable at all. Granted I don’t play really long sessions. Normally play for a few hours at a time. Maybe 4 hours would be extended for me.
I’ve had zero connection issues, in fact they seem better than my PS Golds that couldn’t remain connected in the kitchen where these do. For the most part though I’m not sat very far away from the TV and it’s just plugged in to the front socket as I know the range was terrible if I plugged the golds dongle in the back so haven’t tried it with these. When I hear myself in the mic volume test on PS5 it feels like I sound very good and very clear. Not the most scientific test I know, but if that’s how I sound to others then I’m happy with that.
Only feature I miss is the chat / AudIo mix but the new PlayStation UI makes it easy enough to adjust.
I don’t really plan on doing anything too fancy with it like making Bluetooth calls at the same time or anything like that so can’t talk about that.
In my experience so far, if your use is to sit and use them on a PS5 then they sound phenomenal. That’s all I really wanted and in not disappointed.
This is all pre update as I only have iPhones and a MacBook Pro. I’ll probably have to setup boot camp to do the update unless they release the mac version soon but I’m in no desperate rush at all.
Many thanks to @Oscar-HiFi for getting them churned out so quickly and excellent customer service.
I have to say, the mic sounds really good, in wireless mode. The trick is to keep it away from your face and disable all the processing crap and auto-gain stuff in Discord and other software.
Androidisgimp
Head-Fier
I was expecting a lot of discomfort with these and disconnections but I’ve not had any of these issues. I wouldn’t say that they are the most comfortable in the world but they’re certainly fine for me. I can also walk to every part of my house and not get a disconnect. The dongle is plugged into the front of my PS5.
footsteps on FPS games is perfect, I’ve heard in game sounds that are completely new to me using the Penrose.
footsteps on FPS games is perfect, I’ve heard in game sounds that are completely new to me using the Penrose.
Used them for a long session last night on PS5, from about 7pm until gone midnight, so probably 5-6hrs, no comfort issues at all. The clamping force provides good sealing, just had to take them off a couple of times to let my ears breathe.
Only a couple of small gripes - could do with a good way to tell the battery level. Even having an indicator in the windows app would be good. I doubt it'll be an issue for me as my gaming sessions tend to be 3-4hrs max normally, and they'll be on charge after every use.
No Bluetooth battery indicator when connected to my phone either, this would be good to have when using the headphones on a journey and not having access to a charger. Currently mine are charging via a wall charger and I have no idea whether they're at 90%, or 50% or 10%... Just have to wait for the blinking red led to turn solid at some point.
Side tone - not being used to closed back headphones, I wanted a tiny bit of side tone enabled but the adjuster under the side tone toggle in the window app didn't adjust the level, and the preset level was a little too high for me.
Otherwise, all good! No complaints about the mic, and sound quality was extremely good, as expected - I was hearing teammate footsteps so clearly that I had had to ask 'is that you' a few times!
Only a couple of small gripes - could do with a good way to tell the battery level. Even having an indicator in the windows app would be good. I doubt it'll be an issue for me as my gaming sessions tend to be 3-4hrs max normally, and they'll be on charge after every use.
No Bluetooth battery indicator when connected to my phone either, this would be good to have when using the headphones on a journey and not having access to a charger. Currently mine are charging via a wall charger and I have no idea whether they're at 90%, or 50% or 10%... Just have to wait for the blinking red led to turn solid at some point.
Side tone - not being used to closed back headphones, I wanted a tiny bit of side tone enabled but the adjuster under the side tone toggle in the window app didn't adjust the level, and the preset level was a little too high for me.
Otherwise, all good! No complaints about the mic, and sound quality was extremely good, as expected - I was hearing teammate footsteps so clearly that I had had to ask 'is that you' a few times!
Last edited:
imac2much
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2014
- Posts
- 269
- Likes
- 158
I want to remind everyone that wireless interference will be VERY YMMV. It doesn’t mean anyone experiencing issues is lying or has a defective unit, since several people have these issues. It’s just that everyone has different amount of devices and APs that utilize the 2.4ghz airspace. The fact that is not YMMV though is that unfortunately the wireless stability is far worse than that of competitors like the Arctis 7p and Pulse 3D which also use the 2.4ghz wavelength.
To answer a previous posters question, I do not live in an apartment, but I have set up a modest “smart home”, which means I have several plugs, lights, cameras, etc on my WiFi. So this can definitely be one cause of my issues. My criticism of wireless stability does not imply others will have the same issue, but it’s not something I experience with other headsets.
Since my last post, I’ve used them every night when playing my PS5 after the kids went to sleep. So far I haven’t noticed any additional disconnects when simply sitting on my couch. Sometimes just getting up and moving a couple feet will disconnect still. I unfortunately still get the static “crackle” in my ear and occasional dropout no matter where I move the dongle, which is very distracting. It doesn’t happen as much now, and it’s most noticeable during quiet scenes, but it’s enough that it definitely detracts from my experience.
I had forgotten to charge the Penrose last night so they eventually ran out of battery, I switched to the Arctis 7p (still deciding which to return), and two things were immediately noticeable. While I’ve gotten used to the Penrose fit, especially after using pillow trick for 5 nights straight, I still don’t find them comfortable after about an hour. They’re actually very snug and nice at first but get on my nerves after a while. The Arctis don’t have any such problem - like having a pillow on my head. At the same time, the Arctis doesn’t have Bluetooth and their fit would be way too loose for commute - Penrose firs super well and doesn’t feel like it would ever fall off. The Bluetooth connection is solid, and if I keep it, I’d probably sell my other Bluetooth headphones (Momentum 3).
The next immediate difference was the sound. Having gone back and forth between the two headsets for the past 5 nights has made me eat my words. The Penrose is definitely noticeably superior to the Arctis, and the difference is more significance than I originally thought. When switching between them, playing with the Arctis just feels a bit more muffled and grainy and the bass is loud but muddy.
However, after about 15 min, my ears adjusted. I doubt I’d like to use the Arctis with music, but I think my ears just got used to it for gaming. And over the next 1.5 hours, it was nice knowing I wouldn’t have any disconnect, dropout or even any static. I could walk around my house without issue. The fact I didn’t have to stress about the connection was oddly freeing.
I’m still conflicted and don’t know which set I’ll be keeping. I contacted support about potential wireless fixes but haven’t heard back. If Audeze says that they plan to address wireless stability in future firmware, I’ll take their word for it and keep it. But the stress of knowing a slight movement can result in static (moving my hand over the left ear cup to adjust volume is often enough to cause static and dropout) and getting up to move 3 feet to disconnect is quite constricting.
For everyone with great wireless stability, y’all win. I wish I had such an experience. However, I’m not going to disable my smart devices or restart my router every time I want to sit down and play a game when I don’t need to jump through any such hoops with other headphones.
To answer a previous posters question, I do not live in an apartment, but I have set up a modest “smart home”, which means I have several plugs, lights, cameras, etc on my WiFi. So this can definitely be one cause of my issues. My criticism of wireless stability does not imply others will have the same issue, but it’s not something I experience with other headsets.
Since my last post, I’ve used them every night when playing my PS5 after the kids went to sleep. So far I haven’t noticed any additional disconnects when simply sitting on my couch. Sometimes just getting up and moving a couple feet will disconnect still. I unfortunately still get the static “crackle” in my ear and occasional dropout no matter where I move the dongle, which is very distracting. It doesn’t happen as much now, and it’s most noticeable during quiet scenes, but it’s enough that it definitely detracts from my experience.
I had forgotten to charge the Penrose last night so they eventually ran out of battery, I switched to the Arctis 7p (still deciding which to return), and two things were immediately noticeable. While I’ve gotten used to the Penrose fit, especially after using pillow trick for 5 nights straight, I still don’t find them comfortable after about an hour. They’re actually very snug and nice at first but get on my nerves after a while. The Arctis don’t have any such problem - like having a pillow on my head. At the same time, the Arctis doesn’t have Bluetooth and their fit would be way too loose for commute - Penrose firs super well and doesn’t feel like it would ever fall off. The Bluetooth connection is solid, and if I keep it, I’d probably sell my other Bluetooth headphones (Momentum 3).
The next immediate difference was the sound. Having gone back and forth between the two headsets for the past 5 nights has made me eat my words. The Penrose is definitely noticeably superior to the Arctis, and the difference is more significance than I originally thought. When switching between them, playing with the Arctis just feels a bit more muffled and grainy and the bass is loud but muddy.
However, after about 15 min, my ears adjusted. I doubt I’d like to use the Arctis with music, but I think my ears just got used to it for gaming. And over the next 1.5 hours, it was nice knowing I wouldn’t have any disconnect, dropout or even any static. I could walk around my house without issue. The fact I didn’t have to stress about the connection was oddly freeing.
I’m still conflicted and don’t know which set I’ll be keeping. I contacted support about potential wireless fixes but haven’t heard back. If Audeze says that they plan to address wireless stability in future firmware, I’ll take their word for it and keep it. But the stress of knowing a slight movement can result in static (moving my hand over the left ear cup to adjust volume is often enough to cause static and dropout) and getting up to move 3 feet to disconnect is quite constricting.
For everyone with great wireless stability, y’all win. I wish I had such an experience. However, I’m not going to disable my smart devices or restart my router every time I want to sit down and play a game when I don’t need to jump through any such hoops with other headphones.
Need some clarification regarding charging @Audeze - your online manual states:
However, mine have now gone from a slow blinking red LED to a slow linking green LED.. Is this fully charged? Or is it now at more than XX% charge? There is literally no other way to tell what battery level they are at apart from the LED on the headset.
However, mine have now gone from a slow blinking red LED to a slow linking green LED.. Is this fully charged? Or is it now at more than XX% charge? There is literally no other way to tell what battery level they are at apart from the LED on the headset.
jameswalker
100+ Head-Fier
Here are my thoughts having used them over the weekend for music and gaming, at a PC. My first set of planars.
Sound quality: Brilliant. I wish for a bit more bass but I am a basshead.
Range: For me in my house, very short. Disconnect before I leave the room. Not a problem for me.
Background noise: Present, tiny, not a problem. Coming from home HIFI systems with giant class A amps, I am tolerant to this.
Comfort. This is still up in the air. I need a decent 6 hour gaming session before I can commit to giving thoughts here. But immediately upon putting them on, they are less comfy than my others. Not uncomfy, just less.
Gaming: Need more time in call of duty before I comment properly, but so far they are great.
Wishes:
Windows volume control. I use the buttons on my keyboard to adjust volume. Would be great if I could continue to do so.
A reduction to background noise would be nice but not essential.
Pad replacement. Long term I will look to do the pad mod that has been suggested elsewhere. With very short hair I go through pads very quickly.
Battery level indication. In ear prompt to alert every 10% reduction would be a nice thing. Or some other way to know without having to take them off. Without a decent way to know how much juice is remaining, its like electric cars and range anxiety!! Except having no indication of how much charge you have left
These are a keeper for me. The only reason I would consider sending them back for, is to upgrade to another Audeze pair. LCD2?!
Sound quality: Brilliant. I wish for a bit more bass but I am a basshead.
Range: For me in my house, very short. Disconnect before I leave the room. Not a problem for me.
Background noise: Present, tiny, not a problem. Coming from home HIFI systems with giant class A amps, I am tolerant to this.
Comfort. This is still up in the air. I need a decent 6 hour gaming session before I can commit to giving thoughts here. But immediately upon putting them on, they are less comfy than my others. Not uncomfy, just less.
Gaming: Need more time in call of duty before I comment properly, but so far they are great.
Wishes:
Windows volume control. I use the buttons on my keyboard to adjust volume. Would be great if I could continue to do so.
A reduction to background noise would be nice but not essential.
Pad replacement. Long term I will look to do the pad mod that has been suggested elsewhere. With very short hair I go through pads very quickly.
Battery level indication. In ear prompt to alert every 10% reduction would be a nice thing. Or some other way to know without having to take them off. Without a decent way to know how much juice is remaining, its like electric cars and range anxiety!! Except having no indication of how much charge you have left
These are a keeper for me. The only reason I would consider sending them back for, is to upgrade to another Audeze pair. LCD2?!
Mine completely turns off when it's fully charged (assuming you are not using them/they are turned off).
Sorry for the confusion, the shipping was upgraded for all pre-orders placed before the stock arrived (pre 10th December) - after that they started shipping normally.
Imperatore
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2014
- Posts
- 169
- Likes
- 27
All good, I'm still very happy it was despatched as quickly as it was. Thank you.
Hi guys !
First post here. I received my Penrose a few days ago. I'm very pleased with the sound and really want to keep them but I have quite a few issues, and definitely can't use them atm.
I wrote to Audeze support to know if there is something wrong with my unit. I'd like to know if any of you experienced those issues.
My biggest and dealbreaker issue is an uneven sound between left and right ear. I don't think this has anything to do with the drivers themselves because you can clearly feel a different isolation between right and left cup. Even with the headphones turned off. Tried swapping the headphones, same problem but reversed. Gave them to my girlfriend to try, she noticed it too. It's pretty bad, to the point I get dizzy. It's like the left cup is open-back while the right cup is air sealed tight closed back.
I tried every way to wear them to get rid of this imbalance without any luck. When powered on with music playing this is less blatant but still imbalanced…
I'm starting to wonder if this has anything to do with the amount of openings there is on the left cup for the buttons etc. because when I try to cover them with my hand it seems to get better.
Has any of you experienced such a thing ? I'm starting to wonder If I should get them replaced or just refunded. I really want to like them because the sound is amazing.
I have another issue with connectivity. I can live with this one even if it's bothering me.
When I get too far from the dongle (5meters…) it disconnects. But when I get back it won't connect anymore, the output does not appear in either windows or macos. I have to turn the music off, turn the headphones off, unplug the dongle, plug it back in, turn the headphones back on and there you go. If any of this step is not done, or not in this order it won't work. It won't even work if I have something playing back while turning off and on again.
The led on the dongle will just stay off when it's not working, but it still says connected in the headphones.
I won't go into any of the other issues because they have already been discussed.
First post here. I received my Penrose a few days ago. I'm very pleased with the sound and really want to keep them but I have quite a few issues, and definitely can't use them atm.
I wrote to Audeze support to know if there is something wrong with my unit. I'd like to know if any of you experienced those issues.
My biggest and dealbreaker issue is an uneven sound between left and right ear. I don't think this has anything to do with the drivers themselves because you can clearly feel a different isolation between right and left cup. Even with the headphones turned off. Tried swapping the headphones, same problem but reversed. Gave them to my girlfriend to try, she noticed it too. It's pretty bad, to the point I get dizzy. It's like the left cup is open-back while the right cup is air sealed tight closed back.
I tried every way to wear them to get rid of this imbalance without any luck. When powered on with music playing this is less blatant but still imbalanced…
I'm starting to wonder if this has anything to do with the amount of openings there is on the left cup for the buttons etc. because when I try to cover them with my hand it seems to get better.
Has any of you experienced such a thing ? I'm starting to wonder If I should get them replaced or just refunded. I really want to like them because the sound is amazing.
I have another issue with connectivity. I can live with this one even if it's bothering me.
When I get too far from the dongle (5meters…) it disconnects. But when I get back it won't connect anymore, the output does not appear in either windows or macos. I have to turn the music off, turn the headphones off, unplug the dongle, plug it back in, turn the headphones back on and there you go. If any of this step is not done, or not in this order it won't work. It won't even work if I have something playing back while turning off and on again.
The led on the dongle will just stay off when it's not working, but it still says connected in the headphones.
I won't go into any of the other issues because they have already been discussed.
0bones
New Head-Fier
They do, but be prepared for $85 US shipping and $75 CAD Duties. I'd suggest looking at the list of Canadian dealers on Audeze's website.
easyrecovery
New Head-Fier
Hi all,
What an interesting forum, it is very informative to read you guys!
I'd like to have your help for the following : I am interested in the Audeze Penrose or Penrose X headphones.
I am 90% gaming on PC and 10% on PS4. So I was thinking of the Penrose to be able to connect to the 2 supports.
However I read conflicting opinions:
on a french Audeze dealer : elitediffusion.com
"Do Penrose and Penrose X support Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, or Windows Sonic for 3D audio rendering?
Penrose X will support these formats on Xbox Series X and Windows. More information will be attached to the user manual.
Playstation does not support any of these formats, Sony's approach to 3D audio being radically different thanks to their new "Tempest Audio Engine". Penrose supports Tempest as well as other formats on compatible devices."
Does this mean that to have an optimal experience on a PC there is only the Penrose X which will allow 3D audio rendering? but therefore, not possible to connect to the PS4?
In the meantime, there is another info on audeze.com :
"Will Penrose and Penrose X support Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, Windows Sonic, Tempest, etc for 3D audio rendering?
Both versions of Penrose appear to the source device as a 2-channel USB headset, so any processing that happens upstream will be transmitted appropriately. As long as the headset is not required to do any processing of its own, any spatial audio system will work."
So i'm a bit confused... What's the right model for me : Penrose or Penrose X ?
Would any of you have some PC experience to share ?
Thank you in advance for your expertise, this would help me !
What an interesting forum, it is very informative to read you guys!
I'd like to have your help for the following : I am interested in the Audeze Penrose or Penrose X headphones.
I am 90% gaming on PC and 10% on PS4. So I was thinking of the Penrose to be able to connect to the 2 supports.
However I read conflicting opinions:
on a french Audeze dealer : elitediffusion.com
"Do Penrose and Penrose X support Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, or Windows Sonic for 3D audio rendering?
Penrose X will support these formats on Xbox Series X and Windows. More information will be attached to the user manual.
Playstation does not support any of these formats, Sony's approach to 3D audio being radically different thanks to their new "Tempest Audio Engine". Penrose supports Tempest as well as other formats on compatible devices."
Does this mean that to have an optimal experience on a PC there is only the Penrose X which will allow 3D audio rendering? but therefore, not possible to connect to the PS4?
In the meantime, there is another info on audeze.com :
"Will Penrose and Penrose X support Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, Windows Sonic, Tempest, etc for 3D audio rendering?
Both versions of Penrose appear to the source device as a 2-channel USB headset, so any processing that happens upstream will be transmitted appropriately. As long as the headset is not required to do any processing of its own, any spatial audio system will work."
So i'm a bit confused... What's the right model for me : Penrose or Penrose X ?
Would any of you have some PC experience to share ?
Thank you in advance for your expertise, this would help me !
omf
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2004
- Posts
- 5
- Likes
- 1
I'll just add a few data points:
As for WiFi/radio interference: it's a fact of life (or, more accurately, physics) that some environments are going to be harder to work in than others. If you're hearing disruptions on your wireless headphones, you can assume that all your other devices are also dealing with these disruptions and constantly having to adjust, it's just that you can't hear them doing it.
If you want to make the case that these headphones are sensitive to interference where other wireless devices not and are working correctly in your environment, make sure to compare against other headphones or audio devices using the 2.4GHz radio band - that will make a much stronger case.
- Used with PS5 for about 12 hours now
- Turned off side-tone
- Unobtrusive but noticeable background noise when no audio coming in. No different than all other wireless headphones I've tried
- Battery recharge time was surprisingly long. LED indicator went from slow blink, to solid, to off over many hours.
- No issues with comfort
- No issues with disconnects or interference
- Some kind of battery level check (interesting that they ran for around 2 hours after the first audio "low battery" indicator)
- User manual that doesn't embarrass itself trying to be cool. Just explain things clearly and add some diagrams.
As for WiFi/radio interference: it's a fact of life (or, more accurately, physics) that some environments are going to be harder to work in than others. If you're hearing disruptions on your wireless headphones, you can assume that all your other devices are also dealing with these disruptions and constantly having to adjust, it's just that you can't hear them doing it.
If you want to make the case that these headphones are sensitive to interference where other wireless devices not and are working correctly in your environment, make sure to compare against other headphones or audio devices using the 2.4GHz radio band - that will make a much stronger case.
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
