The Audeze Penrose headphones come with a weighty price tag, more than many gamers would be willing to part with for a gaming headset. So, the question is, do the Audeze Penrose wireless gaming headphones deliver?

Specifications
  • Brand: Audeze
  • Battery Life: 15-hours
  • Noise Cancellation: No
  • Bluetooth : Yes
Pros
  • Outstanding audio
  • Well balanced soundstage
  • Easy to setup, fast connection
  • Dual Bluetooth connection
  • Very low latency audio with 2.4GHz wireless
Cons
  • Might be uncomfortable for some users
  • Planar magnetic drivers more delicate
Buy This Product
Audeze Penrose

You don't always have to spend big bucks for the best quality product. That's a common fallacy when it comes to technology. But every now and then, you really do get what you pay for, and the Audeze Penrose wireless headphones fit that bill, delivering sublime audio quality in a comfy package.

Does the Audeze Penrose have issues? Perhaps. Can the excellent audio carry it over the line?

Let's find out in our review of the Audeze Penrose wireless headphones.

What's in the Box?

audeze penrose headphone parts

Before sticking the headphones on for the audio test, what comes in the Audeze Penrose box?

  • Audeze Penrose headphones
  • Audeze 2.4GHz Wi-Fi dongle
  • Detachable microphone
  • 1x USB Type-C to Type-C cable
  • 1x USB Type-C to Type-A cable
  • 1x 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack cable
  • Tape measure

Yes, that's right. There's a tape measure in the box. The tape measure is actually part of a separate Audeze product, the Audeze Mobius, which includes a head tracking option for your screen. As awesome as that sounds, this feature isn't included with the Penrose.

Audeze Penrose Specifications

audeze penrose up close one up

The Audeze Penrose headphones support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, and this model works with your PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Android devices, and iOS devices.

You've probably spotted the omission from the list: the Xbox Series X, S, and One. Fear not. The Xbox has its own version of the hardware, the Audeze Penrose X. It even has a green color scheme to match!

Onto the Audeze Penrose spec list:

  • Design: Over-ear headphones
  • Color: Black, with blue trim
  • Drivers: 100mm Planar Magnetic
    • Magnetic structure: Fluxor magnet array
    • Magnet type: Neodymium N50
    • Frequency response: 10-50,000Hz
    • Diaphragm: Ultra-thin Uniforce
  • Connectivity:4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0
  • Battery life: Up to 15 hours
    • Charge time: 3 hours
    • Battery type: Lithium polymer
  • Microphone: Detachable "broadcast quality" microphone
  • Weight: 320g
  • Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch

Audeze Penrose Design

The Audeze Penrose headphones come out of the box featuring a clean design. Audeze hasn't pushed the boundaries of design into any new dimensions, and the overall appearance of the headphones is okay, but not great.

The Penrose model features a blue band around the earcup, while the Penrose X (the Xbox version of the headphones) features a green stripe. The colored strip breaks up the black, but you cannot escape the feeling of plastic, which doesn't immediately scream "quality." But although the design doesn't have the wow factor, the Penrose headphones' build quality is plain to see, and the parts feel well made and solidly built.

audeze penrose left cup ports power button

The artificial leather earpads cover comfy padding, while the earcups themselves are adjustable, both on the ear and at the headband's connection. In terms of weight, 320g is perfectly average for a set of wireless headphones, and once you pop them on and get adjusted, you won't notice them.

One thing I would note is that the Audeze Penrose headphones do have a snug fit. My head isn't particularly large, and the headphones are comfy and form a good seal around my ears. However, those with a larger head might find them less comfortable during a prolonged session. That said, this is speculation, as I don't have a larger head to test with.

You'll find an array of dials and inputs on the left earcup, allowing you to mute, adjust microphone or headphone volume, and switch between the headset's three connection modes. The buttons and dials are all easy to use and responsive enough, and the inclusion of an integrated microphone volume dial is welcome, especially if you regularly play online games.

audeze penrose left cup ports

The power button on the headphones takes a few seconds to activate, which is a little odd, taking around five seconds to switch the headphones on or off. Talking of power, the Penrose doesn't have any battery life indicator. The battery is either working, or not, without any warning. Audeze markets the Penrose with a 15-hour battery life on a single charge.

The headset I was sent lasted for around 13 hours and 30 minutes on average, depending on what I was doing and volume changes during testing. 13.5 hours of playback certainly doesn't put the Audeze Penrose in the top battery bracket, but it's far from the worst, either.

Something to consider is that planar magnetic drivers are more power-hungry than regular dynamic drives, so the Penrose is bound to give something up in battery life. Over 13 hours of playback is enough for most people for a day of work or a prolonged gaming session, so the battery life isn't an issue.

A Note on Handling Planar Magnetic Headphones

The Audeze Penrose planar magnetic design does make it more susceptible to air trapping behind the ultra-thin diaphragm. Audeze recommends that you take care when putting your Penrose and Penrose X headphones on, giving them a moment to adjust to the difference in air pressure after creating a seal around your ears.

As per Audeze customer support:

We recommend exercising certain cautions when handling planar magnetic headphones: trapped air can create high pressure and sudden pressure changes could damage the diaphragms, and this is not covered by warranty. When you put the headphones on or take them off, it's not a good idea to press them hard and fast against the head, so we recommend slow and steady movement to allow the air pressure to stabilize.

Audeze Penrose Sound Quality

In short, the Audeze Penrose headphones are some of the best-sounding headphones currently on the market. They're nothing short of superb, easily accommodating any genre of music you throw at it, delivering each note, tone, and vocal harmony with precision.

audeze penrose wearing on head face

The 100mm planar magnetic drivers allow the headphones to recreate any audio environment accurately, and it's clear Penrose has spent a great deal of time making sure that these headphones can bring your favorite track or game to life.

Interestingly, the Audeze Penrose's overall excellent quality makes it difficult to pinpoint specific areas of distinction. As ever while testing headphones, Spotify's Songs To Test Headphones With playlist is my erstwhile companion. In other reviews, you might read about headphones having a bass-heavy tuning or stuttering with fast-paced high notes.

The Audeze Penrose, on the other hand, does none of this. It just eats it up and keeps coming back for more.

audeze penrose headphone left cup side

It's a similar scenario for gaming, too. After all, the Audeze Penrose headphones are meant for gamers. You'll actually find yourself picking out more audio details in your game environment than with other headphones, even in games you've already played to death. This is an impressive quality and one that is hard to match among the rafts of other gaming headphones and earbuds out there.

Resultingly, you'll always hear where an errant gunshot came from and where those quiet footsteps are approaching from, while other details, like the metal of a car scraping down a barrier, sound better than ever before.

Another thing to note about the Audeze Penrose audio experience is that you don't have to turn the headphones up to notice all of these additional sound features. Even at lower volumes, the sound quality and response is exceptional.

The Audeze Penrose headphones don't include any Active Noise Cancelling technology. While the lack of ANC might make some users shy away, you should know that the Penrose forms a semi-noise blocking seal around your ear anyway.

audeze penrose standing up side view

As the Penrose are closed-back headphones, they block a huge amount of background audio out, even without active noise cancellation. Indeed, I'm testing the Audeze Penrose headphones in a house with three children on their Easter break—you wouldn't know they're home.

One final note on the audio side of things. The microphone is very easy to use and adjust, but the quality sounds somewhat muffled. You can communicate well enough in online games and voice chat apps, but it isn't as clear as other microphone options.

Audeze HQ

The Audeze Penrose has a companion desktop and mobile app that you can use to adjust or create custom EQs and switch the Sidetone feature on and off. Both the desktop and mobile apps are basic, allowing you to save an EQ preset to the headphones.

audeze hq desktop app

One slight irritation is that you cannot connect wireless to the app using the supplied dongle (which is for a 2.4GHz wireless connection for audio). As such, when you want to adjust the EQ on your desktop, you have to plug the Audeze Penrose into your computer using a USB Type-C cable.

It's only a small problem, but if you have a few different EQs you like to use for different music types, it will become a bit of a drag.

Should You Buy the Audeze Penrose Headphones?

Audeze was the first company to bring planar magnetic drivers to consumer headphones, with the Audeze Mobius.

Now, Audeze is bringing that planar magnetic tech to a different market bracket, losing some of the high-end features from the Mobius (such as 3D head tracking and Waves Nx surround sound), but still delivering outstanding audio quality.

The Audeze Penrose headphones are easily some of the best-sounding headphones on the market right now. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better soundstage, even with the default EQ settings.

The big question comes in the price. Currently, the Audeze Penrose headphones retail for $300, making them one of the more expensive headphone options for gamers.

If you have the budget available and you want a top-notch audio experience, look no further than the Audeze Penrose.