Audeze Penrose Review

Audeze (pronounced “odyssey”) is a renowned audiophile headphone manufacturer. Its Penrose headset sports planar magnetic drivers, a low-latency Bluetooth connection, and a detachable studio-caliber microphone. With its terrific sound quality, the Penrose is just as comfortable in an intense gaming match as it is handling hi-fi music streaming or Zoom calls. But is this the right headset for your needs? Find out in our hands-on Audeze Penrose review!

Overview: What is the Audeze Penrose?

The Audeze Penrose is a purpose-built premium gaming headset. At its core, the Penrose features planar magnetic drivers for 3D surround sound. It offers a low-latency wireless connection thanks to an included 2.4GHz USB dongle, Bluetooth support, and wired listening. You’ll find compatibility with macOS and Windows PCs as well as PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles. The Penrose X is engineered for Xbox compatibility.

Audeze Penrose Specs

• Transducer: Audeze 100mm planar magnetic drivers
• Frequency response: 10Hz – 50kHz
• Connection types: lossless low-latency 2.4GHz wireless dongle, Bluetooth wireless, wired 3.5mm headphone jack
• Microphone: Detachable broadcast-quality microphone
• Charging port: USB-C
• Earcups: Contoured artificial leather-covered memory foam
• Inputs/outputs: 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C, microphone port
• Battery life: 15-hour lifespan, 4-5-hour charging time
• Weight: 320 grams
• Compatible platforms: PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStaiton 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS

Audeze Penrose Review Verdict

The Audeze Penrose is a gaming-centric headset with exceptional sound quality. It works flawlessly with Windows and macOS PCs as well as game consoles or mobile devices. While the Penrose is designed for PlayStation 5 and PS4 consoles, the aptly-named Penrose X is geared towards the Xbox Series X and Xbox One.

Gaming performance is top-notch. The Penrose does justice to in-game sound effects and soundtracks. There’s great delineation of noises for effective 3D surround sound. Although it’s marketed as a gaming headset, the Penrose works wonderfully for entertainment and office productivity purposes. Music streaming played perfectly, especially when fed with a high-fidelity audio source. Likewise, the Penrose performed admirably for listening to movies.

Because of its studio-quality microphone, designed in consultation with Shure, the Penrose is a solid choice for video chatting in Zoom calls, Google Hangouts, or Skype. Thanks to its classy mostly black with blue (Penrose) or green (Penrose X) accents, Audeze provides a set of gaming cans that look suitable in the office or home office.

A light weight coupled with contoured memory foam earcups and a headband, all wrapped in leather, means the Penrose feels comfortable even after hours-long gaming sessions. A generous 15-hour battery life eliminates frequent recharges. There’s a useful companion app, Audeze HQ, which lets you tinker with equalizer (EQ) settings, game audio, and chat volume. In my testing, I appreciated the Audeze Penrose’s outstanding audio quality, broad system compatibility, and extreme comfort.

Unfortunately, the Penrose is pretty pricey, although you get what you pay for in terms of quality. Moreover, the microphone, while one of the best I’ve experienced on a headset, won’t rival that of a dedicated standalone mic like the Blue Yeti or Movo UM700. While there’s Bluetooth, it’s limited to the SBC coddec, so you’ll want to use its 3.5mm analog connection and a digital to analog converter (DAC) for serious music streaming. Additionally, the Penrose does include spatial audio for the PS5 but no 3D virtual surround for PCs and other platforms. Nevertheless, the Audeze Penrose is the best high-end gaming headset on the market.

Audeze Penrose Design, Build, and Comfort

You’ll find all controls and ports on the Audeze Penrose’s left earcup. There’s a power button and microphone mute on the side. Around the bottom of the earcup is a mic input, USB-C jack, and 3.5mm headphone port. Both microphone and headset volume control wheels are also situated on the left earcup.

The earcups and bottomside of the headpand are adorned with leather-wrapped contoured memory foam. I found that even during lengthy gaming sessions or long Zoom calls, the Penrose remained comfortable and felt lightweight.

Audeze Penrose Audio Performance

Audio quality is where the Audeze Penrose really shines. Instead of cheaper dynamic electromagnets, the Penrose utilizes planar magnetic drivers which are resistant to audio and electronic distortion for best-in-class sound precision. While the Audeze markets the Penrose as a set of gaming-centric cans, it’s a phenomenal choice for entertainment or office productivity use.

When paired with my Helm Bolt digital to analog converter (DAC) and DB12AAAMP with a Tidal Masters feed, the Penrose pumped magnificent earcandy. Listening to tracks I’d heard before proved transformative. “Let Me Ride” by Dr. Dre off of the g-funk masterpiece The Chronic exhibited deep but not overpowering bass notes, lush highs, and punchy mids. In contrast, the standard headphone jack on my Razer Blade 15 produced underwhelming vocals.

“Friend of the Devil” by the Grateful Dead sprang forth with unparalleled delination, giving equal weight to the layered guitars and bass. Granted, you’ll need a good DAC to tap into the Penrose’s full capabilities, but it’s a worthwhile investment.

Audeze Penrose Gaming Performance

Gaming on the Audeze Penrose is a real treat. In games such as Diablo III, the Penrose prioritizes effects and score equally for a balanced soundstage. It’s easy to hear in-game voice chat, soundtracks, and effects like enemy footsteps without straining.

For PlayStation 5 owners, the Penrose enables spatial audio for three-dimensional audio. Although the Penrose (non-X) does support spatial audio on the PS5, it lacks virtual surround sound for PCs. Therefore, hardcore gamers frequently enmbroiled in Counter-Strike or Fortnite matches might be disappointed, but for single-player or casual multiplayer, most folks should be fine.

The Competition: Audeze Penrose Rivals to Consider

Audeze also offers the Mobius which similarly relies on planar magnetic drivers. Unlike the Penrose, the Mobius foregoes wireless listening in favor of virtual 7.1 surround sound and WAVED Nx 3D audio. In our review, we liked the Mobius’s immersive 3D, virtual surround sound, and great connectivity. For predominantly PC players, the Mobius is an excellent option, albeit sans wireless capabilities.

The HyperX Cloud Orbit S also packs a pair of planar magnetic drivers. It’s cross-platform compatible with PCs, Xbox consoles, PlayStations, macOS computers, the Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. It’s a great choice for PC gamers that don’t need a wire-free headset.

Overall, the Audeze Penrose is best for console gamers that occasionally require PC use, while the Hyper X Cloud Orbis S and Audeze Mobius are engineered more for computer gamers.

Audeze Penrose Review: Summary Info

Audeze Penrose Review: Final Thoughts

Ultimately, the Audeze Penrose is an excellent piece of kit. It handles gaming, entertainment, and office productivity with equal aplomb. While its spatial audio for the PlayStation 5 is a highlight, the Penrose is a great option for PC gaming, video conferencing, and music listening.