The world-famous audio company, Audeze has been putting superb quality products in the hands of the best-selling music artists and everyday consumers for years. In the last few years though, they’ve thrown their hat in the gaming ring. Their latest headset, the Penrose Planar Magnetic Headset not only aims to deliver superb audio for console gamers but also offers a wireless experience as well. While this headset does have its shortcomings, it offers a great experience overall.

What’s in the box

What’s Included:

• Penrose Wireless Planar Magnetic Headset

• 2.4GHz Wireless Dongle

• Detachable Broadcast Quality Microphone

• USB-A to USB-C Cable

• 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm Cable

• Quick Start Guide

• Warranty Card

Audeze doesn’t waste the chance at giving players a sleek unboxing. The box and its contents are draped in black which really pushes the outer space aesthetic that you’ll find with their other products. Everything from the packaging down to the reference guide is very premium in feel on its own and boosts the quality of the overall experience. I also love that the headset is sat in foam as opposed to cardboard or plastic that I’ve seen in other headsets’ packaging.

There are two variants of the Penrose. There’s the Penrose and the Penrose X. The Penrose works with PlayStation 4/5, Mac, and PC, while the Penrose X works with Xbox consoles as well as PC. Audeze sent me the Penrose so that’s what this review is based on. Keep in mind that the only difference between these two headphones is its compatibility and color scheme. The Penrose gets blue to match PlayStation and the Penrose X gets green to match Xbox. Everything as far as internals though is exactly the same.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

While I am mostly an Xbox guy these days, I really prefer the blue touch of color that the Penrose has. That, mixed with the mostly black design and silver embellishments really punch this thing up to make it look sleek. Most gaming headsets try to look premium but fail in the long run. Audeze really knows how to make their gaming gear look more mature and it’s really appealing. These look like they’re studio-ready and that’s exactly what I love about them. They don’t look like a gaming headset.

The quality of its construction is also very sound. There’s a nice amount of springiness in the headband, allowing for bending and twisting that comes with everyday use. While most of its build is plastic, it’s sturdy. You won’t have to worry about it getting too scratched either because of its scratch-resistant coating. It also isn’t a fingerprint magnet either which is a plus too.

At first glance, I was worried about the fact that the headband only has single padding on the top but luckily, this headset is extremely comfortable regardless. I never felt fatigued and it sticks to my largish head very well even on the largest setting. Normally I go with cloth earcups when it comes to my headsets but these are exquisite. The leather is soft and doesn’t make my ears feel like they’re getting toasty.

Specs and Audio Quality

Features:

• Style - Over-ear, closed-circumaural

• Transducer type - Planar Magnetic

• Magnetic structure - Fluxor magnet array

• Phase management - Fazor

• Magnet type - Neodymium N50

• Diaphragm type - Ultra-thin Uniforce

• Transducer size - 100 mm

• Maximum SPL - >120dB

• Frequency response - 10Hz - 50kHz

• THD - <0.1% (1 kHz, 1mW)

• Earpads - Contoured memory foam: artificial leather

• Microphone - Detachable broadcast quality mic

• Battery type - Lithium-polymer (15hr battery life, 3hr charge time)

• Wireless Connection - 2.4 GHz Wireless (16bit/48kHz) + Bluetooth

• Wired Connection - 3.5mm analog audio, USB-A-to-C charging

• Weight - 320g (including battery)

The headset itself has many different buttons and ports on it including a power button, mute switch, multi-function button, headphone volume wheel, mic volume wheel, mic port, 3.5mm AUX port, and USB Type-C port. Most of these buttons/wheels are multi-functional in their own right and it will take you a bit to get used to what does what. Admittedly, I’m still getting used to them to this day. It is important to get used to their location though as most of these are things that you’ll be using on a daily basis anyway.

The most important function for me overall is the wireless capability through the dongle because this is the primary way to use the headset. I used my PC to test this headset out and because it’s only a couple of feet from me, I had to walk away from it to see how far of a distance I could be before I noticed an issue with the connection. I’m not too disappointed with my results as I was able to get about 15ft out of range from my PC and through a wall before the connection started to disappear. Not too far and I’m sure that it’ll be good enough for most gamers. Just don’t expect to listen to Spotify on your PlayStation while roaming around the house, unless it’s a smaller apartment. Battery life is pretty true to its stated life of 15 hours. I used it for hours at a time for a few days before I even needed to charge it.

My time with the Penrose was extremely fun and I’m pleased with how great it sounds in most instances. I tested it out playing Fortnite and everything sounded very clear. It was easy to spot enemy locations around me and gunfire was very punchy. It’s definitely a $300 headset, meaning that it’s a very premium sound signature compared to most of the headsets you’ll come across. It has a great audio balance right out of the box. There are some more bells and whistles though to make sure this thing sounds top-notch depending on its use.

The Audeze HQ app can be downloaded on PC, Mac, or Android and gives you the power to adjust everything you want to get the perfect soundscape needed. There are sliders to adjust sounds and mixers for game-to-chat audio. It even allows you to save your presets or download some game/music-specific ones directly from their website. There’s one for COD: Warzone, for example, that’ll give you the best signature possible for that game so that you won’t miss a beat. All of these settings can be changed on the fly and will immediately go into effect on the headset. It’s pretty wild.

One thing that was a pleasant surprise for me was just how great music sounds in the Penrose. It’s crystal clear to the point where I can find sounds within a song that I didn’t even know existed. It’s also pretty punchy in this area as well. Having the music presets readily available also pushes the idea forward that a gaming headset doesn’t have to be a one-trick pony. This headset can do just about everything.

What It Could Have Done Better

The Penrose sounds perfect in theory and up to this point I’ve nothing but praise for it. Unfortunately, with most things, there’s a couple of caveats. The first is the fact that the mic quality in this headset is not my favorite by any stretch. It has an artificial sound that comes across kind of robotic. It also has a little bit of a buzzing going on as well. It’s kind of a bummer seeing as this is a $300 headset after all. I had an Arctis 1 Wireless Headset but never ran into problems like this and that was a third of the price.

The other issue again has to do with a buzzing sound. This happens when you plug the headset in via the 3.5mm AUX. I did this in order to test it a little bit on Xbox and found that there’d constantly be a pretty noticeable buzzing going on in the background. This is another thing to take into account for consumers that may choose to use this with a Nintendo Switch or possibly a phone that has an AUX port. It’s not a deal-breaker as this isn’t what the headset was made for but it is worth pointing out since they include AUX in this headset.

Verdict

Audeze has done a great job at creating a wireless headset that does an exceptional job at nailing what it was made for. As someone who loves video games and music, I feel that this headset encompasses what most gamers like myself would want out of their headset. While you can save money and go with a cheaper headset, most won’t be able to compete with the quality that Audeze has cultivated in their Penrose gaming headset. This is a truly versatile headset that gamers should totally check out when deciding on their next headset.