AudezePenrose Wireless Bluetooth Gaming Headset for PlayStation 5 Mac Windows Switch (Black)

Had this thing for a few months, Sound quality is amazing, isn't too heavy, clamp force is perfect and the material that the cups are made of are really durable and soft kind of like a memory foam instead of a hard packaging foam that my pulse 3d headset had, great build quality, I'm really clumsy and rough with things and I have dropped this thing a few times and nothing has broken so far, the versatility is awesome I love having the option between wireless, bluetooth and aux, the usb wireless dongle works seamlessly on my pc, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. The software is easy to install and use, and saves the eq setup on the actual headset so you don't have to worry about having different eq setups on each device.Also the mic sounds decent and has adjustable mic volume as well as playback so you can hear yourself talking, and if you have a mic with aux playback you can just plug that into where the mic would go and your good to go for streaming or voice recording.Things that I don't like about this headset #1 having to hold down the power button to turn it on and off#2 when I go outside to let the dog out I like to switch over to bluetooth mode and hook the headset up to my phone so I can listen to music while I let the dog run around the yard, however before I do this I need to physically remove the wireless usb dongle from my pc before going outside because even though my headset is in bluetooth mode and hooked up to my phone, it still holds a connection to the wireless dongle in my pc meaning it is connected to both my pc and phone at the same time. The reason this is an issue is because when I go outside I am reasonably far away from my pc and the connection for the wireless usb dongle will go in and out, resulting in a constant "connected" "disconnected' message interrupting my music constantly. Not that big of a deal but I felt like it was worth mentioning.

The Penrose in 2024 is still worth providing current day feedback considering it's a real alternative & now cheaper option these days to it's more refined $300+ Maxwell. The authorized sellers are also great with their own customer service in case of any issues pertaining to it's age, warranty, or shipping issues. What should be an easy 5 star audio option, turns into a complete anxiety induced decision you'll have to live with outside of just pure audio fidelity. I want to detail it as I feel I need to... vent a bit after using them & finally purchasing them after years.The Audeze 100mm planar magnetic driver sound tuning here is the absolute best sound quality you will get at this price range of $130-$200 new or used in 2024 & probably beyond for awhile. If that's all you want & nothing more, this headset is it. Stop looking. This is the true hint/taste/demonstration of audiophile sound. Just a taste. Audeze HQ PC app [Mobile app too: Android for Penrose/iPhone for Maxwell only] to EQ is a must to unlock it's real potential. Out of the box, it's dark neutral sound tuning is just waiting to be EQ'd to something greater. More clear, focused, & refined sounding while still handling the rumbling bass with utter excellence. Best of all, you can carry 5 EQ presets with you through the 2.4ghz wireless receiver, bluetooth, or wired AUX connection thanks to it being an active headset w/ automatic gain control for EQ [clipping & driver damage prevention] & an internal DAC setup. on Audeze's website on the tech details behind that all if that confuses you.The only real objective benefit or preference to purchasing the Penrose over the newer Maxwell's that carries the same (more refined) sound & powerful driver technology [albeit 10mm smaller size] is simultaneous wireless/bluetooth. A bit buggy with volume balance, but its a nice option to simply have for gaming + wanting something else in the background from your phone. If you care about that, the Penrose is your only wireless choice of the Audeze gaming headset lineup.Now the hard part & why I waited years for this to go down in price. It's time to get snarky, & sarcastically accurate about this. It's true, all the reviews are true. Beyond it's impressive sound capability through wireless or AUX, this headset absolutely positively sucks. Period. This would be a 2 star corner store headset you'd buy on a clearance rack if not for the Audeze branded soundscapes. No other way to put it. The plastic headband? it will break. If this makes it a full year for me? I'll go buy a lottery ticket. I hold this headset in my hands like a newborn baby. I gently put it down in my shelf after every rep. it holds up. That alone won't prevent it from breaking, it's designed to be as cheap as humanely possible to keep the price down so you can hear the CRYSTAL CLEAR PLANAR MAGNETIC DRIVER SOUND. That warranty as well? Psh. A potential joke depending on what breaks or faults for you. The details are on Audeze's website. It's a pure gamble purchasing this to own [sorry, I mean rent out for awhile] the excellent audio quality.Why you ask? Great question. First, the headband. It's all hollow cheap plastic. Every inch of it. Earcups are held together by... a few small screws forced into that hollow plastic. Every time I pick this set up, I feel like it will crumble in my hands the moment I stretch or put any pressure on the bands to put on my head. The bigger your noggin, the worse it feels. Every micro-adjustment of the band to fit on my head is a horror experience. Have fun with the clamping force on the sides of your face too. These memory foam cups bear hug you so its nice & sealed. This set is highly sensitive to poor fit & channel imbalance due to it, so the clamp force was the solution for that.Second, the driver technology. They sound great? That's cool, but here's why they're still not a default choice for audio vs. dynamic drivers. Planar magnetic drivers simply need air & to breathe when producing sound. Its why 99.9% of these type of headphones are open back. This is a closed back headset with that technology just isolated in here. The breathability inside is minimal, my ears are truly warm using them. Audeze knew of this as well, which is why there are mini holes on one earcup, & air actually being forced out of the AUX & microphone inputs a bit. Very cleaver design [I think? Not sure if that was their intention], but it's simply an accident waiting to happen. & depending on that accident, it might/might not be covered under warranty. Secondly, the drivers themselves. They're HIGHLY delicate, any little wrong turn on the head, a volume level too high, & its cooked. Your set is done. The crinkling sounds begin for you. 'Whooosh' at every turn of bad air flow. But, hey, good luck! They sound great though!Third, the microphone & battery life. The "broadcast" sounding mic? Uh, what? It's just bad. It's simply good enough for game chat/discord & a tradeoff to the only perk of this headset: the audio fidelity. The battery life? They figured that out with the Maxwell thankfully, but Penrose needs to be charged often & it takes hours. Between 10-12 hrs. at most here.Fourth, the Audeze factory warranty. You have to look this up on their website, but the regulations here to cover themselves as a company producing these headsets simply baffle me. Its a question of, why truly bother risking such a poor design of a gaming peripheral to be competitive in this space when so much can go wrong & you'll simply refuse to repair depending on the fault? Their higher end headphones can also have QA problems, but with much better construction of just about everything. It feels completely elitist to me that they simply believe in themselves enough that people in this space will just buy their set for a high price due to sound quality alone when this same space offers so much more than that for wireless headsets. Not everyone cares about just sound & sound alone here. If they did, they'd just... buy the higher end headphones they offer already.Fifth, the 'features'. Most wireless headsets I've owned have their weird faults with EQ apps, controls, etc. This is no different. There is some good, some bad. The wireless range of the low latency dongle? The worst I've ever experienced. You MUST be close to this dongle if you want to use the headset. The Audeze HQ app? Mostly stable for EQ changing, but won't ever accurately depict real battery life. Bluetooth will glitch out the 2.4ghz wireless volume levels, & the HQ app is supposed to help balance that out, but bugs out.Sixth, using this wirelessly on it's intended platforms can have natural complications outside of Audeze's control. For PC, this headset sounds great through wireless. Full sound quality & all. On PS5, & like all wireless headsets I've used, there is clear audio compression happening. This isn't a fault of the Penrose I'm sure, but mostly a warning. This console just doesn't take well to audio peripherals & its a shame of low little reporting there is of it. The drivers will try to mask it, & does it extremely well, but it's there.That wraps up a long summary of the Audeze Penrose & its legacy to me in audio choices. The Maxwell's are the newer more expensive option, that cleans up a number of QA issues of the Penrose. However, that headset is also not fully truthworthy in its closed back design either. Those reviews are probably also painfully accurate in reference to material, features, & driver inconsistency. Audeze, your audio fidelity is mostly top notch. But your lack of QA is bluntly ignorant, & the high end market is your true niche. Please embrace it. Apart of me can respect a higher end company trying to do something in this price bracket. But they're showing in real time the complications of doing so.I'd imagine the Maxwell is their last real attempt considering the tech support for it is very ramped up with firmware updates/app revisions compared to what the Penrose ever had, & apart of me honestly hopes it is. This audio fidelity should not be a $300 lottery ticket that I hope works out for awhile. It should be a comforting smooth & celebratory decision every single time.