Audeze Penrose X Rapid Review
The latest headset that I’ve had the pleasure of using is the Audeze Penrose X. The Penrose X is the Xbox iteration of their newest headset. Find out how this premium headset performed in my Rapid Review.
Key Specs
What’s In The Box?
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.
Look and Feel
The Penrose X wireless headset certainly looks the part. The mostly black body of the headset is accented with Xbox green. I was thrilled to see that my new Xbox Electric Volt controller matched perfectly to the green on the Penrose X.
As soon as you pick them up, you know that it is a quality, well-made headset. The earcups are nicely padded and are made of memory foam, so they are very comfortable. Combining the headset’s weight and the memory foam headband ensures that you can wear them for longer gaming sessions without getting any pressure point discomfort.
As you can see in the pictures above, there are several buttons on the headset itself. These allow you to quickly mute and unmute the microphone, switch sources, change the volume, and change the game/chat mix. The location of the buttons did take a while to get used to, and I did find the volume button a little stiff at times. Fortunately, after some time, it became a lot easier to do.
Consistent Connection
The Penrose X can be used in three different ways; AUX, Bluetooth and wireless. Thanks to the included dongle, the headset connects to the Xbox Series S instantaneously. During my testing, the Penrose X maintained a solid connection, and I didn’t encounter any lag at all. Another great feature of the headset is that you can connect to your Xbox and mobile phone simultaneously.
Special Sound
Thanks to the patented 100mm planar magnetic drivers, the Audeze Penrose X is one of the best headsets that I’ve ever used. When playing a game like Black Ops Cold War, I was startled by the realistic sounds of the bullets ripping through the air and the sounds of the explosions that made me jump on more than one occasion.
Thanks to the clarity of sound, I was able to pinpoint the direction of enemy footsteps accurately. As a result, my performance (kill/death ratio in COD speak) definitely improved. The microphone is also excellent, and when playing multiplayer games, I communicated with my teammates with clarity. Speaking of the microphone, you can toggle a setting called sidetone. This allows you to hear yourself back when speaking. When connected to my phone using Bluetooth, the Penrose X proved to be more than good enough to listen to movies, music and podcasts.
A small frustration that I did have with the headset was choosing a preset. To do so, you have to plug the headset into your laptop, download the preset, go to the app, then load it onto the headset. There are five preset slots on the headset, but to choose a different one, you have to plug it into the laptop and go through the whole process again.
You can also change the presets by using the Audeze HQ App, but only on Android. Also, if you’re connected to your Xbox using the wireless dongle, you need to press the source button to change it to Bluetooth, then change the preset on your phone, then change the source to wireless again. The whole process is a little cumbersome. It would have been so much better to have had a dedicated button built into the headset to choose different presets.
Battery Life
Audeze state that the Penrose X provides around 15 hours of battery life, and in my testing, when connected to my Xbox Series S via the wireless dongle, I was able to get between 12-15 hours of power. This is more than enough, and using the USB-C charging lead, you’re able to fully charge it in about 3 hours.
Is It Worth Paying The Price For Premium?
At £299, the Audeze Penrose X is a premium headset at a premium price. Is it comfortable? Absolutely! Does it sound good? Definitely. Is it a great headset? Yes! Can I recommend them? Yes, I can. However, there are other headsets out there for a third of the price. At the end of the day, it will be down to personal preference. I will say, though, that if you do buy the Penrose X, you won’t be disappointed.
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can read more of our gaming headset reviews here.
To find out more about the Penrose X, visit the Official Store here.
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