Meh ok i ordered a pair because there were only a few available and the return window on my Arctis 7P is short, so I’d like to have a chance to try both and decide which one is better before then. Estimated arrival date was June 15-21 but they shipped today so hoping I get them by the weekend. Feels like everyone says that the Penrose have the best sound at the sub $300 price point for wireless headsets but it comes the caveat of being less comfortable and having slightly more technical problems. One person compared the two and his preferences and living situation sound pretty similar to mine; he conceded that the Penrose have better sound when compared side by side but didn’t notice otherwise and therefore preferred the less expensive, more comfortable 7Ps.
All in all I’ve enjoyed my semi-deep dive into the audio world, although my price point and preference for closed-back wireless really narrowed down my potential choices. Maybe in the future when I have a little more freedom with it I’ll give a wired set a whirl, and if I’m doing more listening I might be willing to plop down a little more $$$ for better quality.
Grunching but LawnmowerMan saved me from getting scamed on Scamazon lol. Somebody is selling bootleg AKG k701s for like 60% off market. And I don’t use Amazon, I was only looking around for stuff I remember them not carrying years back.
Confirmed? I couldn’t seem to find firm proof for either counterfeit or real. Some people were saying in EU they sell for cheaper so maybe they are gray market items?
More and more frequently, counterfeit AKG products are offered for sale through unauthorized sellers on online marketplaces, such as Amazon and Ebay, and other direct channels.
Well it really was the fact that multiple reviews said they sounded good but then quickly broke and fell apart, because AKGs are indestructible imo. Again the headphones lol, not the the detachable cables or pads or… Anything detachable really, fucking disintegrates when exposed to air lol. They have to somehow make up for their headphones never breaking, I gotta respect it.
Weird. Yeah I still have two older pairs of AKGs that function perfectly despite me throwing them against the brick walls and concrete floors in my loft during Pokerstars tilt sessions back in the day.
Graph looks good and suggests that it shouldn’t sound drastically different from the hp50 (which are great), so yeah I think it’s a great buy for $150, quite possibly the best value when it comes to wireless pairs (though I’ve been out of the loop lately).
(Mind you, the graph was measured in passive mode ie ANC off, so don’t expect that same sound with ANC on.)
I saw people were reporting some connectivity issues in the reviews. It’s tough to gauge without actually using them with your own gear/setup which is why I’m so hesitant on wireless headphones in general. $150 is very cheap for those though. Did we mention the PSB M4Us for @mjiggy yet?
Also, did you see what Drop is claiming in their new collab on the Aeon Closed?
Where they improve on the Flow Series is in the soundstage: we added partially fenestrated earpads and reduced driver dampening to even the tone and minimize reverberation.
Experimenting with the dampening paper covering the planar magnetic drivers, we opted to use fewer plys, creating a more even tone. To add a bit more air and extension, we used the same partially fenestrated earpads featured on the Aeon Flow 2, minimizing sound reflection back into the ear.
Could be interesting to try if I can figure out how to get their dampening material. Partially-fenestrated would have to leak more and reduce isolation though, right?
I thought of them but they’re not in his budget iirc, and even if they are, I doubt they’re $200 better than the hp70. The wired versions of each sound basically the same.
Does the connectivity problem make itself known immediately, and if so, doesn’t Drop allow returns?
Re: Aeon Flow pads & isolation, I wouldn’t know sorry
On the one hand, I may be artificially limiting myself by only looking for ‘wireless headsets’, as 1) normal bluetooth headsets (like the hp70s) aren’t suitable for gaming use due to having too much lag and 2) I believe I can plug headphones directly into the PS5 controller, so it shouldn’t even matter as long as it has bluetooth capability otherwise for connecting to my phone. On the other hand, I wonder if there’s value to narrowing my search because otherwise there are SO MANY options that I’d just be continuously overwhelmed.
I have the Arctis set so far and, if I just want to optimize sound for my PS5, I think they’re an excellent choice. They’re also very comfortable but they have poor noise isolation (not that important) and sound like nothing special when I try them on my Switch. Supposed to get the Audeze today and will give them a whirl. Ideally I’d like to try a regular set of wired headphones just to see how they sound and how much they bother me, if at all, but not sure if I’ve given myself enough leeway with return windows to keep trying new sets.
Yeah something like Meze 99s would have been good to mix in here for comparison against gaming headsets. Not sure if there’s a higher fidelity closed back at $200? I’m curious to see if you notice a substantial difference in the Audeze sound.
If I don’t like the Audeze I will return them and get the Meze Neos just to try. If I like the Neos I’ll probably return them and get the Noirs instead
Do you think the Mezes will sound a lot better than the HP70s even when wired? Also we probably discussed this but if I said my budget was ~$300 and my only requirement was closed-back would you recommend something different?
Dunno but did you watch Tyll’s InnerFidelity review of the 99 Classics I linked? He added them to the Wall of Fame, knocking off the HP50s. I’d say he’s the most respected headphone reviewer of all time. Probably too close to say “a lot better.” At this stage, you have to break sound quality into its individual components: resolution (detail), imaging (placement), soundstage, frequency response, dynamics. I recommend the Noirs over the Neos though since the EQ is flatter out of the box unless you are worried about chipping the wood or hate the aesthetics.
I’m not sure there’s much if any quality jump from ~$200 to ~$300. Maybe if you expand your search to used / open box? I really emphasize getting something with neutral / flat EQ and some soundstage. Those are the two things that are hardest to do in a closed back due to physical limitations of the cup design. If you get a set that nails down all of the technical aspects well then you have a great pair of reference headphones and a new solid, accurate basis for comparison by which all other audio-producing things can be judged. They should also isolate fairly well because that’s the point of closed backs.
As you’ve noticed, there are almost too many solid options for a $200 to $300 budget. Some of the very best headphones period are cheaper than I think you imagined to the point where you’re now wondering out loud how many more feet you can climb up Audio Mount Everest. It’s funny how that works. I dunno your exact preconceived ideas before this started, but maybe something like the really good shit costs $5,000 and is plated with palladium dust and unicorn cum, and, well, you aren’t that guy? Now we’ve told you it’s actually $200 with no magic and you’re asking how much more you can get by paying more.
As much as I would’ve liked to continue my headphone journey indefinitely, I feel like the Audeze Penrose showed me enough in tonight’s testing to declare them the winner for now. I was definitely hoping it would prevail since it has the ideal suite of connectivity options for my needs: USB dongle that I can plug into my PS5 and mostly forget about, Bluetooth for phone/tablet/PC, and a wired connection when all else fails (mostly just for my Switch when undocked). The build on them feels excellent to me: they’re heavy enough to feel substantial while the cans grip your ears tightly enough to provide adequate noise isolation. The Arctis 7P felt like a well-built pair of gaming headphones; these feel more like what I imagine studio quality to be.
Of course the most important aspect for headphones is how they sound and the Audeze sound amazing! On first listen I thought something was wrong with them because they were picking up instrumentation that I normally miss when listening to music with my crappy work computer speakers. They apparently lack a proper soundstage (?) because they rely on the PS5 audio processing for that but music still had a rich, full sound on them. There was also a noticeable improvement on my test with the Switch, where they deftly mixed the music and sound effects, as opposed to the Arctis which always felt tinny to me. My PS5 test didn’t reveal any differences between the sets when playing Astro’s Playroom, which is basically a tech demo that came loaded on the system. Going to hold onto both for now but barring any changes or issues I’ll be keeping the Audeze.
I’m not in urgent need of new headphones, just wondering if this is a good deal in your opinion? Sony WHCH710N for $78 ($199 normally, allegedly). It would be a good upgrade over what I have, so if it’s indeed 200 dollars worth of headphone I might do it, if it’s meh, then I’ll pass. If it’s just a Prime Day scam I’ll pass with prejudice.
It’s a “meh” for me. Depends a lot on your criteria though. If you had a hard $100 budget and had to have wireless with ANC then maybe that’s the best option for that category.
