- Peronalized Sound
PerL Pro creates a sound profile for audio that is perfectly tuned to you. Masimo AAT measures your ear’s otoacoustic emissions to create your unique hearing profile. The earbuds then shape your music to match, and deliver every detail of the music you love. - Lossless Sound
Unrivaled wireless audio experience. Qualcomm aptX Lossless technology retains all of the original content, resulting in music identical to the original recording. Dirac Virtuo turns any standard stereo content into an immersive sound experience with enhanced sound quality. - Best-in-class voice calls
With Qualcomm® aptX Voice for super- wideband (32kHz) voice calls and eight microphones for voice pickup, your voice calls will be clear. - Eliminate Unwanted Background Noise
Adaptive noise cancelation automatically adjusts to the loudness of the environment so you can enjoy your music or use Social Mode, which lets in outside sound so you can have a quick chat or be aware of your surroundings. - Connect to two devices simultaneously
With Multipoint, you can connect to two devices at the same time. - Extended Playback Time
Get up to 8 hours of uninterrupted wireless music on a single charge. The innovative charging case further offers 3 additional chargers, providing a total of up to 32 hours. Supports wireless charging via any Qi-compatible charging pad or included USB-C cable - Customizable Controls
Adjust your listening experience using four customizable touch inputs on each earbud. These intuitive controls let you manage playback, skip tracks, adjust volume, and more with a simple touch, in line with your preferences - Weather Resistant
IPX4-rated, these wireless earphones are designed to withstand weather and water for an active lifestyle. Offering reliable performance and clear audio quality, they are perfect for daily commutes or workouts - Denon Sound
PerL Pro earbuds are hand-tuned by the Denon sound master and feature our signature vivid and spacious sound quality. For over a century, Denon has made technological advancements cementing our reputation as a visionary and tastemakerr.
-36%
Denon – PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds – Black
$168.00 Save:$93.00(36%)
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Weight | 0.19 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1.03 × 1.03 × 1 in |
| Number Of Devices Connectable Simultaneously | 2 |
| True Wireless | Yes |
| Battery Life Provided by Charging Case | 32 hours |
| Sound Isolating | Yes |
| Built-In Microphone | Yes |
| Battery Life | 8 hours |
| Water Resistant | Yes |
| Wireless Connectivity | Bluetooth |
| Connection Type | Wireless |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor | 1 year |
| Bone Conducting Technology | Yes |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts | 1 year |
| Rechargeable | Yes |
| Model Number | PERLPROBLK |
| Color Category | Black |
| Headphone Fit | In-Ear |
| Product Depth | 1.03 inches |
| Carrying Case | Yes |
| Charging Accessory Included | Case |
| Controls | Volume |
| Product Width | 1.03 inches |
| Product Name | PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds |
| Product Weight | 0.19 pounds |
| Charging Interface(s) | USB Type C |
| Ear Tip Sizes Included | Extra small |
| Brand | Denon |
| Driver Size | 10 millimeters |
| Product Height | 1 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Noise Cancelling (Active) | Yes |
| Environmental Noise Control | Yes |
| UPC | 747192142322 |
Reviews (42)
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flow –
I am an audiophile and have been for over 20 years; I typically focus on large-scale speaker setups (Currently have 5 Setups, including a custom-made horn-based one) due to no over-the-ear or in-ear headphones sounding even close.
Well, that is no longer the case.
I have used the technology in these earbuds for years, ever since I received a prototype unit of the Nuraphones many years ago from the company that was purchased by Denon to make these earbuds.
Adaptive hearing technology has always been amazing and allows you to hear music in a neutral format, but it was far from an audiophile, and all of the other products released after the original were subpar and had many technical issues.
Now that these have been released under the Denon Brand and have their support, I have not seen any significant bugs, just sweet, sweet sound.
The simulated sound stage is amazing for IEM; the adaptive hearing technology has impressed everyone who has put them on, the battery life is fantastic, the clarity of the music is great, the music has great life to it, and BEST OF ALL THE ANC (Noise Canceling) IS EXTREME!
The Noise Canceling has to be the best-unexpected feature as it makes you feel like you are sitting in a listening room even while you walk your dog on a busy street; no issues with wind, no odd noises, and it truly is perfect enough that your wife could be in the same room yelling to get your attention and you can’t hear a word of it (dangerous do not try at home!)
LONG STORY SHORT! THEY ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY! BUY THEM NOW! IF YOU TRULY LOVE MUSIC THESE ARE THE ONES FOR YOU!
(If you have any questions about them, ask away)
Brandon –
I have the Airpod pro, Bose qc2, and Denon Perl Pro earbuds. The Denon earbuds have the best sound without a doubt. Sitting in a quiet room listening to music? want the best sounding earbuds? The Perl pro 2s are a no brainer. With that said, there are a few things I have noticed that would be worthy of consideration. If you frequent busy/noisy places with your earbuds in, the Bose have noticeably better active noise canceling. The Bose are also a bit more comfortable. I believe this is due to their smaller profile. The only point that the airpods excelled was in user interface, no surprise considering its Apple. If you value comfort and noise canceling the most, buy the QC2 or QC Pro. If you value user interface, Apple. If you value SQ the most, Perl Pros for the win.
3Tcubed –
This is probably my tenth set of wireless BT earbuds. Why, because they keep getting better, and I’ve always appreciated the Denon sound quality (I have their receivers and wireless speaker). Denon claims 24h battery life 8h+16h from charging case). I fully charged, and updated my firmware before trying them out. I had no problem pairing them with my iPhone 15 pro. I then ran them through Tara Labs Noise burn in overnight (they lasted ~7h 45m), just short of the 8h quoted, and then I recharged them. I installed the Denon Headphone App. The earbuds were immediately recognized, and my battery level showed 100% on each earbud. The software provides an equalizer (only 5 bands, 400, 1K, 2.2K, 5K & 10K that you can adjust +/-6db; not overwhelming, but adequate), you can save your own curve with your profile. They allow setting up to 3 profiles, the real customization comes from the Adaptive Acoustic Technology, which plays a series of tones/music and then detects how well you hear each frequency, it only takes a minute or so (in a very quiet environment) for these tests to be done. They graphicly show you where they are testing and re-testing. They then show you what areas they believe need emphasis. I was not surprised to see I need a little mid to low end boost, but that my high end hearing was good. You can then compare your personalised curve on/off. Leaving little doubt how well it works!
Then on to the really important part, how do they sound and fit. I generally move to the next larger rubber earbud surround, but after testing I found the standard set worked just fine for me. I generally prefer a soft spongy insert for longer listening, which they include in the standard size. And they fit comfortably in my ear canals’, they did not feel loose, like they might come out, and the sound seal seemed very good. I had a hard time telling the difference between the foam and the silicon, but I think the form isolated the external sound better.
Now to the music, Pink Floyd’s masterpiece; DSOTM. Speak to Me sounded great, the volume level was wonderful, opening up the subtle sounds of the song. I had the earbuds at 80% volume and that was fine (for now), but knowing they could be drive higher, I did play with the immersion mode at +2/+3, this boosts the low/mid bass, mostly (+2 is nice; +5 provides too much emphasis; your mileage may very). The subtle tones were absolutely superb as the song builds; it had the oomph you could feel, that higher volume brought. The high notes (treble) in Time were excellent, these earbuds provide a sharp/crisp clear airy high end. Then Great Gig In the Sky’s ethereal voices, wisp around the soundstage (enhanced by the included Spatial Audio) with the bass building as it should have. Money got me drumming, it sounded so real, the tom-toms had a real kick to them, and it was even better a little louder. Us and Them was tremendous, it kept me turning my head, like I could tell the different instruments were right in front and around me. As we ended with Eclipse I felt like the little voices in my head would persist, and there would be more.
Then I quickly listened to Kansas Live, with Carry on my Wayward son; the vocals all came from different locations, and I could literally visualise the guitars moving in front of me. Again the sound stage with live music is much better than I expected from ear buds. I then moved to Boston’s first album; More than a feeling was very crisp, and the bass had real presence with very nice highs. On Foreplay/Long time the fade in/out fade had great separation it was nearly surreal. The subtle build up was just as I expected, possibly better. The bass was nice and deep, a little boomy (I turned the immersion mode down to 2, and it was more to my liking). Here I tried turning the personalization on/off to see how well it worked. Quite impressive, like having a 2D or 3D soundstage. The immersion mode can be overdone, but it’s easy to adjust. I tapped the earbuds to advance the song, it worked as I expected. The touch controls can be programmed as you desire (a nice feature) 1,2,3 taps and double tap and hold, so 4 different options on each earbud. The software can also control ANC (Adaptive Noise Cancellation), On and Off. Outside I could barely hear my A/C running with it on, and it was noticeable with it off. A big difference, I imagine they will work great on an airplane. But I don’t think it is as good as a couple other name brands in doing the cancellation. And I do really like their social mode that lets you hear the external sounds clearly, and mostly mute the music in the earbuds.
I’m accustomed to the software including custom sound profile but the Denon customization/personalization does a truly excellent job. The immersion mode is another bonus, the EQ could have more bands and the ANC does a really nice job. The earbuds are plenty loud with great battery life. The battery case is a reasonable size with a USB-C connector.
All told these tremendous earbuds, they are as close to the best that I’ve heard (at nearly the same price). After listening for several hours, I found them very comfortable, I appreciate that they ship with foam and silicone tips so you can get just the right fit. I just spent a 7 hour day with them in. I rarely thought about their weight (other than how good they sounded), so I decided to program the social mode into the tap twice “space”, as it really comes in handy (when you have to interact with real people). And I think they look good (better than looking like you have marshmallows or cotton in your ear). Having an iPhone, I could NOT try AptX lossless delivery (only available to Android users (not Apple), I’ve used it before and I’m sure it’s another plus to these earbuds.
Denon is new to earbuds and they have built themselves a real winner. They are why I keep looking, but I doubt I will stop further research, certainly from trying what their follow on product is.
Boogie2525 –
I’ve been searching high and low for the perfect earbuds to listen to my music on my phone! Almost every pair I’ve gotten, sounded ok, but was not loud enough or had a loud enough bass. I have finally found what I’ve been searching for, and even though it’s a little costly, I promise it’s worth every single penny and then some! One of the biggest problems I typically have with earbuds, is the fact that I could never have earbuds where I get good quality sounds from both, listening to my music, and calling and talking to people on my phone. I nine times out of 10 usually get one or the other, but never both until now! Every time I trying to test something to see how it sounds, the first person I called is my mother. After talking to her for a little while, and hanging up on her a couple times on mistake trying to adjust the earbud in my ear, she heard me really clear and really loud! I too could hear everything she said and very loudly! I have never had earbuds this high-quality in my life! So the next thing I wanted to try out was the music which was the most important part! I downloaded the app and I started adjusting the sound of the music I was listening to. I cannot believe how nice it sounds with no distortion or any other issues. I also made a mistake that I’m glad I did, but I mistakenly press one of the earbuds and the sound got that much louder and clearer! Now I have no more excuses on trying to start back working out at the gym, and being motivated by the music from these earbuds, which sound phenomenal!
RalphHenry –
The Denon PerL Pro earbuds are fantastic. The sound seems to be coming in the center of your head and around your head and is crystal clear. The technology is remarkable from how the buds turn on when you remove them from the charging case, to how they pause if you remove them from your ears to how they start to play when inserted back in your ears – all by themselves. You can customize the sound to your individual hearing sort of magically using the Denon earbuds to take measurements to customize the sound for your ears (the app will guide you) – tip of the cap to the Denon engineers.
I did download the Denon Headphones app, be sure you use this app and not other Denon apps. The app will walk you through the setup of your buds. I would recommend doing the personalization. It sounds like the twilight zone but when you are done you can easily appreciate the customized sound. The app will let you hear the default sound while a song plays and you can switch back and forth between the personalized profile sound and the default sound; you will clearly note how perfect the personalized sound is.
There is noise cancellation and also a social mode so you can talk while listening to the music at a lower volume. Construction is rock solid. I noticed a different round shape for these buds. They stay nicely in your ear, you can twist them a little to ensure they are stuck in the ear properly. They did not fall out while I jogged and did treadmill work. I have to say they were very comfortable using the cushions that were already installed, but Denon gives you plenty of cushions and wings to get the exact fit you desire.
There is an 8 hour battery charge and 24 more hours ready to charge from the case. I was very impressed with these superior buds and highly recommend them.
hitsuyoo –
Let’s get right to it. Denon is well known for making very premium speakers. Great sound ands coordination between the family with pairing. Now you have to know how excited I was to get the opportunity to get my hands on these PerL Prp true wireless buds. I was a little concerned about the sweat resistance. But good news. These are IP X4 rated. This allows me to get caught in the rain if I’m out on a morning cardio session and it starts raining along the way. Inside the box you’ll be greeted with a nice sturdy case ( housing the earbuds) a short charging cable( Type C) some ear wing tips for a more solid fit when you’re getter really active and a few different sized gummies to proprely fit your lobe size. The small charging cable isn’t such a deal-breaker here. Because the case can also be charged wirelessly. I love that feature in a pair of bluetooth. At first glance, these earbuds look huge. But after taking them out and having a good look, they are quite fashionable. And aren’t as big as they look. Very comfortable to wear while running on the treadmill and pretty solidly in place while I lift heavy. Yes. My lobes flex when I lift.The Denon app is easy to use and you can set up to 3 sound profiles in it for defferent occasions. The ANC is really good I feel immersed in my music when they’re in.These things will talk to you also. So you’ll have a new friend in your head. Lol!
Collaborating them allows the earbuds to lear how you hear your music so you can the best sound per bud. That’s a lot in this package. I love these things. They are my new favorite true wireless buds. With up to 24 hours of listening in the box and 8 hours per charge, you can’t go wrong here. Get em.
JKinSYR –
The Denon Perl Pro is a thing of beauty. This true wireless earbud offers a premium feel, fit, and sound.
The sound quality and clarity in this pair of Denon Perl Pro earbuds is individualized to fit the users specifications based on ear shape and hearing ability. These utilize a technology called Masimo AAT and it is going to be unique to each person’s ear. When these earbuds are partnered up with the Denon app on my iOS device, they allow me to go through a customization process. This process and sound test measures my hearing and based on feedback the Perl Pro is adjusting the profile to each ear independently. The audio music I have been streaming and listening to sounds very crisp and precise to my ears. My wife will listen to my profile and not have the same experience, so we created her own profile within the app. There is a unique Denon signature sound that is delivered to the user.
The highlights of these headphones are the customizable sound profile, but there are many other features as one would expect in this price point. Ambient sound settings to be aware of personal surroundings and to have a clear conversation with someone nearby. The Qi charging case allows for full day power between charging. There is Adaptive Active Noise Canceling which seems to work fairly well, but is not the best available. If you don’t like the customizable sound profile the app builds for you, there is the option to create your own EQ settings within the app. The touch interface on both left and right earbuds act independently and can be customized to make it suitable for your preference. The sound quality offers a lossless and spatial audio as well that gives more immersion into the audio you’re listening to. Another great feature for anyone that likes to be outdoors or working out, is that these are weather and sweat resistant. Using these headphones for phone calls sounds clear when listening and the audio when speaking is clear and audible. Multipoint connectivity comes in very handy throughout my work day while I have these earbuds paired to my iPhone and my Dell laptop. I can easily jump from listening to music on my phone to using my earbuds for a YouTube video on my laptop.
Overall I think these earbuds are phenomenal for the sound quality. I would say the ANC capability is just ok, but could be better hopefully with software upgrades. The multiple tips that are provided are helpful in getting the best fit and comfort in each user’s ears. I like the looks and design, and I’m loving the sound.
CDF3 –
The Denon PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds is one of the best I’ve used. The sound quality is top notch. It has an excellent dynamic range and the bass is great and punchy. When you first pair the earbuds they sound OK, but they’re using the default settings with not adjustments. Downloading and installing the Denon Headphones app on your mobile device will allow you adjust the EQ settings and Immersion Mode settings. When I first set my EQ settings I was not able to hear much of a difference. I wasn’t sure what was going on so I just started taping on the different buttons, icons, and settings. I noticed the sound was just the way I wanted after I tapped on the icon to the left of the Default button in the app. I later found out that the icon button on with the 3 people icon is transparency mode. When I turned it off where it only showed a 1 person icon, the sound was so much better. For some reason every time I connect the earbuds to my phone it keeps going to transparency mode. Perhaps I’m turning it on by mistake while putting them on. The touch sensitive buttons are quite sensitive. The earbuds come in a wireless charging case. The case can be charged via a USB-C connection. The case is somewhat taller than cases on my other earbuds which makes the case bulge out quite a bit in my pockets. It is also a challenge for me to get the earbuds out of the case. They have a very small notch which is supposed to help in allowing you to get the earbuds out of the case. Perhaps it’s easy for those with longer fingernails because I struggle at times trying to get them out of the case. The earbuds are also heavier than my other earbuds, which leads to ear fatigue when I wear them for too long. The excellent sound quality these earbuds give you can make up for some of its flaws. The earbuds also do a great job of switching between devices. I have them paired with my iPhone and MacBook Pro. You press down and hold the touch sensitive button on both earbuds at the same time for several seconds while having the earbuds in your ear. You will then hear a voice that alerts you that Bluetooth pairing is initiated. The earbuds connect to both my iPhone and MacBook at the same time. If I play music or video on my iPhone the earbuds are connected to my iPhone. As soon as I play something on my MacBook, it will pause playback on my iPhone, and switch over to my MacBook. It can keep switching back and forth automatically with little to no delay. Overall, I’m impressed with the sound quality and Bluetooth switching these earbuds have to offer.
Pauliff –
Overview – Overall the headphones are great. They appear rather large in their case, but the earbuds fit my ears snugly. There are several various size tips you may choose from to find your fit.
Denon App – The Denon app goes through the steps to setup a profile for you and to find the tips that fit your ear the best. Then it fine tunes your headset to your ears to give the best performance. Easy to setup the app and to connect the headset. I have used the headset with my watch as well as my phone without fail.
Noise Cancelling – The adaptive noise cancelling works great. I have used these at the gym and when running outside. I can change the depth of the noise cancelling and the way I like it best is when I am at the gym and I use full on noise cancelling. I can’t hear anything but the rich full sound of my music.
Audio – Sound is surreal. I have played spatial audio and it is amazing to say the least. Sounds and feels like I am enveloped with the sound in every way. Easy to setup taps and what you want the headset to do with a single, double tap.
I would highly recommend this headset for anyone looking to replace their headset to get a better, richer and enhanced experience with their music, podcasts, or books. Pleasantly surprised and in awe.
Ian L –
The Denon PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Canceling In-Ear Earbuds pack in some of the coolest sound technology I have seen and heard to date. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed.
The star of this product is the Adaptive Acoustic Technology that makes a personalized sound profile that you set up in the Denon smart Phone App.The app makes you go through a fit test, to make sure there is a proper seal. It will then go through several sound tests to determine which frequencies that your ears can hear and which ones they are sensitive too. After the sound test is complete you can choose from the default settings or your new personalized settings, and boy does the personalized settings make a huge difference to the quality of the sound and I highly recommend going with this setting. The sound quality of these earbuds is equally remarkable. The audio is clear, crisp, and well-balanced, delivering deep bass, rich mids, and sparkling highs. Whether I was listening to classical music, rock, hip-hop, or podcasts, the PerL Pro earbuds handled every genre with finesse. I could hear every instrument and vocal nuance, immersing myself in the music. In the app there is an EQ slider where you can adjust these settings to your liking.
The noise cancellation feature is pretty good for earbuds, where when listening to music or to podcasts, the background noise will be blocked out. This is not the case when paused you will still be able to hear some things such as fans and A/C in the background. This can be easily activated by assigning the touch button to either the right or left earbud or by clicking the icon in the Denon app. In the app you can also select if you want spatial audio on or off, where with this feature the sound will track with the movement of your head. This is only available with certain 3rd party streaming apps who offer it. The earbud can always be set to this and will automatically apply it when available. One of the under the radar features that really stood out to me, is the ability to be paired to Two different devices at once via bluetooth. This is huge for me since going back to work in the office because I can be listening to a podcast on my phone and take a virtual meeting on my laptop and it will automatically connect to my laptop. And not having to constantly unpair and repair bluetooth. This alone could be a reason to get these earbuds.
In terms of comfort, the PerL Pro earbuds fit snugly in my ears without having to worry about them falling out of my ears. I was looking forward to using the foam ear tips that came with the earbuds because those are supposed to give a more tight seal, which it did but for my ears they were not as comfortable as the standard ones. The touch controls can be a little spotty and trying to assign a triple tap option doesn’t always respond the first attempt, that or I haven’t gotten the rhythm of the taps, so have just unassigned 3 taps for the time being.
The battery life of these earbuds is impressive as well. I was able to enjoy several hours of music playback on a single charge, and the charging case provided additional power for on-the-go use. The quick charge feature came in handy when I was in a hurry, and the case is also able to be charged on a wireless charger.
My only real nitpick from these earbuds is that after like 4-5 hours of continuous usage, my ears did start to feel a little uncomfortable and could feel a little indention in my ear from the wing holder on the buds when I took them off. But I guess that’s a small tradeoff for great sound quality.
Overall, the Denon PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Canceling In-Ear Earbuds are a true marvel in earbud technology. With the good noise cancellation, the superb sound quality with the use of Adaptive Acoustic Technology. Denon has set a new standard for what wireless earbuds can do.
ReviewedByPhil –
This is my first pair of wireless earbuds from Denon, though it’s a brand I’m familiar with as I have one of their soundbars for my TV. The earbuds come in a pocket-size battery case that charges via USB-C or Qi wireless charging. An 8” USB-A to USB-C cable is included as well as 4 sets of silicone ear tips, large, medium (pre-installed), small, and x-small, a set of medium-size memory foam ear tips, and two pairs of ear wing stabilizers, medium and large. Don’t be afraid to mix and match the wings and tips, as not everyone’s ears will be symmetrical; this helps ensure that you’ll find a good fit for your ears and create a good seal while still being comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. I personally don’t love having things in my ear canals, but found that the unique oblong shape of the ear tips on these sat more comfortably in my ears over longer listening sessions than the typical round shape.
While I’ve owned dozens of Bluetooth earbuds over the years, none of them have delivered a customized listening experience like the Denon PerL Pro (a mashup of Personalized Listening). The PerL Pro uses Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology, formerly Nura, to tailor a unique sound profile mapped to your ears based on how they perceive sound. In order to take advantage of this technology, you’ll need to download and install the Denon Headphones smart phone app and complete a short calibration in which you’ll hear a series of tones; you won’t need to submit any responses like an audiologist’s hearing test, and it takes just a couple minutes.
Once completed, you’ll get a visualized “map” of your ears’ sensitivity and deficit towards different frequencies. You can save up to 3 profiles if you have multiple users, though you can only swap between them using the app. If you want further EQ customization (with or without personalization), use the app’s ProEQ to adjust 5 bands of frequencies.
The difference between the unmodified and personalized profile is quite noticeable. For me, music sounded less flat with a wider and deeper sound stage. My profile indicates that I’m extra sensitive to higher frequencies, so my profile reduces the levels in these ranges which took the harsh edge off sibilance in voices and sizzles in cymbals and hi-hats. It also boosted the bass as there’s where I showed the most deficit, making it sound fuller and better supported in the lower registers. The best way to describe it is like hearing the difference between watching a concert on TV and being there in person.
These earphones use Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint connection, so you can pair them with up to two source devices simultaneously and quickly switch between the two by initiating playback. I also found these perfectly suitable for watching videos and movies as there was no perceivable audio lag or delay.
One of the main features that Denon advertises is the “uncompressed” CD-quality sound delivered by Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless codec, but in order to benefit from it, you’ll need a compatible transmitting device; a difficult feat considering there just aren’t that many devices that currently support it (my flagship Android phone does not, nor do iPhones). It’s much more likely that you’ll be utilizing one of the other supported lossy codecs: aptX Adaptive, aptX Classic, AAC, or SBC. If you can’t experience the full impact of lossless audio at a 1,200kbps bit rate yet, with an aptX Adaptive capable device you’ll still be able to playback audio with up to 24-bit depth, 48Hz sample rate, and 420kbps bit rate, and it’s always nice to have a bit of future-proofing too.
The earbuds have adaptive noise-cancellation that do a decent job at silencing the outside world with its eight microphones, enveloping you in a veritable sound bubble. Though its parameters are not adjustable or customizable, ANC can be toggled off. The mics also do double duty for capturing clear super-wideband (32kHz) voice calls. On the other hand, if you would like pass-through audio so you can hear people around you talking, enable “social mode,” and you’ll be able to listen to your environment along with your music without taking your earbuds out.
Immersion mode is basically a shortcut to increase/decrease bass EQ in the low and low-mid frequencies by up to 3 levels that can be toggled on and off. Virtualized spatial audio from Dirac Virtuo, when enabled, creates a more three-dimensional sounding environment via stereo upmixing, however, depending on what you’re listening to, you may not perceive a huge change other than sounding slightly more resonant.
All of the modes and playback controls, including play/pause and volume, can be programmed to touch actions, 4 on each earpiece with single, double, and triple taps as well as tap and hold. I like that the large profile of the earpiece makes executing these easier, but I did find that double and triple taps have to be quite quick, otherwise they will register as a series of single taps. The earbuds are also lightly weather and sweat resistant but only to IPX4 which means they can get wet but not be submerged.
The PerL Pros have 8 hours of battery life on a full charge and dropping them in the case can top them up with an hour’s worth of runtime in just 5 minutes, up to 24 hours of additional use. The case fully charges in 1 hour and can simply be placed on a wireless charging pad to charge. On the front, there are 3 embedded color-coded LEDs (red, yellow, green) that turn on for several seconds when the earbuds are removed or replaced. The middle one represents the battery life of the case, and the left and right LEDs of their ear pieces respectively.
Overall, the PerL Pros provide an immensely satisfying personalized listening experience, even when using lossy codecs. The audio produced by the 10mm dynamic drivers output more than enough sound for safe listening with low-distortion, sparkling trebles, fully rounded out bass, and balanced midranges. While not as immersive or directional as a true surround sound system, spatial audio places you at the center of a natural and realistic sounding 3D sound stage with depth, accuracy, and precision.
CraigB –
Pros
Excellent sound quality after tuning
Tunes audio to the way you hear
EQ in addition to custom tuning
Smooth, tight bass
Clean highs without harshness
Comfortable for extended usage
Light for size
Ear wings keep earbuds secure
Long range Bluetooth
Multipoint Bluetooth
Easy to use controls
Customizable controls
Customizable auto-pause behavior
Excellent battery life
Good microphone
Good ANC
USB and Qi Charging
aptX lossless audio on supported phones
Cons
Most popular phones don’t support aptX
Social mode causes your voice to sound muffled
Using controls creates thump sound on eardrum
Might be too large for some
Earbuds hard to remove from case
Volume too limited on social mode
Earbuds never seem to be fully charged and one charges differently
App keeps asking to agree to legal agreements on every launch
App requires you to opt into marketing
App requires too much personal information for headphones
The Denon Perl Pros are earbuds are larger than most earbuds but thankfully they are designed to be low profile. Included in the box are several ear tips, including one pair of foam, and two sets of ear wings that help secure the earbuds in your ears. While the overall diameter is large, they are very low profile. The outer disk on each earbud is a touchpad which has four options for control from a single tap up to four taps. While it has default options for single and double tap all controls can be customized. Multipoint Bluetooth is available for up to two devices simultaneously. The behavior for how audio is switched is customizable. Auto pause behavior is also customizable where you can choose to pause when one or both earbuds is removed or not to auto pause at all.
Setup 9/10
While you can pair them via Bluetooth and begin using them straight away you won’t be able to customize the audio or settings without going through the Denon Headphones app. Unfortunately, the app requires registration to begin. Beyond that you are required to provide your email, name, and age as well as opt into marketing emails. It will not continue if you do not agree to these. During setup the earbuds provide audio prompts as they guide you through tuning the earbuds to your ears. While the initial voice is pleasant, you cannot change the volume so if you have decent hearing, you might find the first stage of the setup painful as it plays ear piercing sounds. After the tuning is complete you can compare the earbuds with and without your personalized profile. While the customized sound does sound better, it almost seems like Denon artificially sets the default EQ poorly to make your customized sound seem even better than it already is. After custom tuning you can also try out social mode, spatial mode, and immersion mode. Social mode and spatial audio are only on/off. Immersion is customizable but essentially adds or removes bass. After creating your custom tune, you can still customize the EQ if you prefer to color the sound beyond what your ears hear best. The earbuds can store multiple tuning profiles for different users and the settings seems to be stored directly on the earbuds. This way if you would like to share them with a family member and they have their own Denon account they can still access their custom profile on the earbuds. You can also switch between them just to see how each person hears different.
Usage 9/10
The case holds the earbuds in with strong magnets. The earbuds are unlikely to fall out of the case accidentally. In fact, you might find removing them from the case is a bit harder than it needs to be as they sit down into the case without any real way to put your finger underneath them or grip them from above to remove them. There is just a tiny gap where you can jamb your finger to wedge them out. It would have been ice if Denon included an area that would easily fit your finger to get underneath or even had the earbuds sit a little higher in the base instead of flush. Putting them in your ears is simple once you get the hang of it. You push them in and then turn to lock them in place. For some you might need to gently pull back on your earlobe while turning to get a better lock of the ear wing at the back of your year. Once you have them in, they feel very comfortable. Since they are low profile, they don’t put a lot of pressure on your ear canal and the ear wing keeps them from wiggling around. They are also light enough to not feel distracting. This is the longest I have ever been able to wear a pair of earbuds without feeling pain or any discomfort. Controls are simple and easy using anywhere from 1 to 4 taps on either the left or right earbud. The areas you tap are very sensitive and so far, haven’t been affected by sweat. There are two downsides for the controls. First is when you tap them, it creates a loud thump sound on your eardrum. Second is that successive taps are registered slowly meaning you can’t do a quick double tap to change songs.
Music Quality 10/10
Music quality is where these earbuds shine. After tuning, the earbuds provide a richness of sound that sounds closer to what you would get with a large home sound system. Highs are clean and clear with no discernable harshness. Mid tones are smooth and rich. The bass is clean and tight but also can hit hard if you want it to. In fact, on some songs with Immersion set to maximum the bass gave a slight illusion that you were feeling it and not just hearing it almost like sub audible bass does on a good home system. Thankfully it is fully adjustable so regardless of your preference for bass, or lack thereof, you won’t feel left out. With acoustic music you can hear more detail in the instruments and vocals sound crisp and clear with subtle details such as breath control being audible. The Spatial audio effect gives a slight echo effect and gives more of a sense of depth. On some songs there is a sense of a soundstage which is unexpected from earbuds.
Calls and Social Mode 6/10
While listening to the music is a top tier experience, social mode and call quality is not quite as high end. When social mode is activated, maximum volume is limited to approximately 60% of the normal maximum meaning your music will sound too quiet. If you turn social mode back off, the volume will jump up substantially. For example, if you have them at a louder volume when in social mode and turn it off you may find the volume quickly jumps to excessively loud. It seems like Denon was attempting to make it easier to hear outside sounds in social mode by reducing volume but it would be better if the volume stayed at a single setpoint so there would be no abrupt changes. Furthermore, in social mode the microphones do a decent job of passing through outside sounds, but they do sound slightly compressed. Where the social mode falls apart is when you speak. While your high tones are passed through correctly, certain tones you can hear resonate through your skull. It’s not unlike when you try to talk with earplugs in and your voice drones in your head. Other earbuds have a way to compensate for this and hopefully Denon will be able to improve this with a future firmware update. As it stands now, speaking in social mode is subpar. The same microphones are used for calls and show some similar weak points. When speaking to others they reported that it sounded clear but hollow with voices sounding distant. However, speakers did report that ambient sounds were less prominent compared to speech making speech easier to hear overall.
ANC 8/10
Active Noise Cancelling does a respectable job of blocking out unwanted sounds. The effect is further improved by the fact that the earbuds seal very well inside the ear canal blocking out sounds. While not the strongest ANC ever used, it has been able to block out the sound of a fan, water running, car traffic, and even most of the sound of a helicopter passing overhead at a low altitude. While it doesn’t completely block out other voices, it does greatly reduce them to where if you worked in a busy environment with other people, it would be easy to ignore background conversations but still be able to tell if someone is trying to speak with you. Between the natural sound blocking and ANC the Perl Pros work very good for helping to block out unwanted sounds to focus.
Battery 10/10
While Denon focuses on sound quality being the standout feature of the Perl Pro, the battery life is also a standout feature. The longest stretch of continuous usage so far was over 3 hours at a reasonable volume. After removing the earbuds there was no discomfort in the ear and checking the battery both earbuds were sitting at 80%. There is also a Low Power mode that can help improve battery life further. The one strange thing observed was recharging in the case. Since the first usage, the earbuds never seem to have the same battery remaining out of the case. One earbud can be at 100% while the other is at 70%. It might be something intentional with battery charging or it might be the two small charge pins didn’t fully line up while placing back in the case. So far both earbuds have had ample battery life for each session, but it is unclear why this is happening.
Final Thoughts
The Denon Perl Pros are a good overall set of earbuds with a solid feature set. While others might beat them in certain features, they are hard to beat when it comes to music quality. If you want a quality set of earbuds that value music quality above all else, the Denon Perl Pros are a solid offering.
Jaguarone –
The Denon Perl Pro Wireless Earbuds are designed with audiophiles in mind. Features include Spatial Audio with Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology that measures your hearing and tuning optimized for your ears. Also included is Touch control, adaptive noise cancellation and awareness feature to tailor the earbuds to your liking.
Denon includes one set of foam tips and four sizes of silicone ear tips to help with fit and comfort. The overall earbud design is bigger than most, to make room for the drivers and extra circuitry built into the earbuds.
To maximize your experience, go to the Apple or Google Play Store and download the Denon Headphones App. Tap on the app and go through the instructions to perform the seal check and hearing test. Once this is completed, you will have a personalized profile tailored to your ears.
The Active Noise Canceling feature is where the Denon Perl Pro Earbuds fall short. Once ANC is activated you will notice it does cancel most of the noise out, however it does not perform as expected from a Pro Earbud product. Too much outside noise is let through to be considered “Pro”.
Lastly, pairing without using the Denon Headphones is not a good experience. Make sure to use the Denon Headphone App to get the most out of the Denon Perl Pro Wireless Earbuds.
Crasher –
The Denon wireless earbud at first glance is your typical in the ear design. You get everything you would expect to get out of the box including the self storage charging case and different pieces to help fit your ear the way it was meant to be.
My first impressions out of the box was the design of the ear bud. Im very simplistic and i like my earbuds to fit discreetly in my ear without being too noticeable. The round puck like design does tend to stand out more when listening to my music giving it less than a desirable aesthetic look for me. This is just a personal gripe for me but the larger design does help to create a better seal blocking out unwanted noise pollution. This in turn creates for a better experience when utilizing the built in ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) technology. Obliviously noise cancelling is going to be better with a over the ear design in my opinion, however these are probably one of the better ear buds for noise pollution cancellation. Low pitch sounds are easily cancelled out such as the roar of a automobile or noise of a bustling city. I will say that the higher wind of a jet engine on a plane does tend to bleed through a bit but nothing thats too noticeable. Background conversations amongst other people is where this shines the most as they tend to become almost non existence. But where this earbud really shines is in its audiophile. Most earbuds and headphones have a burn in time or break in period so one of the first things i like to do is take the stock settings and start playing music to see how they sound out of the box. Sound quality with no adjustments was average. Bass would hit but always seem to be lacking or weak and my lows seemed a bit drowned out by my vocals. Not a big deal since all settings need to be tailored made for each individual and this is where the buds truly shine. Through their Adaptive Acoustic Technology getting the settings just right is now all done via its automated system. Simply plant yourself in a quite room and the buds will perform is audio test which kind of reminded me of the hearing test you used to take as a kid. At this point it is checking to see how sound waves enter the ear and are received so it can tailor make a audio profile that is specific to the way you hear sound. There are alot of other ear buds that actually perform this task however very little noticeable difference is ever seen. That is not the case with the Denon. Once my audio profile was set everything changed and it was a good noticeable change. My bass became more punchy and hit hard but never to the point where it was drowning out other sounds. My lows and mids came in at a perfect well balanced level which properly complemented the vocals giving my songs new life. For songs that support Spatial Audio it was almost like i was hearing the same song for the first time as the music sounded more immersive and brought out new tones that i don’t typically hear. The price point carried across this earbud set is for sure one of the more expensive price points as you could buy a nice set of over the ear headphones for this amount. This unit is geared for those people seeking a minimalistic approach all without sacrificing quality. And while it does come in at the higher end, you will absolutory get what you paid for.
Kcir –
Summary: Sound, Sound, Sound, the Denon Perl Pro is all about a premium sound experience, from the dynamic range, the soundstage, to even the volume. Premium construction as well, more than decent battery life, and a good in ear fit. Almost everything is customizable, including the well-placed controls. If the price doesn’t scare you away, you won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
– Personalized sound via Masimo AAT, this is truly amazing, it analyzes your personal hearing response and adapts the sound accordingly. Really works
– Great dynamic range (20Hz to 40kHz) with little distortion
– Good bass (better than most earbuds)
– Spatial Audio that works
– A lot of other personalization options on the controls and sound stage.
– Awesome controls
– Great battery life (up to 8 hours per use, 24 with case)
– Premium and rare aptX lossless audio over Bluetooth 5.3 (for android, not iOS)
A Matter of Taste:
– A tad bulky. Great sound takes space.
– Great color choices as long as you like black or black.
– Comfortable fit, a lot of options to fit to your ear, but a tad bulky for some.
– Multiple device blue tooth connection, great for android, work on IOS but not a good substitute for the magical H1 chip.
– Bulky case with flat bottom. Great for setting on a table, not so great for the pocket.
– Decent for phone calls
– Pairing takes place with earbuds out of the box only, not intuitive to me.
Cons:
– Average noise cancellation, automatic adaptive that you cannot modify.
Detail: Confession time, my review is tinted by the fact I use IOS devices (with AirPod Pro 2), not Android. The major impact for IOS folks is you can’t use the aptX feature for lossless sound, but we don’t have that with AirPods so I didn’t miss it, but it’s a real selling point (rare even on premium devices) for Android folks. The Denon DOES include multi-device Bluetooth support, which is a great feature for Androids, but meh for apple devices that have a specific custom H1 chip that makes changing between all your Apple devices relatively painless. That I DO miss.
With that out of the way, I have used a lot of different earbuds, including the AirPod Pro 2, and the Denon Perl Pro sound the best to me. And there is no doubt Denon optimizes their design for sound. All these devices have tongue twisting techy highlights (if you believe, the marketing departments), the Denon are the rare ones that actually work. For example, “Masimo AAT” is nothing short of magic and I haven’t found in other devices. During set up, it plays a variety of tones in your ear and makes some measurement to then customize playback to fit your hearing ability. The out of the box sound was somewhat flat to me, once I ran the Masimo AAT, there was a wide dynamic range with vastly improved soundstage. I loved it. Most devices that say they do the same, don’t. I turn it off in them, I keep it on with the PerLs. Definite win.
About that set up. Like almost every other device (not AirPods), starts with downloading an App and setting up an account. My least favorite step. The App is decently laid out, but what confused me (I had to google, the instructions were not clear to me, maybe will be to you) is the set-up experience (including pairing) does not happen until you take the earbuds out of the case and then put them in your ear. Then they talk to you. How quaint. Once I figured that out, it was smooth sailing, including the amazing Masimo AAT.
About comfort. Nothing is more subjective about earpods than fit. These come with a variety of tips to adapt, so once you work that out, I found the fit to be comfortable. They are heavy and bulky so I did find they would fall out easier than lighter airpods, but eh, for sitting and listening to quality music in style, which is what these were designed for, the fit is fine for me.
About controls, love them. No doubt the big black circles are easy targets for your fingers to find, versus, say, thin stems. Really easy to work, and easy to customize from the App. For me the controls shine.
About noise cancellation, average at best. If screening out street noise is your thing, you might want to think about your options. It works, but it’s not as dramatic as some. The PerL Pros are about the sound, not the cancellation. And it is on or off, no options. Which was okay when noise cancellation first came out, but these days we expect more, like the ability to adapt. Sometimes you want that, sometimes you don’t. No choice on the PerL Pros, you get it.
So, why the premium price (besides the premium build, which is great)? The sound, the sound, the sound. If you are sitting there at your desk, maybe flying, or perhaps on the couch reading a book, you can’t do much better (with the Masimo AAT turned on). It really does have a wide dynamic range, music just pops, and a joy to listen to. That’s why you will buy them. That is where they earn their 5 stars.
But if things like noise cancellation, or bulk, or integration into IOS is an issue for you, then I would rank them 4 stars. Definitely worth checking out but see if you can find a demo first. Audio is very subjective.
wase4711 –
I’ve owned several Denon products over the years, as well as owning multiple sets of various brands of high end bluetooth earbuds, and never been disappointed in the quality and value of their products,and this continues that tradition.
Formerly known as the Nura True earbuds, Denon obviously purchased Nura and took an already great earbud and made it even better!
These buds have an unusual shape that might not be for everyone, but it comes with several tips and ear wings that allow you to find a perfect fit for your ears.
The Massimo sound tuning, coupled with great dynamic range, Spatial audio that actually sounds great, multi point pairing that works easily, and wireless charging case make this an all around great package, and a definite contender for best BT ear buds on the market!
Touch controls work perfectly every time, the ANC is very good, the pass through mode(they call it social mode) is decent, but not at the same level as the Airpods Pro, but there arent really any weak points to these buds, and if you are looking for a super premium set of earbuds, these would definitely fill the bill!
ITJim –
Initial Impressions:
The Denon PerL Pro, combined with Masimo Acoustic Technology (AAT) and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio, makes the PerL Pro a next level earbud experience. Out of the box, the PerL Pro’s are clear, precise, and pleasant to listen to. Nothing all that special that I cannot already get from my Jabra, JBL, or B&W earbuds. However, the PerL Pro’s offers per ear auto calibration through Masimo’s AAT technology. Essentially, the PerL Pro’s will run a series of test tones, listen to the reflections off your inner ear, and then build a sound profile based on how respond to each frequency. At first, I thought this was more “better sound through marketing” wizardry. Man was I wrong. I think the marketing is rather muted compared to what AAT brings to the table. This is a game changer.
Post calibration, music is clearer, fuller, and offers a more natural sound experience. How do I know? The Denon app has a switch that allows me to switch between AAT calibration, called Personalized in the app, and Default. Default is zero calibration or EQ applied. I played Lindsey Stirling’s Snow Waltz album for testing. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a combination of violine and heavy bass. On Default, the sound is good but sounds a bit boxed and bass lite. Personalized opened up the music, restored the bass, and brought the piece to life. Think black and white photo vs the same photo with color. The difference is that stark.
If AAT is taking my bowl of Mac-n-Cheese and adding heavy cream, bacon, garlic, and breadcrumbs then Dirac Virtuo spatial sound was like paring my delicious, gourmet bowl of Bacon Mac-n-Cheese with a perfectly paired glass of wine. Dirac did not add anything to the main dish. But it completed the meal. And what a great meal these PerL Pros are.
Bass output:
The PerL Pro’s have some serious bass output. However, there is a catch. Default sound profile kind of has bass and kind of doesn’t. It is hit or miss. In my experience, AAT calibration is required to get proper bass response from the PerL Pro’s. And the bass is really good post calibration. A great example for bass is Riff Kitten’s, “Nothing to You”. This song opens with a deep bass riff that will shake your ear drums. PSY’s, “DADDY” has a bass heavy beat that will also shake your ears. Bottom line, the PerL Pro’s is fantastic with bass. There is a Bass EQ in the app which Denon calls “Immersion Mode.” I got ok results from this. It really depends on the music and how well the earbuds are seated in your ears.
EQ:
The Denon app offers a five band EQ along with bass boost. Bass boost is labeled, “Immersion Mode” for some reason. Personally, AAT did such a fantastic job of per ear auto EQ that I did not feel the need to mess with the manual EQ settings. I am glad that the option is available. Most ear buds I have used have a two band EQ. So, props to Denon for the extra effort.
Fit and comfort:
The PerL Pro’s come with five different tips: four silicon and one foam. It also comes with two different sized ear anchors. This makes the PerL Pro’s flexible for many different ear types. I eventually settled on the medium sized tips. The foam tips were simply too big and did not make a good seal for my ears. I calibrated the earbuds once I found the correct tip.
Now, proper fitting makes a huge difference in sound and ANC response. Any gaps between your ear opening and the ear tip will weaken the sound. For example, the ear buds will loosen as I move my jaw with activities such as eating or speaking. The ear buds will not fall out of my ears, but they will break the seal with my ears. The results are weaker bass, lesser spatial audio, and an overall degradation in sound quality. Sound quality is still good. And I normally do not realize that I have lost quality until I adjust the PerL Pro’s to sit tighter in my ears.
Which brings me to my first Con. The PerL Pro’s do a really good job of staying in my ears, but tips do a terrible job or maintaining a seal with my ear canal. I would have preferred tips that were longer than their current rounded shape. In my opinion, the shallow rounded shape requires me to regularly adjust the ear buds to get the best sound possible. I have the same issue with the foam tips. Their round shape does not allow enough material in my ear canal to maintain a good seal. And they are also more prone to break the seal than the silicon tips.
Are they comfortable? Yes, but only for about two hours for my ears. Most ear buds I have owned put pressure on the cartilage on the front of my ear. I must take a break after an hour of use. The PerL Pro’s weight rests on the cartilage on the rear bottom of my ear. That part of my ear becomes tender after about an hour. It becomes uncomfortable after about two hours. Then I must take a break for about 30- to 60-minutes before putting them back in. Now, my wife and daughter can wear earbuds all day without fatigue. So, take from this what you will.
ANC:
ANC is good but not great. It really depends on the environment and the noise. To test, I wore these on the highway and during a shopping trip through my local supermarket. In my car, the road noise from the tires and wind were always present. The ANC reduced the noise but never eliminated it. The same with the supermarket. The hum of the refrigeration units in the deli and later in the frozen section were always present. The sound was reduced but never eliminated. Playing music helped drown out the remaining noise. The outside world reasserted itself during quite moments in my music or between songs. But, not all is list. I was forced to either take one ear bud or switch to “social mode” hear anyone speaking to me. So, ANC may not have been as all-inclusive as I would like, but it still did a good job.
Multi-point and controls:
Multi-point is great to have but not perfect. This is especially true if you have more than two devices. My first device is my iPhone. My second device is a combination of laptops. The problem is that I cannot permanently set my iPhone as “connection 1”. The PerL Pro’s may remember the last device it was connected to. But, in my experience, I am telling Windows or my iPhone to connect to my PerL Pro’s every time I turn them off. Which leads me to my second issue.
Touch controls can be set in the app. The app provides 14 predefined actions. Each ear bud can perform a total of four functions for a total of eight independent functions. If I connect to Windows computer, without a secondary device, then app controls such as pause and skip work without any issues. Once I connect my iPhone as a second connection then I lose these controls. A few times I even lost the ability to change my volume level using the touch controls. I have had zero issues if when connected to my iPhone. There are also times where the wireless connection drops without error or explanation. This seems to happen with Windows but not with my iPhone.
Phone calls:
Phone calls are fantastic! No issues reported from anyone I have spoken with. They all think I am speaking directly into my phone’s microphone.
Social Mode:
Social Mode is known as pass through or hear through on other earbuds and headsets. This can be setup in the app to either pause the music and enable social mode or reduce the music’s volume and then engage in social mode. I have used both. Social mode does a pretty good job. Enable/disable pause works best with my iPhone. It will also work in Windows for things like YouTube and iTunes player. But, if I have multi-point connection active to my iPhone then the best I can hope for is Enable/Disable while the content continues to play in the background.
I will engage social mode when talking on the phone. This way I am not trying to shout above the ANC for that all important vocal feedback needed to self-regulate my speaking volume.
Denon App:
The Denon app is very useful. I do not think it is organized well. But, once you learn where everything is, it is very useful.
Conclusion:
I love the sound of the Denon PerL Pro’s with AAT and Dirac Virtuo. Are the PerL Pro’s Audiophile quality? I’m going to say yes because they sound great to me. The app is pretty good. The number of tips and ear anchors make the PerL Pro’s flexible for many ear types. ANC is good enough for most instances where I’ll be using it. Bass response can be visceral with the right content. I can only wear these for about two hours before needing a break. But those two hours are a great listening experience.
Beradon –
I’ve owned many wireless earbuds over the years, from many tiers of quality and price. I’ve come to settle on my favorites in terms of affordability, comfort and quality, and to get me to stray from them takes quite a monumental effort. Of the ones I prefer, I’ve owned at least 5 different sets. Now I have the Denon PerL Pro Earbuds and I have to say… I’m a convert.
To take someone like me who is so set in their ways and preferences to move to something entirely different is no small feat. But from the packaging to the fit to the build quality and the customization options, I find that these truly have no equal.
They start much like any other true wireless headset, nestled in their charging case. They come with multiple ear gels and the type of fitting piece that allows you to use the curve of your ear rather than the inside of your ear for fit, this may be a preference to some people (I know I used to greatly dislike any form of ‘canal bud’ as I routinely called these types. Find your comfort, put them in and move forward. One point worth noting, these are a little bit larger outside the ear than a lot of wireless earbuds, so they are definitely noticeable.
A simple pairing later and load up the app and you’re greeted with what really makes these stand out. The level of customization that is available, whether from the equalizer, the ability to multipoint connect, allow ambient sound through (social mode, as they call it) and many other premium type options that many of the lower-end headsets just dont have are available. I do find it interesting that you can make multiple profiles, I suppose as a single individual you could do that to make different soundscapes for different types of audio (gaming, movies, music) but I can’t imagine myself ever sharing a set of earbuds with another person, so profiles in regards to multiple users seems an oddity, though that seems to be how they are marketed, with their sound profile creation… A strange thing to me.
Once the initial sound profile is set up, there is just a matter of use and switching to noise cancellation or not as you prefer. I have to say that Denon has done something of a masterwork with these earbuds. The long battery life is amazing (probably why the size is notable) and the ability to quick charge from the case in just a few minutes is astounding (worth it to me who spends most of my work day on the phone).
Really, it’s difficult to find fault with these, and again aside from the larger size than many, I really can’t find any, even the size thing is not worth deducting from them, they are just that good. All in all, if you’re in the market for a premium set of earbuds, these are the ones, consider no others.
ARBaldridge –
I have been blown away by the Denon – PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling headphones. Connecting them to my iPhone was pretty simple. They came out of the box with 75% charge so I was able to use them without having to charge them up first. After downloading the Denon app from the App Store, I was able to easily create an account. Then it had me to a custom fit and hearing test. All that was involved was sitting in a quiet place for a few minutes with the ear buds connected and in my ears. With the app I was able to adjust the bass and treble to my personalized liking. Sound from the ear buds is incredibly crisp and clear. The noise cancelling function of these units is pretty incredible. It somehow senses when there is more noise around me and adjusts so that the volume/clarity of what I am listening to remains clear. You are able to shut off the noise cancelling function in the app or by pressing the ear buds. You are able to set up certain gestures to do certain actions. I found this difficult not to set up but to remember what actions did what. These can be changed in the app quite easily. The charge seems to last a long while which is helpful. Can recharge the units either with the included cord (which is really, really short) or via a Qi charger. Comes with several tips so you can find the perfect size for you.
Samrio –
Denon is really best known for their line of home audio products, designed to give you optimal sound with some of the best receivers available. I went into this with the same expectations, a quality pair of headphones, with amazing sound, minimal audio quality loss, and superb usability. I can honestly say, they didn’t disappoint!
In the box, you’ll find the Denon charging case, the two ear buds within, a charging cable, various sizes of tips, and some basic documentation. In order to maximize your use, I’d highly recommend installing the Denon app, which is free in your compatible app store. Pairing with your device is as easy as putting the ear buds on, and following the voice guidance, you’re directed to find them discoverable via Bluetooth. I found the initial pairing process was easy, and the ear buds were immediately recognized and paired with my iPhone in a matter of seconds.
Without performing any of the app calibrations, I was pleasantly surprised with the audio quality and bass response. However, once you’ve opened the app, you’ll find that you can customize the audio using a feature which measures the sound in your ears. You’ll hear a variety of tones, some low and some high, that allow the ear buds to calibrate to your hearing to provide the best audio quality available. This took a minute or two, but once it was done, it provided a personalized EQ like setting which really brings the audio to a whole new level of awesome. After I performed the initial calibration, I rarely ever adjusted the audio for any type of content moving forward. I even turned off the EQ built into the settings on my iPhone and relied only on the Denon applied settings for sound.
Listening to a variety of content, I was blown away with just how clear the audio was. The Denon’s even provided better sound than my previous earbuds when using noise cancelling. Taking these on a flight, I did notice that most sound was filtered out, and while it’s not as great as earphones that cover the entire ear, they easily outperformed my previous headphones as the go-to for travel. The included case also charges them when not in use, and does an admirable job of keeping them charged for most of the day.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the audio experience and the easy to use app to set everything from taps to holds to control volume, call answering, and play/pause. The bass is probably some of the best I’ve heard from “pro” level ear buds, and is probably the highlight of the audio journey I took wearing these during my travel. The bluetooth connectivity is also excellent, and I noticed I didn’t lose connection at all during use (compared to others I’ve used prior). Denon really delivered with this one, and I’m hopeful you’ll give them a shot over 1st party headphones for your device.
Rob R –
I’m usually a pretty simple guy and don’t usually splurge on higher end items. I don’t consider myself an Audiophile. I have a set of original AirPods that are my go-to headphones and I thought I splurged when I got them. These Denon – PerL Pro Headphones make those headphones sound bland.
Out of the box, I thought they sounded good but can’t say I was really impressed. The magic happens when you install the app. The app walks you through setting things up including changing the ear tips. Once you get the proper tips in place, and the app actually checks that they are the correct tips, it with run a program to create a personalized ear profile. It will use this profile to adjust the music so that you get the best experience for your ears. I know this sounds like voodoo but it does work. The difference between the Default mode and the Personalised (yes, spelled with an ‘s’ in the app) mode is night and day. When Personalised is selected, you can really hear all the different instruments clearly. There is a separation that I just haven’t heard on other headphones.
The app does have a fairly simple EQ with 5 sliders to adjust the sound. I didn’t find any improvement in the sound using this after my profile was created. It also has an immersion mode that does increase the fullness in sound. The lowest immersion setting sounds flat to me and the highest is over-boosted. I bumped it up 2 clicks and I’m very happy.
The App also has buttons for a Social Mode and a Spatial Audio Mode. Turning off Spatial Audio blended the sounds so the instruments lost much of the separation I was initially so impressed with. This will stay on in my app. Social mode reduces the amount of noise cancellation and passes outside sounds into the headphones so you can hear sounds around you. I tried this in a room with a TV on and can’t say I was impressed with the results. While I could hear the TV somewhat, it was still quite muffled and I couldn’t really make out what was being said.
The tap gestures on the headphones are also customizable in the app. I don’t usually use this feature. Out of the box, tapping the Right earphone will pause the music. Tapping the Left one will toggle the Social Mode. Double tapping the Left side opens Siri on my iPhone. Double tapping the Right side will skip to the next track if you are listening to a playlist. The doesn’t do anything on the XM app I use for streaming.
My biggest issue with the headphones was getting them to fit in my ears. None of the standard rubber tips would hold the headphones in my ears. After spending almost 30 minutes trying different combinations, I finally just went with the foam tips. These were the only tips that the app said sealed enough to perform the profile tests. Now, these tips work but the headphones still feel a little lose and you feel them after a few hours. These headphones are on the larger side. I would not use these doing any kind of exercising (especially jogging or bike riding) or physical work. They might be OK for walking but they are definitely are best for working at a desk or just relaxing.
As for battery life, I’ve used them for up to 4 hours at a time with no issues. After an hour of use, they were down to 90% battery life in the app’s battery meter. After 4 hours I saw 50%. I can believe they last 8 hours on a charge.
These Denon – PerL Pro Headphones are pretty amazing in terms of how they sound. They are certainly not perfect but the issues I have with them are not worth deducting a full star. All in all, I am quite impressed with these and would recommend them to friends. I would just inform them of the possible ear fitment issues.
Albert –
One of the more unique aspects of these headphones is the companion app, where during setup, you are encouraged to create a unique sound profile. While there are a lot of apps that let you create a sound profile, tweaking individual eq levels, or selecting from various presets, this is the first time I’ve experienced an app at least claim to measure your ear’s sensitivity to sound, and automatically alter the output based on those measurements. This works by playing a series of tones in each of your ears, and I presume measuring in some way, the way the sound waves bounce back to the headphones.
The before and after of using the auto calibration based on your specific ears is a dramatically improved experience. The reason it feels a bit gimmicky is the unadjusted audio is just bad. It throws out all of the eq headphones normally due to optimize sound, so while it’s a huge improvement over the default state, it’s not a huge improvement over other in-ear headphones that attempt to optimize audio by default.
All that said, these earbuds do sound great. I’ve been happy with everything I’ve used them for, including in noisy environments. The passthrough is pretty good but not perfect. Hearing clarity is noticeably reduced when using passthrough. It’s fine for briefly hearing someone, but if someone is soft spoken, or you want to have a back and forth without repeatedly saying “what?”, you’ll probably want to remove them.
Overall, these headphones fit securely and felt comfortable, in addition to sounding great. I’d give them a 4.5/5 overall.
Terrybain25 –
I was skeptical about them being better than the current mainstream buds, but they are on another level. Daily practicality and intuitive features have shown otherwise. Once the sound test is done be prepared to be blown away. You will want to listen to all of your old music once again. Its like going from basic tv to 4k tv in sound. May not have as many gimmicks as competitors but it knocks the sound, hold, and comfort out of the park! My new favorites.
JosefA –
Pretty good!better than anything before, I am pleased with my purchase.
IndyTechGuy –
For starters, these earbuds are as big as they look on the out facing side. There’s nothing “discrete” about them, which isn’t a negative! One of my complaints with other brands is that they were on the verge of being too small for any real functionality, plus I often dropped them. The actual tip that goes in the ear is a standard size and is extremely comfortable. Most units come with 3 different size ear tips, but Denon includes 4 different sizes ranging XS to L and a foam set. Also included are two different sized wing attachments for a secure fit.
The stated battery life which seems to be spot on is 8 hours, with an extra 24 hours available via the storage case which charges via the included USB-C cable and can also charge wirelessly. Two devices can be connected at once, and either earbud will work independently if you like to switch to extend battery life. The earbuds are marketed as sweat resistant so should be good for most workouts that don’t involve actual water.
There is an accompanying app, but you must have both earbuds in to use it. The app allows for multiple user profiles, which is important once you personalize the sound response. When you start the app, it will do a test to determine whether you have selected the right ear tips for a good fit. It will play sound and picks up the feedback via the 8 included microphones to determine the fit. Once done it then does a hearing test to measure the range you can hear in each ear and set the personalized audio profile including the EQ settings accordingly. But there’s also the option for manual controls. The app allows you to customize the “tap” controls on the earbuds, which include the standard expected options. You can also control the Adaptive noise cancelling, immersive base and a social mode that allows you to hear outside sounds for office or other environments where needed. I was very impressed with the additional “immersive base” option! It made it sound like you were in the room with the sound source!
The only thing I would change about these earbuds is related to the case design. Given how flat the tops are, how flush they fit in the case and the power of the magnets holding them in…I wish the indent to remove them was a bit deeper.
allib –
I looked forward to trying out these Denon PerL Pro earbuds as I’m a current Apple Airpods Pro user and was interested to see how they compare. There is a lot to like about these Denon wireless headphones and I think true audiophiles are going to be the most satisfied users. Given the price point, one really has to be looking for the sound experience the PerL Pros can customize for you. I was skeptical that the Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology (AAT) was really going to create a significant difference in the sound quality experience. One simply has to connect the headphones to the Denon headphones app and utilize Masimo MT to automatically measure your hearing to create a personalized profile unique to you. To say that the personalized profile was so much better than the default sound would be an understatement. Truly, the sound quality is quite enjoyable and further enhanced as Qualcomm AptX Lossless delivers uncompressed audio true to the original recording. The Denon app seems to have plentiful options to choose from to establish device settings that allow for personal preference. I like the customizable controls that provide plentiful options to choose settings for four touch inputs for each earbud. One can enable or disable a variety of other settings from controls to audio setting preferences.
Battery life has been plentiful with up to eight hours for a single charge and a plentiful 24 hours from the charging case, and wireless charging capabilities. Multipoint allows the earbuds to be actively connected to two devices at the same time for easy switching between devices. For those using their headphones during exercise or outside activities the IPX4 rating provides some reassurance that they’ll withstand weather, water and sweat.
If enabled in the app active noise cancellation will automatically adjust the loudness to one’s environment or social mode lets in outside sound for a quick conversation or awareness of one’s surroundings. Honestly, I felt my Apple Airpods did a better job in terms of noise cancellation and volume control as I tried both brands of earbuds at work and had to give this advantage to the Airpods. For iPhone users, I just don’t think you can beat the Airpods Pro in terms of integration and ease of use with other Apple products, especially in an active, noisy environment. In terms of personalized sound quality, the Denon PerL Pro headphones have the AAT technology that creates a great audio experience so I just think one has to decide where one’s priorities lie. Lastly, for the money I feel that Denon has provided a quality product that will stand up quite well to daily use.
Gadgeteer –
I was curious to try these Denon wireless headphones out. Over the years, I’ve tried out more wireless headphone brands and models than I care to admit. Taking these out of the box, the packaging was a little disappointing (from a premium perspective), but the headphones and case themselves feel supremely premium, comparatively. The bluetooth setup was cumbersome. I’m on an iPhone and have been spoiled by other brands of headphones that pair just by opening the case and tapping on the screen, so you don’t miss all the extra steps required by bluetooth. Initially they would not pair and I had to go thru the setup a few times before they paired. Here’s where things took an interesting turn. I accidentally hit a button and music started playing before I got thru the setup, so I instinctively took one out when the volume was too loud. To my surprise it stopped playback. I placed it back in my ear and ran the Eartip fit test. It assured me I was wearing the correct size (which was the default ear tip size) and then was the sound spectrum test. This is where you will be absolutely stunned. It’s a little weird because it plays sounds at varying intervals of the audio spectrum but it uses this to create a personal sound profile for your music. After trying music with the default sound and this adaptive acoustic technology it’s mind-blowing. I love listening to concerts. Live music, FEELS live. Yes, it feels like you’re a row from the stage and you can HEAR each instrument like it’s got it’s own personal spotlight as it plays. Vocals sound like someone’s personally serenading you. Even with non-live music, it goes from sounding like you’re in a studio with the artist in the default sound mode. And then when you switch the personalized audio profile on it sounds very much like you’re at a personal concert. Denon is definitely onto something here! We’ve been listening to music all wrong, all along and they’re here to fix that!
DakotaDan –
I am an audiophile, so I was extremely excited and curious to get a pair of the Denon Perl Pro earbuds. My plan was to use them at work in an office setting, both for calls, and to listen to music to drown out the typical chatter, virtual meetings, and other background noises. These did not disappoint.
Unboxing was a little bit more difficult than I expected. The box first slides out of its “sleeve”, then the lid comes off to reveal the charging case and accessories, which include the short cable and various sizes of rubber tips. I’m still searching for a good way to store the extra tips, as keeping them in the cardboard box they came in isn’t a sustainable option.
At first, I was surprised at the size of the charging case. Past earbuds have a compact case, whereas this is very substantial. Upon opening it, I could immediately see why: the outer case of the earbuds are huge. If people using Apple AirPods look like they’re failed extras from “Something About Mary”, users of the Denon Pros look like they have gauge in their ears. It makes sense, though, since the speakers are close to 0.5″ and need that size case to be contained. If nothing else, it looks super cool to have something big enough to allow “Denon” to be printed in large enough font to be easily read. The large speaker size is what allows the full range of sound to be easily reproduced, too. The only complaint I have is that it’s not very easy to get the buds out of the charging case. There are indentations in the charging case that I assume are designed to allow fingers to more easily grasp the buds and remove them, but it’s not straightforward for me.
Setup took some time, so be prepared for that on initial use. There is an app that needs to be downloaded, but it walks you through the earbud fit, audio, and control setup, and it’s worth spending time going through it. I was very impressed with the speaker and sound tuning process. The unit can tell if the earbud is not fitting correctly, and it will stop setup until you find the right fit. To this end, I really appreciated the angled tip portion that allows for smooth and easy insertion into the ear. The step that took the longest amount of time was finding the right tip for each bud, and the correct backing. It’s a good move on the part of Denon to provide multiple sizes, and I would encourage users to try each one until they get the right fit. Following the instructions on holding the bud in place to allow the rubber tip to expand is also encouraged. Once that’s done, however, setup is a breeze, even down to customizing the interactions between you and each earbud. If you remember what you programmed them to do, it’s even better.
Now that you’ve opened the case and gone through setup, it’s time to see what these babies can do. To that end, they outperform the other earbuds I’ve owned. Using them for calls is a breeze. Sound reproduction is spot-on, and I can hear the other people in the meeting without the annoyance of background noises through noise cancellation. The customized taps on each earbud also make it easy to have sidebar conversations, mute entirely, or control other features, all without having to fumble for your phone.
However, it was the musical reproduction I was most interested in. First of all, these last all day. The charging case has three (3) indicator lights that show you the status of each earbud, one for each bud, and one for the case. It’s easy to tell how much battery you have left. Secondly, as I use a lot of digital music through various apps, I wanted to listen to music and not be blown out by too much bass or tinny highs. The sound optimization you went through during setup, as well as the music reproduction technology built into the earbuds do just that. I can tell when I’ve turned off the optimization, as it just doesn’t sound right. If I’m listening to rock, the guitars scream, while hip-hop definitely thumps while not sounding like I have blown speakers in my trunk. I can hear the different horns in a brass band, and low-note instruments, like bass cellos, come through clearly; horns and other high-frequency instruments don’t drown them out. It’s music on a level that you can only surpass by going to an actual concert.
In all, these were definitely the right purchase. One set of earbuds can handle multiple tasks. I can Bluetooth them to my laptop for team meetings, then switch back to my phone, or another device, seamlessly, never needing to have to disconnect from one to the other. Meetings are stress-free, audibly speaking, as I can participate easily without having to stress about background noises or “can you hear me?” Finally, the audio reproduction is nothing like I’ve experienced in earbuds before. I would highly recommend.
jago –
If you are looking for some of the best sounding earbuds on the market today, then be sure to check out the Denon PerL Pro True Wireless earbuds and take the time to fully customize them to your unique hearing profile and they will blow you away. Opening up the box you have a wide array of fitment options that not only include silicon and foam ear tips, a couple of wing attachments, a short USB A to C charging cable, the earbuds, and the charging case with Qi charging ability. Each earbud is very light, and the case is small and light as well. The earbuds fit snugly inside, and magnets help guide them to their charging locations. The case also has three lights to indicate the power status of each earbud and the case itself. I was able to test with phone calls and both ends are met with superior sound and the other person on the phone was impressed with how I sounded. Battery life has been fantastic as well, they are rated for 8 hours and 24 hours with the case providing additional juice. I found that my earbuds were very close to these numbers. During my initial testing, I did a lot of trial and error to find my perfect combo of ear tips and wing attachments, and it is nice that a good variety is included with these. These fit snug and comfortable in my ear and after you settle on the perfect fitment, they don’t feel like they are going to fall out of your ears, and I never felt fatigue with having them in my ears. Connecting to my phone was easy and I was also able to connect to my PC at the same time, so they support muti-point connections which is another big plus for these. Switching between music on my Pc and a phone call was simple and seamless.
Tap control controls are available and customizable via the Denon app. Single, double, triple and a double tap and hold for each side. You can set any of these up with how you want them such as a single tap on the right for volume up, double tap on the left for prev track, etc. When you first launch the app, it walks you through personalizing the earbuds for how your ears are and how you actually hear things. After a few minutes, it will generate a series of tones (using adaptive acoustic technology) and configure things for you. I recommend doing this a few times and create a few different profiles to try things out. It’s a neat process and it seems to really make it sound better for your ears. I have had quite a few sets of earbuds over the years and these are by far the best sounding, best fitting, and best app that I have used.
PhilipM –
I’ve been using these Perl Pro wireless earbuds for almost two weeks now and they are the best I’ve ever used, combining attractive design, quality construction, great sound, long battery life, and comfort even over many hours of use.
The sound quality is enhanced by the inclusion of Masimo AAT technology – essentially a form of automated hearing test. The buds are able to check the frequency response of the wearer’s ears and create a custom EQ profile which boosts or reduces the level of different sound frequencies depending on your own unique hearing profile. Since most of us hear different frequencies with different levels of acuity, evening out these differences provides more consistent sound quality and provides a better sense of what the original creator intended. The effect is positive without being overwhelming and, unlike some EQ features I’ve tried on other products, I’ve never once felt the need to disable the effect. It creates no distortion and it genuinely improves the audio, at least for me.
In addition to this headline feature, Denon also gets all the basics right with this design. The buds fit comfortably and securely, the large touch sensitive surfaces make it easy to use the tap controls. The charging case is small, attractive, and provides 3 extra full charges using it’s own built-in battery. But most of all, these buds just sound great. They offer lossless audio codecs and some of the best noise cancelling I’ve heard yet (including a handy “awareness” mode that lets in outside speech at the tap of the controls). I’ve tried them with music, audiobooks, and TV content and they sounds excellent across the board.
Denon’s app (I used the Android version on a Galaxy S23 Ultra) is well designed, reliable, and easy to use. It handles the initial hearing test (including the option for multiple profiles), manual EQ adjustment, tap control customization, and firmware updates.
The one other feature of note is the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously. This allows you, for example, to listen to music on one device but accept phone calls on another. Or connect to a laptop and phone when working remotely so that you can take calls and also hear audio from the laptop. The one minor issue here is that the buds switch source based on detecting inbound audio so if your phone is beeping with notifications the buds switch over. This automatic switching can however be disabled if you prefer.
Overall I’m very happy with these earbuds and find them easy to recommend. They do all the basics well while providing high end sound and some great features like custom hearing profiles in a way that’s easy to use and works perfectly.
Pros
– Excellent sound
– Custom hearing profiles that really work
– Long battery life
– Compact charging case
– Quality construction
– Can connect to your laptop and phone at the same time
– Solid app experience
Cons
– If you have large fingers, removing them from the case may take some practice
– Auto switching between sources can be set off by phone notifications
Qmotion –
Superb sound. Very musical and dynamic. Well worth the cost.
Mary –
Overall, solid choice. There are different pieces to make sure you find the right fit for you. They are comfortable and easy to wear for an extended time. Great battery life. With the right fit the sound canceling is impressive, but warning it can be startling when someone touches you on the shoulder when you have no idea that they are there. You can download the app to adjust levels to set it to your preferences or alter it depending on what you are listening to. Sound quality is impressive and immersive. You may find yourself fumbling at times trying to get them out of the case. They sit fairly flush in the case which can make it difficult to get a hold on them. The app measures the inside of your ear to give you advice on your settings to optimize the sound, but still gives you options to choose what you prefer. The app is user friendly and not intimidating to use. They offer touch controls that take input depending on how many times you tap them, this can be helpful once you memorize the inputs.
FlightMedic –
I really wanted to love these Denon earbuds, but there are too many issues.
Let’s start with the good… The build quality and aesthetic are both excellent.
I love the pill-shaped charger. The earbuds are held securely in place, charging is quick for both the case (via USB-C) and the earbuds. There are external lights to indicate when charging is complete. The hinge is strong, secure, and stays open / closed.
The earbuds themselves look amazing and so, so premium. The blacked out color, especially the metal banding, simply look fantastic.
Pairing was super easy to my iPhone 15 ProMax running the latest version of iOS Developer Beta. I’ve had no issues with lost connectivity. Of note, you are limited to pairing with two devices.
The Denon app, which I highly suggest you download, adds even more function and the ability to customize the earbuds to your preferences. The app will perform and setup a customized hearing profile based on your ability to hear different frequencies. It will then display this information and customize the audio playback to your unique hearing. This is pretty awesome technology. Within the app you can adjust the ProEQ, spacial audio, volume limiter, voice prompts, earbud button push toggle actions, immersion mode, and much more.
The sound quality is excellent! Spatial audio does not seem quite to the level of my pods from the fruit company, but it definitely does work. Noise cancelling is some of the best I’ve used. It does a great job of closing out external noise, and the level of cancellation can be adjust within the app. Music has the clear highs and thumping lows without the tin-like reverb of lesser quality devices. Calls come through clean and clear, and I’ve had no issues hearing or being heard.
Pressing the earbuds triggers actions that are set by you such as answering / ending calls, skipping tracks, changing volume levels, etc. These are easy to trigger and work just as intended.
So with so many good things to say, why the 3 star rating?
First, the earbuds are difficult to remove from the charging case. When seated in the charging cradle they sit just above the level of being flush. This minimal height doesn’t allow for easy removal with just the finger, it really requires using your nail to “scoop” the earbuds out.
However, the absolute biggest problem, by far, has been the inability of the earbuds to stay seated in my ears. On multiple occasions the earbuds have simply fallen out – even while sitting and not moving. I believe there are several reasons for this – one being the overall weight of the earbuds. These seem to be a bit heavier than the multitude of other earbuds I’ve used. The weight combined with the design pack a one, two punch for falling out of the ear. These earbuds do not seat properly in the ear. The round design limits the depth at which they can be inserted, therefore they tend to “hang” out of the ear. In no way would I trust these during any sort of physical activity. I’ve never had this issue with any other earbuds and I’ve tried everything to fix this issue. So no matter how excellent the sound quality is, if they don’t stay in the ear they become useless.
So, unfortunately I find it difficult to recommend these earbuds, and that is disappointing. There is so much to like, but for me it’s a no-go due to the fit and falling out of the ear issues.
D1maddog1 –
I was so excited to get these and try them out; afterall, I’ve used Denon / Marantz receivers and speakers for over a decade with success. Unfortunately, the PerL Pro’s are terrible in terms of fitting them to your ears, setting them up in the app, and definitely in terms of performance. Denon is very late to market with these truly-wireless earbuds, so time should have been taken to get it RFT (Right First Time). These are neither fit to be on the market nor worthy of the Denon name. Too little, too late.
Open up the box to get the different size tips and pull out the plastic bag they were in (see pic). At this price point, it’s a miss. Among many other misses. The silicone tips have circular holes to fit over the tips of the buds. Unfortunately the bud tips are oval. Conceptually, it’s easy to pinch the silicone tips and place them over the oval tips of the buds but it isn’t easy when there is little silicone to grasp, and I need to push them over the lip of the bud tip to stay in place…and they don’t, even when you think you have it, the the silicone tip flies 3 feet away. There are also 2-3 different sizes of wings for a custom fit.
The wings do nothing due to poor fit; I’m not certain what ears they are made for. You are supposed to hold the earbuds, put them in, and rotate them, but when you rotate, it doesn’t ‘catch’ anything, and you end up starting/stopping your music five times.
After an hour of trying all combinations, nothing worked to acceptably seal my ear with the bud. Which is in turn unfortunate, because a good seal is needed during earbud settup, as the app / earbuds ‘map’ your ear canal / hearing; see the pictures. The error in the pic about poor seal happened a few times, which will cause anyone’s blood to boil, knowing that the mapping of ear canal / hearing is like 1-2 minutes long. To be able to finish settup and listen to music, I pushed the earbuds into my ears to make a seal. That colored circular pink/purple ‘mapping’ looks fancy, but it is meaningless, as a description of colors and mapping is not given.
Regarding mapping, you can select ‘Default’ or ‘Personalized’. By all means go through the mapping, because the ‘Default’ setting results in a ‘tinny’ sound with no feeling in the music.
Everytime I put them away and re-connected them, I had to go through a 20 second search for the earbuds, and many times, I needed to go into BT settings and select them, to get them to re-connect.
You finally get them fitted, set up, connected, and mapped, at which point any positive experience was totally over for me. That was solidified when I listened to music…vocals and especially base were terrible. Nothing but popping and crackling. I understand about the size of the drivers, but several competitors can handle base, one at about half the cost of the Denon PerL Pro’s. If the earbuds produced impeccable sound, it barely justifies the settup and mapping process. So these are a total Fail for Denon.
The charging is fast via USB Type-C. But the case is poorly designed. The case is relatively small, and the earbuds are held in by a magnet. However, the earbuds are impossible to get out of the case because the magnets are strong and you need a screwdriver of long nail to place into the compartment to get them out.
Lisakay011 –
I received the Denon PerL Pro True Wireless Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling In-Ear Earbuds in Black. The earbuds make a good first impression. Disc-like endcaps look classy, with a matte black finish. Basic setup is also relatively simple thanks to the Denon app.
The buds were a little uncomfortable in my ear over a period of time, as they are quite large. That being said, being large does provide a good amount of space for the touch controls, which proved both responsive and comprehensive.
The Denon PerL Pro offer a uniquely tailored listening experience, it measures your hearing, then tailor a sound profile based on your ears’ basic design and frequency sensitivities that adapt and change over time, the hearing test results will not disappoint you. Has Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Dirac Virtuo, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, Masimo Adaptive Acoustic technology, wireless charging, immersive and spatial audio modes, designed to create a 3D effect by virtualizing stereo sound.
The battery life has been pretty good, you’re getting a perfectly acceptable eight-hour battery in the buds, with an extra 24 in the case, wireless charging, IPX4 sweat resistance.
Overall, these are great earbuds, the sound is excellent, very easy to use and customize in the app.
Jayv –
They sounded great!! I like that you can control the EQ to your liking. Could be comfier.
Blubaugh5 –
These are far beyond my AirPod Pros. The options, the sound, and how well they stay in your ears. Save the extra money and purchase these instead of the Apple, Sony, or Bose earbuds. Look at all the reviews and comparisons.
Vardan –
These earbuds are really good. I love the build quality. The sound is awesome. I have no issues with the battery life or the connectivity either. I just wish it were easier to change the ear tips (for correct sizing).
Napoli –
I have previously owned all three generations of the Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum Bluetooth earbuds. I bought these for my wife to replace her AirPods. The active noise cancellation is really good and the equalizer is a great feature to tweak the sound. She’s extremely happy with these earbuds. She finds them to be a major upgrade over the AirPods.
HDinh –
Excellent sound quality but keeps falling out of my left ear. No issues with the right bud. Tried all combinations of inserts. Overall would recommend.
Eric1 –
Excellent sound and comfort. ANC is top notch. Totally qorth the money
KennyL –
Awesome earbuds! Definitely worth the price tag, won’t regret it