Denon PerL Pro True Wireless Earbuds, Personalised Sound Profile, Noise Cancelling Earbuds, Water Resistant Earphones, with Built in Microphones and Long Battery Life - White

Pros: - good app for customisation of sound and touch functions - fantastic sound once tuned - comfortable fit - decent battery life - quality construction - noise cancellation very good Cons: - need the app to tune these to your ears as the sound quality out of the box is poor - large looking

Denon Perl Pro review: I would consider myself an audiophile. My life has revolved around a combination of music production, headphone collection and earphone/earbuds collection. I’ve spent 100’s and 100’s of hours A-B comparing different headphones and earphones over the years. My favourite earbuds for quite a long time were my Technics AZ70. These were then displaced from the top spot (only marginally) by the Technics AZ80. Then I got these Denons to give them a whirl. I wasn’t overly convinced that they’d be capable of bettering the Technics, despite all the good reviews I’d read. Well they have. Compared to both the Technics: models: 1. They go louder 2. Have a slightly wider and taller soundstage 3. Have smidge higher resolution 4. Better bass (they have a greater deep bass rumble and can deliver more punch in the mid-bass region). Now, it’s important to note that, in order to achieve the above, you must do the ‘hearing test’ and possibly perform it two or three times (saving them within the three slots provided), then choose the best one. I have spacial audio enabled, as this helps the soundstage. If you like what the spacial audio does - great. I’d recommend leaving the EQ setting until the end of the process. An interesting thing that I found was that there’s a span of about 10/15 seconds in one of my ambient remixes where the sound is quiet and low+high mids focused (no bass line element and just a little treble) before the main melody kicks in. Using any of my other earbuds, you’d think that all there was present in the recording were these high and low mids (plus the slight treble from percussion). Except…these Denon’s show clearly that within that section of music, there’s also a very low frequency bass element. It’s too low a frequency to properly hear it. It’s more something you feel. And you do. This is completely absent on all my other earbuds, including the Technics. My clear conclusion from this is that these earbuds go down deeper than the others. Comfort-wise, I like them. I have mid-sized ears and use the Medium size tips. I often prefer memory foam ones, but not with these earbuds - the silicon tips do them a lot of justice. I don’t use the wing-tips that they come with and they’re secure enough in my ears (once inserted properly with a slight twisting action). Some people will be put off by the flat round shape of them. But I like the design. With the bulk of the weight (centre of gravity) closer to your ears, my impression is that there’s a slightly lower leverage force downwards on the outside. In physics we trust. Anyway, I’ve had no problems at all with Bluetooth stability and connection strength, and the noise cancelling is good enough for me. Ultimately though, I buy earbuds, earphones and headphones principally for the audio quality. And these earbuds are a definite keeper. So impressed, I bought two (at a time when the price was reduced). Ordered one of each colour and swapped the earbuds over to get a nice contrast going…

As a music lover constantly chasing the best possible audio quality, the hype around the Denon PerL Pro was impossible to ignore. The promise of a truly personalised sound profile (Masimo AAT) and the inclusion of AptX Lossless streaming seemed like the endgame for wireless audio. Coming from the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds, which are the kings of comfort and noise-cancellation, I was ready to see if Denon could deliver a new monarch for pure sound fidelity. The short answer is: they absolutely did, but unfortunately, it came with a heartbreaking, deal-breaking flaw. Let's start with the magic. The personalised sound profile is not a gimmick; it is revolutionary. After a quick and easy, automated hearing test in the app, the earbuds create a profile tailored to your specific hearing abilities. The first time I played a familiar, well-produced track (Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams"), I was genuinely stunned. It was like a thick veil had been lifted. I could hear delicate cymbal work, subtle bass lines, and vocal nuances that had previously been smeared or lost. The sound is massive; the soundstage is wide and deep, with incredible instrument separation. It's a rich, vibrant, three-dimensional audio experience that no manually-adjusted EQ can ever hope to replicate. Paired with a S23 Ultra, being able to stream lossless audio over Bluetooth is the cherry on top, ensuring you're getting true lossless wireless audio. It is, without exaggeration, the most brilliant and impressive sound I have ever heard from a pair of in-ear headphones. The rest of the product experience is equally premium. The charging case is solid, feels great in the hand, and has a satisfying magnetic click. The earbuds themselves, despite their size, feel surprisingly light in the ears, adding to the immersive feeling. But here is where my dream scenario fell apart, and why I unfortunately had to return them. The physical size of the earbud housing itself is just too large. I have what I consider to be average-sized ears, but even with the smallest included ear tip and wing, the hard plastic shell of the earbud pressed painfully against my antihelix and concha. For the first 10-15 minutes, it was a minor annoyance. After about 20 minutes of listening, it became a genuine, persistent pain that made wearing them impossible. Coming from the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds, which I can wear for hours without a second thought, this was a shocking and deeply disappointing realisation. The other compromise is the Active Noise Cancelling. It's... fine. It will dull the low rumble of an air conditioner or the distant hum of traffic. However, it is years away from the god-tier silence that Sony or Bose can create. It doesn't create that isolated bubble, and it lets in far more mid-range and high-frequency sounds. For a premium-priced earbud, the ANC is a clear step-down from its main competitors. Conclusion: These are not for everyone. If you are a dedicated audiophile who prioritises pure sound quality above all else, and you are blessed with larger ears, these could be your holy grail. You would be getting arguably the best-sounding true wireless earbuds on the market. However, you must be willing to compromise on potentially a very poor fit and mediocre noise cancelling. For me, the pain made them unusable. It was a genuine shame, because if it wasn't for the size and the pain, I would have kept them in a heartbeat and never looked back. The sound is just that good.

I used Sony WF-1000XM3, Sony WF-1000XM4, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3. When the batteries of the latter went bad, I started looking for a replacement. I initially got the Technics AZ80, but I found that the sound quality was below that of my Sennheisers. Also controlling volume was a bit awkward. I did like the smaller case, and the fit was quite good as well. But sound quality comes first for me, and for that reason I returned them. Then I purchased both the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and these ones. The Sennheisers sounded like I was used to with the MTW3s, but these are quite simply on another level. After AAT tuning, it is safe to say that they are like no earbuds I have tried before. The organisation, instrument separation, delicacy... is just way better. Additionally, the fit is better than the Sennheisers as well. The only downside is that they are a bit large, and so is the case. But for me, that is totally worth it. There may be better sounding buds like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, but they are more expensive as well, and the fit is probably not as good. Noise cancellation performance is good as well. Maybe not best in class, but I think it is better than my MTW3s, so I'm good with that. Transparency mode works fine too. Again, maybe not the best, but these are earbuds; as far as I'm concerned, that means they are made to enjoy music. And they let me do that incredibly well. I haven't tested call quality, but again, that's like... a 2% use case, maybe. the other 98% is about listening to music.

"I've been using the Denon PerL Pro for a while now, and what impressed me the most is how it balances high-end sound quality with comfort. The sound clarity is outstanding-you can hear every instrument and detail in the music. Most importantly, it doesn't feel harsh or overwhelming on the ears even during long listening sessions. The personalized sound profile ensures that the audio is perfectly tuned to my hearing, providing a very natural and comfortable experience. If you are looking for premium sound that is gentle on your ears but doesn't compromise on quality, these are the best choice!"

The one star rating represents my overall experience with the Denon Perl Pros. Let me begin with the only positive and this is the quality of the audio. It is excellent for wireless ear buds, the bass is goose bumps level of good, soundstage is wide, excellent separation and detail. The personalised audio seems more like a gimmick, nevertheless the sound is better with it turned on. I really wanted to love these earbuds, but they won’t let me. My first pair I returned immediately, the right ear bud was making “purrr” sounds when producing bass on certain genres like Hip Hop or electronic. I thought it was defect, feeling unlucky I sent it back, then ordered another one thinking it’s just QC issue. My second Perl Pros came, did not have the same problem. While I did get good seal, but not a great fit I was ready to make some sacrifices as I really like the sound signature. It’s been 5 months now and I regret this so much, my ears hurt after more than an hour of listening and I don’t feel secure. I am very careful around drains, toilets and train tracks. I would never wear while cycling. ANC worked well, I was very impressed in the beginning, it felt great while on the train and in public, until it stopped working. There is absolutely no difference with it turned on or off at the moment. Happened at around month 2 of owning them. I use Spotify, almost always when I pause the song and need to put transparency mode on via the Perl Pros controls(single tap) on the return it turnes transparency off, but doesn’t resume playing the mf song. This means I have to pull out my phone and do it from there. Annoying AF! Sometimes transparency only turns off on one ear bud, which means I have to put them back in then case and reconnect to fix this. Makes me want to smash them in the ground and stomp on them, but then I remember how much I paid for them. I think alongside my high salt intake these earbuds are another solid reason my blood pressure is high. Battery life is mediocre. 5 hours at most. Sometimes the case doesn’t fully charge, I am sometimes getting two recharges, sometimes four from 0% to 100%. The inconsistency! Sometimes only one ear buds charged. Very annoying to find this out when you are about to wear them, I.e entering the gym. I remember people complaining on a thread about white/static noise and I commented that I don’t have it on mine. Well a couple of months later I noticed that I now have it too. I can’t hear it when music is playing, but still, these are supposed to be premium quality. When someone is calling me while I’m listening to music, I get nothing in my earbuds until I answer. My phone rings, which I can’t hear trough the music, I am sometimes able to feel the vibration in my pocket and answer, sometimes the phone is in my backpack and it’s a missed call. I do get other notifications sounds in the Perl Pros like email and some apps like discord, but not phone calls. I am now outside the return window and cannot return, so I am on a mission to tell everyone who is considering these buds to just NOT.

The sound is insanely good. Sound stage is wide, probably one of the best consumer earbuds ! Fit is a bit of a headache as these make you feel like you have elephant ears. Sad to say though, the reliability of these are horrendous. Countless of reports of one earbud just failing for no reason. I've had 3 failed on me in the span of 4 months. I'm taking my money elsewhere.

The Good: Really nice sound. Clear differentiation between different instruments and track elements. Comfortable to wear. The storage box is feels sturdy. The automatic audio tuning is a marvel of modern technology; this feature has to be used to get the best out of these earbuds. I expect these earbuds to last me quite some time. The Bad: Why don't earbud manufacturers make storage cases with ejector buttons for the earbuds? Your guess is as good as mine. The earbuds are held in place magnetically. It can be fiddly to get them out of the case. I say that as someone with good dexterity. The Ugly: The control app works well but needs a few tweaks. The app can only be installed onto an Android / iOS device. This limits the app's usage to phones or tablets (I've not tried it on a tablet yet), or a user could install Android into a virtual machine (emulator/hypervisor). We need an app that works on desktop, laptop or smart devices like an Amazon Echo. Another issue with the app is that an account needs to be registered with Denon before it can be used and each time the app is restarted the account needs to be logged into. Why does the app need my name, my age and my gender? It shouldn't need any info about me. And why does the app sync with the Denon cloud service? I'm sure it does not need to do that in order to help me control my earbuds. Overall I am very happy with these earbuds. They are comfortable. They sound good. They look smart. I just wish the app could be installed onto a wider range of devices and OSs and that it did not require me to sign in to Denon's cloud service each time I want to manage my earbuds.