I've been an AirPods Pro 2 user for over two years now. I love my AirPods and there's not much that will tear me away from them. They do everything I want: great sound quality, comfortable fit, and awesome Apple ecosystem functionality. At the same time, I test enough of the best wireless earbuds to know what I'm missing by sticking with Apple.
I've tested surprisingly fantastic earbuds like the U.K.-only AKG N5 Hybrid (£249) and the utterly fantastic audiophile-quality Denon PerL Pro ($199). The Denons were so good that I almost made the switch. The PerL Pro have audiophile-quality sound (well, as close as you can get on Bluetooth) and an actually real "personalized sound profile". But there's one reason why I won't be buying them, and it's nothing to do with price or sound.
I'm heartbroken... the Denon PerL Pro sound quality is 10/10
I'm aware my issue with the Denon PerL Pro is 100% my fault. It's definitely a me problem, and it's not a general-populace problem, which is why I didn't knock off any points in my 4.5-star review of the Denon PerL Pro.
In terms of actual audio performance, no other earbuds come close at this price point. Right now the PerL Pro go for $145-$199 on Amazon (depending on sales, of course), and when they were first released in 2023 they were $349. This price makes sense — the earbuds are a couple of years old now — but I really don't think you can get better sound quality for $199.
Other similar-quality buds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds ($299), AirPods Pro 2 ($249), AKG N5 Hybrid (£249) are markedly more expensive. If you're an audiophile on a budget, I wholeheartedly recommend the Denon PerL Pro. As long as you don't have small ears — which I'll get onto properly later.
Everything about these earbuds calls my name: the incredible level of detail across the entire frequency range, the immersive and expansive soundscape, and the personalized sound profile in the Denon app.
In the Denon app, you can customize "immersion", which basically means how wide the soundscape is. I kept it at 100% because it made every song sound magical; deep, clever bass, with clear and affecting treble. Every single song I listened to — from electronic, to folk, to metal — sounded perfect through the Denon PerL Pro.
A personalized sound profile that's actually real
Don't get me wrong, I love a gamified personalized EQ mode. Soundcore has the iconic HearID (on the Space One Pro) which is basically a "this-or-that" style game where you choose which EQ makes the test song sound better.
Similarly, JBL has Personi-Fi, which is, again, an audio test that tries to analyze your perception of sound.
Both of these features are neat, but they don't feel as high-tech as Denon's personalized sound profile. Denon's version sends sound waves down your ear canal. Using a mic inside the earbud, the earbuds themselves analyze your ear's response to the sound wave, and creates a profile based on your ability to perceive certain sound frequencies.
Here's a screenshot of my profile and my colleague Nikita's profile. Mine is on the left, and hers is on the right.
As you can see, our sound profiles are completely different. Nikita's is way more bassy, whereas mine is flatter. Nikita is better at hearing the top of the frequency range, judging by my grayed-out area at the top of the circle. My personalized profile is overall flatter and more even, whereas hers will result in increased gain for the low midrange.
This is such an awesome feature, and one of the most unique things I've ever seen on a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. If you know you have asymmetrical hearing, the Denon personalized sound profile might be the answer.
But, alas, the Denon PerL Pro are way too big for my ears
Right, I didn't think I had tiny little ears until I started testing earbuds as my job. Now I'm acutely aware of my minute ears every second of every day.
The Denon PerL Pro are simply too big for my ears. I can wear them for about an hour before they start aching my cartilage. This is a major shame, because my music sounded so good through the earbuds that I wanted to power through the pain and keep wearing them.
However, when I took them out to give my ears a break, the sweet relief of nothingness was so astronomical that I couldn't bring myself to put them back in. I even switched out the ear tips to the extra small and tried massaging my ears to — I don't know — grow them or something.
If you have medium-to-large ears, though, this won't be an issue. When my boyfriend tested out the comfort, he said they were fine. It's just me, which somehow makes it feel even worse. What do you mean, everyone can experience such glorious sound except me?
It's not fair.
So, Denon, if you're listening, please make the PerL Pro 2 (if they will ever exist, sigh) a little bit smaller. I might finally be able to ditch my AirPods Pro 2 for good then.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
