DenonPerL Pro True Wireless Earbuds - Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling, Personalized Sound with Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology, Spatial Audio, Long-Lasting Battery, Wireless Charging, Black

Just after the Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 4 earbuds dethroned my Bose QC Ultra earbuds, mainly for the wireless charging case and punchy sound, the Denon Perl Pro came on sale. What was I supposed to do than to try this mythical contender that's relatively hard to find in the wild?Anyway, my home entertainment system is completely Denon and it never let me down. What really sparked my interest beyond that, however, is the fantastic smart speaker Home 250 which impresses me with the crystal clear sound, even compared to an Amazon Echo Studio and Bose Portable Smart Speaker in the same household. So, time to try out the Denon Perl Pro, with the 'Pro' being important for lossless codec support and custom sound profiles.The Denon Perl Pro is visually very similar to the standard model. The charging case is smaller than the Bose QC Ultra and the Sennheiser TWM4, but still larger than the Apple AirPods Pro 2. That may matter more to some than others. However, the Bose QC Ultra case being the only one of the mentioned examples that doesn't charge wirelessly despite feeling arguably the largest. Where the Denon case fails, however, is the ergonomics of removing the earbuds from it. It's easily the worst ergonomics of all four examples. Not a deal breaker but feels like an oversight nevertheless.The size and weight of the earbuds are sometimes mentioned as a negative. Neither bother me much, but if those criteria are important to you, it may be the main reason to look elsewhere. Maybe make sure to actually try them as this is a rather subjective thing. The large circular design sure looks different.The fit out of the box suits me just fine, just like the Bose and the Sennheiser. That is something I cannot say about the AirPods which never really fit me well. The touch buttons can be customized, with one odd difference: Tap-and-hold is reserved to reset/restart the earbuds, a unique feature, but also unavailable to the common "Volume Up/Down" function. The Tap-tap-hold is less intuitive and not always easy to execute.The iPhone app is decent, even if a bit temperamental, as the earbuds shut down in the case and become invisible to the app. Reconnecting then takes a few seconds, by far longer than any of the other earbuds I own. Once connected, you get basic settings in the home screen and most options are hidden away in the settings. There is no conversation awareness, a specialty of the AirPods, but spatial audio, environmental awareness (pass thru) are. The latter isn't configurable as to how to mix the environment with the music, but the spatial audio is easily the best I have heard so far. This is mostly since it doesn't try too hard to fake space, but is a subtle impact. That also means that audio quality actually improves, unlike the Bose QC Ultra implementation that's best when turned off.The ANC performance of the Bose QC Ultra (and AirPod Pro 2) are unmatched by the Denon Perl Pro (and the Sennheiser TWM4), but fairly useful in normal use. I don't use earbuds for making calls and cannot comment on the microphones in either of these earbuds.THE stand-out feature of the Denon Perl Pro is the Advanced Acoustic Technology (AAT). What sounds like a marketing term is surprisingly effective. The app plays sounds and measures "how you hear music". That's nothing short of black magic and sure worth a skeptical eye. The already good sounding earbuds really come alive with a customized profile. It was truly jaw-dropping how much more dynamic these sound with the personalized profile activated. Up to three profiles can be defined and stored. Just make sure to follow instructions to get a good seal and be quiet during the measurement.For me, the deciding factor was the deal during Prime Day(s) to give it a try and I do not regret it. It's easily one of my favorite earbuds. At full price it may still be a good choice, but less of a slam dunk.

Despite owning numerous high-end wired IEMs and headsets ranging from $500 to $4,000 and owning Sennheiser Momentum TW2 and Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ and EX, I rarely write reviews about earbuds. but I felt DPPs granted an exception.After losing my beloved pair of Beoplay EX recently, I considered replacing them but then heard about the Denon Perl Pros on Reddit.Initially, I was hesitant to buy them despite the glowing reviews. I had two main reservations:1. The earbuds were reported to be quite large (with comparisons to Princess Leia’s hairstyle).2. Some users mentioned a hissing sound from the left or right earbud.I received the Denon Perl Pros today and all I can say is WOW! I don’t usually make such enthusiastic exclamations, as acoustics and sound quality are very personal, and high cost doesn’t always guarantee satisfaction. However, the Denon Perl Pros are a true exception—I am thoroughly impressed.Firstly, the comfort level isn’t as bad as some reviewers claimed. They fit very comfortably in my ears. Compared to my other more expensive earbuds and IEMs, they provide the best seal and healthy suction.Now, let’s talk about the sound quality. In short, these are among the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever heard. They can easily compete with my go-to pair, the $1,400 Campfire Andromeda. The soundstage is expansive and immersive, making you feel surrounded by instruments. Remarkably, despite only having a single 10mm dynamic driver, the DPPs offer a near-holographic effect with their V-shaped sound signature.The instrument separation is excellent, with plenty of air between different instruments. Vocals are forward and don’t bleed into the instruments or background tracks. The more detail you seek, the more you find—even with Spotify’s 320kbps tracks, which are not lossless.The volume can go quite high-I strongly recommend enabling high gain mode then lowering volume to find the right spot. High gain mode compensates for frequencies lost when listening with lower volumes, in situations with less power to the driver.How do they compete with $1,000+ earbuds on the market? The secret lies in their superior implementation of Massimo Adaptive Technology. This technology measures your ear canal’s response to different frequencies and compensates where needed. Initially, I worried this was a gimmick, but it’s a game changer. DPPs allow you to have three different profiles. To squeeze out the most out of these, I suggest you doing the calibration three times and save them to each profile. Then do some A-B testing between profiles to find the best for your ears. I always use EQ to finetune the sound but after the calibration, I disabled all previous EQ I had. I don’t think I need to change EQ anymore. This sounds like EQ specific to your ears.Frankly, I don’t understand why the DPPs haven’t garnered the same attention as other, more expensive earbuds. These are fantastic, comparable to the thrill I felt when first listening to the Audeze LCD3, but in a wireless earbud form. Yet, I haven’t seen many YouTube reviews about them.Do they have any cons? The implementation of the spatial audio isn’t very good but the more I give it a try the more I like it. I still prefer it disabled. Immersion mode adds more oomph in lower and lower mid frequencies. Depending on the genre you listen to, it can be good or bad. There’s some recess in 10K+ bands, so you might want to tweak a little to open up more in top range. At this point, I’m nitpicking to find any flaws, but DPPs are just that good.In conclusion, I’m incredibly happy with my new DPPs. These can truly alter your perception of music especially if you’re not already used to high end iems.Since there aren’t many reviews or impressions about these earbuds, I wanted to share my personal experience.