Denon PerL Pro is equipped with the 10mm three-layer titanium alloy dynamic driver, supports Snapdragon Sound and Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology (Masimo AAT), and can perform personalized tuning in about 5 minutes to achieve a truly “personalized EQ solution.”
Denon PerL Pro specs and features:
- Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC, aptX Lossless/Adaptive codec
- 8 hours playback of per charge
- Charging case can charge earbuds fully 3 times
- IPX4 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
- Comes with 5 sets of eartips, 2 sets of earwings, USB-C cable, user manual
- $349 – Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries</a
Appearance Design, Comfort and Battery Life
The charging case adopts the capsule design with frosted surface. There are three status indicators on the front to indicate connection, charging status and battery level. When the LED light shows red, it means that the power is less than 30%, yellow means between 30% and 70%, and green means more than 70%. There is a USB-C charging interface on the back of the charging case.
Battery and charging information is printed on the bottom of the charging case. The battery capacity is 3.7V/500mAh. The earbuds have a single battery life of up to 8 hours and the total battery life of up to 32 hours. Also, the charging case support Qi wireless charging.
The shape of Denon PerL Pro earbuds is very unique – the cavity is designed like the “bean-shaped” TWS earbuds, but there is a “round cover” on the outside – it is very recognizable. This design reminds me of Microsoft Surface Earbuds, which also use a “round cover” design.
Although the outside of PerL Pro is a “round cover”, the inside of the cavity near the auricle adopts an ergonomic design and is covered with skin-friendly material.
Moreover, the “round cover” design also brings an unexpected “BUFF” – the earbud will not put too much pressure on the ears when sleeping on the side.
It is worth mentioning that the pre-installed eartips of PerL Pro are also very interesting. It is different from the silicone eartips of traditional in-ear earbuds, but a slow rebound material similar to industrial noise cancellation eartips. When worn, it brings a stronger wrapping and Active Noise Cancellation capabilities.
The disadvantage is that the wearing steps are more complicated – every time you wear it, you need to go through a “rotation” step to completely place the earbud cavity in the auricle.
Connectivity, APP and Control
The earbuds uses the Bluetooth 5.3 chip and supports SBC, AAC, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive codec. Open the charging case cover and the earbuds will enter pairing mode. At this point, select “Denon PerL Pro” from the bluetooth list of your phone to complete the connection.
Also, Denon PerL Pro support multi-point connection, which can connect two bluetooth devices.
After connecting to your phone, open the DENON Headphones App and it will automatically connect to the earbuds. In the App, you can see the headset’s “Personal Tuning Profile”, noise cancellation mode, spatial audio and other related settings. And perform operations such as firmware upgrade, multi-point connection, custom EQ, change prompt tone language, etc. – there are many functions. It should be noted that there is no preset EQ in the APP.
The design of the App is very simple, but because Denon PerL Pro uses Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology (Masimo AAT) as its core highlight, the functional layout of the App is different from other headphone apps. If you are a new user, it will take some time to adapt.
The touch control area of Denon PerL Pro is located at the DENON logo on the outside. The earbuds support four gestures: single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap and double-tap + holding. Also, controls can be customized in the app.
Satisfactory Noise Cancellation Performance
After turning on the ANC mode, Denon PerL Pro will filter out most low-frequency sounds – such as vehicle engine sounds, air conditioner running sounds, and shop BGMs – leaving only slight driving sounds, high-frequency braking sounds, and some musical instruments.
Of course, the human voice is also weakened to a certain extent, but it can still be heard roughly. For example, station announcement sounds, advertising voices and conversation sounds can hear part of the content clearly. If you play music at this time, the noise will be easily covered. Unless there is a very sharp noise or high-pitched shouting, it will be transmitted to the ears.
For wind noise suppression, PerL Pro will receive some external noise, but it will not be too strong – it is still acceptable for listening music. However, I personally do not recommend turning on the noise cancellation mode when running or cycling. In addition, the sound quality before and after ANC mode is turned on is not much different. The ear pressure is not heavy, and it will not cause discomfort if worn for a long time.
When switched to “social mode”, PerL Pro will receive external sounds and slightly amplify the output – in fact, this is transparent mode.
Unfortunately, Denon PerL Pro currently only provides noise cancellation mode and transparent mode options – there is no option to turn off noise reduction, and there is no noise cancellation intensity level selection. This is a pity for flagship earbuds with 8 microphones.
Sound Quality and Spatial Audio
Denon PerL Pro uses a 10mm three-layer titanium alloy dynamic driver, coupled with aptX Lossless codec and Dirac Virtuo spatial sound technology, giving PerL Pro a Hi-Fi listening experience that is not inferior to high-end wired earphones.
Under the default configuration, PerL Pro, with the support of Dirac Virtuo, achieves accurate positioning and obvious hierarchy between different instruments.
One of the biggest selling points of Denon PerL Pro is the introduction of Masimo AAT Technology (Masimo Adaptive Acoustic Technology) – by emitting a series of audio tests into the user’s ears to analyze the sensitivity to each frequency, thereby evaluating the user’s ear’s unique response to sounds of specific frequencies. This allows for adjustments to be made based on the individual’s characteristic hearing system, creating a truly personalized tuning.
First, we find a relatively quiet environment, and then adjust the wearing of the earbuds according to the prompts until both ears are stable, and then the system will start playing test audio. At this time, Masimo AAT Technology will measure the user’s ear hearing, automatically analyze the sensitivity of each ear to high-frequency, mid-frequency, and low-frequency, and obtain the user’s hearing differences under different audio frequencies – and finally generate exclusive tuning and create customized audio solution.
From the personal listening profile created by me, we can see that the more sensitive areas are distributed in the mid- and high-pitched frequencies. From the coverage area, there will be a certain lack of each frequency, and the sensitivity of the left and right ears is also different. The left ear is more sensitive to treble and lacks more bass; the right ear is more sensitive to bass and lacks treble slightly.
After turning on Masimo AAT, the vocals are closer together and the timbre is cleaner than I expected. The resolution has also become very high, and sibilance and ventilation details can be clearly distinguished. Vocals appear clearer and have better separation from instruments than before.
The low-frequency feedback from Denon PerL Pro is of good quantity, with sufficient extension depth and strength. The soundstage range is wide, the extension is very comfortable, and the atmosphere is relatively sufficient.
The high-frequency performance is okay. The female voice part can maintain a steady rise and the brightness is not bad. Comparing the tri-frequency changes of the default configuration, it is indeed not as good as the performance after turning on Masimo AAT.
Also, the earbuds can also transform the sound into a 360° sound effect through Spatial Audio technology, thereby presenting a spatial surround effect. For example, the guitar sound will become more three-dimensional, and the position of the musician will also become clearer. Some conventional recordings will become more “live”, evolving from flat to three-dimensional space, suitable for use in symphonies and live music.
Conclusion
Although the price of Denon PerL Pro is high, the experience brought by Masimo AAT technology is definitely worth the money, and it can bring exclusive customized HiFi hearing – a huge improvement in the user’s personal listening experience.
Check the Denon PerL Pro price:
- Check latest price on Amazon US
- Check latest price on Amazon Germany
- Check latest price on other Amazon countries
