Unless you like to drop $4000 on a pair of headphones, you're unlikely to have heard of Audeze. The company won over the audiophile community with its signature planar magnetic drivers that deliver better defined sound than the traditional dynamic drivers found in most headphones. Now it's bringing the very same planar magnetic driver technology to a much more attainable price point with the $599 Audeze Mobius, and it sounds incredible.
But that's only part of the story.
Audeze has crammed the Mobius with so many features that it can be difficult to know where to start. Firstly, the headset supports multiple connection methods outside of the usual 3.5mm headphone plug including Bluetooth for wireless listening, and USB for a straight digital connection to a PC or Mac.
Secondly, it supports more than a handful of audio modes from 7.1 and 5.1 virtual surround for movies and games to stereo and hi-res for music. There's built-in EQ presets that you can flick through from the headset itself for a more tailored sound based on what you're listening too. It's able to do this because the DAC amp and DSP are built into the headphones.
Then there's the 3D audio feature which tracks the tiniest movements of your head 1000 times a second to maintain the source of sound and changes it dynamically based on your head movements.
It's for those who want to feel like they are listening to speakers directly in front of them rather than on a pair of headphones, so if you turn your head to the right, your left ear will hear more sound compared to what your right ear hears. It's fun to play with, but for critical listening or when you need to focus on the audio you are hearing, it's not particularly useful.
The Mobius may be designed for gaming, but it’s also one of the best home theatre and music headsets you can get.
But really the star of the show is the audio quality. Specifically, the immensely wide soundstage that is unlike any other closed-back headphones I've heard.
Part of the reason why the soundscape feels so spacious is the imaging, or rather the headphones' ability to clearly define the location of objects as envisioned by the sound source. I could easily pick out the different instruments in my favourite tracks, hear the nuances in the background ambience of a film and pinpoint the direction of enemy fire in a game. The effect is pronounced even on untrained ears.
The Mobius also comes in a Carbon colour, exclusive to Amazon.
Audeze is primarily marketing these headphones as a gaming headset and on that front it succeeds, bringing audiophile grade listening to the gaming arena. But really these headphones shine equally as well with music and movies.
Audeze manages to cram in all this tech without adding much bulk in a discreet design that feels just as comfortable to wear on a daily commute or in the comfort of your own home.
With that said there are a few missteps. While it's nice to have the DAC amp built into the headset, it means that the headphones are effectively always on and the battery life isn't particularly long at ten hours. This isn't an issue if you do most of your listening on PC, in which case it charges while you listen over USB, but it will be an inconvenience if you plan on doing most of your listening with a smartphone.
Another thing you need to consider is the learning curve, since it has a lot of features and the onboard buttons have several functions. There is at least a vocal confirmation that accompanies every setting change, so you’re never flying blind. But if you just want plug and play headphones you might want to look elsewhere.
These issues aside, the Audeze Mobius is not only the most impressive sounding gaming headset on the market, but also a great all around headphone.
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