Step into a world where your headphones try to mimic what you naturally hear in a room. Where the front-center source of your audio stays right where it is vs moving around with your head. Where no matter where you physically look at any given time, you immediately hear the natural direction where footsteps are approaching your controlled character from within a game as if you were standing in a room full of speakers vs wearing headphones.
Now, combine that with crisp and detailed audio delivered to your ears using planar magnetic drivers for a more luxurious experience, and an impressive list of additionally supported features to go with it all. The end result is Audeze’s new Mobius headphones with Waves Nx 3D Audio!
I imagined the movie trailer voice when typing that introduction out, mostly because this feels like something that deserves a theatrical and dramatic entrance. The new Mobius headphones have thus far proven to be an excellent choice for gaming on both PC and console, while also creating a natural theater experience while listening to movies.
Design
These new headphones come in three color options, including black with either gray, copper or blue accents. The specific model we have been testing out (as you can see in all of the images) is the copper model.
Comfort doesn’t seem to be an issue thanks to the soft memory foam padding of the muffs and the headband, while also offering a lot of flexibility in both the bend of the band and the swivel of the muffs. Sliding the muffs in and out to expand or retract the length of the band is a little stiff, but only means they won’t adjust on you while taking them on and off, so that’s fine. If you have somewhat larger head, you may find yourself wanting to give them a good stretch on a box for a day or two to sit a little more comfortably (works for some models, not as much for others, but worth trying), but they do seem to sit well with most of the heads we have tested them with, right out of the box without having to give them any kind of stretch.
The earpads are replaceable in case the foam ever wears or damages. This way you can extend the life of the headphones even through eventual wear, helping to maximize your investment.
They are advertised to be about 350 grams (around 0.77 lbs), and they weighed in on our scale at around 360, which is close. For what they are, they seem to come in at a good weight. This also plays a big role when it comes to comfort if you plan on using them for long gaming sessions or watching a full movie.
All of the connectivity and controls are located on the left side, starting with a power button on the face and a mute button right above it (for muting the microphone). The power button also acts as a play/pause button for music or answering/ending phone calls. A double click will trigger Bluetooth pairing and long presses will turn the headphones on and off.
Everything else rides around the bottom. Starting from back to front–you have two volume wheels for controlling the headphones and microphone volumes independently. The wheels also both clickable buttons to give added functionality to them with. If you click the volume wheel down and then scroll, it will allow you to change between your tracks when listening to music. If you double click the wheel, it will immediately try to connect to the last Bluetooth device you had them paired with. As for the microphone wheel, if you click and then scroll, you will be able to change between the EQ presets. If you press it down for 3 seconds, it will change the audio mode between 7.1 channel, 2 channel (stereo) and Hi-Res.
Next there is a 3.5mm aux input for using a normal 3.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable between the headphones and an analog device. Then there is a USB-C (Type-C) connection that has multiple uses, including charging the headphones or connecting them wired/digitally to a computer, tablet, smartphone or gaming console. Following that is where the detachable microphone plugs into. Then finally you have a 3D button that centers your Waves Nx 3D audio, and toggles features between manual, auto or off (we will talk about this below under the “Performance” section) when you long press it for 3 seconds. You can also double click this button swap between source modes (USB, Aux, and Bluetooth).
It does come with all of the cables, including the normal analog 3.5mm cable, as well as two USB-C cables (one leading to USB-C on the other end, and the other to USB-A for normal USB devices). The USB-C to USB-C cable allows you to use the headphones with newer thin-profile laptops like MacBooks and similar options that don’t have full-size USB ports, as well as smartphones and tablets. You can also use these headphones with your PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch or Xbox using the analog 3.5mm connection. The cables aren’t fancy in terms of being braided or anything, but they do offering decent shielding/insulation. Connecting the headphones to an iOS device’s Lightning port does, of course, require an adapter (Lighting to USB).
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The headphones do not come with a case by default, which is a little disappointing. For the price, the case should be included, but it seems it is an additional/optional purchase that will set you back another $39. They also have an optional headphone stand for keeping them at your desk like some kind of art piece, that will run you around $25.
Performance
As I mentioned, these make for a wondering option for gaming, as well as movie and music listening. I’ll start off by giving a focus to just basic stereo sound with no 3D effects. When doing this, it is best to switch their mode to Hi-Res mode, which is best for music listening. They simply sound like a high-end pair of headphones.
Inside each muff is a 100mm planar magnetic driver that is capable of delivering incredible sound, with crisp detail and deep lows. These headphones were meant to be good no matter what you were using them for.
They, of course, won’t compete with some of Audeze’s high-end models when it comes to audiophile sound, but that’s not what these were designed for (hence the price). Clearly, these were meant to be digital as they are all about processing. For this reason, using the analog cable is going to get you the same quality as if you connected via USB (which means you won’t be buying these to connect them to a fancy tube amp or DAC). Even with an analog 3.5mm connection, you have to power the headphones on via the button before they will function. All of the processing is done internally (which is why DACs and tube amps aren’t going to really change anything). This also means you need to keep them charged as when that battery dies, so do the headphones. Thankfully you do get up to 10 hours of listening on a single charge, so you should be fine.
These can go both wired (as mentioned) as well as Bluetooth. Both Bluetooth and 3.5mm analog wired will only support stereo (2 channel) listening, but they do support some of the latest Bluetooth codecs, including SBC, AAC, and Sony’s LDAC. The latter supports up to 990kbps, which allows for music sources as high as 24-bit/96 kHz.
However, the biggest highlight of these headphones is Waves Nx 3D Audio. Waves Nx transforms your audio into a 3D experience that uses head-tracking to emulate how sound reaches your ears in the real world, including time delay, reflections and so on. So not only can you get up to 7.1 channel virtual surround, but it mimics what you would hear if sitting in a room full of speakers. When you look from side to side or up and down, the center point of your audio remains where it began (like it would if your center point was your main L/R speakers, and you were looking around your room).
So if you were playing a game in surround on your PC, and suddenly turned your head to your right because someone was trying to get your attention, your center point is now coming from your left instead of in front of you. So it truly feels 3rd person since your character is still looking ahead, which is now your left. So if someone tries to sneak up behind your character, the noise will come from your right in that situation. If you look behind you, you will be facing the noise.
You may not always want this enabled in such a way, and if so, it can be turned on and off at will with the 3D button. So when they refer to anything adjusting the “3D sound”, this is what they are referring to. Not the virtual surround, but the soundstage itself tracking or simply staying centered to your own head like any normal pair of virtual surround headphones.
So if you were watching a movie with Waves Nx enabled, it would be like looking around your living room, or a movie theater while the audio stays centered to your monitor/TV and not the direction you are looking into.
What makes the Mobius headphones even more exciting is that not only do they support Waves Nx, but it is built right into the headphones. Normally, Waves Nx can track your head using your webcam (and in these situations, it is best to use a laptop with a built-in camera). However since Waves Nx is built right into the headphones, there is no webcam needed. It works with any audio coming from your PC (no special formats needed), works when taken mobile with a phone or tablet, and tracks your head using the 3-axial accelerometer and 3-axial gyroscope inside.
When I mentioned earlier that you can toggle the 3D audio between manual, auto or off, which is referring to how it determines the center point. Normally, when you first turn on the headphones, your center point is in the direction you were initially looking into. With manual mode enabled, that remains your center point unless you tap/press the 3D button to re-center it to whatever direction you are then looking into. With auto mode, it will try to center it automatically as you turn your head and then focus on a direction. This way if you are traveling with them, it will try to keep up with you as you move around. Normally manual mode is enabled when plugged in with a wire, but auto is the default when you are set to Bluetooth connectivity. Regardless, which can be changed by holding down the 3D button for 3 seconds.
The 3D effect of the soundstage is very interesting and quite accurate. Although software technically is not required, it is good to download the app to a Windows or Mac computer (or iOS or Android device), where the headphones can be dialed further into. Doing this, you can adjust to the exact measurement of your head, and control the amount of room ambiance. You can also quickly switch between sound profiles and update the firmware for the headphones. Measuring your head is easy and you can use a measuring tape (preferably flexible tape you’d use on your body for clothing measurements). You first wrap it around your head just above your ears to get the exact circumference of your head. Then you would measure ear to ear from the backside of your head (ear canal to ear canal). With this information, the software can help the headphones adjust to your specific head.
From the application on a computer, you can clearly see how accurate the head tracking is. As you look around, the model head will look into the same direction. You instantly see that the latency between movement and reaction is quite low, especially as you move slowly. It will also tell you your pitch yaw and roll live on the screen.
Finally, there is little to no latency when watching a video, when it comes to what you see and what you hear. Something like that could easily make or break these kinds of features. Thankfully, Waves Nx seems to have delivered along with Audeze to make sure there are no breaks in your experience. Win!
The detachable microphone is your typical gooseneck-style with the microphone at the end. It is quite durable and feels like it can take a lot of adjustment before ever showing any form of wear. It functions well when using it for gaming as well as taking phone calls. Clarity in gaming is important when it comes to fast-paced communication and this microphone nails it.
Our Conclusion
These headphones are filled with processing power, effects, and sweet gaming potential! They are great all-around headphones that can even deliver hi-res audio for when you want to relax to your favorite tracks. They are extremely comfortable and come with all of the cables you need to use them with virtually any device, and for everything else, they support Bluetooth for going wireless. They sound really good by default but then take it further with Waves Nx 3D audio. The 3D effect is very accurate with very low latency between your movements and how quickly the headphones adjust to them. Supporting up to 7.1 channels of virtual surround mixed with the 3D soundstage is a great experience when you need it (and can be turned off when you don’t). They even plan to look at adding new features in the future, including the possibility of support for Dolby Atmos and similar technologies. All thanks to the fact that Waves Nx can create sound from any direction they want, opening the possibilities for object-based sound support someday. For now, we have your normal 7.1 virtual surround and thus far it is enough. It would have been nice for them to come with the carrying case by default, but this didn’t seem to affect the final verdict much.
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Our Review | Average Price* $399 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
Downloads:
Windows/Mac application: click here
Video:
Additional Images:
Specifications:
Transducer type: Planar transducer
Diaphragm: Ultra-thin Uniforce™
Phase management: FAZOR
Magnet type: Neodymium N50, Fluxor Magnets
Diaphragm type: Ultra-thin Uniforce™
Transducer size: 100 mm
DSP: Audeze Cipher DSP
Amplifier: Built-in balanced amplifier (output 1W)
Maximum SPL: >120dB
Frequency response: 10Hz – 50kHz
THD: < 0.1% (1 kHz, 1 mW)
Earpads: Contoured memory foam: artificial leather
Microphone: Detachable with separate volume control
Battery type: Lithium-polymer
Wireless Connection: Bluetooth
Bluetooth Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC
Wired Connection USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm analog audio
Weight: 350g (including battery)
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1 Comment
I have these. They are great