Wireless in-ear headphones are, as more and more manufacturers sell them, a dime a dozen.
To make sure their headphones stand out, those same manufacturers need to fill them with features that are better than everyone else’s or something new and unique.
The Denon PerL manages to offer all the necessary features you would expect from more premium headphones at a very reasonable price pair.
They’re related to the Denon PerL Pro, a pair of headphones we liked, and while they may not have some of the top-tier features and components of the $299 Pro, the PerL are a great, cheaper option with one thing that will make you think twice before choosing something else.
Denon PerL: Price and availability
While Denon’s other PerL headphones, the PerL Pro, cost $299/£299, the PerL is a much more reasonable $199/£189. That makes them cheaper than the AirPods Pro, and while they may not have the noise cancellation of Apple‘s option, they do have a secret weapon that could help you.
You can purchase them from the Denon store, but they are not yet on Amazon in the United States. However, potential buyers can go to Big A in the UK and you’ll find them at other major audio retailers and other big box stores like Walmart.
Denon PerL: construction and fit
The fit and finish of the PerL belie its more budget-oriented price: they’re not entirely different from the more expensive PerL Pro, although they’re missing a couple of shiny elements that set them apart. The case doesn’t creak or flex, and there’s that crucial “bag-ability” element so you don’t have to worry about throwing them on your back on the way to work.
There is only one crucial issue in the case: its form. It’s necessary because of the shape of the buds themselves, and instead of the thin, smooth oblong that comes with something like the AirPods Pro 2, it’s something thick and chunky oval that opens at the top. While it fits easily into a purse, it’s trickier to stuff into a pair of jeans. I found that it dug into my leg when I wore my skinny jeans, leaving a Denon PerL-shaped dent in my leg for a while after I took them out of the pocket. For jacket pockets it’s fine, but if you like to put your headphones in your pants pockets, you might be less lucky.
The buttons themselves are the most interesting part of the pocket and add a plate-like form factor. It has the same shape as the Denon PerL Pro, bringing the more expensive design down to a lower price. However, it is very comfortable. See, the Perl doesn’t rely on rubber tips to stay in your ear, instead, it features a shaped piece of rubber that conforms to the creases and creases of your headphones. Overall, in my ears, the Perl is very comfortable, and although they are larger than most, they are no more cumbersome than a pair of headphones like the AirPods Pro 2.
Denon PerL: features
The Denon PerL includes all the features you would expect for the price, and one more very interesting one. The main and expected active noise cancellation is here, although it lacks the adaptive modes of the more expensive Pro model. It’s solid enough and almost as good as its competitors, although it drops off at higher frequencies. Noises from buses, traffic, and noisy offices are quickly fixed, but it’s noticeable when some sounds slip through the algorithmic cracks. You can also get caught up in very loud noises, overcompensating for them with additional digital crunch. However, unless you work on a construction site (where you shouldn’t be wearing noise-canceling headphones, naughty, naughty), you’ll be fine.
Then there’s Denon’s ‘Fit Checker’, which helps you know if the earbuds are sitting correctly in your ear. It works quickly and easily, and all you need to do is make sure you have the right buds connected and then move them around inside your ear until you get a little green tick. The fit checker is located in the app, which houses the other button features.
You can turn noise cancellation on and off, play with the fit checker, check the battery level, and update the software. The app itself is fast and well-designed and is dominated by the key features. The Denon PerL uses the same Masimo AAT (or adaptive acoustic technology) as the Pro to map the shape of your ear and create the best sound signature for your hearing.
It works great, although we’ll see how it sounds later. It is also easy to use. Simply follow the on-screen instructions, make sure your surroundings are quiet, and then listen to the five-minute series of beeps and beeps as the headphones generate a sound image of your ears. From there, you get a personalized, sphere-like sound profile that you can name, and which is named every time you turn on the headphones. My headphones greet me with a “Hello, Tammy.” For added fun, call it something funny so you can laugh every time you put on your headphones. ‘Commander middle fingers’, for example.
Finally, in the app, you can change what Denon calls the ‘immersion mode’. The idea is to make you feel like you’re at a concert, so turning it up turns up the bass. It does what it says: increase the settings and you’ll get more bass and warmth. Does that make it more immersive? No. Does it make it more fun? Yes. Yes, it does. I love a neutral sound signature, but sometimes you just want lots and lots of deep stuff, and the dip dial delivers bass in spades.
Controlling the buttons is quite easy thanks to the touch controls, which are usually my problems. In this case, however, that plate-like design makes it very easy to know where to tap, and the fact that I can customize them makes them even more useful. It’s always difficult to get physical controls to work on headphones like these, so I’m glad the touch controls work well. There are also wear sensors on the inside of the earbuds so that music plays and stops depending on how close they are to your ears. Those aren’t a given at this price, so they’re nice to have.
The PerL’s battery life is solid, but not exemplary. You’ll get 6 hours of battery life from the buds themselves and then an additional 18 hours of power is found in the charging case. Compared to the AirPods Pro 2, that’s normal, but there are now some options that give you more battery power.
Denon PerL: sound quality
The PerLs are all about sound quality – they give you that audio customization of the PerL Pro without the extra bits that cost more. Does it move successfully and will you miss out on spatial and lossless audio support? In a word (or three, in this case): yes and no. Masimo’s audio processing works very well, creating a sound signature that makes your music sound great, and given the nature of the Bluetooth connection, you’re unlikely to miss out on Lossless audio. Spatial Audio will depend on your preferences, but the price-to-sound quality ratio here is such that it makes up for the lack of inclusion of Dolby Atmos.
When you look at the app once you’ve created your profile, there are two sound options to choose from: a “default” option and your “custom” sound sphere. Now, I can’t say for sure, but it sure seems like the “default” option was perhaps deliberately withheld a bit to make the “custom” option sound better, but then the custom option sounds so good that I’m not bothered.
While it may seem a little warmer than some of the competition, there’s a precision and smoothness to the proceedings that makes the PerL one of the best-sounding headphones for the price. The PerL Pros have some very tough competition to contend with, meaning their excellent audio needs to be put under greater scrutiny, while the PerLs have different support to contend with, and the custom audio makes them sound better than most if not all. , from its similarly priced shelf companions.
The drum beats are crisp, the bass lines pulse, and the guitars pop.
The drum beats are crisp, the bass lines pulse, and the guitars pop. Vocals are well-formed and precise, while the sub-bass is thick and heavy. It’s great. At this price, there aren’t any complaints you can have.
Alfa Mist’s jazz errors are light and effervescent, the piano dancing around the plucked guitar. The drums lay a solid foundation for the rest of the set, and the bass skips through the mix. The stereo separation is very good for a pair of in-ear headphones and the soundstage puts the band around you. It’s not as good as a pair of headphones or spatial audio, but it’s a hell of a lot better than you’d expect.
Dark Fortress’ Satan Bled is generally a tricky track for friends, as guitars explode over heavy drums and bass, but the PerL doesn’t miss a beat. The cymbals, usually lost, are sharp and precise, while the chainsaw guitars are menacing and impenetrable. Crushing, menacing, and dark, just the way we like it.
Denon PerL: Competition
There are many options at this price, but none offer the same list of features as PerL. The AirPods 3 cost about $10 less, but they skip noise cancellation and don’t have the sophisticated audio customization you’ll find here. They do offer spatial audio, though, so that might please you. The AirPods Pro 2 are $50 more, and while they lack the Masimo AAT sound profile, they have some of the best noise cancellation out there. Is it worth the extra $50? If you want to make sure you can’t hear anything from the outside world then yes, but otherwise the PerL’s superior sound makes them a better bet in our eyes.
There are also options from companies like Sony and Sennheiser, although you’d probably be better off looking elsewhere at this price, particularly the Denon we have here. The attention of those brands tends to go to their high-end products, leaving cheaper options often failing.
Denon PerL: Should you buy them?
You should buy them if…
- You want some of the best-sounding headphones for the price
- You want comfortable buds
- You want something different from Apple AirPods
You shouldn’t buy them if…
- You care a lot about spatial audio
- You exclusively wear tight pants.
Denon PerL: Verdict
The Denon PerL offers the best of PerL Pro headphones at a more manageable price. The sacrifices made to allow them to be cheaper don’t ruin the experience, and the features that make it popular give Perl a more premium feel than its price might suggest. Spatial Audio would be nice to have and the noise cancellation leaves a lot to be desired, but as a complete package, you won’t find much better for the price. At the end of the day, though, these are some of the best wireless headphones out there.
They take the fight to Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, and while you could never say they come out victorious, they come very close. Denon, if you’re reading: improve the noise cancellation and find a way to slim down that carrying case, and you’ll have a safe recommendation over Apple’s white headphones.
The bottom line
A great pair of headphones with stellar sound, albeit with a thick carrying case, the Denon PerL should be near the top of your list if you want some new noise-canceling headphones.
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