Audeze Mobius review: High-end is only the price
12.11.2018
Translation: machine translated
When the manufacturer of a 2200 francs headset presents a gaming headset, I prick up my ears. The Audeze Mobius not only promises top sound quality, but also innovative 3D audio. Is it all just Marketing spin or is there something behind it? I tried out the headset.
I have to admit that I was hardly familiar with Audeze before this test. I didn't know how to pronounce the name (apparently like Odyssey in English) or that it was a manufacturer of high-end headphones. The second point, however, reminded me of a test by colleague Aurel Stevens. So I shouted across the office: "Are these the same brand as your 2200 francs headphones?". Correct, my boss confirmed, and immediately the Audeze Mobius lying on the table in front of me became really interesting.
When the same manufacturer known for absurdly expensive headphones for audiophiles with too much gaming money produces a gaming headset, I have to try it. Especially when, in addition to excellent sound quality, it also hits big notes in 3D. So open your ears and listen in.
Technical data and features
- Planar magnetic 100mm loudspeakers
- Frequency range 10Hz - 50kHz
- Head tracking
- 3D audio, 7.1 surround sound
- 3.5mm headphone connection
- USB-C port for audio and charging function
- Bluetooth (SBC, AAC, LDAC)
- Removable microphone
- Weight: 350g
The Mobius can be connected via Bluetooth, USB or 3.5mm jack. Three cables are included in the packaging. 1x USB-C to USB-C, 1x USB-C to USB-A and an analogue 3.5mm cable. This allows you to use the Mobius on a PC, on all current consoles, but also with a smartphone.
Processing, operation and wearing comfort
The Mobius dispenses with colourful lights and instead relies on two colour variants of black-copper and black-blue. For gaming headsets, this puts them on the discreet side. If you use them as normal headphones in everyday life, they look a little more conspicuous, but still harmless compared to other gaming headsets.
You can rotate the ear cups 90 degrees so you can wear them flat around your neck. However, the weight of 350 grams is noticeable after just a few minutes. If you don't have a bull neck, you won't want to wear them like this for long. Unfortunately, the Mobius cannot be folded up and therefore remains very bulky for transport. At least the headband is extremely stretchy and should survive even in a packed rucksack. There is nothing to criticise about the workmanship. Everything makes a solid impression. However, the feeling of holding a plastic gaming headset in your hand remains. The Mobius doesn't feel like almost 500 francs.
There is no integrated remote control on the supplied cables. However, you can press the volume wheel on the headphones to skip a track forwards or backwards. The microphone and sound controls are positioned directly behind each other - not the best arrangement. They also lack grip, so I often slipped my fingers, especially when I had dry fingers.
Other than that, the operation of the headphones is more poor than good. They are covered in buttons, switches and dials. It will take you a while to find your way around. Especially as everything is double and triple assigned. However, I was particularly annoyed by the long switch-on time. Pressing the button for three seconds to switch on and five seconds to switch it off again may not sound like much, but it feels like an eternity. I regularly gave up too early because I thought I wasn't pressing the button properly. That's why I prefer switches like the one to switch the mic on and off. In addition, the LED on the side lights up red regardless of whether the Mobius is switched on or off - at least when it is connected to the power supply
The wearing comfort is moderate. A slightly annoying pressure on the head is noticeable as soon as you put them on. It doesn't get any more comfortable after long gaming sessions. My ears never hurt, but the Mobius is not particularly comfortable. On the other hand, it insulates well from the inside and outside.
The female voice that confirms every input on the headphones annoyed me after the first sentence. Why headphone manufacturers simply can't find female or male speakers who don't sound like they're from a porn film or tin robots from 70s sci-fi movies is a mystery to me.
Sound quality
I expect excellent sound quality from a headset costing almost 500 francs. Audeze also relies on its tried-and-tested planar magnetic speaker technology for the Mobius. I was correspondingly disappointed with the sound of the Audeze Mobius. Whether music, films or games, everything sounds a little too flat - both with Bluetooth and via USB cable. For one thing, it lacks powerful bass. It simply doesn't have enough thump. Secondly, the sound is very clear and neutral, which I like, but also a little too one-dimensional. Everything sounds a bit the same, especially in films. Even in action scenes, I didn't get the impression that elements stood out in particular. There is a lack of dynamics. All in all, the Mobius sounds good, but not 500 francs good.
The 3D feature
However, the Audeze Mobius has another ace up its sleeve, namely its 3D sound. This is not simple Virtual Surround, but HRTF. The Head Related Transfer Function is an alternative to conventional stereo sound. HRTF is said to enable significantly better sound localisation. To achieve the most efficient HRTF possible, the Mobius measures your head movements up to 1000 times per second. With the optional Audeze HQ software, you can also set your own head size, which should also influence the accuracy.
The 3D feature can be switched on and off via a button on the headphones or set to manual mode. The latter is intended for normal use on a PC, while Auto is designed for mobile users. As neither Dolby Atmos nor any other virtual surround standard is supported, you can only use surround sound if you have switched on 3D on the headphones. Unfortunately, this adds a feature that in most cases is completely useless and rather annoying. The Mobius tracks your head movement and adjusts the sound accordingly. If you turn your head to the left, the sound on the right headphone is louder. As I rarely move my head when playing games, I don't understand the benefit. I even find it extremely annoying when watching a film, as the sound in one ear gets quieter every time I turn my head. The feature only comes into its own in combination with VR glasses. Unfortunately, 3D sound is not available without the head tracking function.
To test the surround quality, I watched various film scenes that are known for their surround sound ("The Matrix", "Iron Man", "House of Flying Daggers", "Star Trek"). On the one hand, I had the feeling that the sound was enveloping me. Especially in the scene in "House of Flying Daggers" with the beans, there is an amazing surround feeling. On the other hand, I was never able to clearly localise a sound behind me like I can with my physical surround system at home.
The situation is a little better with games. Especially with "Battlefield 1", which has an ingenious sound design, the Mobius sounds first class. In the world war game, I was able to identify audio sources from all directions relatively well. Although the effect is still not as strong as with a real surround system, I was still impressed. In "Counter-Strike GO", I also noticed that the distance of shots could be localised better than is the case with my Astro A50, for example. Without the 3D function, however, there are audible transitions when the sound switches from the left speaker to the right. In return, Audeze reproduces the sound unfiltered even with 3D and does away with annoying sound effects.
Microphone
The sound quality of the detachable microphone is very good. Voices sound clear and intelligible. External noise is filtered out well. It's a pity that there is no playback function, such as with the Steelseries, which allows you to hear your own voice. I find it particularly pleasant when I can hear myself with well-insulated headphones. The fact that the volume of the microphone can be adjusted directly on the headphones is commendable.
Conclusion
The Audeze Mobius is a strange device. It tries to juggle far too many balls at once: High-end audio, immersive 3D sound, feature overkill, design. The result falls short of expectations. The sound is good, but not outstanding, the 3D works, but has a flaw, the design is stylish, but not functional enough, the setting options are great, but cumbersome - no matter where you look, there are compromises. If the Audeze Mobius cost 300 francs less, it would be easier for me to recommend it. So all that remains is: quite nice, but not 500 francs nice.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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