The Audeze Mobius 3D Headphones come at a hefty investment, but offer a premium listening experience to those looking for it in 2021—although most users would have to wait a while until most of the Mobius’ advanced features like 3D audio and 7.1 sound start to work optimally for devices. Specifically, the Audeze Mobius is future-proofed to a fault—so much that new phones and next gen consoles don’t make the best use of its hardware.
But these faults don’t stop the headphones from giving users every kind of way to sit back and have some of the most comfortable listening sessions with anything they do. A bit of practice with the charging, cable usage, and EQ software; and the Audeze Mobius 3D Headphones will be any listener’s best friend.
Audeze Mobius doesn’t play around with its crisp, beefy, and immersive sound. Songs wrap around the user thanks to a top-notch surround sound driver. Games cover players in a hail of gunfire, snarling enemies or bombastic chase sequences without off-putting details. On paper, the Mobius 3D Headphones feature (and masterfully own) 5.1, and 7.1 sound. These three levels of quality get better as listeners learn how to unlock them, thanks in no small part, to a handy manual which clears up the jargon. But where most headphones are conflicted between bass and everything else, the Mobius manages to offer a natural range between 10Hz–50Hz. This strikes a balance between being pulled into a deep bass drop with House music, or feeling the soothing sound of violins across a symphony of instruments.
“The Audeze 3D Mobius headphones just catch any type of song or game audio, molding it into an immersive session that goes easy on the ears.”
I enjoyed a particular feeling of premium audio, without having to go out of my way to tweak and EQ on my phone, or fix it myself. The Audeze 3D Mobius headphones just catch any type of song or game audio, molding it into an immersive session that goes easy on the ears. Even at higher volumes, listeners can pick apart different elements of sound; focusing on something they like without needing an EQ. All of this only scratches the surface, since the Mobius already provides this level of quality for users pairing their smartphones or laptops with Bluetooth. Impressively, I never felt a loss in bass or treble. The drivers add a punch when songs demand it, giving the Mobius a special way of providing listeners bass at the right moment. The bass isn’t an overpowering one—as other headsets get lost in offering an earthquake, this simply adds a smooth, premium bass hum that mixes well with guitars, cymbals, and electronic synths; while still giving vocals enough room to take the lead. If all this sounds awfully specific, it’s because the Audeze Mobius has nailed quality and doesn’t lean too much on one feature. Instead, everything inside these headphones is optimized to knock listening out of the park.
Listeners will be associated mostly with 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound when they’re using Bluetooth 5.0 for music and games. Even without a wire, the streaming quality has plenty of room to sound clean and pack a punch. This is thanks to a generous 100mm driver that’s typical found in the most expensive, high-end headsets. I never felt latency with the audio when listening to high quality mode on Spotify or YouTube videos from my phone. The quality injected a nice hi-fi hug which put my Galaxy Buds to shame.
One of the biggest features comes from the 3D spatial sound. This is hard-wired into the Audeze Mobius, which lets listeners, quite literally, put the sound in front of them. When users turn their heads, they get the effect of a speaker projecting from one direction. It’s a pretty neat feature that forecasts the next-gen capabilities of 3D audio. The best part of the 3D feature is that it works universally for devices which don’t support it. However, the 3D audio is a bit of a double-edged sword—while it’s incredibly unique, it’s not a fully fleshed out feature since the audio gets placed in front of users, taking away that surrounding 3D aspect. The 3D feature is also a stationary one; meaning listeners will start to trip out when they get up and walk around their house. The head tracking is also incredibly wonky, requiring users to press the 3D button to manually reset their position a few times. But having that feeling of a surround sound system in any room is something to behold, and shines with Audeze Mobius.
“Its main use of the feature was billed for gaming; something that doesn’t go so well for next gen consoles.”
The Audeze Mobius is taking a bold leap into future 3D tech, but still has a long way to go. Its main use of the feature was billed for gaming; something that doesn’t go so well for next gen consoles. The PlayStation 5 in particular supports 3D audio, but it’s a strange mix when this overlaps the Audeze 3D sound. I recommend users to experiment with that works; Audeze 3D on without PS5 3D audio or vice-versa. Making the opportunity even sadder is the PlayStation 5’s lack of Bluetooth audio support. While this isn’t Audeze’s fault, as ready as they were for next gen gaming, owners of this headset have to wait until they can enjoy some near-lossless Bluetooth gaming sessions in the future.
In some lengthy Minecraft and CS:GO sessions, my teammates couldn’t compliment me on the Audeze Mobius’ sub-par microphone. This, like many other headsets, uses an AUX attachment to power and use. Audeze falls into the trap of great headphones, with not-so-great microphone included. Fortunately, a separate volume wheel is included to adjust voice levels. My friends were able to hear me with my speaking room voice, but even this became a bit tricky as I forgot to adjust my voice levels and I spoke up when I really didn’t need to. Most users will appreciate adjusting this to fit their own styles of conversation. For me, I appreciated the premium soft cover that comes with the microphone for less interference and clarity to make up for the murky voice streaming.
The Audeze Mobius is an awkward headset to control. For about $400 USD (closer to $500 for Canadians), I expected the usual buttons for playback. Instead, the power button works for playing and pausing. To skip or rewind songs, users need to long-press the power button and slide the volume wheel up or down. Sounds complicated right? That’s because there was physically no way I could pull this off. Instead, I relied on using my phone controls or a smart watch for playback. The Mobius shouldn’t be so hard to handle for music and could have stuck to the standard of one-button operations like the Samsung Galaxy Buds or Apple Airpods.
The Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity hits the mark for wireless standards in the 2020s. But sadly, this is where the Audeze Mobius starts to show a weakness for older devices below 5.0. There’s a noticeable difference for phones or devices that don’t share Mobius’ fast streaming rates. Using these on older devices can dampen audio and hold the headphones back from reaching their potential. I noticed my headphones chewing up battery at a faster rate over older devices, as the Bluetooth Low Energy is a hit or miss with Audeze Mobius. The headphones come at a respectable 10 hour battery life, but paired with a laptop or phone, I was hit with a Low Battery message from the Mobius sooner than I thought.
For some disappointing reason, the Audeze Mobius can even be too dependent on its on-board power. It starts to become obvious that they work better as a wireless, portable headphone than a stationary headset on consoles to PC. Specifically, users plugged in with their headphones over a cable can still get Low Battery. This pulls listeners out of their experience, and leaves the Audeze Mobius a rock until an hour of recharging. I would have loved to see some better and clearer notes on how the on-board battery works. But users might be thrown off by the Mobius’ inconvenient battery cycles. This makes it harder for all-day use, especially when I switched from Bluetooth gaming to traditional 3.5mm PC jacks on a single charge.
“Simply put, the Mobius is one battery hungry child which demands a bit more attention from owners compared to other headphones.’
Luckily, the battery can get an extended life. The Mobius comes with three cables: USB-C Male to Male, 3.55mm Male to Male and a USB 3.0 to USB-C. I found myself using the USB 3.0 to USB-C cable most for recharging and PC usage. The USB 3.0 cable also unlocks 8.1 audio on the Mobius and PCs will recognize it as a dedicated sound card. The headphones can be used while they’re charged on USB 3.0, but power problems can still persist. There’s actually no smart power off feature when the Audeze Mobius is plugged into PCs, giving it a constant battery drain since they stay on without supervision. Simply put, the Mobius is one battery hungry child which demands a bit more attention from owners compared to other headphones. It’s even baffling that Audeze admitted to these limitations with using each cable, as per their online 3D audio guide.
The traditional AUX cable is a considerate touch for older devices, adding a bit more raw sound to the usual Bluetooth connection. This makes the Audeze Mobius a friendly gateway into high quality listening, especially for studio work or content creation with plenty of AUX-supported adapters. The AUX cable also opens the Mobius as a tool for work and makes it compatible with accessories including radio boards, office PCs and plenty of audio labs. As a premium headphone with studio quality, this is one worthy companion to have for the 9-to-5 with a professional look.
For gaming, the AUX cord is the only way Audeze Mobius can work with the PlayStation 5’s own 3D audio. The DualSense features its own AUX port for the Mobius, unlocking that constant gimmick for PlayStation’s 3D spatial sound. Luckily, this actually has some effect which works well on the Mobius’s hardware. Because these headphones are so flexible for any sound, it makes up for the lack of Bluetooth streaming. With the 3D audio turned on for PlayStation 5, it’s a pretty awesome way to get sucked into titles like Resident Evil Village. The Audeze can use spatial 7.1 sound to pick up the snarling of werewolves, even before they’re revealed on screen. The sound of Ethan’s shoes causing some percarious floorboards to creak under him, the crispness of fabric shuffling through floors suddently interrupted by the ruckus of lycans on a higher floor; this was all picked up by the Mobius’ quality from the AUX cord into DualSense. I can safely say these headphones translate well to a degree on the PlayStation 5 for games that support 3D audio. But unfortunately, it’s all dependent on the 10-hour battery that can run dry before gamers know it.
“The lack of 3D audio was made up on PC by hitting incredibly deep atmospheres.”
It’s worth noting I conducted the same Resident Evil Village test with 7.1 Surround Sound on PC. The lack of 3D audio was made up on PC by hitting incredibly deep atmospheres. The game environment wrapped around my head with an even wider echo. My ears were consumed by tiny little details from objects and corridors that made my playthrough much more unsettling than PS5. The 7.1 is tuned nicely with some in-game settings to help. But the Audeze Mobius is an absolutely killer way to enjoy PC audio over the USB-3.0 cable with raw streaming. It’s incredibly nice that the headset was tweaked as a dedicated sound card which makes the most out of the Mobius’ hardware, and listeners will love to see this for their movies and games.
At a nice 362 grams and less than a pound, the Audeze Mobius headphones feel surprisingly light on the head. I had no problems rocking the headphones when working for all-day sessions, except for moments where the top padding started to dig in (but this is subjective depending on how your skull reacts to headphones). During hikes and outdoor travel, the headphones were wonderfully snug and even added some insulating warmth for colder days. The cushions are insanely soft, with a firm leather padding that feels great without pressure. But the biggest takeaway comes from the level of noise cancellation. The Audeze Mobius’ tight seal has a good measure for keeping loud, external noise out. Listeners will feel completely in their own soundtracks around the world – to the point where it’s dangerously good outside. These are the kinds of headphones where paying attention matters. That’s how good the noise cancellation is when beefed-up with the internal 3D audio.
The Audeze Mobius 3D Headphones are a worthy addition for anyone looking for the unconventional. Its designers have made a headset that’s ahead of its time, even if the head-tracking audio is somewhat touchy. Somehow, the Mobius manages to turn every kind of audio into a hi-fi celebration without touching a single EQ. The Mobius offers an unprecedented range of use for virtually every kind of work or recreation, even though it’s gaming features just aren’t there in meeting the next generation standards—although a future update for PlayStation or Xbox can change that. This is a headset which will keep users satisfied across the 2020s; if they’re willing to put up with the Audeze’s own needs for battery and limitations with certain devices.
