B&W P3 - can the sound be "fixed"?

First, let me clarify the title - I had a listen to these recently in less than ideal conditions (Apple store), an to me there was a clear difference compared to the P5, with the P3 sounding noticeable worse than the P5. So, to me, the P3 sound needs something done to improve it, hence using the term "fix" in the title. I realise that there are people that have the p3 and love them - that's fine, but this thread isn't aimed at them :-).

My issue with them is that the highs sounded quite distant, something that others have noticed as well. For example, when listening to a Bob Dylan track, the acoustic guitar just sounded further away then on the P5.

So, what I'd like to know is, has anyone managed to improve the sound to fix the issue that I hear? For example, some things that may be possible targets for investigation:

Amplifier - would an amp be able to bring back the highs...? I'm not sure one would make enough difference...
Cables - does one of the included ones sound different to the other? Has anyone made new cables for them?
Ear pads - Tyll reports that removing them improves things a lot, but there's clearly other issues with removing them or cutting part of the foam out.
Positioning - I've read that this can have an impact, but my (admittedly brief) listen didn't suggest much impact here.
EQ - I'm not a fan, but can it improve things?

Any suggestions? And please don't just suggest getting a different headphone, I'm aware of what alternatives are available, but I'm interested in what can be done to improve these headphones.

Thanks,

Dave.
Edited by digitaldave - 9/7/12 at 1:55pm

Ian,

 

Thanks for the reply. It's interesting that although you've heard the same differences, what I perceive as faults, you see as strengths. Vive la différence!

 

The testing environment wasn't the best, but I was concerned that if I could hear the difference between them clearly in the store, then it must be a real difference, at least to my ears. I'm going to try to have another really good listen to them soon to make sure that the difference I hear is one that's really going to be a negative for me. After all, with extended listening, I may end up finding that the P3 is actually a good solution for me. 

 

Did you go for black or white in the end? .

 

Dave.

 

PS, you have PM

Funny you should mention EQ settings, I just read a review (by Dale Thorn) that said something very similar - he used the treble boost, but I guess the end result is similar. Getting tempted, they do look very nice, and comfy too...

Positioning is certainly something I'll investigate when I listen to them again, it'll be at a meet, but hopefully much better conditions than in an apple store. I seem to remember that the PX200s I had ages ago had positioning issues as well...

Update time...

 

I was at the UK meet yesterday, and someone had a pair of P3s that I was able to listen to, and the owner made an interesting suggestion - turn the ear pads up the other way. My initial reaction was that it shouldn't make much difference, but for some reason, it made it sound much better, with the highs being improved massively. The only problem with doing this is that they aren't designed to be used that way up, as there's a slight recess to accommodate the cable plugs, and the magnets are not ideally located for that orientation, so they fall off easily. I'm not 100% sure what was going on, but it looked like with them upside down, part of the pad moulding appears to block the bottom of the grille covering the driver. I don't know if there's anything else going on though. Whatever it's actually doing, it definitely made a difference.

 

Based on that, I'd like to ask a favour of someone that has a pair of P3s and some tape that wouldn't mind trying a little bodging / DIY... IF there's someone out there that is willing to try, have a look at what part of the grille is covered with the pads on upside down, and try putting a small piece of tape (electricians tape would be good I suspect) in the same place, so the grill would then be partly covered but with the pads on the right way up. Hopefully that makes sense :).

 

I'm not sure where the original idea for this came from, so if anyone has any links to the original suggestion, please share them. However, I'd love to see if anyone else has any success with either turning the pads upside down, or with putting some tape on the grilles.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave.

devoker,

Thanks for posting your mod findings. Great news that seems to confirm my thoughts from the uk meet. I may have to pick up a pair now that I know the sound can be altered more to my tastes.