[Sonic Defender]

I will update my position on the 1000X after a little more time I feel that the quality of the treble on the P7 is also higher with less grain. Again, we aren't talking significant, but nonetheless audible differences.

 

[kelly200269]

  I will update my position on the 1000X after a little more time I feel that the quality of the treble on the P7 is also higher with less grain. Again, we aren't talking significant, but nonetheless audible differences.

OK, I 'bit the bullet' and bought a set of MDR-1000X's. I'm a long-time advocate of the P7W's, and I still think they're astounding BT headphones.
So...? In one sentence: The P7W's are true audiophile headphones. The Sony''s are NOT IMO.
The B&W's truly immerse you in the music, and you feel like you're in the concert hall with the orchestra. With the Sony's, you feel like you're sat at the back of the hall, listening to music 'in front' of you. The 1000X's sound no better than the 1ABT's IMO, and I think they share the same drivers. Which isn't too bad a verdict in itself, as the 1ABT's are very good cans.
However, there is a sense of intimacy listening to music on the B&W's, that the Sony's can't touch. And I'm not surprised. The B&W's have set 'the bar' very high indeed.
BUT, the Sony's have absolutely astounding ANC. I commute to work daily on noisy diesel trains, and the Sony's ANC is very, very, very good. They manage to eliminate the background noise that the B&W's can't. The only problems I've had with the ANC is with sudden changes in wind, and carriage pressures caused by fast passing trains etc with the train windows open. When that happens, you get a strange 'pumping', pulsating sensation in the cups, which totally ruins the sound. However, I think that's a pretty tall order for ANY noise-cancelling headphones to cope with. I would imaging if you're sat on a modern inter-city train without the same problems, or a flight, then the Sony's would have no problem at all in eliminating the background. In defence of the B&W's, they do go a lot louder than the Sony's with the same source, so that helps counter the lack of ANC. But once you've heard what the Sony's can do with extraneous noise, you go: WOW!
Other Pros & Cons:
+ Sony - NFC making connection a damn sight easier that the B&W's. The B&W's have to be paired without NFC.
+ Sony - A nice, study carrying case, that can stand the rigours of daily life. I was never a fan of the B&W 'faux leather' envelope, which in real life offers very little protection.
+ Sony - Voice commands which make using it more intuitive, rather than the random chimes of the B&W.
+ Sony - A more 'complete' package, with sturdy buttons/controls, NFC etc, rather than the el-cheapo buttons found on the B&W. I also prefer the design of the Sony's, and the way they fold completely flat.
+ B&W - MUCH louder, with a greater volume level, although the Sony's ANC is so effective it makes high volumes on commutes a little less necessary.
+ B&W - Pairing two devices at the same time is a cinch, and the Sony's can only pair with one device at a time (I think?)
+ B&W - The B&W's switch on a little quicker, and are a little 'snappier' in operation than the Sony's.
+ B&W - Proper leather ear cups, which I find better than the artificial 'pleather' on the Sony's.
So, which one is 'best'? That's an impossible question, as I genuinely think they have different uses. If I was going for a walk, or in a coffee-shop, or a relatively quiet environment, the B&W's get my vote, due to the demonstrably superior sound quality. But on the noisy daily commute? I think the Sony's win hands down.
I think I'll be keeping BOTH, and both are a cracking pair of cans well worth the £300 price tag.

 

[jmills8]

@ kelly200269 , so you can listen better to the bad sounding headphone ?

 

[kelly200269]

@ kelly200269 , so you can listen better to the bad sounding headphone ?

Hahaha! Yep, sort-of!
No, the Sony's aren't 'bad' by any stretch of the imagination. They're not just 'up there' with the B&W's. The Sony's are jaw-droopingly good in the ANC department, and still sound very, very listenable.

 

[329161]

Hahaha! Yep, sort-of!
No, the Sony's aren't 'bad' by any stretch of the imagination. They're not just 'up there' with the B&W's. The Sony's are jaw-droopingly good in the ANC department, and still sound very, very listenable.

I disagree. I think the P7 is too v shaped and coloured to be a true "audiophile" can. The Sony's fill that mould a lot better. But each to their own hey.

 

[kelly200269]

I disagree. I think the P7 is too v shaped and coloured to be a true "audiophile" can. The Sony's fill that mould a lot better. But each to their own hey.

Absolutely
I've heard similar criticism levelled at the P9, but have never heard it. It must be the B&W 'house sound'.

 

[jmills8]

I disagree. I think the P7 is too v shaped and coloured to be a true "audiophile" can. The Sony's fill that mould a lot better. But each to their own hey.

so Audiophile has to be flat? Maybe its your amp that gives the v shape.

 

[329161]

so Audiophile has to be flat? Maybe its your amp that gives the v shape.

Yep, pretty much.
I've used the P7 with a variety of sources, including the zx2 and qp1r. So fairly neutral sources.

 

[jmills8]

Yep, pretty much.
I've used the P7 with a variety of sources, including the zx2 and qp1r. So fairly neutral sources.

This rule, where is it stated that a flat sound is considered for Audiophile ? Is there a book staring this rule ?

 

[329161]

This rule, where is it stated that a flat sound is considered for Audiophile ? Is there a book staring this rule ?

Lol.
Whatever man.

 

[nachocheese70]

I disagree. I think the P7 is too v shaped and coloured to be a true "audiophile" can. The Sony's fill that mould a lot better. But each to their own hey.

It wasn't that long ago where all amps were tube based that even the best designed/built "colored" the sound with even harmonics, creating a specific warmth to the music (very different than simple EQ). Even today many people (including those on this site) still consider the top end tube amps as "audiophile" grade even though those tube amps creates high distortion (specific even harmonics).

As far as the P7W, I can't wait to try them out. If they're only tuned with a stronger emphasis in the bass but the bass is still well behaved (no undamped resonance, very little odd distortion even at high volume), then I would classify the headphone as audiophile grade. Warm/punchy bass/neutral/flat/smooth ... etc, these are just nuances to the sound and everyone will have their own preference. If you want to adjust the sound, then Foobar with a good 3rd party plugin plus lossless quality files (this is where lossy music does show weakness) would give you all the ability tweak the sound to your liking (including even adding the "tube" warmth when you have a flat/neutral solid state amp).

 

[nachocheese70]

Back to the topic at hand,

kelly200269, what did you feel about the build quality of the mdr1000x? Did you hear or sense any creaking, or any other build quality issues compared against the B&W?

 

[kurochin]

This rule, where is it stated that a flat sound is considered for Audiophile ? Is there a book staring this rule ?

 
Audiophiles love to pretend they're mastering engineers. Didn't you know?

 

[brokenhat]

There is only one word I hate more than audiophile, and that starts with pede. and ends with the same! Does a pair of headphones sound good to you? Do they bring a smile to your face when you hear your favorite song through them? Can you afford them? That's all that matters.

 

[jmills8]

To me Audiophile means, one who searches high and low with his wallet to achieve the best sound (music).