Hi, is there anyone who tried both of these: B&W P7 Wireless and Audio-Technica ATH-DSR9BT?
At the moment I have ATH-WS99BT for over two years and they are still FANTASTIC, but I would like to step up a bit and I think the best BT headphones at the moment are these two babies. And I can't decide between the two. What I like about the DSR9BT is that you can apparently connect them to the computer and they work (24/96), not just charging. But I read great things about B&Ws and it's also my favorite brand. I use their amazing surround set MT50. Frequency response difference is B&W –
10 Hz - 20.000 Hz and AT – 5 Hz-45.000 Hz. I wish I could test them both but no chance here in Ireland. Please help
Hi Martynet,
I received a few weeks ago the Audio Technica ATH-DSR9BT,
they are a big step ahead for bluetooth headphones, huge improvements in detail, soundstage and imaging compared to the P7 wireless,
though on the bright side (could be tiring for long session of high-pitch power metal, and yet I take them also for power metal as them improves so much over previously existing bluetooth headphones). Goes into the direction of the Ether C, but I think not so bright (I will compare them next to each other during the winter time).
The treble of the ATH-DSR9BT is very impressive, goes very far, is very detailed, yet never sibilliant, a real acheivement.
Re. the levels of detail, soundstage (relatively to what can be obtained from closed headphones) and imaging, the ATH-DSR9BT may be seen as playing in the TOTL class, but by contrast, the level of slam, punch, body does not follow and is not on par with these levels of detail, soundstage and imaging, so the features of the ATH-DSR9BT are not balanced. So by contrast to the levels of details, soundstage and imaging, and expecting balanced the headphones, I often got the impression that they were thin. But actually not really worse when compared to other BT headphones. Their features are just not balanced at all.
An important feature for BT headphones for me is relates to the fact that I mostly need them when moving, doing activities when you can't have a cable, and then I will often bow down to pick up things or do some DIY at floor level, and some pairs of headphones will fall off my head (Parrot Zik is the worse here, and AKG barely aceptable). The Momentum was a real improvement but yet not ideal.
The first headphones that really held well on my head were the P7 wireless. However their pads are not very soft, and I read many people can't stand their clutching force (I was feeling their pressure strongly but I didn't mind).
Here the ATH-DSR9BT improve : they maintain their position on my head as well as the P7, yet their pads are softer and more comfortable, I don't feel any clutching force.
They don't have the issue of the P7 that the lowest volume level can't be heard, and that there is a huge step to the next one which is already too loud. Yet the first, lowest level is already too heavy for certain albums (e.g. loud death metal), which is the case with many headphones, all of this in the context of having the bluetooth output level at the maximum on your smartphone (I don't like having to go back and grabbing my smartphone for lowering the volume. so I need to not put it at the max on the smartphone, which I don'ty like as I fear the ehadphones will need to amplify more a quieter sound, this deteriorate SQ)
The button are bigger and easier to find than with the P7,
but the pause - play button is an over-sensitive touch button, I can't avoid pressing it unintentionally too often.
Both have a simlarly excellent passive isolation, makes ANC superfluous for many daily situations.
My particular impressions are relative to:
- my present collection of BT headphones and in-ears (ranked by liking):
Audio Technica ATH-DSR9BT, Bower & Wilkins P7 wireless, Focal Sparks, Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless over ear, Parrot Zik 2, AKG K845BT, AKG Y50BT, Jaybird Bluebuds X, Bose QC35,
- (I don't like the Bose because they smooth so much the sound that they change metal too much, they transform death metal into hardrock, atmospheric black metal into ambient electronic music, etc., but I still use them during turns when my wife drives the car when making long trips and I need to rest and a good ANC against noise, in such case I will not listen to metal with the Bose).
Hoping this helps you,
bidn