I envy you. My wife is very quick to spot "upgrades"...even when they're similar in appearance. I've learned she gets over it faster if I do get permission ahead of time.
The P9 is a very conflicting headphone...and not one that is easily appreciated. It does a lot of things wrong. It's expensive, uncomfortable, and has a very questionable tuning.
But, the few things that it does well, it does so in such a spectacular fashion that, for me, it was well worth the $900 USD. A properly Eq'd P9 being fed lossless music from a source with good synergy is pure magic...and does a few things that no other headphone under $1,000 can come close to doing. The PX8 gives a small taste of some of those things, with better tuning, and far better comfort...but, it still falls short.
I envy you. My wife is very quick to spot "upgrades"...even when they're similar in appearance. I've learned she gets over it faster if I do get permission ahead of time.
The P9 is a very conflicting headphone...and not one that is easily appreciated. It does a lot of things wrong. It's expensive, uncomfortable, and has a very questionable tuning.
But, the few things that it does well, it does so in such a spectacular fashion that, for me, it was well worth the $900 USD. A properly EQ'd P9 being fed lossless music from a source with good synergy is pure magic...and does a few things that no other headphone under $1,000 can come close to doing. The PX8 gives a small taste of some of those things, with better tuning, and far better comfort...but, it still falls short.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. The P9 is beautifully flawed, it's almost like its flaws are what make it so insanely good in areas where it shines. Like a character in a videogame with a bunch of 2/5 stats so it can have one 5/5. I can totally forgive people for putting on and thinking it's a mess, but you need the right track, the right source and some EQ and it is magic. Once I got Stellia selling Celestee/Elegia/TH909 was a no brainer, but the P9 is irreplaceable and I still reach for it over Stellia for certain tracks i enjoy. Nothing does female vocals like that headphone for me, at least other than Verite Closed.
I can only keep one... and I have no idea which one. The Bathys is clearer and has more detail, especially in DAC mode, so I should like it better, but I am being swayed by the lovely warm timbre and easier-listening of the PX8. Wish I could merge them. Bathys' pain on the head is a thing, but the great sound quality counts too (maybe I can find some foam pads or something). PX8 seems easier to use and has a very persuasive sound.
Bathys is a really nice all around option for people without any other headphone I think. It can be that desk headphone and the ANC on-the-go can. For me though the DAC mode was virtually useless, as soon as I'm ready to be wired in I'm home and could put on a full size headphone which will be more impressive. I get there are plenty who would make more use of that mode, though.
I sending my px8 back to b&w early this morning. I will missing the 30-32 volume steps, the very nice design and construction quality and the excellent carry case.
But before returning, I comparing one last time last night for about 30 minutes the px8 with my APP 2. The results are the same as before, with or without EQ I preferring clearly the APP2.
Then I doing for about 20 minutes a similar comparison between my 5909 and APP 2. In this case I preferring clearly the 5909 always, but I must be honest that, like Americans saying, the 300€ APP 2 is giving good run for the money of my 1000€ 5909.
I have the opposite for one, but she is disturbingly observant in other ways. I am demoing a pair of white B&W Formation Duo at home currently and she said “they’re ugly, they look like humidifiers.”
I have the opposite for one, but she is disturbingly observant in other ways. I am demoing a pair of white B&W Formation Duo at home currently and she said “they’re ugly, they look like humidifiers.”
I agree with this wholeheartedly. The P9 is beautifully flawed, it's almost like its flaws are what make it so insanely good in areas where it shines. Like a character in a videogame with a bunch of 2/5 stats so it can have one 5/5. I can totally forgive people for putting on and thinking it's a mess, but you need the right track, the right source and some EQ and it is magic. Once I got Stellia selling Celestee/Elegia/TH909 was a no brainer, but the P9 is irreplaceable and I still reach for it over Stellia for certain tracks i enjoy. Nothing does female vocals like that headphone for me, at least other than Verite Closed.
Bathys is a really nice all around option for people without any other headphone I think. It can be that desk headphone and the ANC on-the-go can. For me though the DAC mode was virtually useless, as soon as I'm ready to be wired in I'm home and could put on a full size headphone which will be more impressive. I get there are plenty who would make more use of that mode, though.
I like the video game analogy...lol. Do you own the Verite Closed? If you do, I might shoot you a DM or ask you about it in the VC thread if you're active in that one. It's shaping up to be my next conquest.
Received the bathys today and I’ve been listening in the past hour comparing with px8. And I thought, from what I read here that the difference was bigger then it’s appearing for me. Interesting to listen and realize px8 are such a great piece they are. Human voices sound so good it’s hard not to notice this bathys flaw… as in the lack of texture e resolution at the low end of px8 when compared to bathys. But it’s like a battle of give and take between these two! let’s continue… these are just first impressions but wanted to share!
Anyone else feeling that their Px8 may be sounding even better after some burn-in? I have 30-40 hours with mine now and they are definitely feeling (even) more comfortable, but I cant help but feel as if they have opened up a bit. Never was a believer in burn in but even B&W themselves claim that they recommend around 50 hours before ”elements settle”…
What I am experiencing could of course be due to either the fit and seal improving or just imagination.
Why do people always jump to the notion of mechanical burn-in so quickly and easily? Is it so difficult to accept that your hearing brain circuits acclimates over time just like any sensory system subjected to a stimulus over an extended period of time? It is like smell people, at first you walk into somebody's house and the smell of their cat litter box in the basement hits you hard. After three hours in the house you notice it a lot less. That is how our brain works.
With B&W headphones I allways experienced burn in. If this is fact of improving seal and driver or other aspects I don’t know. I know it’s a myth for some but my mind and ears tell me different.
ps: tomorrow I’ll have bathys. Great Spanish company bought them today and will receive them tomorrow…
It is not difficult to accept the fact that hesring acclimates over time.
It was just a simple question if anyone else experience the same. Especially as B&W themselves refer to mechanical burn in for the Px8…
On this note, my experience tells me differently. On ALL the headphones I EVER bought there was mechanical burn in and brain burn in.
I know this has been a divisive topic but... I recently bought the Advar and, likewise at it was with the Rai Solo, I burned them in for 72h (iPod rolling at 50 to 60% volume) before plunging in for longer listens. And I listened to them for a few songs every 24h in that process. And, aside from brain acclimation, I REALLY heard the treble become more controlled, the mids becoming more settled and the bass becoming more precise and balanced. It is definitely not a hoax. I definitely heard it.
So, if even B&W recommends it, it makes total sense to me.
Some people may prefer just pulling any cans or TWS or whatever out of the box and listen to them for hours and think “my brain will get used to this, my brain will get used to this” and it is also very true, but the drivers will definitely settle and portray a different signature mostly in the first few days of use. Maybe if you analyze FR “before” and “after” it may be similar but the balance between different frequencies does definitely change. There’s no changing my mind on this, I still trust my audio perception a whole lot. But, as always, to each his own.
I’d definitely love to get the blue 007 PX8... even if it’s too expensive for a battery operated, compressed bluetooth audio, not being possible to listen to it wired and passive, with a finicky wear sensor... device. Uff, I’d definitely love to get them anyway.
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Although that's a pretty good tactic, my wife is tech savvy, and disturbingly observant, so I don't think I'd dare try that.
