[Art Garfunkel]

No problem. The Nighthawk is by no means a bad headphone, it's just that in my opinion, from what I can hear, it doesn't come close to the P9.
I've had no problem with comfort of the P9's earpads so far, I find them very comfortable, but after a few hours the headband can start to hurt the top of my head a little. That's the only negative thing I can say about the P9. I'm willing to put up with it though because of how highly I rate the sound of this headphone.
I have the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red I use with my computer and have tried the P9 with it, I think the P9 sounds exceptionally clear, detailed and extremely accurate with it, but i've recently been using a small usb powered amp called the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2 which also doubles as an input source for microphones and guitars/digital piano's, it's around the same price as the Dragonfly and sounds pretty decent too. I really don't think the P9 needs an amp with lots of power to sound it's best, because it's only 22 ohm's, but I do plan on buying one soon, just in case.

Different flavor. Both are enjoyable. I find with the Nighthawk, the cable started to hurt almost immediately.

 

[Audio Aficionado]

Just wrote a review of the P9 Signature for anyone who may be reading this forum who is thinking of buying it:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/bowers-wilkins-p9-premium-headphones-brown.21872/reviews

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Another PSA: DX220 with Amp9 is the perfect pairing with the P9.

Custom pads seem to be going well, hope to have them in about a week or two.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Had some time to kill today so swung through the local hi-fi showroom and played with two sets of over-ear headphones, the iBasso SR1 and the Focal Stelia (just for kicks). I've got to say, I vastly prefer the P9 sound to all of them. Resolution-wise, I can't really say the Stelia is better to the extent that I'd drop $3k on it. I understand that it has the kind of flat, neutral tuning that people on these forums really enjoy. I also didn't A/B test, but I'm familiar enough with the P9 and the B&W sound (I've had the P5 and P7 previously) to say that I'd likely opt for the P9 each time. If I could have something tuned in between the P9 and the very neutral headphones like the SR1 and Stelia, I'd probably opt for that.

Moral of the story: the P9 is top of the line in detail, right up with other high end cans all over the price spectrum. Its just tuned in a very different (IMHO much more enjoyable) way. I've got IEMs for neutral listening when I'm not feeling the P9 vibe.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Customs pads have arrived!

In the end it seems this wasn’t an easy project for the guys who did it, but they really came through. Incredibly comfortable and, yes, the bass situation has been dialed back. The lower end signature has changed and is far more neutral than before. Not gone, of course, but very much tamed. Feels like I’m getting to know these headphones all over again.

The sides of the pad are made from leather (pretty close match, they have options that are closer still to the original). The contact surface is alcantara and boy does that make a difference. I think maybe the dimensions I ordered are overkill. The discomfort issue in the stock pads is mostly due to the plastic frame the foam rests on (I believe this plastic frame is responsible for the sometimes overwhelming low end). So if I ordered again I’d not worry so much about expanding the pad dimensions. Sufficient to get something without the plastic frame and 2.5cm of memory foam.

Anyway, the pads were made by a group called Vesper Audio. Nothing but positive things to say about them and the work they did for me. I imagine quite a few P9 owners will be interested in doing this.

 

[Anouk]

Hi everyone,
I have been a happy owner of the meze 99 for many years but the update virus has struck. Especially the soundstage, imaging and wearing comfort can be improved upon. So I am looking for a pair of sturdy, fairly compact or foldable fullsize sealed headphones for on the go to be used with an audioquest dragonfly cobalt and iphone with qobuz streaming service.
I first came upon the bowers and wilkins p9 but then to my surprise I saw that a few planar magnetic headphones are in this pricerange as well. I have never heard one of those before so now I am mostly torn between the p9 and the mrspeakers aeon flow closed which can be had in the Netherlands for more or less the same price. Also interesting but more expensive and less portable I guess is the audeze lcd2 closed.
I have not heard any of these models before and cant hear them in my neighbourhoud either so can anyone compare one or more of these sqwise to the meze 99s?
Thanks in advance,
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Audio Aficionado]

Hi everyone,
I have been a happy owner of the meze 99 for many years but the update virus has struck. Especially the soundstage, imaging and wearing comfort can be improved upon. So I am looking for a pair of sturdy, fairly compact or foldable fullsize sealed headphones for on the go to be used with an audioquest dragonfly cobalt and iphone with qobuz streaming service.
I first came upon the bowers and wilkins p9 but then to my surprise I saw that a few planar magnetic headphones are in this pricerange as well. I have never heard one of those before so now I am mostly torn between the p9 and the mrspeakers aeon flow closed which can be had in the Netherlands for more or less the same price. Also interesting but more expensive and less portable I guess is the audeze lcd2 closed.
I have not heard any of these models before and cant hear them in my neighbourhoud either so can anyone compare one or more of these sqwise to the meze 99s?
Thanks in advance,
Greetings, Anouk,

I have not heard Mr Speakers Aeon Flow closed or the Audeze LCD2 so can't offer comparisons to the P9 however since you plan on using the headphone with your audioquest dragonfly cobalt and iphone, I strongly recommend the P9 as it is only 22 ohm and works extremely well directly plugged in to just about any device. The Aeon Flow and the LCD 2 would require greater power to get the most out of them. If you got the Aeon Flow or the LCD2 you would probably need to get something like a Chord Mojo. Since you are coming from the Meze 99 Classics, regardless of which of those 3 headphones you decide to go for, I would be surprised if you end up dissapointed!

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Update on the custom ear pads. They’re comfortable, I love the comfort. But after some honest listening it is clear that B&W designed the plastic frame/cavity on the earpads for a reason. The headphones are tuned with that cavity in mind. Without them, bass and detail is lost.

I remedied this effectively by first cutting a sock and stuffing them around the base of the new pads. Helped a lot, but some details were still getting lost. So, I decided to get hands on: I ripped apart my stock pads and removed the plastic base. Then, I removed the magnets and thin plastic base from the custom pads and glued them onto the stock base.

The result: preserving the original sound and resolution while majorly boosting the comfort from the new pads. I’m not getting headaches from long listening anymore. This arrangement creates a nice seal and distributes the clamp pressure across a wider area.

All B&W needed to do with the stock pads I think was another cm of memory foam. At least for big heads like mine.

 

[Anouk]

Hi,
I have narrowed down the field. In a few months I will be buying an ifi micro idsd bl to combine with iphone and tidal (ieasier to import playlists into). So driving power is no longer something for me to worry about.
Still very interested in comparisons between the p9 and mrspeakers aeon flow closed or a pointer to one. The audeze is off the table after reading a comparison with the mrspeakers.
Thanks,
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Audio Aficionado]

Been listening to my P9 Signature for the last couple of hours connected to my old Cyrus system (CD6 + Linkport), and the P9 Signature sounds magical with this system. The headphones sound scales up magically, there are improvements in every area, and it really does sound special, especially when I activate the "inverted" mode on my CD6, which acts to correct signal phase, the P9 Signature sounds even more like "speakers in a room" with this feature on, but unfortunately that mid-range boost still exists and is enhanced further. Great for when i'm in the mood for listening to acoustic music, but I think I will revert to using the P9 Signature with my Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2 connected to my computer for listening to music on Youtube and Qobuz, with the Solo 2 amp, the P9 Signature does not sound as magical or as detailed as it does with the aforementioned Cyrus system, but it sounds flatter and better for listening to certain types of music with. Just thought i'd share my experience.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Anyone ever torn the mesh/foam stuffing in the base of the ear-pad frame? Wondering what impact this may have on the sound signature.

 

[Beagle]

Anyone ever torn the mesh/foam stuffing in the base of the ear-pad frame? Wondering what impact this may have on the sound signature.

Or the warranty..

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Or the warranty..

The ear pads are removable and replaceable. You can mess with them without voiding warranty on the headphones themselves.

 

[SpiritBob]

Anyone kind enough to share their EQ settings (EqualizerAPO) for these cans? The sub-bass is killing me

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Hey everyone, I've written up a step-by-step guide for modding the ear pads for ultimate comfort: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bowers-wilkins-p9-ultimate-ear-pad-mod.913110/