[Asspirin]

In my experience, the P9 benefits greatly from a proper source.

 

[msq123]

In my experience, the P9 benefits greatly from a proper source.

Thanks, any recommendations?

 

[Asspirin]

I'm rocking my 10-year-old Aune DAC/Amp, so I'm no expert on this subject. Standard recommendation would be a small Schiit-Stack. But you may also look at places like audiosciencereview for recommendations.

 

[msq123]

I'm rocking my 10-year-old Aune DAC/Amp, so I'm no expert on this subject. Standard recommendation would be a small Schiit-Stack. But you may also look at places like audiosciencereview for recommendations.

I almost pulled the trigger on Schiit Modi/Magni stack but then decided to buy Massdrop’s Cavalli CTH which I believe pairs very well with Sennheiser HD6XX which is another pair I own. I am waiting for it to arrive and curious how P9 runs on it. The amp has a tube but is hybrid so somewhere in between a solid state and tube. Also it is warm in nature which should compliment P9s nicely. Fingers crossed!

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

Hi, I have owned these since launch and love them but I am not an audiophile by any stretch and my experience is fairly limited. I also have a Senheiser HD6xx (from Massdrop) and I am driving both with AQ Red but looking to get something more out of them and also expand my horizons. I have recently ordered Cavalli CTH +SDAC which has great reviews and I believe pairs really well with HD6xx. Anyone here has any experience of pairing P9s with a hybrid or even a tube amp? I will go for a solid stage amp later but for now looking to run both these headphones through the new amp. I know that these can be driven well with an iPhone but is there any benefit of running a dac/amp and if so any recommendations? thanks

I use them with an iBasso DX220 with the NuTube amp, and they benefit handsomely from it the whole setup. Worth getting a good DAC/Amp for the P9, even though they're designed to work just fine from an iPhone.

 

[Happyprozak]

Anyone here ever compare the P9’s to the Sennheiser HD 800 S? I’m considering adding the Sennheisers but I’m hoping to get a bit more feedback from anyone who has compared them. This is what I currently own and how I feel about these headphones,

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These sound thin and like half the music is missing. I never listen to these anymore. I need to get around to selling them.
Bose QC35 II (Wireless): These sound way better than the wired ATH-AD900’s. I say these have 85% of the sound of the P9’s but with the convenience of being wireless.
Bower and Wilkins P9’s (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These are a step up from my Bose headphones. The overall sound is thicker, a little more detail, but the real difference is that these feel more alive. I feel the music is more involved, a little more of a 3D sound, as if everything is just more present. It certainly isn’t a night and day difference. If I had to put a number on it, I would say it’s a 15% jump.

How would the Sennheiser HD 800 S sound like compared to the P9’s? From what I read the Sennheisers have an amazing sound stage that wows people. I’ve also seen them described as thin. I wonder if these would sound too thin to me compared to the dark sound signature of the P9’s that I really do enjoy.

 

[msp]

Anyone here ever compare the P9’s to the Sennheiser HD 800 S? I’m considering adding the Sennheisers but I’m hoping to get a bit more feedback from anyone who has compared them. This is what I currently own and how I feel about these headphones,

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These sound thin and like half the music is missing. I never listen to these anymore. I need to get around to selling them.
Bose QC35 II (Wireless): These sound way better than the wired ATH-AD900’s. I say these have 85% of the sound of the P9’s but with the convenience of being wireless.
Bower and Wilkins P9’s (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These are a step up from my Bose headphones. The overall sound is thicker, a little more detail, but the real difference is that these feel more alive. I feel the music is more involved, a little more of a 3D sound, as if everything is just more present. It certainly isn’t a night and day difference. If I had to put a number on it, I would say it’s a 15% jump.

How would the Sennheiser HD 800 S sound like compared to the P9’s? From what I read the Sennheisers have an amazing sound stage that wows people. I’ve also seen them described as thin. I wonder if these would sound too thin to me compared to the dark sound signature of the P9’s that I really do enjoy.

What dongle do you use? I bought a cheap (10USD) USB C dongle for my son to his I-pad, I have compared it to my Cozoy REI (550USD) they are not even on the same planet... if you do not have a proper DAC/AMP I will start there... also before you sell the AD-900. The P9 sounds marvelous with the REI

 

[Happyprozak]

What dongle do you use? I bought a cheap (10USD) USB C dongle for my son to his I-pad, I have compared it to my Cozoy REI (550USD) they are not even on the same planet... if you do not have a proper DAC/AMP I will start there... also before you sell the AD-900. The P9 sounds marvelous with the REI

I use the Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle which surprised me with how good it sounded when I plugged it in. I actually went looking for reviews afterwards and not so surprisingly, it is actually a high quality dac/amp. It measures better than the black dragonfly dongle even though it only retails for $9.

I keep volume at about 30% and that’s plenty loud so I don’t believe the headphones are being underpowered.

 

[Resseh]

How do these compare to the PX. I’ve read the last twenty or so pages. Watched a few reviews (and the reviews seemed really negative due to comfort).

I have the PX and I love the sound and comfort

 

[Asspirin]

How do these compare to the PX. I’ve read the last twenty or so pages. Watched a few reviews (and the reviews seemed really negative due to comfort).

I have the PX and I love the sound and comfort

The PX sounded better to me.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Anyone here ever compare the P9’s to the Sennheiser HD 800 S? I’m considering adding the Sennheisers but I’m hoping to get a bit more feedback from anyone who has compared them. This is what I currently own and how I feel about these headphones,

Audio Technica ATH-AD900 (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These sound thin and like half the music is missing. I never listen to these anymore. I need to get around to selling them.
Bose QC35 II (Wireless): These sound way better than the wired ATH-AD900’s. I say these have 85% of the sound of the P9’s but with the convenience of being wireless.
Bower and Wilkins P9’s (iPad Pro with USB-C 3.5mm dongle): These are a step up from my Bose headphones. The overall sound is thicker, a little more detail, but the real difference is that these feel more alive. I feel the music is more involved, a little more of a 3D sound, as if everything is just more present. It certainly isn’t a night and day difference. If I had to put a number on it, I would say it’s a 15% jump.

How would the Sennheiser HD 800 S sound like compared to the P9’s? From what I read the Sennheisers have an amazing sound stage that wows people. I’ve also seen them described as thin. I wonder if these would sound too thin to me compared to the dark sound signature of the P9’s that I really do enjoy.

I have owned the HD800S as well as the 600/650/700. I had the P9 on hand for an extended period of time and was able to listen to it quite a bit. If I could have only one of the two without a moments hesitation it would be the 800S, but for certain the attributes of the 800S are quite different as compared with the P9. If you really value a thicker, warmer body and tonality the 800S may be unsatisfying to you. I personally like a warmer signature, but even so I absolutely loved the 800S and if I can ever reacquire one I would seriously consider doing so. There was so much that I liked about the 800S and I used it with very good SS and a lovely OTL amp (La Figaro 339) with fantastic tubes.

The P9 is a bold statement and when it aligns well with the material, a weighty and energetic presentation framed by a very prominent lower frequency emphasis, it can sound divine. There is a risk reward with such a bold signature as there will be music the P9 just does not work well with. I found some tracks that were actual instruments and some electronica where the bass response was not at all flattering and the tuning really didn't work. Such material was in the minority absolutely, but I cannot imagine the P9 being well behaved in all situations. There were times I found the low frequencies to sound bloomy and not tightly controlled, but conversely there were times that I just loved that intensely live sounding and engaging bass, so as I said, the P9 is a real risk/reward tuning. When it is right, it is absolutely lovely and euphoric, when it is not, well it strays to a varying degree from slightly muddy to really muddy.

I still think the P9 is a very nice headphone, it is just a deliberate and bold tuning and some people will just love it. I was in the middle, I don't agree with people who pan it as a bloated mess, but I also would be lying if I felt it was the right headphone for any and all listening, sometimes it failed. I also tend to listen pretty loud which would of course exaggerate the design decisions made by B&W and I think if somebody tended towards a moderate listen level style that the P9 would be at it's best. I like B&W and also owned the P7 wireless and the PX. Both great signatures that I enjoyed, ultimately moving the PX due to abysmal comfort for me.

 

[Resseh]

My P9s arrived this morning. The clamping is pretty horrendous. It might be a deal breaker.
I tried listening with the iPhone cable and it sounded worse than my PX. Yet now I’m listening using my Hiby R6and it sounds much much better.

the comfort is still probably going to be a deal breaker for me though

 

[Sonic Defender]

My P9s arrived this morning. The clamping is pretty horrendous. It might be a deal breaker.
I tried listening with the iPhone cable and it sounded worse than my PX. Yet now I’m listening using my Hiby R6and it sounds much much better.

the comfort is still probably going to be a deal breaker for me though

Without comfort, almost doesn't matter how something sounds, if you can't wear it without pain, you won't enjoy it. I hope it works out for you. I wonder about something the Sony Z7 MK2 for you to try? It should have top shelf comfort and the sound is tuned away from neutral, but likely it is less rich sounding than the P9 which has nice texture.

 

[Resseh]

I really like the sound signature of the P9. My head is still hurting 30 minutes later so not a contender unfortunately which is a shame as they were only £250 preowned.

it’s been useful as I’m very much a novice so a lot of the audiophile terms haven’t made much sense in the past but I’m starting to understand them better with each new pair of headphones

 

[Beagle]

Keep in mind that B&W is a speaker company first and foremost and the signature of the P9 was likely designed to simulate the sound of a big pair of speakers in a moderate sized room. You would notice a solid present bass in that sort of situation.