[Kukua]

I read your previous post and I have to say that allowing your P9 to burn-in and let the driver coils flex better will improve the mid-bass hump a lot over time. When I had my B&W P3, the mid-bass hump kept getting smaller and smaller over time to the point that the hump became an articulate thump. I had well over 300 hours on it and the pads were tearing, begging me to use my extended warranty early:mad:, but I did use my store credit for more useful stuff, like cheaper Audioquest cables.

You don't even have to use your usual playlists to burn-in the P9, as I think pink noise loops will work just fine (use a portable amp or plug-in headphone amp with moderate volume for the pink noise loops). After all, all B&W headsets are known for some kind of mid-bass hump.

wonderfully articulated suggestion.....it really does benefit from burn in (80hrs minimum)

 

[pbui44]

wonderfully articulated suggestion.....it really does benefit from burn in (80hrs minimum)

Thanks and I knew it would work, as it is required with the B&W house sound.

If the P9 is not underpowered on an iPhone, then the P9 is not worth the money I guess then. The quality of the DAC is not the issue here because the B&W P9 gets beaten by the Shure SE846 with the same DAC.

I won't test out the Chord Mojo + B&W P9 then. Looks like I might have to check out the AKG K872.

At the AKG K872's price, you should also look at the Ether C:

https://mrspeakers.com/shop/1-headphones/ether-c/

or the Ether C flow for a little extra cash:

https://mrspeakers.com/product-category/1-headphones/closed/ether-c-flow/

 

[ef2000]

I have been reading the threads from this forum about P9 and I do wonder? What is for us to listen to the right advise.. .. I do believe in own listening with the gears we have. Conclusion, P9 is a very different breed from its sliding with reference to my own resource that I am listening. Anyway, I do enjoy greatly with the sound output from it.

 

[Sonic Defender]

For the record, I am not saying the P9 is at all a bad headphone, I am sure it is quite good, but likely at it's best and tuned for music mastered toward what most would associate with audiophile listening (jazz, acoustic, choral, classical). The mid-bass hump is there on the P7 wireless as well so it isn't like the P9 is the only B&W offering to have this signature.
 
I actually find that when you listen to material like Steely Dan, or Fleetwood Mac, Eagles and jazz the mid-bass hump adds a very nice tonality to the music and I can only imagine this would be true with classical and acoustic music. I am sorry if people think that I have suggested the P9 is not a great headphone, it isn't for me as my listening preferences include a great deal of bass intensive music, and for half the price the P7 shares a great deal of the positive sound of the P9, plus in my mind the P7 is truly portable. To be fair, the P7 bass hump can equally become distracting with bass heavy music, but here is the rub, as it costs much less, and is a portable, I can accept that tuning choice with the P7, plus the EQ cut I use helps.
 
I can only speculate, but I think the P9 will really appeal to those who do not listen to techno, or EDM, or other genres where the bass is over-cooked. If you listen to well balanced, well mastered recordings the bass-hump on the P9 may actually be a positive trait if you like some warmth and body in the tonality of your headphone. I also intend to listen again to the P9 for an even longer session at the shop where I tested them as they have a nice portable Denon amp/DAC to try. I don't think it will change things, but I do think with even longer listening than my previous two sessions I will get an even better sense for what the P9 brings to the table.
 
And yes, to reiterate, the P9 should be well driven from something like a smartphone. Now not all smartphones are created equal and some will sound better than others of course. I don't think it is unreasonable for people to suggest that they can and do enjoy the P9 more with say their desktop rig, but that is a sound signature preference rather than simply the P9 needing the power. Two different things in my mind. Anyway, really, for anybody considering the P9 it is essential to hear it for yourself, just like with any headphone. Make sure to order it from a vendor with a return policy you are comfortable with as that can allow you to test for yourself. I don't think the P9 is a mobile headphone personally, but you may feel differently. I actually find the P7 fairly large, but that is me, and I really would feel bad if my comments in anyway caused somebody to feel the P9 isn't worth trying. I'm not so full of myself to presume that, but just in case I did want to reiterate these points.

 

[Onetwothree]

You guys aren't helping me. Someone says they're bad for the price, you need an amp, you don't need an amp, they're amazing etc. Did you try them straight from a phone?

I see that you joined these forums very recently. I'm still a newbie to this hobby but I've lurked these forums off and on for years. I'm always turned off by all of the conflicting reports I hear on products to the point that I decide not to buy anything. I have some Audio-Technica ATH-AD900's that I've been happy with for years. I bought those on recommendations and reviews on this site. I also have some Sennheiser MX-980 earbuds for when I'm laying in bed and don't want bulky headphones and those sound good for being earbuds. I decided to take the plunge and buy the P9's and I'm listening to them right now and I'm hearing everything people are talking about, the good and the bad. All the conflicting reports make sense to me now. It renews my hopes in these forums because actually hearing them brings clarity to all the comments I've read.
 
I'm going to post my impressions later today or tomorrow but I'm listening out of an iphone 5 and they are a definite step above my ATH-AD900's.

 

[ELPCU]

You guys aren't helping me. Someone says they're bad for the price, you need an amp, you don't need an amp, they're amazing etc. Did you try them straight from a phone?

This is a typical argument in these kinds of community have. 
 
Think about this way. You are listening comments about beverage. Someone likes it, and someone does not. It all depends on personal taste.
 
Even if flavor of food is totally same, if you are hungry, you may find it is really good. Some people like Pepsi over Coca-Cola, and argue they taste differs.
 
but me? Don't care about flavor difference of Pepsi and Coke. They are nearly same thing with different label for me.
 
 
All you have to do is listening them with a grain of salt.
 
 
Well, I can talk with my perspective about the issue. I personally have a decent portable headphone amp with a good reputation, but almost never use it.
 
Because most of my main headphones are easy to drive while sound difference is negligible for me, while bring it with me is pain in the butt.
 
My comment is based on using it with iPhone 6+ or iPad Pro 9.7inch.

 

[SHAMuuu]

   
Even if flavor of food is totally same, if you are hungry, you may find it is really good. Some people like Pepsi over Coca-Cola, and argue they taste differs.
 
but me? Don't care about flavor difference of Pepsi and Coke. They are nearly same thing with different label for me.
 

LmfaooOOoooooOOooo
 
I remember once being drunk off Gentleman Jack and Tall can red beer, like tanked and I thought this pair of Fanny Wang (2000 ; had some built in crappy amp) were soooooooo good.
 
This is a true story I emailed Fanny Wang (while tanked) telling them how impressed I was that Still Dre sounded so good on their headphones and asked them to hire me to promote their line.
 
When sober those were so bad, so very bad.
 
I think the owner made some Colorado/ or California headphones summat like that

 

[Beagle]

I read your previous post and I have to say that allowing your P9 to burn-in and let the driver coils flex better will improve the mid-bass hump a lot over time. When I had my B&W P3, the mid-bass hump kept getting smaller and smaller over time to the point that the hump became an articulate thump. I had well over 300 hours on it and the pads were tearing, begging me to use my extended warranty early:mad:, but I did use my store credit for more useful stuff, like cheaper Audioquest cables.

You don't even have to use your usual playlists to burn-in the P9, as I think pink noise loops will work just fine (use a portable amp or plug-in headphone amp with moderate volume for the pink noise loops). After all, all B&W headsets are known for some kind of mid-bass hump.

 
Sorry, I ran these things in hard for 5 days (while I was at work), even putting thrash metal through them at a substantial volume....and nothing has changed. It still has a ridiculous upper bass hump, and sounds boxy. Listen to the P7 for about 15 minutes, then go back to the P9 and it sounds nasal, honky and boxy. I wish I was kidding.
 
It does have a wider soundstage than the P7 and a much better top, but it hardly matters.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
Sorry, I ran these things in hard for 5 days (while I was at work), even putting thrash metal through them at a substantial volume....and nothing has changed. It still has a ridiculous upper bass hump, and sounds boxy. Listen to the P7 for about 15 minutes, then go back to the P9 and it sounds nasal, honky and boxy. I wish I was kidding.
 
It does have a wider soundstage than the P7 and a much better top, but it hardly matters.

Have you heard the P7 wireless yet? That is what I have. At first I had the P7 wired by mistake and I think the P7 wireless is nicer and offers quite a bit of the P9 for half the price. I'll be honest, I think the P9 suffered from B&W not really being focused on what they were trying to achieve (portable or home) and by trying to make a dual purpose headphone it was compromised on both fronts. The bass hump makes sense for a portable, but I don't think fits well past that purpose. I found the midrange to be very nice mind you, and as you said, the top end was nice, but if I had to choose I think the P7 wireless is the sweet spot in the lineup without question. I suspect a well thought out EQ cut could help the P9.
 
B&W, if you are listening, your line up needs a 50mm genuine home based flagship offering, the P7 is already the mobile solution and if you want to improve that, control the bass hump just a tad more and it would be virtually perfect, IMO.

 

[Graham Baker]

  if I had to choose I think the P7 wireless is the sweet spot in the lineup without question. I suspect a well thought out EQ cut could help the P9.
 
B&W, if you are listening, your line up needs a 50mm genuine home based flagship offering, the P7 is already the mobile solution and if you want to improve that, control the bass hump just a tad more and it would be virtually perfect, IMO.

 
Probably the P9 mk2 will solve all the issues, as it did with the P5 and the P7 wired - the mk2 versions were much improved....

 

[pbui44]

Sorry, I ran these things in hard for 5 days (while I was at work), even putting thrash metal through them at a substantial volume....and nothing has changed. It still has a ridiculous upper bass hump, and sounds boxy. Listen to the P7 for about 15 minutes, then go back to the P9 and it sounds nasal, honky and boxy. I wish I was kidding.

It does have a wider soundstage than the P7 and a much better top, but it hardly matters.

Try using a less-powerful amp with low-medium-high gain controls, like the FiiO e17k.

 

[Beagle]

   
Probably the P9 mk2 will solve all the issues, as it did with the P5 and the P7 wired - the mk2 versions were much improved....

 
They should build the mk2 versions in the first place.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Try using a less-powerful amp with low-medium-high gain controls, like the FiiO e17k.

What would that achieve?

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
They should build the mk2 versions in the first place.

Yes, I am confused how B&W allowed the tuning to be released as is. I get it that it has a wonderful sweet spot, but it struggles with bass intensive tracks which really is an over-sight.

 

[pbui44]

What would that achieve?

Beagle's hearing with the P9 sounds like how DavidMahler felt with the ATH-W5000: nasal, honky, and closed-in, or boxy. For me, it took Fitz's mod to make mine a ATH-F5000 and have the bass restored and nasal sound disappear, but finding less powerful amping helped out a bit, as the Audio Technica house sound is usually sensitive and does not require much anping for improvements. The P9, and general B&W house sound, is similar in this regard.