[CluelessAudio]

 For me, comfort improved a lot with use.  I didn't stretch or bend, just wore them.  I felt they were extremely comfortable after that, and I was surprised as I had the same impression as you initially (mostly the weirdly hard pads).
 
That being said, contrary to some others who have reported the bass improved significantly with use, mine have not.  They're fabulous with music that doesn't excite the "bass hump" but way too bassy otherwise.  Break-in didn't alleviate the concern, adding an amp does to a certain extent but doesn't completely eliminate the issue.
 
The P9's frustrate me, a lot.  Occasionally I love them and am amazed when they fit the music and mix.  But mostly I'm frustrated, as the bass hump renders them an "occasional use only" headphone for me.  Not good enough for my intended use case (portable).  
 
This bums me out, because I find them extremely comfortable, with perfect (for my uses) isolation.

Embrace the bass! I don't mind the bass hump. It's definitely noticeable compared to my wired P7s. Haven't tried my wireless P7s much yet so can't compared to them. I felt the bass was lacking on my wired P7s so I don't mind it. But i 100% understand why some people don't, now i've got the P9s myself.

 

[GREQ]

Embrace the bass! I don't mind the bass hump...

I wonder if your opinion would be different if we were talking about an Beats headphone, with similar flaws.

 

[loplop]

 
Embrace the bass! I don't mind the bass hump. It's definitely noticeable compared to my wired P7s. Haven't tried my wireless P7s much yet so can't compared to them. I felt the bass was lacking on my wired P7s so I don't mind it. But i 100% understand why some people don't know i've got the P9s myself.

 
There are times when they sound fantastic--such as many of the tracks B&W suggests here.  Bass drum, in particular, has a quality that does approach reproduction on a good floor standing speaker.  
 
My problem, which I understand is perhaps unique, is that beyond the fact that the P9 doesn't mesh well with my preferred portables (Sony ZX2, exacerbates bass hump badly) or phone (iPhone 7, lightning cable now delayed), the sonic signature changes much of the music I listen to far too much, in a way I'm not willing to accept.  

In any case, I'm 99% sure I'll be taking them back this weekend.  

 

[McCol]

  I wonder if your opinion would be different if we were talking about an Beats headphone, with similar flaws.

I've owned a pair of beats headphones and cant think of any similar flaws tbh.  
 
Bass on beats is imo uncontrolled, muddy and lacks any kind of substance.  Not something I could say about my P9 but again just my opinion.

 

[GREQ]

 

  I wonder if your opinion would be different if we were talking about an Beats headphone, with similar flaws.

I've owned a pair of beats headphones and cant think of any similar flaws tbh.  
 
Bass on beats is imo uncontrolled, muddy and lacks any kind of substance.  Not something I could say about my P9 but again just my opinion.

Oh I definitely 100% agree with you, don't get me wrong. 
P9 is on a different planet altogehter, but it's not really the point I was trying to make, and I was making it more in jest.
 
I do believe the 'mid-bass-hump' in the P9 is a problem, and was making the point that perhaps due to brand loyalty, perception of value or simply the price paid for the headphone, that such a glaring flaw should simply be accepted as 'a difference' rather than an actual flaw in the product.
All in good fun and headphone bants. If you like it, I don't have a problem with it... but you're still wrong! 

 

[McCol]

  Oh I definitely 100% agree with you, don't get me wrong. 
P9 is on a different planet altogehter, but it's not really the point I was trying to make, and I was making it more in jest.
 
I do believe the 'mid-bass-hump' in the P9 is a problem, and was making the point that perhaps due to brand loyalty, perception of value or simply the price paid for the headphone, that such a glaring flaw should simply be accepted as 'a difference' rather than an actual flaw in the product.
All in good fun and headphone bants. If you like it, I don't have a problem with it... but you're still wrong! 

Nah, I'm always right

 
I really don't have an issue with the 'mid bass hump', I just hear a great headphone that kind of envelops me with it's lovely warm detailed sound signature

 

[Beagle]

  Nah, I'm always right

 
I really don't have an issue with the 'mid bass hump', I just hear a great headphone that kind of envelops me with it's lovely warm detailed sound signature

 
I don't have any issue either. There is no 'mid-bass hump', there is some enhancement of the upper bass/lower midrange, when compared to a lot of other headphones. This is where much of the soul of music lies, and what you hear on the good B&W loudspeakers. When a headphone a has a bit of a void in this area, they tend to sound mechanical and soul-less, which some obviously prefer, but not I.

 

[Kukua]

I don't have any issue either. There is no 'mid-bass hump', there is some enhancement of the upper bass/lower midrange, when compared to a lot of other headphones. This is where much of the soul of music lies, and what you hear on the good B&W loudspeakers. When a headphone a has a bit of a void in this area, they tend to sound mechanical and soul-less, which some obviously prefer, but not I.

the p9s are a fantastic set of phones.....fully"burn in" theyre so revolving and open.

 

[CluelessAudio]

I've been testing the DF Red through my macbook pro with the P9s are these are my thoughts (also posted in the DF thread): Doing some final testing before I decide whether to get my DF Red or take it back. I've let it 'run in' for about 36 hours since I got it, and my P9s have been used for over 100 hours since I got them. I still can't tell if it makes the music sound better or it's the placebo effect. I'm not sure if it's down to rock/metal music being less affected (I have tried other genres and noticed almost no change as well), whether macbooks have decent dacs or B&W P9s don't need much to drive them. I'll continue to test them for the final time over the next few hours but at the moment I think it's going back. After all I've read i'm quite disappointed, but maybe my ears are just, well... rubbish!

 

[DoctaCosmos]

Has anyone tried the p9's on an OTL amp? I love my wife's p7s through my darkvoice. I love the treble on the p7s but find it to be a bit forced into the in head imaging and actually takes center stage with most genres. I find that with a solid state amp, my playlist called electro-hi-fi is right at home with this setup. The playlist consist of a genre of music of which I don't know the exact name of but the title lends a hand at explaining which is essentially well put together electronically produced sounds that is neither dubstep or EDM, rather just music?.... anyways it's a very tight focused, well layered, dynamic and 3D sound with a fun bass. However, when plugged into my darkvoice the highs are calmed down and lead to a more neutral but still keep the wonderful and natural timbre the driver is capable of. The sound as a whole is classic tube with GREAT warmth and a sound that is much more natural and musical to my ears. I'd love to hear the p9 through it.

 

[CluelessAudio]

Has anyone tried the p9's on an OTL amp? I love my wife's p7s through my darkvoice. I love the treble on the p7s but find it to be a bit forced into the in head imaging and actually takes center stage with most genres. I find that with a solid state amp, my playlist called electro-hi-fi is right at home with this setup. The playlist consist of a genre of music of which I don't know the exact name of but the title lends a hand at explaining which is essentially well put together electronically produced sounds that is neither dubstep or EDM, rather just music?.... anyways it's a very tight focused, well layered, dynamic and 3D sound with a fun bass. However, when plugged into my darkvoice the highs are calmed down and lead to a more neutral but still keep the wonderful and natural timbre the driver is capable of. The sound as a whole is classic tube with GREAT warmth and a sound that is much more natural and musical to my ears. I'd love to hear the p9 through it.

I read OTL amps were for hard to drive headphones, not sure how true that is. I'd love to try several different kinds of amps back to back with my P9s but it's just not possible to do that as far as i'm aware. The Dragonfly Red is the first amp i've ever tried with any pair of headphones and it made almost no difference. The chord mojo gets great reviews but i'm not paying £400 for an amp. I'll be playing music straight from my macbook pro for the foreseeable future. 

 

[loplop]

OTL amps work best with high impedance headphones due to their own high output impedance. They will not work well with the P9.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

Ok I get that, buuut it does sound good with the p7 so I was wondering if anyone has tried with the p9 and noticed a similar outcome

 

[Beagle]

In other news, my P9 headband is starting to split on one side. It snaps back together (on one side) but won't stay that way 

 

[randy98mtu]

Mine the left ear cup creaks when it moves. It's gotten so distracting I have stopped using them. I'm exchanging them at Best Buy and getting the geek squad warranty this time. My original P7s made the geek squad warranty pay for itself. The sound is so good though. I got the P7w over the weekend so I'm not missing the P9 too bad.