[randy98mtu]

I like my P9's but I'm curious if anyone has tried the Sony MDR-Z7 and can give any comparison?

Thinking whether the 70mm drivers would give an even better sound then the P9's.

Any thoughts?

My old Z7's are on the for sale forum if you are interested.

Surprisingly the P9 has better/more/deeper bass. They are also more detailed and have better staging and feel more open. I was surprised when I did side by sides. It wasn't even really close. The Z7 was more comfortable, but that was all in the end.

 

[Onetwothree]

For those that have these cans I have a few questions. Does it have the same sound signature as the B&W p7? or anybody have a frequency response? u,v or neutral? Is the treble harsh if your  a little sensitive? Are female/male vocals given any emphasis? Are they musical/fun or analytic? Last, are they forgiving to not great recordings?

Thanks for any input!

People on this thread have repeteadly said that the P7's and the P9's share a similar sound signature. My girlfriend has some P7W's and I have the P9's and I do see something of a similar sound signature but the P9's are really on a whole other level. The P9's have a much fuller and warmer sound to my ears. The mid range is a lot richer on the P9's and the bass is deeper, more detailed, and more present. Some say the bass is too present and I understand where they are coming from.

On bad recordings that had the bass turned up the P9's can make those recordings unlistenable. Generally I would say this applies to the hip hop genre where a recording engineer dialed up the bass for the poor speakers and headphones that the mass market uses.

People on this thread also say that the P9's have a loud speaker sound signature. The best speaker system I've listened to has been a movie theatres Dolby atmos IMAX system and the only thing I can say about the P9's is that the full sound from the P9's does remind me a little of that.

I also have some ATH-AD900's which I still like but I haven't listened to any other ToTL headphones so I can't say much beyond what I've said.

Except that I wasn't overly impressed with the headphones on the first listening. They sounded good but they didn't blow me away. Now when I listen to other headphones I appreciate the P9's more. Some will say my headphones are burned in but I don't believe in burn in. What has happened is that I've developed an ear for listening to more details, brain burn in.

This reminds me of when I first started playing guitar. I would go to the music store and the $100 dollar acoustic guitar sounded the same to me as the $2000 acoustic guitar. Overtime I developed in ear for discerning the nuanced differences and then I could hear the difference in quality. It's just something that happens naturally without you realizing it's happening.

 

[emergencylies]

I listened to the p7s in the store the other day, but I'm pretty sure the setup was seriously wrong because they had 0 bass and there was a ground loop (I think -pretty insane hiss).

 

[DoctaCosmos]

I find that if I need brain burn In to "adjust " to a headphone then It will usually irritate me. I know what flat sounds like and if my brain needs to adjust then it's probably because the headphone is more engaging and forward than other frequencies. Then after finally getting the volume just right to where other frequencies don't irritate you, you spend a week making new place lists that cater to this new "adjusted" sound. Find a linear pair of headphones and all your music will be just as good as the music you remember hearing in your car, tv or wherever.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

Btw wife and I ended up on a time frame so couldn't make it today but might this weekend

 

[netdog]

This reminds me of when I first started playing guitar. I would go to the music store and the $100 dollar acoustic guitar sounded the same to me as the $2000 acoustic guitar. Overtime I developed in ear for discerning the nuanced differences and then I could hear the difference in quality. It's just something that happens naturally without you realizing it's happening.

 
I couldn't agree more, particularly regarding musical instruments (and in my case guitars), but also about audio.  People who say they don't have "ears" simply haven't developed their ability to discern and appreciate sound in its many levels.

 

[brokenhat]

I'm picking up the Dragonfly Red tomorrow and am interested in trying it directly from my Macbook but especially from my iPhone 7. Has anyone compared the DFR to the OPPO HA-2SE which I'm also interested in but none around here to try easily?

 

[Beagle]

I find that if I need brain burn In to "adjust " to a headphone then It will usually irritate me. I know what flat sounds like and if my brain needs to adjust then it's probably because the headphone is more engaging and forward than other frequencies. Then after finally getting the volume just right to where other frequencies don't irritate you, you spend a week making new place lists that cater to this new "adjusted" sound. Find a linear pair of headphones and all your music will be just as good as the music you remember hearing in your car, tv or wherever.

 
Yes. And if it sounds bad first thing in the morning, it probably is bad. Or if it sounds unnatural when you come home after being outside or at work, it's not right.
 
I've found that most good headphones will "pick up where you left off". That is, they will sound as you last remembered them to. If you have to "re-adjust" each time, it's likely very colored.

 

[Onetwothree]

Yes. And if it sounds bad first thing in the morning, it probably is bad. Or if it sounds unnatural when you come home after being outside or at work, it's not right.

I've found that most good headphones will "pick up where you left off". That is, they will sound as you last remembered them to. If you have to "re-adjust" each time, it's likely very colored.

What sounds right might differ from person to person depending on what we are use to hearing or expect to hear. And some people also preferred a colored sound so things can become complicated and that's why we are hear discussing it.

 

[Jazz1]

Just received the P9's yesterday. I need to spend more time with them. After listening to a dozen songs last night I've got mixed feelings. Most of my dozen songs sounded great. A few really suffered from the mid-bass hump that others have reported. The deep bass wiggled my ear drums like no other pair of headphones I've ever had. I seemed to have less problems with my iPhone regarding the bass, but I did not have time to do a song to song, device to device comparison.
 
I did try a little on the fly EQ with AIFF files on my iPod. While it seemed to work I'm not sure if I went overboard, as the sound suffered by losing too much of the richness. Again, I will need to spend more time with them.
 
I have an AudioQuest Red Dragon on order. I hope somehow that will help the sound. I'm also looking forward to the B&W lightening cable when it shows.
 
If anyone has any advice on how to tune these headphones in please share with the rest of us.

 

[emergencylies]

Well they pass the, how goods does "companion by braids sound" bass test.

 

[Jazz1]

Well the Red Dragon came, and I made a trip to the local Apple Store for the proper adapter. Now I'm giving them a whirl in a noisy brewpub waiting for friends. Can't wait to I get home to try them in a quiet environment. But I just could not wait to get home.

I was up until mid-night testing the cans themselves and I have to admit that even though I'm far from a bass head I think I impressed with the low end. Don't tell my Audeze LCD-2's

I'll be keeping these. But I'm trying to figure out on what occasions I'd use them. Is the sound so good, that I could put up with the sound leakage in? Are they too big to cart to work every day? Will they blow my mind when I try try them with the JOT? The only factor that causes me pause is the price vs. versatility for semi-noisy environments. I did enjoy them walking the dog on a quiet trail.

I will say they are comfy and the weight of the headphones don't bother me.

 

[brokenhat]

I think the sound leakage is my most disliked part of them, portable headphones which is how they are marketed should not have this issue. Of course I kept them anyway as I love them to death.

 

[balleklorin]

My old Z7's are on the for sale forum if you are interested.

Surprisingly the P9 has better/more/deeper bass. They are also more detailed and have better staging and feel more open. I was surprised when I did side by sides. It wasn't even really close. The Z7 was more comfortable, but that was all in the end.

Picked up DragonFly Red and P9 yesterday. MDR-Z7 sounds more natural on DragonFly in my ears. Something strange with the bass on some recordings with P9. Guess I will return P9.
 

 

[brokenhat]

  Picked up DragonFly Red and P9 yesterday. MDR-Z7 sounds more natural on DragonFly in my ears. Something strange with the bass on some recordings with P9. Guess I will return P9.
 

 
Did you A/B the P9's with and without the DFR using your phone? Better? Worse? Not much difference?