I'm with you on the sound of the P9. They sound great and are easy to drive. The lightning is another story by itself. Audeze has released two of them already....
Bowers&Wilkins new flagship the P9!
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bifeo001
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I know right, I have the Audeze lcdi4 and I got a lightning cipher cable to go with it for my iPhone 10. Bowers Wilkins said that their waiting on Apple to approve the cable so they can send it out but I am losing my patience.
Thinking about get a TOTL iem and the LCD-i4's are on my list along with the Zeus XR's. How do you like the sound of the i4's? For a comparison how do they compare to the P9's sound signature? Are the i4's as dynamic sounding as the P9's?
I’m actually quite surprised about all this fuss about the Lightning cable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Apple man through and through, but as I’ve moved through the gears of this head-fi hobby (V-Moda to B&W to Fostex and now Audeze and soon ZMF), if I’ve learned one thing it’s that you don’t want to be driving anything but possibly sensitive IEMs or BT headphones for casual listening from an iPhone. Even a basic DAP like the Cayin N3 or one of the Shanling or Fiio variants is streets ahead of an iPhone in terms of SQ, power, format support... I guess I just don’t see the point of investing so much in outstanding (and expensive) headphones like the P9 and then kicking the dust because you can’t use them with your iPhone. Aside from convenience, why would you want to waste all that headphone power on a sub-optimal source? And like I said, my iPhone is my life, but life’s too short to listen to crappy music... (and I don’t mean music choices either).
netdog
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I'm willing to bet that 24-bit music sounds pretty good through the B&W DAC that is specifically designed for an iPhone, but I'm willing to be wrong about that. Anyway, here's hoping.
As for patience, I'm excited to hear that we are just awaiting Apple's approval before B&W ships us these Lightning DACs designed for our P9s.
As for patience, I'm excited to hear that we are just awaiting Apple's approval before B&W ships us these Lightning DACs designed for our P9s.
I'm an Apple fan as well but I amp everything to be honest. The only thing I use my iPhone for is a source for Tidal Hi-fi into one of the amp/dacs I own. The issue I have with the cable is that it was used as a selling point for the P9's. So now I want it even if I don't use it. We already know that the P9's sound good without it.
bifeo001
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The lcdi4 is in a totally different level then the p9 which it should for $2500. The the soundstage, imaging ,bass and treble are top notch. Very holographic sounding and far more comfortable then the the p9. But the p9 is no slouch with a touch more bass then the p9. But the lcdi4 bass is more controlled and goes deeper.
bifeo001
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The more higher up I get in gear and and hifi sound the more I recognized that convenience and ease of use is just as important as sound quality.
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Thanks for the brief comparison. The i4's and iSines are an unique earphones that sound more like headphones. That's why I wanted to get your opinion on how the i4's compare to the P9's. The P9's work awesome as portable cans. I can just grab them and go. The iSine's, as well as the i4's I would imagine, are more picky about in-ear placement. The P9's edge out the iSine's for me. But the iSine's still amazes me when I put them on. The i4's I need to hear.
Beagle
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Just curious as to how many use loudspeakers on a regular basis? We often tend to compare headphone sound only to to other headphones. B&W also make wonderful loudspeakers so I'm sure that factors into the tuning.
msp
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Hallo, sometimes I like to use a IEM, I use to have the Westone W40, but I have sold it as I much prefer the sound of my P9.
Are there any recommendations for a IEM that have a similar sound signature to the P9
Best regards Morten
Are there any recommendations for a IEM that have a similar sound signature to the P9
Best regards Morten
netdog
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I use loudspeakers almost every day. It’s very hard fr me to compare but my mai speakers shine in many of the ways that my P9s do.
The one thing I like about the P9’s is sense of realism they convey for a headphone. It is very speaker like in the way they deliver music. I love how lively they sound. The only other headphone with better dynamics is the TH-900’s to my ears. The D7200’s that I own hits all the right musical buttons and sound very good. But they are not as forward sounding as the P9’s and lack the P9’s treble detail. It really would come down to preference between the two but they are different sounding enough to have both to me. The P9’s are definitely worthy of being B&W’s top headphone.
RLJY
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Hey there, considering getting the b&w p9, does anyone have experience with the p9 and focal elear who could share some comparisons?
brokenhat
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Absolutely the best "portable" under $1000 headphones, period. All I can do is shake my head if I hear a bad review and smile as I know better. 
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