[Beagle]

Sure, just pointing out that this thread is for opinions on the P9s, not opinions of other people's opinions (I'm far from immune to that temptation)

DMS3, Metal, Zeos, and Josh have listened to hundreds of headphones over many years - because of that it's easy to understand their preferences and adjust accordingly. As an example I find myself somewhere between Aornic and Metal, with both DMS and Z liking more treble than I do. Their individual reviews are great ... Their podcast though ... keeps it pretty casual so I understand people not liking it or them. Great resource for me though, and equal to aornic.

One reviewer that burned me was Tyll - when I was first starting out I took his recommendation on the Aeon flow and that was a horrible choice for me ... not his fault of course, he has his preferences and I simply didn't know how they compared to mine. Now I do. Needless to say, Tyll is the worst reviewer for me but he seems like a great guy and the industry is less without him. (I also don't believe much in measurements - his debate on that topic with Guttenberg is epic!)

in any event, the P9 didn't work out for me and Th-X00 did, so for anyone looking to buy: if you like the P7 for its bass, for me a step up was the TH-X00 over the P9, and from there maybe an emu teak, and then the ZMF atticus once you get to P9 $$.

For those that like or love the p9 - awesome!

Since you are obviously defending DMS3, Metal, Zeos, Josh (whoever they are) and claiming Tyll was the "worst reviewer for you", this is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. We don't need a lecture and we are free to comment on "opinions" that are just designed to attract attention and cause controversy as opposed to those that are qualified and objective. Actually, we are free to comment on any views and opinions, that's what 's great about Head-Fi.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@GrussGott , absolutely, we agree and for the record I assume and put the responsibility on the reader to know, or learn that all of this is subjective in the sense that people can, but don't always, differ widely. The reasons somebody making the statement that the P9 is the worst headphone ever is tripe is simple, first, nobody can make that determination, at most they can say in my experience the P9 is the worst headphone for my preferences, and more importantly there is no chance that the reviewers have heard every headphone in the world so using such obvious exaggeration is not a confidence inspiring practice for me. There are no absolutes in my experience, for me personally there were things that Tyll (for example) loved that I didn't like, but sometimes we completely agreed. All that tells me is that I have to take gambles as I never truly know how I will like any sound signature until I try it for myself. I take as many impressions into account and then, as I'm sure you do, I try something out. I can say to this day I have mostly been very pleased with almost everything I have purchased. There are many flavours and takes on audio reproduction, and lucky for me to this point I find most do a pretty good job, quirks and quibbles aside. The P9 is a great case in point for me, absolutely I would never deny that the bass signature was a bold statement with pros and cons, but I ultimately enjoyed it more than I didn't, and there were points when I listened to it and it just seemed to coax some wonderful musicality out of that signature, and when it was right, it sounded really nice. When it went wrong, and that did happen, yes, I didn't love that.

I think B&W took a shot and authored a sound signature, much like Sony did with the Z1R, but they were very deliberate attempts to offer a musical interpretation. If everybody simply crafted ruler flat designs, well, we would really only need a few headphones, but that would be so very dull. I know that isn't what you are at all suggesting, much of this commentary isn't directed at you, it is just sort of happening while I think about things. Anyway, as we always say, enjoy the music and thanks for the discussion.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

After picking through this thread for a while I pulled the trigger on the P9s. I'm not sure I hear the mid-bass bump people have criticized these headphones for, though there is noticeable presence and body to the bass. I've come to see this as essential to the sound signature of the P9s, when I eq bass down it sounds much more like my P7s (which sound absolutely hollow now in comparison, and I say this after 5 years of adoring use. Its not unlike the impression of my trusty old P5s that I upgraded from after 4 years of use). So, while people say they are confused by the tuning B&W went with, I think its apparent that it was a choice to give that claimed home stereo sound.

Its a sound that at first is slightly confusing because it really sounds unlike any of the cans I've had before (I'm still new to the game, and my HiFi experience is limited to the P5s/P7s, though I do eventually want to branch out but got some other expenses to throw around first). I do balance out my B&W confinement with a pair of FiiO F9 Pros, which were a little IEM experiment on my part. Not bad, definitely different from what I've gotten used to through my years of B&W headphones. Anyway, the point is that it does take a moment to get used to what the P9s are doing. Go back to the P7s after a day of listening, and there's no disputing they're on different planets.

Initial impressions after after about three days with them are pretty much wow, but I am taking a harder look at what I pair them with. I'm using a FiiO X5 III DAP, and I'm starting to wonder if this makes a good pairing. Like I said above, I sense but am not entirely bothered by the bass situation others have spoken of. It is clear these cans are sensitive to pairing and source material. The X5 is known itself for being a dark player, and this pairs well with a lot of headphones - my F9s are great with them for example. But I am not convinced its a good match for the P9s. When I A/B test with my iPhone, discounting the obvious SQ differences, the X5 adds significant dark color and bass.

I am left wondering if I might want to pair the P9s now with a brighter sounding DAP, perhaps the X7 MkII or the supremely interesting (at least based on the reviews and forum discussions) Hiby R6. I was wondering if any of you have been thinking similar things, or have experience pairing the P9s with these two players. Also interested in general impressions of P9s with X5IIIs. Are you EQing on the X5? What volume are you listening at? Are you playing with the gain settings? Would love to hear what others have been doing with this pairing. Or tell me everything I've said is wrong Just curious.

 

[Slim1970]

After picking through this thread for a while I pulled the trigger on the P9s. I'm not sure I hear the mid-bass bump people have criticized these headphones for, though there is noticeable presence and body to the bass. I've come to see this as essential to the sound signature of the P9s, when I eq bass down it sounds much more like my P7s (which sound absolutely hollow now in comparison, and I say this after 5 years of adoring use. Its not unlike the impression of my trusty old P5s that I upgraded from after 4 years of use). So, while people say they are confused by the tuning B&W went with, I think its apparent that it was a choice to give that claimed home stereo sound.

Its a sound that at first is slightly confusing because it really sounds unlike any of the cans I've had before (I'm still new to the game, and my HiFi experience is limited to the P5s/P7s, though I do eventually want to branch out but got some other expenses to throw around first). I do balance out my B&W confinement with a pair of FiiO F9 Pros, which were a little IEM experiment on my part. Not bad, definitely different from what I've gotten used to through my years of B&W headphones. Anyway, the point is that it does take a moment to get used to what the P9s are doing. Go back to the P7s after a day of listening, and there's no disputing they're on different planets.

Initial impressions after after about three days with them are pretty much wow, but I am taking a harder look at what I pair them with. I'm using a FiiO X5 III DAP, and I'm starting to wonder if this makes a good pairing. Like I said above, I sense but am not entirely bothered by the bass situation others have spoken of. It is clear these cans are sensitive to pairing and source material. The X5 is known itself for being a dark player, and this pairs well with a lot of headphones - my F9s are great with them for example. But I am not convinced its a good match for the P9s. When I A/B test with my iPhone, discounting the obvious SQ differences, the X5 adds significant dark color and bass.

I am left wondering if I might want to pair the P9s now with a brighter sounding DAP, perhaps the X7 MkII or the supremely interesting (at least based on the reviews and forum discussions) Hiby R6. I was wondering if any of you have been thinking similar things, or have experience pairing the P9s with these two players. Also interested in general impressions of P9s with X5IIIs. Are you EQing on the X5? What volume are you listening at? Are you playing with the gain settings? Would love to hear what others have been doing with this pairing. Or tell me everything I've said is wrong Just curious.

The P9's are great headphones. I only got rid of mine because I included them in a trade package for my Focal Utopia's. I've missed them and I plan on purchasing them again. The P9's also work great as portable solution because they isolate so well.

When I had them, the P9's sounded really, really good with my FiiO X7 MK II's with the AM3A amp module on high gain. It's easily one of the best sounding, musical pairings I've heard. To me the P9's don't need a bright sounding source. The top end clarity on them is outstanding and doesn't need to be made brighter sounding but YMMV.

 

[larzy]

Does the Lightning cable accessory come in the box with P9 bought today? Or do you have to buy it seperately? I know when the headphones were released you could register and get the cable for free (when it finally was available... ). But how about new units today?

 

[evolutionx]

P9 with the lightning cable is like a different headphone. B&W really take the chance to re tune the sound properly. Those with iPhone should listen to it with the cable.

 

[Dtuck90]

Does the Lightning cable accessory come in the box with P9 bought today? Or do you have to buy it seperately? I know when the headphones were released you could register and get the cable for free (when it finally was available... ). But how about new units today?

The original plan was to include it with the headphones. It might be worth dropping B&W an email they are very helpful

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

I just bought P9s last week and they didn't come with a lightning cable :/

I'm mostly listening via a DAP but I will at some point need to get the cable. I intend to get an iPhone X at some point. Compelled by the idea that B&W tailored the DAC in that cable for the P9s, but not convinced it would be better performance than a good DAP.

 

[Hoegaardener70]

P9 with the lightning cable is like a different headphone. B&W really take the chance to re tune the sound properly. Those with iPhone should listen to it with the cable.

I have the p9 plus the lightning cable and I stopped using it ... a portable dac like my nextdrive spectra sounds so much better than that cable.

 

[Jester0fTortuga]

PSA: in the space of a month or so went from P7 w/iPhone to FiiO X5 III, then upgraded to P9 and grew to dislike the pairing with the X5III (the overwhelming bass problem mentioned here didn't bother me terribly, it worked well at times, but did wear on me). So I just got a DX200 and couldn't be happier. Anyone looking for an ideal pairing with the P9, look at the DX200. I've found what I was looking for when I embarked on this journey. The DX200 itself is a far more capable and less frustrating device than the X5III, which I did grow quite fond of with the P7s.

Moral of the story: the P9 is super sensitive to the source its paired with.

 

[Dtuck90]

Has anybody used the P9s with the WM1A?

 

[Marc Roberts]

Hey folks.

I'm no audiophile, but would I be mad for saying that I'm finding the P9s a little muddy unless I turn them up? I'd say to just about the upper limit of what I'd use for long term listening.
Muddy might not be the right term, I guess I'm just finding a little clarity missing from the overall sound when they're at lower volumes.

I'm running them on a DragonFly Red, the source is nothing special, just Spotify usually. I've tried a few FLACs to much the same result though.

Overall I find them very comfortable, more so than my P7W as my ears actually fit inside the cups.
I don't want to sound like I'm saying they're bad, that's not it, maybe I'm just looking for perfection.

 

[KristianFaksvag]

Hey folks.

I'm no audiophile, but would I be mad for saying that I'm finding the P9s a little muddy unless I turn them up? I'd say to just about the upper limit of what I'd use for long term listening.
Muddy might not be the right term, I guess I'm just finding a little clarity missing from the overall sound when they're at lower volumes.

I'm running them on a DragonFly Red, the source is nothing special, just Spotify usually. I've tried a few FLACs to much the same result though.

Overall I find them very comfortable, more so than my P7W as my ears actually fit inside the cups.
I don't want to sound like I'm saying they're bad, that's not it, maybe I'm just looking for perfection.

Well the thing is, it´s very hard to find the "perfect" headphone that has both great lows, mids and highs. When I compare them to other headphones, e.g. MrSpeakers Aeon, I sometimes think that the mids/highs can be a bit too "muddy" as well. But I love that tight bass the P9 has, and I still haven´t found any cans that can match that beatiful bass and also have great mids/highs... My point is that you always have to sacrifice something; you can have a headphone with awesome highs, but then it´s likely that the lows will disappoint you and so on..

 

[KristianFaksvag]

I just bought P9s last week and they didn't come with a lightning cable :/

I'm mostly listening via a DAP but I will at some point need to get the cable. I intend to get an iPhone X at some point. Compelled by the idea that B&W tailored the DAC in that cable for the P9s, but not convinced it would be better performance than a good DAP.

I agree with you. A good DAC/DAP is much better than the cable. I recommend trying it with either mojo (mojopoly as a DAP) or hugo2.

 

[Marc Roberts]

Well the thing is, it´s very hard to find the "perfect" headphone that has both great lows, mids and highs. When I compare them to other headphones, e.g. MrSpeakers Aeon, I sometimes think that the mids/highs can be a bit too "muddy" as well. But I love that tight bass the P9 has, and I still haven´t found any cans that can match that beatiful bass and also have great mids/highs... My point is that you always have to sacrifice something; you can have a headphone with awesome highs, but then it´s likely that the lows will disappoint you and so on..

That's fair, and I must say that some stuff on these sound just amazing, like Eden by MUST DIE!. I think it mostly with rock and metal, that guitars are missing a little bite. I am being fussy though.