[yrstruly]

Agree. Something just sounds right about them, I really notice this if I listen to a podcast with them, voices sound very natural and easy on the ear. There isn't that artificial crispiness which tons of headphones add to feign clarity. The P9 and VC remain the most natural sounding headphones I've ever heard personally, for lack of a better word

For sure, and think that organic quality combined with the impact in the low end is a strong combo - there's a startling immediacy to rock music in particular.

For timbre these are up there with the D9200 (albeit that is tuned v differently) and VC in terms of closed backs. They make a nice pairing with the D9200 actually - both have absolutely killer bass and natural mids, and the D9200 are more refined, revealing and audiophile-friendly, whereas the P9 is the more rough-and-ready choice.

I actually feel like ZMF fans would get on with these. The issue is B&W don't seem to have much cred within the "community" I guess so some people have written the P9s off.

 

[FlyingFungus]

I really wish B&W would make another wired headphone. The px7 s2 is a great Bluetooth headphone. I regret selling my wired P7 despite being on-ear which I don't like. I'd love to see what they can do now

 

[Denkmal]

I really wish B&W would make another wired headphone. The px7 s2 is a great Bluetooth headphone. I regret selling my wired P7 despite being on-ear which I don't like. I'd love to see what they can do now

P7 and P7w are over ears, P5 on-ear.
P7w in particular was great, except for comfort. PX8 fixed that and more.

 

[FlyingFungus]

P7 and P7w are over ears, P5 on-ear.
P7w in particular was great, except for comfort. PX8 fixed that and more.

Maybe it was the p5 lol. It's been a while, so I don't remember exactly

 

[vincenz]

The issue is B&W don't seem to have much cred within the "community" I guess so some people have written the P9s off.

A lot of headphone audiophile preferences skew heavily towards brighter, pronounced treble and neutral bass, none of which the P9 have (thank goodness, in fact). Some people talk about too much bass coloring the sound, but same can be said for a too excited treble signature and flat bass response coloring other headphones as well.

Echo the sentiments about naturalness in voices, especially apparent in non-music (spoken word, videos, movies). I think it has a lot to do with the added warmth and weight from the way the bass is tuned. I think it is just noticeable because your brain is reminding you that's how voices actually sound like in real life, which you don't normally get from headphones. Speakers are far better at it.

I really wish B&W would make another wired headphone. The px7 s2 is a great Bluetooth headphone. I regret selling my wired P7 despite being on-ear which I don't like. I'd love to see what they can do now

There are always a lot of good deals on new-looking pairs of P7 wireless (which you can run wired) on ebay. I just myself sold my pair. I doubt B&W will make another pair of passive headphones though. Active and wireless is the future. What they should do is let the industry figure out the lossless wireless protocol once and for all, then make a new flagship, the PX10. Pretty please, B&W, and thank you.

 

[mainguy]

I actually feel like ZMF fans would get on with these. The issue is B&W don't seem to have much cred within the "community" I guess so some people have written the P9s off.

DMS' video did a lot of damage, it's so off the mark I wonder if he had a faulty pair (as Zeos reviewed the same pair), but then again he also said Bathys are superior in sound to Radiance while having both onhand, so all bets are off....

But I think the community is waking up as a whole, most people want to try things for themselves now and develop their own tastes, going to canjams, etc. And I think the P9 would polarise people at a canjam, like the Campfire Trifecta, or similarly characteristic gear. But that usually means some people love them, and I think higher end manufacturers are going for this 'flavour' approach more now.

It's a shame B&W didn't release P9 today. I think they'd have carved a nice niche in the under 1k closed back bracket.

 

[msq123]

No matter where I get to on my audio journey, these never fail to disappoint.

So much fun and they do scale with the chain. First time listening on AIC-10, and while low end was always amazing but the control I hear now is a BIG step up. Sure upper octave details let them down more so on revealing chain but untouchable at its price even after 8 years. This is how closed backs should be tuned.

 

[yrstruly]

Do others find these are surprisingly source sensitive? Also, has anyone tried any of the cable upgrades you see floating around on ebay like the below?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173928568840

 

[Dtuck90]

The leather that’s covering the foam on the headband of my set has started to come away, B&W support told me they can’t fix it, any ideas what I could do to fix it?

 

[shaafmasood]

I'm not sure why P9's aren't getting more love. These headphones are so good. I have them plugged into my Mojo along with my Denon AH-D7200's listening to Tidal Hifi through my iPad and I can't take the P9's off.

Are p9 better than d7200?
In technicalities and other aspects

 

[yrstruly]

Are p9 better than d7200?
In technicalities and other aspects

Also interested to hear this.

Still enjoying the P9s - some of the most flat out fun cans I've heard. Especially with rock, post-hardcore and the like... they have tonnes of rhythmic drive and "grit" to the guitars. If you need guitars to sound CHONKY, the P9s are a delight. The Radiance, although superior technically and better overall, can lean too polite/relaxed when you're in the mood for that sense of the music punching you in the face, which the P9s definitely deliver. On the flipside, the Radiance is never fatiguing and works for pretty much every genre, whereas the P9s are more of a specialist. Hiphop for instance can sound a bit absurd on the P9s due to the level of bass heft. Metal is a mixed bag - sometimes great, sometimes vocals and some guitar lines a bit too pushed back. All in all these are worth having as part of a wider collection imo for when you fancy something different, but if you want to just own one closed back these aren't the safest option.

 

[shaafmasood]

Also interested to hear this.

Still enjoying the P9s - some of the most flat out fun cans I've heard. Especially with rock, post-hardcore and the like... they have tonnes of rhythmic drive and "grit" to the guitars. If you need guitars to sound CHONKY, the P9s are a delight. The Radiance, although superior technically and better overall, can lean too polite/relaxed when you're in the mood for that sense of the music punching you in the face, which the P9s definitely deliver. On the flipside, the Radiance is never fatiguing and works for pretty much every genre, whereas the P9s are more of a specialist. Hiphop for instance can sound a bit absurd on the P9s due to the level of bass heft. Metal is a mixed bag - sometimes great, sometimes vocals and some guitar lines a bit too pushed back. All in all these are worth having as part of a wider collection imo for when you fancy something different, but if you want to just own one closed back these aren't the safest option.

I just got denon d7200 with new drivers, the post 2021 models came up with new drivers with 15-20% more resolution vs previous drivers.
I have compared both old and new