[lewisprinceAAD]

These look beautiful! I can't wait to demo them.

 

[blueangel2323]

  Don't know if this was posted already, but came across this review:
 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424547,00.asp
 
They mention that the bass can get slightly distorted at high volumes as one of the cons (but then when you read the text in the article they don't mention anything about it).

 
The first sentence under the Performance section says "The P7 handled our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," without warping even at maximum volume" so they are contradicting themselves there. Maybe they accidentally copied and pasted the wrong stuff into the pros and cons section?
 

  These look beautiful! I can't wait to demo them.

 
The Apple store here has about 80% Beats and 20% Bose with no room for any other headphones, but luckily there's Bloor Bay Radio not too far away and they have a great selection of headphones on demo. So far the feedback has all been positive, and I think these will be my portable headphones. I was considering the M500 but they are on-ear, which tend to be very uncomfortable because I wear glasses, and the Momentum don't fold up. These sound like a good compromise between the two. I'm worried that the winter of the Great White North will damage the leather though.

 

[Zaroff]

Just received those like an hour ago. Experience so far with the AK120 is outstanding, immediate impression vs Momentum is that soundstage is much wider...
 
They also sound nothing like the rather underwhelming P5.

 

[starfly]

So after having these P7's for about a week now I can still say that they sound very good. Comfortwise I've run into the following caveat though. My left and right ear are approximately the same size, roughly 65mm long and roughly 40-45mm wide. When wearing the P7 for an extended period (> 2 hrs) I get quite a bit of discomfort on my left ear, but none on my right ear. On my right ear I don't even feel that I'm wearing a headphone, but my left ear gets a bit irritated on the edges, either the top edge of my ear or my earlobes get irritated. I also switched the earpads left<->right, but that didn't make a difference either. I'm hoping I'll eventually be able to find a fit that works as otherwise I really like these headphones and I'm honestly not in the mood to go searching for another pair of headphones (after having tried the Momentum and M500).
 
The internal space of the earcup (the space your ear needs to fit in) of the P7 measures about 57mm long and 37mm wide in the middle (~30mm at the upper and lower edge).

 

[Jazz1]

I'm glad to hear about your experience so far with the P7. Part of the reason I want to upgrade from the P5 is that the on ear, for me, is not comfortable for sessions more than a half hour (unless I re-adjust them). Some times I have to give it several attempts just to get them to settle in for awhile and not pinch my ears.
 
I guess I am searching for the "Holy Grail" of portable, iPhone/iPad drivable headphones that are as comfortable as my
HD-650. My ears are relatively small, but sensitive to physical bending or pressure. Sound is important, but comfort is also an important factor for me. I know some of you die hards would wear a crown of thorns if the sound was exquisite  This is why I would like to try before I buy.
 
I hope people keep reporting about their experiences with the P7. I know it is tempting to just listen to the music rather than take the effort to give a running account as new headphones work in. Thanks for those who do report their ongoing observations! 

 

[blueangel2323]

The most comfortable closed portable headphones I've tried were the Denon D600, followed by the Sony 1R. But that was before I was spoiled by the HD600's comfort. I had no idea how uncomfortable my Shure 440 were until I tried the HD600. I wonder how these fill fare...

 

[Speakerphile]

  The most comfortable closed portable headphones I've tried were the Denon D600, followed by the Sony 1R. But that was before I was spoiled by the HD600's comfort. I had no idea how uncomfortable my Shure 440 were until I tried the HD600. I wonder how these fill fare...

I get a pressure point at the top of my head when wearing the D600 for long periods.  They are just too heavy for the relatively skinny headband they have.  I would say the 1R tops my list for comfort in a closed portable.  The Senn HD 500 series and up is probably my pick for most comfortable overall.   
 
To keep it OT though, the P7 was very comfortable IMO.  The longest session I had was only about 20-30 minutes though.  I should get more time shortly.  

 

[Fush]

I've had the P7's for a few days. The sound quality is excellent, but comfort wise these are not a perfect match for me. I find the headband too firm and thin, so I'm probably going to return these.

 

[starfly]

  I get a pressure point at the top of my head when wearing the D600 for long periods.  They are just too heavy for the relatively skinny headband they have.  I would say the 1R tops my list for comfort in a closed portable.  The Senn HD 500 series and up is probably my pick for most comfortable overall.   
 
To keep it OT though, the P7 was very comfortable IMO.  The longest session I had was only about 20-30 minutes though.  I should get more time shortly though.  

The weird thing is though, when I just received them last week, I listened to them for almost 5 hours straight with no discomfort at all, except my ears getting a bit warm, but that's fine. But now everyday I start to notice discomfort on my left ear. So either I somehow had the perfect fit the first time I put them on and haven't had the perfect fit since, or that first time was just a fluke as my ears hadn't gotten used to them anymore.
 
Still have another week left before I can return them for a full refund, so will continue testing them for longer periods to see how it works out with comfort. Otherwise, I wonder what other headphones there are out there with similar sound, portability and build quality, but with more comfort (already tried Momentum and M500, no luck there).

 

[starfly]

  I've had the P7's for a few days. The sound quality is excellent, but comfort wise these are not a perfect match for me. I find the headband too firm and thin, so I'm probably going to return these.

There are better headbands out there, agree with you on that. I did notice that the headband softened up a bit though, as I don't feel any pressure on my head anymore when I position them properly.

 

[Goldlion973]

Listening in on these.... any photos of how they fit over ones ear?

Am concerned that they're too bulky to pass the portable line for me.

 

[Beagle]

  Look forward to hearing your opinions.  Would you agree that these are a deviation from the B&W sound signature of headphones past?  They are much better sounding to me.

 
Right off the bat, the sound improves just from not being filtered through rubber/fake leather, or whatever material the P3 and P5 use to cover the drivers. Now there is just a thin layer of cloth.
 
If I could use an analogy, I find the change (from the P3 and P5)  similar to when Grado introduced the bowl pads which replaced the flat pads. The bass got tighter and the soundstage opened up. The big difference is that, unlike the Grados, the top end remains warm and clean, and lacks any sort of sibilance and brightness problems. What I am finding with the P7 is the bass is present for sure, but in a good way...kick drums kick, electric bass throbs, things residing in that range have power and dynamics. And unlike the Momentum, for example, the P7 is alive and kicking in the midrange as well. It's like a Sony MDR-1R with some good kick and presence in the bottom. But with much better midrange accuracy and timbre.

 

[Jazz1]

Right off the bat, the sound improves just from not being filtered through rubber/fake leather, or whatever material the P3 and P5 use to cover the drivers. Now there is just a thin layer of cloth.

If I could use an analogy, I find the change (from the P3 and P5)  similar to when Grado introduced the bowl pads which replaced the flat pads. The bass got tighter and the soundstage opened up. The big difference is that, unlike the Grados, the top end remains warm and clean, and lacks any sort of sibilance and brightness problems. What I am finding with the P7 is the bass is present for sure, but in a good way...kick drums kick, electric bass throbs, things residing in that range have power and dynamics. And unlike the Momentum, for example, the P7 is alive and kicking in the midrange as well. It's like a Sony MDR-1R with some good kick and presence in the bottom. But with much better midrange accuracy and timbre.

Are you using the P7 amped? If not what are you using for the source?

 

[starfly]

Are you using the P7 amped? If not what are you using for athe source?

I've personally noticed that when I'm using the P7 straight from the Fiio E07K as a DAC connected to my PC, the sound is a bit warmer, fuller, the bass a bit weightier. Whereas when I use it from my iPod Classic (either directly, or using LOD > E07K) the sound is slightly dryer, a bit less bass.

 

[Jazz1]

I'm planning to use these with a Headroom Total Bithead and iPad or just an iPhone. I note the iPhone doesn't sound as good as the iPad without the amp.