[Goldlion973]

Considering the size of these cans and what people seem to be eying them up for isn't it worth buying a smallish not so hungry full sized headphone...?

 

[Jazz1]

  Considering the size of these cans and what people seem to be eying them up for isn't it worth buying a smallish not so hungry full sized headphone...?

I'm very interested in your post. Can you clarify a little bit more? Do you mean power "hungry"? Also any thoughts on what full sized headphones might make a better purchase? I haven't unboxed my P7 headphones purchased today. My only size reference from big to small are my HD-650 and the P5. Thanks for your thoughts. I was really close to buying the Momentums and still might check them out.

 

[starfly]

  I'm very interested in your post. Can you clarify a little bit more? Do you mean power "hungry"? Also any thoughts on what full sized headphones might make a better purchase? I haven't unboxed my P7 headphones purchased today. My only size reference from big to small are my HD-650 and the P5. Thanks for your thoughts. I was really close to buying the Momentums and still might check them out.

The Momentums are a bit smaller than the P7 in terms of cup size (and I mean earcups, not the other cup size

). Since you mentioned you have a smallish head and ears, they might be quite comfortable for you. Also, the lambskin leather used on the Momentum earcups is very soft and plush, so quite comfortable. The leather used on the P7 is a bit stiffer, but still pretty comfortable. The sound signature between the two is overall similar (warmish), but the highs in the P7 have a bit more presence and the bass is more taught and reaches deeper. Both are quite detailed, but the P7 has the wider soundstage and I'd give the edge in midrange detail to the Momentums (but it depends on the song/recording). Also in terms of depth the P7 has the edge.

 

[LFC_SL]

Try extending the sliders an eensy bit. Instinct is to aim for a "just so" sizing but the headphone will still stay on and you find you are not pressurising the noggin. Try angling the headband off centre also

 

[kupleh]

Can't resist the temptation of P7 so went down to their showroom give it a listen and quick comparison with P5 and came back home as happy man.
Those two are completely two different sounding which I prefer P7 in anyway. Initial impression that I remember was the bass on P7 is really kicking!
I also remembered when I first listened to Momentum and really like extended bass on Momentum but there is something in P7 that I interested more. Maybe this is the one that those reviewer called as 'dynamic' ?
 
At the first thought P7 similar like my MDR 1R + ZO2.3 which I got the subwoofer + additional bass hump feeling.
But using ZO2.3 on P7 is really extended that bass pleasure to my ear 
With ZO2.3 the bass is just become more prominent, sometime I feel its too prominent but you can always adjust the bass level on ZO2.3 so it is not a problem at all.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

sorry for the delay guys.  Sat on these for almost two weeks now.  Finally, here's the unboxing.
 

 

[Kermy]

For those with a pair of the P7s, does the back and the sides of your ear cups (the leatherish part) have very shallow dips and ridges? I don't mean the leather grain, but what looks like impressions. On my pair, I see some barely perceptible indentations on the back of the headphones/ear cups.

 

[Jazz1]

The Momentums are a bit smaller than the P7 in terms of cup size (and I mean earcups, not the other cup size ). Since you mentioned you have a smallish head and ears, they might be quite comfortable for you. Also, the lambskin leather used on the Momentum earcups is very soft and plush, so quite comfortable. The leather used on the P7 is a bit stiffer, but still pretty comfortable. The sound signature between the two is overall similar (warmish), but the highs in the P7 have a bit more presence and the bass is more taught and reaches deeper. Both are quite detailed, but the P7 has the wider soundstage and I'd give the edge in midrange detail to the Momentums (but it depends on the song/recording). Also in terms of depth the P7 has the edge.

Thanks, Great response I'm going to seek out a demo of the Momentums.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

For those with a pair of the P7s, does the back and the sides of your ear cups (the leatherish part) have very shallow dips and ridges? I don't mean the leather grain, but what looks like impressions. On my pair, I see some barely perceptible indentations on the back of the headphones/ear cups.

 
Pic?

 

[ubs28]

   
Can you give us a little more detail on the comfort issue you experienced? I'm going to my local Apple Store today and I'm going to try to sweet talk them into letting me try P7 headphones. I know others have reported that their Apple Store would not allow a demo. I'm not sure about their return policy if purchased. But I bet there is a restocking fee.

 
In terms of comfort, it's nowhere close to the comfort levels of a Shure SRH 1840. I think the pressure of these headphones is too much. 
 
Maybe my head is too big for a B&W P7 since other people on this thread have no comfort issues with the B&W P7? 

 

[starfly]

   
In terms of comfort, it's nowhere close to the comfort levels of a Shure SRH 1840. I think the pressure of these headphones is too much. 
 
Maybe my head is too big for a B&W P7 since other people on this thread have no comfort issues with the B&W P7? 

 
Did you try flexing the headband (carefully!)? That worked for me, as initially I found the pressure a bit too much as well. But I have a fairly narrow head.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I like the clamping force.  They do feel a bit weighty when worn.  

 

[LFC_SL]

Annoyingly already have a very slight dink on the metal edge on the raised centre logo of the cups but I have been wearing them near daily on the commute since buying they are that good. At least my precious TH900 still perfect.

Of course if the P7 do get really beat up will be forced to buy another pair :rolleyes:

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

  At the first thought P7 similar like my MDR 1R + ZO2.3 which I got the subwoofer + additional bass hump feeling.
But using ZO2.3 on P7 is really extended that bass pleasure to my ear 
With ZO2.3 the bass is just become more prominent, sometime I feel its too prominent but you can always adjust the bass level on ZO2.3 so it is not a problem at all.

Thanks for the info, wondering if P7 + ZO2.1 can meet my bass needs, I'm a pretty heavy basshead though and currently use Q40 + ZO2.1 and it sounds just right to me. Will wait for Tyll's measurement before making up my mind though.

 

[Jazz1]

Impressions of Bowers & Wilkins P7 Headphones


Comfort & Fit & Function & Style:

The out of the box clamping force feels much less than my older P5 headphones.  I could tell immediately that I could probably wear the P7 longer than my P5 headphones. With the P5 I usually need readjust the pads about every half hour in order to get a little blood flow to my ears. To be fair maybe the clamping force just feels a lot less because it is around my ears not on them like the P5.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Initially my right ear felt a little pinched at the top, but with a little wiggling of the left ear pad I got it to settle in. Could my left and right ears be different sizes? Thankfully I now get an equally comfortable feeling in each cup. 
I have small to medium-small size ears. I wouldn’t want the over the ear circumference of the P7 to be any smaller. Some have reported that the Sennheiser Momentum has even small inner circumference in which to plant your ears. If this is the case I’m not sure they would work for me. Which is too bad if this is correct because because I love the Sennheiser brand. I am going to try to locate a pair and try them.

Warm weather, like with any closed leather padded headphone, might be uncomfortable. But this is to be expected and I can’t fault the design or materials. Oddly enough there is a slight and small dimple on the top front of the left side ear pad when I wear them. If I keep them I may be asking B&W for a replacement. Maybe they all do this?

The headband pad feels fine on my hair challenged head. Yes, I can feel the pad, but no problems at hour two mark while wearing the P7.

I wear eyeglasses and the pads do squeeze the temple part of the eyeglasses. Mine are flat. So this isn’t a problem for me.

The only slight worry I have would be the bottom end of the pads are hitting just above my jaw hinge. The pressure point there doesn’t really bother me after three hours and is even less worrisome the longer I wear the headphone.This is good because the overall comfort supports “jawboning” with people for great periods time because the P7’s headphone cable has iPhone controls.

The carry case is padded pleather.  The pouch part has a quilted look similar to the P5’s carry case, but I believe it is pleather also. It is probably going to be easier to keep clean and free from wear. But the P5's fabric case was classy. At first I thought flap has no magnetic latch like the P5’s quilted carry case. In fact I initially couldn’t see anyway to keep the pouch secure when the headphone are riding in them. But after stuffing the headphones in the flap rode higher on the front of the case and the hidden magnets did their job. That was a relief as my first draft had me bitching about that.I like the way the headphones fold up, but the pouch kind of reminds me of a Scotsman’s Sporran. You know the pouch worn on the front of a kilt. I’m tempted to loop it on the front side of my belt. But my retired SAS, Scottish brother-in-law would never forgive me.

The P7 isn’t quite giving me the incredible wear comfort I get from my Sennheiser HD-650 headphones. This isn’t a slam and I’m not at all disappointed in the P7’s wear comfort level.  In fact I’m going on 4 hours of wear and I can still wear them without discomfort.
 In my opinion trying to compare comfort between the two is probably unfair as they are different beasts. I won’t say mobile wear vs. desktop wear requires different headphones. I know this from years on these forums that head-fiers go mobile with monster big rigs. I myself went with a Sennheiser HD-600 and a Headroom D-Cell, CD player, and amplifier years ago. But today my work life and lifestyle require “small and agile” The P7 and iPhone fit the bill on day one of wear.
I feel I must give a side note on the in-line iPhone controls.

I was not totally fond of the round cylinder shape of the control housing. It rolled a little between my fingers as I was trying to operate the raised rubber/plastic controls. The smaller circumference of the black rubberized control, on the P5, worked a little better for me. With a little practice all was well with the P7’s iPhone control. You do get a very handsome chromed metal housing with rubber like control inserts in the iPhone control. A small detail I suppose. But why have a small thing take away from a first class package? I’m not at all being sarcastic here. If you’re buying a P7 I’m guessing style and design does matter. The P7’s chromed metal looks great and the high quality smells great.

Style wise the P7 and P5 have a very similar look. I’m glad that B&W darkened the headphone end caps of the larger P7. Otherwise, I think they’d look like large sized, oval chromed hubcaps from a car. Maybe the darkened ovals will pick up more scratches than the stainless look of the P5’s? But we will be keeping them tucked away safe in our Sporrans won’t we

I also observed that the headphone cable of the P7 was of a heavier gauge than the P5. I like that a lot. The second, non-iPhone cable is of equal gauge. You probably already know it looks easy to switch between cables. I’ve never had to do it, but replacing the magnet held ear pads looks easy enough. I’ve done that on the P5 and the system looks to be the same.

Sound:

Now here is where I find myself humbled by other members of these forums who without a doubt can do a better sound review than me. I can tell you that I am hearing the great soundstage previously reported in several reviews. I’m finding an overall overall more competent sound than the P5 headphones that I own. I can better hear the crowd in the background of O.A.R’s She Gone. The drums have better kick. The sound of the P5 is more segmented between the highs, mids and lows. Maybe just saying the music is more dynamic is a better way of describing what I am hearing. The P7 sounded more seamless to me between the full range of music. I’m thinking I won’t dare wear this in the office because the sound is more likely to carry me away than with the P5. That is how much I like them. By the way I don’t really were headphones in the office, but again that is how much I like the P7 over the P5. I’ll probably keep the P5 for quick and dirty listening at Planet Sub or my favorite sushi place over the lunch break. 

I also switched the iPad and iPhone out for my desktop rig. A PS Audio GCHA and Musical Fidelity M1 DAC running AIFF files from my iMac via optical out. The sound is seems more controlled as I listen to Spyro Gyra The Rhinebeck Sessions. Okay, nodding my head with the music a sure sign I'm probably going to keep these.

I would also say I like the P7 better than the Beyerdynamic DT-1350 and the P5 (also comfort is better on the P7). The Beyerdynamics were a little too analytical for me. If you looking at the P5 and the P7 it is my opinion that the extra money for the P7 is worth the extra coin. 

I’ll come back with some pictures . I can only think the the P7 will improve the more music I run through them.  If you got the P7’s by all means add your opinions and/or go contrary on me Momentum fans go ahead and tempt me