[sean76]

Depending on the genres of music you listen to and if you're cool with on ear headphones, you should consider trying out the KEF M500. To me it's better than P7 for vocals and rock/pop music. Plus it's $100-$150 cheaper.

Do they scale well with amp/dac?  I haven't seen them at a local store.  I love to audition them.

 

[Sonido]

Do they scale well with amp/dac?  I haven't seen them at a local store.  I love to audition them.

Actually they do. I found them to pair quote nicely with the Audioengine D3. Better texture and quality of the sound, especially bass. It's good enough to where the mobility and compactness of the combo has me replacing the Bottlehead Crack and Beyerdynamic T90 combo I was using at work. I can listen to higher volumes without disturbing anyone as well.

 

[Gofre]

Bought mine today, I was tossing between the P7s and HP50s but settled on the P7s for the brighter treble. Very glad I did, loving the sound so far. Looking forward to heaing them after they've burned in!

 

[vantt1]

"...with a diaphragm focussed purely on the job it’s supposed to do: generate sound."
 
Wow - I didn't know what I was expecting.

 

[zenpunk]

I tried the alpha dog on two occasions and they are very comfy and light but I didn't like their upper mid at all and I thought the P7 were more enjoyable

 

[sean76]

I tried the alpha dog on two occasions and they are very comfy and light but I didn't like their upper mid at all and I thought the P7 were more enjoyable

Really?  That is interesting.  I think I prefer a more mellow sounding headphones but with lots of details.

 

[PolkManiac]

Check out the NAD HP50 then

 

[Lan647]

Depending on the genres of music you listen to and if you're cool with on ear headphones, you should consider trying out the KEF M500. To me it's better than P7 for vocals and rock/pop music. Plus it's $100-$150 cheaper.

 
A big NO! from me on this one, especially female vocals sound much better on the P7. 

 

[johnwu]

A friend of mine found P7's treble a bit too bright and peaky for his taste, and I believe it is because he uses HD650 as his reference. Meanwhile, I find P7's treble perfectly fine, as I use AKG K3003 as my reference.

I listened to Mahler Symphony No8 today and switched the phones in between. I find the detail retrieval on K3003 superb comparing to P7, whilst P7 sounds muddy comparing to K3003. ( Don't get me wrong: I consider P7's ability to retrieve details great). Meanwhile, after listening to the same recording on P7 for another 5 minutes and switched to K3003, I found K3003 too sibilant.

I guess all these conflicting opinions about P7's treble result from the different phones we use as "reference". And that's ok.

I have to say, I love both phones!

 

[xeroian]

The first P7 I tried also didn't sound special. And the second one I tried blew me away. So maybe the first production run produced some faulty units? Who knows...

Oh, for all you P7 owners, I highly recommend you sign up for the Society of Sound on the B&W website (you get a 3mth free trial). There are some really excellent recordings on that site, most of them in hi-res flac format.

As previously recorded here I returned my first pair at the end of the store's cooling off period. I was undecided and they weren't outperforming my P5s. With so many positive reviews out there (as well as negative ones, much like the P5 reviews) I decided to try again. I ordered this pair from the Apple Store as in principle I could return them as late as Jan 7.

As per Starfly's experience this pair is blowing me away. Straight from the back of a cold UPS truck and on to my head they sound amazing. Sound is spacious, dynamic and musical with the nicest top end I have ever heard.

The serial no. on these is only a 1000 on from the first pair so perhaps there is a quality control problem out there. That would be a shame and very unlike Bowers & Wilkins.

 

[PolkManiac]

I've heard several pair and they all sound the same to me. I have a very early pair (one of the first to show up in Dallas) and one bought just a week ago, and they both sound the same to me.

The sound on these takes a while to warm up to IMO, took me several days before I decided if I liked them. Obviously we can't rule out a QC issue, but my money would be on it being a user issue.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Thanks for the great thread, guys 'n gals, good stuff.
 
I find the mids a tad recessed; and the treble while a little bright for my taste is wonderfully well refined; bass seems a bit too mid-bass boosted but it's fairly tight and well extended. I prefer the HP50, but the P7 has some fun and excitement that the HP50 doesn't have.
 
Actually, my biggest problem with these cans is the ear pads.  They seem a bit too stiff and apply pressure too strongly where they touch.  I think the problem is not using memory foam, so they're always trying to hold their own shape. As some have said, this may settle down a bit over time. The bigger problem for me is that the plate at the bottom of the pad that holds the magnets is about 1/4 inch thick and forms a shallow well at the bottom of the ear cup, and creates a little step in the well. My ears touch the corner of this plate and becomes uncomfortable after a while.  
 
Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Review will be up by/on Monday.

 

[waynes world]

Sorry for being OT Tyll, but do you foresee reviewing the M500's?

 

[PolkManiac]

Well, the bass and treble both come down a bit with burn in, I found it better balanced after 50 hours or so.  I have no comfort issue, but I have slightly less than average size ears.
 
I'm be looking forward to your review, but your initial impressions are about what I expected you'd find given your other headphone reviews.  I'm also curious to see your measurements as well, curious if these measure like I think they sound.  I also think the HP50 is a more neutral headphone, but find myself reaching for the P7 more.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

I've asked them repeatedly for a pair and it's been very slow in coming. 
 
I've heard them twice in trade show conditions and found them to be somewhat harsh, but my experience is very limited.