[Lan647]

  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.

 
Thanks for sharing! Personally I'm not bothered by any excessive mid bass boost on the P7, I find the bass (while a tad stronger than neutral) very even and tight with minimal intrusion into the mids. But I look forward to your review!

Oh and the pressure WILL loosen up. My P7 clamped uncomfortably the first hour, and now after maybe a month of use the headphone is really, really comfortable on my less-than-huge head. 

 

[Craigster75]

    The high does sound quite harsh to the point where it hurts.  

I completely agree with this statement as I found myself actually cringing during my brief listening session.  The P7 does many things right and I can understand why there are many fans, but IMO the highs are over the top.  For those who like the P7, but wish the highs were smoother and prefer a beefier low end as well as have the $$$$, I highly recommend the Ultrasone Signature line.

 

[waynes world]

  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.

 
Thanks. I sure hope that they get their poop together and get you a pair, because it would be great to see how you feel about them after spending more time with them.

 

[xeroian]

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.

I don't have your problem but I do find that I need to wear my spare spectacles. The arms on my usual pair are longer and when combined with the P7 give me pain behind the ears after a couple of hours.

 

[rhull1973]

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.

I had the same issue (only on my right ear). I loosened the headband and it seemed to solve the issue.

 

[PolkManiac]

   
Thanks. I sure hope that they get their poop together and get you a pair, because it would be great to see how you feel about them after spending more time with them.

I believe Tyll only reviews headphones that he likes, and I don't see the M500 making the cut over on InnerFidelity

 

[dlhen68]

I'd like to amend my earlier posts regarding the P7.
 
I had planned on returning them today, after 13 days of testing. I boxed them up last night. Early this morning, having my coffee, I couldn't resist giving them one more go-round.
 
All of my testing had been done with no EQ. So I decided to try some adjustments. That did it! Straight from the iPod (or MBP), these cans have a curious audio signature (to me, at least). The vocals, and sometimes the instrumentation, occasionally sound as if they are being sent through a tube. I find this "tubular" sound quite off-putting. I actually found myself preferring the slightly grainy but broad highs of the AE2s (!). I generally avoid the iTunes presets, but decided to give 'em a try. I settled on the preset entitled "rock". Now that preset sounds horrible on some of my other sets, but on the P7s it really made them sound much better (to my ears). Bottom line: I decided to keep 'em! I was sweatin' bullets over this decision. I tried to hold out for Tyll's review, but caved 14 days ago and brought home a pair. Most of the "reviews" on-line are pretty useless. I'm glad Tyll had some good things to say, so far. I'll be bummed if he slams these! LOL
 
I haven't noticed the comfort issue he mentioned. If I squeeze the pads I can feel the little step, but it doesn't register when I'm wearing them.
 
I can also report that burn-in is real. I've read articles debunking burn-in and I know a large part of that phenomenon is "psycho-acoustic adaptation", but there are particular passages in material I was using with these cans that displayed the harshness mentioned previously. It wasn't constant, but would periodically raise its ugly head. I had been using the Comcast electronica channel for burn-in. When I noticed the peakiness I switched to a vary bright early rock tune and put the iPod into repeat mode. After about 12 hours, I replayed the offending bits...and the peakiness was GONE. There are still instances where the sound peaks, but it's not as unnatural sounding as it was before.
 
My advise is to give these cans some time. When I first tried them they just seemed "hard", both sonically and physically. After just a few minutes the pads seem to settle around my ears in a not unpleasant way. Even the headband (which seems unyielding at first) is just fine on my somewhat hair challenged head (meaning it's gotten a bit thin up there). Now that the drama of working my way through the trial period is over (and letting the clock count down on my Magnolia receipt), I think these headphones will become good friends.

 

[Father Schu]

I confirmed with Best Buy that "gift" items that were purchased between 11/3/13 and 12/31/13 can be returned through 1/15/14. This is extended for the holidays to allow "gift" recipients to return the item. So you probably have another 5 weeks to decide.

 

[Sceptre]

I bought these a week ago at Dixons Duty Free for £299. Money well spent in my view. They remind me so much of my Edition 9s. Very pleasant 'fun' listening.

P5's have been relagated!
Regards
Sceptre

 

[waynes world]

  I believe Tyll only reviews headphones that he likes, and I don't see the M500 making the cut over on InnerFidelity

 
Huh? That's rather "anti-M500", don't you think?
 
Tyll said "I've asked them repeatedly for a pair and it's been very slow in coming". How can you be so sure that he wouldn't like them once he has had time to evaluate them properly? I personally think there would be a good chance that his impressions would become quite favourable if he has more time with them, but I am not going to presume it.

 

[Sonido]

I hope anyone purchasing this have the mindset to use it for motility purposes, or casual home use or true need of isolation. Anyone serious about sound should realize there are much better home use headphones out there are the $400 price point. Now I've heard people on here talking about getting an amp to make the P7 sound better. Before I returned the P7, I tested it with my AudioEngine D3, which is priced at $189. While it got a bit better, it definitely doesn't scale to the level of serious audiophile headphones like HD600 or DT880 600 ohm. If you're trying to get all this extra gear just to squeeze the most out of the P7, it's not worth it unless you really really need motility, or an all in one solution.
 
Case in point: I recently purchased the Koss ESP950 electrostatic headphones with amp included on Cyber Monday for 40% off at $600. Compare the P7 with a $200 amp like D3 to the ESP950, and it's not even remotely on the same plane of sound.
 
I think it's fine for someone looking for the best mobile headphone they can get because they want to use it for that purpose. But if you got the money to get the P7, and are serious about sound, look for other options for your home setup. And if you already have a quality home setup, you should never be reaching for the P7 when at home. I personally like the KEF M500 over the P7, but I never use them at home for obvious reasons.

 

[PolkManiac]

   
Huh? That's rather "anti-M500", don't you think?
 
Tyll said "I've asked them repeatedly for a pair and it's been very slow in coming". How can you be so sure that he wouldn't like them once he has had time to evaluate them properly? I personally think there would be a good chance that his impressions would become quite favourable if he has more time with them, but I am not going to presume it.

I believe Tyll has stated in the past that he only does a full review on items he actually likes, which is why you tend not to see a lot of negative reviews on InnerFidelity.  Having read his reviews over the last couple years, I also have a good idea of what he tends to like, and the M500 don't fit that mold.  I think they're going to be too harsh sounding for his tastes, that's just my prediction though.  He's surprised me before with his thoughts on the HD800 so anything is possible.
 
The M500 is a very accurate and revealing headphone, but is too harsh for my tastes and I think when Tyll gets his hands on it he'll probably agree.  But now I'm guessing what someone else is gonna think so I'll just shut up.

 

[PolkManiac]

  I hope anyone purchasing this have the mindset to use it for motility purposes, or casual home use or true need of isolation. Anyone serious about sound should realize there are much better home use headphones out there are the $400 price point. Now I've heard people on here talking about getting an amp to make the P7 sound better. Before I returned the P7, I tested it with my AudioEngine D3, which is priced at $189. While it got a bit better, it definitely doesn't scale to the level of serious audiophile headphones like HD600 or DT880 600 ohm. If you're trying to get all this extra gear just to squeeze the most out of the P7, it's not worth it unless you really really need motility, or an all in one solution.
 
Case in point: I recently purchased the Koss ESP950 electrostatic headphones with amp included on Cyber Monday for 40% off at $600. Compare the P7 with a $200 amp like D3 to the ESP950, and it's not even remotely on the same plane of sound.
 
I think it's fine for someone looking for the best mobile headphone they can get because they want to use it for that purpose. But if you got the money to get the P7, and are serious about sound, look for other options for your home setup. And if you already have a quality home setup, you should never be reaching for the P7 when at home. I personally like the KEF M500 over the P7, but I never use them at home for obvious reasons.

I don't think anyone is recommending the P7 as the ultimate reference headphone, that would be silly.  The P7 is a very good portable headphone that sounds good enough for many people to also be their only headphone.  There are cheaper headphones like the HD600 that sound better, but obviously aren't portable.  There are cheaper headphones that are more portable but don't sound as good.  If I needed mobility and could only arrod one pair of headphones then I would recommend the P7, and then add better cans later on for home use.
 
My point is, while they're not ultimately reference headphones, the P7 are good enough to be an all-rounder.
 
As far as amps, we'll have to just disagree there, I found that the P7 responded VERY well when I added the Theorem 720 into the mix vs using just the iPod.

 

[Beagle]

 
The M500 is a very accurate and revealing headphone, but is too harsh for my tastes

 
Are you saying you can't handle the truth?

 

[Beagle]

  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.

 
That is my one problem with the P7.....the obvious boost in the midbass. One become accustomed to it but it's still there. The pads are stiff, yes. Not the last word in comfort for sure. But I wonder if a softer pad would muddy the bottom even more?