[KLJTech]

  Righto....FWIW, I hear zero noise floor on either my portable or desktop amp.
 
 
I wouldn't try it. My Lyr took out my Ed.8s (another member had the exact same combination). I would only recommend the Lyr for orthos and definitely not for low impedance / highly efficient dynamic headphones like the P7.

 
Were you listening to the Ultrasone's Edition 8's when they were ruined by the Lyr or did this happen simply by plugging them in? 
 
I've had zero issues with any headphones I've used with the Lyr including easy to drive phones like the Grado 60i, 325i, RS1 and even a couple pair of IEM's (Westone 4R, Klipsch X10 and X5's). Obviously the Lyr is a very powerful amp so I'm always careful with how quickly I turn up the volume, and I have had issues with some low level noise with IEM's (which the amp isn't meant for) but other than that no problems whatsoever. I prefer it to the all solid state amps that I have on hand for most of my headphones.  
 
I read somewhere here that there may have been changes made to the Lyr since the earlier versions that prevent the problem you had, but I have no idea if there is any truth to this or not. I do appreciate the heads up, it may be very possible that the noise floor will be much higher with the B&W P7's if driven by the Lyr...I have no idea as I've only heard them in the store, and that's hardly the best way to judge any pair of headphones. In the store I was very impressed with both the P7's and the PSB M4U-2's. One would think that the fiber driver/speaker (with a surround) in the B&W's would require more juice than your typical mylar style driver found in most non-planar style headphones, but maybe not. 
 
I'm torn between the P7's and the PSB M4U-2's...I much prefer the looks of the P7's over the PSB's based on store demo only...for whatever that's worth. 

 

[zorin]

  Yeah it's clear that Brent's frequency response graphs doesn't use HRTF compensation like Tyll does, so you get that huge spike in the treble. I find it hard to tell what's going on in the higher frequencies because I'm so used to the compensated graphs.

That "huge spike in the treble" is there regardless of whether the HRTF compensation is applied or not. B&W is still not there with the big boys of the headphone manufacturing world, B&W still cannot figure out how to create headphones with the balanced frequency response. I'd give these headphones E mark, only one step above Fail, since the range, or type of music that these headphones can manage to present is limited. Listening to music that has a good treble presence and particularly female vocals would invite high frequencies shrill drill into one's ears and brain.

 

[randy98mtu]

I'm still baffled how different opinions can be on a pair of headphones. One step above fail?? Yet many people seem to be saying these are their favorite "portable/closed" headphones. I know I love mine. They are not harsh. I don't like overly bright headphones and these certainly aren't. I listen to a wide variety of music and the P7 is the best headphone I've used regularly. I now have the hd650 but I don't have the proper power to drive them yet. Hopefully with the right source they will be well above the P7.

 

[TheManko]

  That "huge spike in the treble" is there regardless of whether the HRTF compensation is applied or not. B&W is still not there with the big boys of the headphone manufacturing world, B&W still cannot figure out how to create headphones with the balanced frequency response. I'd give these headphones E mark, only one step above Fail, since the range, or type of music that these headphones can manage to present is limited. Listening to music that has a good treble presence and particularly female vocals would invite high frequencies shrill drill into one's ears and brain.

I was an early adopter of the P7, so I have now had quite a lot of time to listen to them. I can’t relate at all to your comments about the treble. Sure, there’s some sparkle in the high frequencies, but it’s modest, and I haven’t heard a single song yet where it’s come across as sibilant or strident.
 
In fact I think B&W has struck gold with the balance they achieved with the P7. It has a slight emphasis in the bass and treble which makes loudly mixed music sound better than it “should”, but at the same time it doesn’t ruin the sound of better mixed music. There are several artists that I’ve never really appreciated all that much, like Pendulum, who really come alive through the P7. Suddenly their music clicks with me and I see what the appeal is. Headphones like the HD 800, LCD-2 or even the Kef M500 are just a bit too “good” for their own good to make some artists enjoyable to listen to. With the P7 the balance is colored enough to make music mixed for bass heads work, but also without ruining the kind of music that shines with reference headphones. To my ears the P7 have the broadest appeal I’ve heard with any headphones. No matter what I throw at them it sounds good.
 
I don’t want to completely discount what you’re saying. I mean if what you’re saying is what you heard, then it’s what you heard. But in my listening what you’re describing isn’t what I’ve been hearing at all.

 

[Randolph Duke]

I have the P7.
I also have a pair of floor standing B&W's and love them. So they have my respect. The look and build is top notch. Classy.
They are the type of headphone i imagine my dad would have owned in the 70's....until the other day he told me he bought the B&O H6.
ok.
The H6 doesn't have the immediate punch of the P7- but the sound is clean and tight.
I find i have to turn up the volume a bit on the H6 vs the P7. (This could be due to the P7's driver?)
overall sound wise- it's so very close. If I had to choose I would lean H6. They handle everything- the P7 showed some signs of minor weakness.
But honestly- it was a case of whichever headphone was on my head at time that sounded the best.
 
The H6 lacks the build quality of the B&W's. Don't get me wrong they look cool and the tan version gives them a retro vibe. But there is some plastic on the ear cups that kind of turns me off. That said, they are super comfortable. I can wear these easy for several hours.
The B&W create a very closed fit. The clamping is a tad tight and the pads are no where near as soft as the lamb leather on B&O.
I can wear the B&W's for about 60 minutes. After that I start to notice them and they require shifting or a a rest.
 
I also feel the B&O's will travel better since they are lighter, slightly smaller and somewhat less of a statement.
The B&W's are like two mini speakers on your head and scream expensive. I would not wear them walking down the street or on the subway.
The B&O's are slightly less profile. I would not have a problem wearing them in public- coffee shop/train/plane, etc.
The B&W's look expensive and thus you might look like a tool flaunting them.
The B&W's are for home.
 
My intention was to live with the B&W's for years to come. (I'm getting tired of the hunt)
They are built to last.
The B&O's will most likely not survive that long- but they have more to offer in the here and now. (They do have a 3 year warranty which is nice)
 
I'm getting my own pair of B&O's.
I just need to figure out if i should return the P7 or tuck them away for down the road.
 
I suppose the hunt is never really over.

 

[dlhen68]

IMHO, "one step above fail" is a ridiculous statement.
I've run all kinds of music (and movies) through these cans. The only things that seem overwhelming to me are more recent recordings that are very bass heavy, but then I think that's the way they are supposed to sound.
Most of the music in my collection is "older".
As for "burn-in", I listened to a new pair at the Magnolia room last week, after clocking about 200 hours on my own pair. The difference was obvious to me. The new pair had upper end unpleasant harshness. My set has softened both musically and physically (earpads and headband). Now my Beyers sound "harsher" than these.
If you haven't given these headphones some time, then you are not qualified to judge (again, MHO).
All of that being said, I just ordered a pair of the Nads to compare...

 

[TheAnderman]

  All of that being said, I just ordered a pair of the Nads to compare...

I've had the P7s for a few days now and I'm really liking them, but I really want to get my hands on a pair of HP50s to compare – I hope you post your findings!

 

[dlhen68]

It'll be a few days before I get them, TheAnderman. I will do some obsessive listening and post my observations. I, too, am really getting into the P7s. Whenever I hear something that sounds less than stellar, I plug in one of my other sets and listen to the same source. Invariably the other cans sound worse (although sometimes just slightly). So, obviously I'm liking the P7s more and more...

 

[xriddler]

Why would people not wear the P7s out in public? Even though they are over ears i find them very comfortable even when they are slung around my neck. I bought something to use so im going to use it by no means am i flaunting them. 
 
I also have to retract my disappointment with the P7s SQ as they have started to grow on me after a week long use. They handle all types of music very well straight plugged into my Nexus 5. I am no audiophile but everything has seemed to mellowed out especially the boomieness. They have not stopped once playing music so they have gotten at least 75+ hours of break in time. I left time attached to my desktop when i sleep or tucked away with my phone at work playing music softly.  

 

[Beagle]

I'm still baffled how different opinions can be on a pair of headphones. One step above fail?? Yet many people seem to be saying these are their favorite "portable/closed" headphones. I know I love mine. They are not harsh. I don't like overly bright headphones and these certainly aren't. I listen to a wide variety of music and the P7 is the best headphone I've used regularly. I now have the hd650 but I don't have the proper power to drive them yet. Hopefully with the right source they will be well above the P7.

 
 

  I was an early adopter of the P7, so I have now had quite a lot of time to listen to them. I can’t relate at all to your comments about the treble. Sure, there’s some sparkle in the high frequencies, but it’s modest, and I haven’t heard a single song yet where it’s come across as sibilant or strident.
 
In fact I think B&W has struck gold with the balance they achieved with the P7. It has a slight emphasis in the bass and treble which makes loudly mixed music sound better than it “should”, but at the same time it doesn’t ruin the sound of better mixed music. There are several artists that I’ve never really appreciated all that much, like Pendulum, who really come alive through the P7. Suddenly their music clicks with me and I see what the appeal is. Headphones like the HD 800, LCD-2 or even the Kef M500 are just a bit too “good” for their own good to make some artists enjoyable to listen to. With the P7 the balance is colored enough to make music mixed for bass heads work, but also without ruining the kind of music that shines with reference headphones. To my ears the P7 have the broadest appeal I’ve heard with any headphones. No matter what I throw at them it sounds good.
 
I don’t want to completely discount what you’re saying. I mean if what you’re saying is what you heard, then it’s what you heard. But in my listening what you’re describing isn’t what I’ve been hearing at all.

 
I think you both summed it up very well. It does have a bit of a sculpted sound but it is a sound that works well with most music. I do agree that some days it sounds lovely, other days it can be a bit clumpy and bumpy but overall, it is a nice headphone.

 

[Sonido]

I'm beginning to realize my personal issue with the P7 and weird sounding upper mids of female vocals has to do with the genre of music I listen to. I listen to JPop female vocals which is quite high as far as vocals go. I'm having the same issue now with the UE900, which is a lot worse in the upper mids than even the P7. The UE900 is known for its recessed upper midrange, but people still praise it overall. Perhaps the P7 are also a bit recessed in the upper mids? I think a lot of the discrepancy in impressions has to do with what genre of music you mostly listen to.

 

[dlhen68]

Yea, the source material must be varied to get a good overall impression. After some comments about these "scaling well", I paid particular attention to the sound when using the headphone-out on my Pioneer receiver. Much more potential power than my iPod, but I didn't notice a huge difference, other than some hiss from the Pioneer that I don't get on the iPod with the same material. Of course that's not the best in terms of a dedicated headphone amp...
 
Sonido, my initial impressions actually seemed to indicate emphasis in the upper mids (causing the fatigue that I mentioned in some earlier posts). I tried pulling that down with the Denon headphone app, which worked. However, since then I have found that I don't really need the EQ like I did early on.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Were you listening to the Ultrasone's Edition 8's when they were ruined by the Lyr or did this happen simply by plugging them in? 
 
I've had zero issues with any headphones I've used with the Lyr including easy to drive phones like the Grado 60i, 325i, RS1 and even a couple pair of IEM's (Westone 4R, Klipsch X10 and X5's). Obviously the Lyr is a very powerful amp so I'm always careful with how quickly I turn up the volume, and I have had issues with some low level noise with IEM's (which the amp isn't meant for) but other than that no problems whatsoever. I prefer it to the all solid state amps that I have on hand for most of my headphones.  
 

 
It was on (at zero volume) and I plugged them in and pop on both drivers. Thankfully Ultrasone fixed them for free...but still...when they mention the magic smoke on their website...they ain't kidding. 

 

[robm321]

I heard the p7 today. Really good sounding headphone overall.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MacedonianHero]

I heard the p7 today. Really good sounding headphone overall.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
I like them the best of the ones I've compared here and closely followed by the M500s.