[tinyman392]

  Hmm… I’m slightly surprised about the comments/reviews about the B&W P7
I have one and I have heard quite a view Headphones ranging from Sennheiser via Grato and Ultrazone to Beyerdynamic  from Entry to HighEnd Models. And from my PoV the P7 is the Best in the sub 500,- class and punches also above this level.
 
What I like:
Treble - very, very good (probably the best in the up to 1000,- class)
Soundstage - Very accurate. Its easy to locate the exact poison of on instrument, voice and/or noise. (You’re right in the middle of the show…)
Very detailed from up-mids. Its just crisp!
Bass - really good at reproducing Moog Taurus type of bass (grumbling along, from deep down)
Works really well with extreme left-right panning
Very fast response
Materials and Comfort. Up there with the best
 
What I don’t like
Lower Mids to Mid-Bass - can get lost and muddy
Not Airy (Ok, its  closed can and has its disadvantages)
Not Neutral, U/V shaped
A tad to small
 
Used with Music:
I  hear a very wide range of music from Rock, POP Metal to Jazz, Alternative & Classic. However, I listen most to Genesis, Pink Floyd and Dreamtheater  but also stuff like Agnes Obel, SADE, Norah Jones, Feist, Melody Gardot, Massive Attack……..   
So, I would say its works very well with stuff like above but also with any acoustic /instrumental stuff.
 
May not the best choice for modern POP, RNB etc.
 
The Bass is sometimes described as boomy, but the B&W P7 needs to burn in very well (20-40hrs) in order to shine. Personally, I would say that straight out off the box the P7 is harsh.
 
Used with gear:
iPhone or iPad? Works, but a bad Idea as this one scales very very well and needs a good source (not just power but „clear“ as well well) to show, i.e. Meridian Explorer/Prime
 
Final Verdic:
A really great one, which was made for mobile use but is best used at home with a good AMP/DAC. The 400,- EUR  price tag is more like bargain and remember this is a closed can. The P7 has its weakness, but its strength are very hard to beat (esp. treble, crispness,  locating characteristic/soundstage).
 
All in all  lets the watch what  B&W would be cable of with a „open-can P9“ if the P7 is just the beginning.
 
Opponents? From my experience the likes of Sennheiser HD600/650
Next Level Up? Skip and go straight to Audeze/HD800.

B

 
I never found the P7's treble to be harsh...  The bass does tone down with burn in though IMO.  There is also the entire thing about positioning and its influence on sound with the P7 as they are sensitive to sound changes with position changes. 

 

[randy98mtu]

After spending a weekend with the HP50's, I'm still happy with my P7's.  I would say the HP50's are more neutral, but turns out I like the slight bit of color added to the P7's.  Slightly brighter highs and more impact and deeper lows.  The HP50's are going back and I ordered a Magni/Modi stack to use with my P7's at work.   I can't wait!

 

[wildseu]

p7 is nice looking

 

[KLJTech]

They've been my go-to headphone since I bought them. I don't know what "the best" headphone is in their class but I love how incredible the P7's sound from a good amp/DAC combo and how light and comfortable they are. The headband bothered me a bit at first but then I simply extended the earcups down a bit more so that it was barely touching the top of my head and they've been super comfortable ever since. I do believe that B&W hit it out of the park with the use of their in-house built driver that uses a surround unlike most headphone drivers that are required to flex along the edges. 

 

[randy98mtu]

I've now tried HP50's, Momentums, K545's, Beats Studio and a few other on- and in-ears.  Maybe the P7 is just tuned for my ear?  Is there anything better?  I'm tempted to try out a few others; Denon AH-D600/7100 and Beyer T70p's.  The wife let me try the Beats yesterday as I bought them after finding them on sale at Best Buy.  They are going back, but she said she had been trying to find something to surprise me with for Father's Day.  So I think I'll give her links to D600's, T70p's and Valhalla 2 and leave it in her hands since I can't make up my mind.

 

[KLJTech]

  I've now tried HP50's, Momentums, K545's, Beats Studio and a few other on- and in-ears.  Maybe the P7 is just tuned for my ear?  Is there anything better?  I'm tempted to try out a few others; Denon AH-D600/7100 and Beyer T70p's.  The wife let me try the Beats yesterday as I bought them after finding them on sale at Best Buy.  They are going back, but she said she had been trying to find something to surprise me with for Father's Day.  So I think I'll give her links to D600's, T70p's and Valhalla 2 and leave it in her hands since I can't make up my mind.

 
The only thing matters is finding what sounds great to you. I have more expensive headphones than the P7's, but they've become the ones I reach for most often...others may prefer the HP50's or some other can, that's great, just find what makes "you" happy and enjoy your music. 
 
I was listening to my new Gungnir last night through the Asgard 2 and the P7's and I can tell you without a doubt that the P7's scale very well...the better the source files/material and source gear the better they will sound. The A2 sounds terrific with the P7's and every other headphone I tried with it. Please post your thoughts on the Valhalla 2/P7 combination if you do in fact get it. Good luck!

 

[randy98mtu]

You are making me want a V2! Wife isn't in the right mindset for this conversation. I'll be watching for my opening.

 

[kupleh]

I've been using P7 for portable since few months ago until now.
 
Somehow someday I happened to read review about the Final Audio Design Pandora Hope VI and I remembered that I had listened to this headphone last year on demo before it launched and liked it.
 
Decided to get it and find the Pandora Hope VI is a step up from P7 in terms of sound. Too bad Pandora Hope VI does have comfort and sliding issue. But for the sound it is a keep for me. Compare to Pandora Hope VI the P7 somehow sounds a bit 'recessed'. Overall I think both has similar sound signature except the tighter bass on Pandora Hope VI and bit forward mid.
 
I will still use P7 for portable and use the Pandora Hope VI for home usage.
 
Note: I do notice the impedance different between P7 (22 ohm) and Pandora Hope VI (8 ohm) when comparing so I volume up few steps when listen to P7.

 

[Borbarad]

  I was listening to my new Gungnir last night through the Asgard 2 and the P7's and I can tell you without a doubt that the P7's scale very well...the better the source files/material and source gear the better they will sound. The A2 sounds terrific with the P7's and every other headphone I tried with it. Please post your thoughts on the Valhalla 2/P7 combination if you do in fact get it. Good luck!

 
 
Yep. And that's why I stated that while it is intended for mobile use its it a bad idea as the P7 scales so very well that it screams for a good source like the Meridian Prime Headphone Amp.
 
B

 

[ubs28]

The B&W P7 is truly the most underwhelming and overrated headphone I have heard based on reviews and the appreciation on this board. I was truly disappointed how bad it sounds.

I did a direct comparison using the iPhone 5s with the B&W P7 against the Shure SE846.

Soundstage:
- B&W P7 has a very small soundstage. It gets blown away by the Shure SE846. Not even a contest.

Bass:
- Again, the B&W P7 performs very poorly against the Shure SE 846
Mids:
- The Shure SE846 destroys the B&W P7. Night & day difference.

Treble:
- I personally prefer the laid-back treble of the Shure se846 over the harsh sounding treble of the B&W P7. Neither win here since it's all down to preferences.

Overall Sound quality:
- the Shure SE846 sounds much faster, clearer and accurate than the B&W P7. No contest here.

Portability:
- Do I even need to go here?

Conclusion:
- The B&W P7 gets beaten quite easily by an IEM. The difference is huge. I was most disappointed by the soundstage of the B&W P7. The reviews are wrong as it's quite small.

 

[randy98mtu]

So you're saying your $1000 IEM's are better than these $400 over ears?  AND they are more portable?  
 
I don't have $1000 for headphones.  I love my P7's.

 

[KLJTech]

So your saying that you enjoy your $999 IEM's more than the $399 headphones? Do you use your phone to drive the SE846's all the time or was that just for the comparison? That's cool that you found the IEM/headphone that suits you best...that's all that matters. 
 
As an aside, I don't know how the P7's sound from an iPhone but I do know that they scale well with better gear. But if you're going to drive them with the iPhone it sounds like the SE846's are the IEM for you. Enjoy your music.

 

[ubs28]

I bought the Shure SE846 for 800 and it sounds more than twice as good as the B&W P7 easily.

 

[ubs28]

I'm sorry of being so hard on the B&W P7 but I expected it to sound a lot better based on all the reviews, awards and appreciations. So I'm very underwhelmed by it. My expectations were much higher.

 

[deltasun]

I bought the Shure SE846 for 800 and it sounds more than twice as good as the B&W P7 easily.

Glad you can quantify sound quality like that, with the more than twice as good comment. Can't help but chuckle seeing comments like that, especially with what you're comparing them to.

Anyway, I was never a fan of the P7 until I bought it. I owned on-ear Momentums and the NAD Viso HP50. Both got returned and the P7 was next, just so I can cross it off too. I was shocked that I really enjoyed (and still enjoy) their sound. Must just be the sound sig just being well-suited for my ears.