[polarbear123]

Wow there goes another $400 in my wallet (I already own the C5/P3/P5 etc...)

 

[Overheat]

Hey guys,
 
I work at Superfi in Leeds, and the B&W rep has just brought us a pair to listen to, and I can safely say that these are the best portable headphones I've listened to, and definitely the best that we sell (for my listening taste). I just compared them directly with the Sennheiser Momentums, which were my previous favourites and they a lot more punch, more clarity and generally just a better sound (sorry, I'm not great at describing sound yet )
 
I was listening to Fleetwood Mac's The Chain from the Rumours SACD (converted to 24bit/96KHz FLAC) with my Astell & Kern AK100, and briefly to Pink Floyd's Money from the Dark Side of the Moon SACD (converted).
 
I am now trying to get the rep to get me a pair on the cheap - lol  

 

[alpha10]

How do they compare to KEF M500 ?

Hey guys,

I work at Superfi in Leeds, and the B&W rep has just brought us a pair to listen to, and I can safely say that these are the best portable headphones I've listened to, and definitely the best that we sell (for my listening taste). I just compared them directly with the Sennheiser Momentums, which were my previous favourites and they a lot more punch, more clarity and generally just a better sound (sorry, I'm not great at describing sound yet )

I was listening to Fleetwood Mac's The Chain from the Rumours SACD (converted to 24bit/96KHz FLAC) with my Astell & Kern AK100, and briefly to Pink Floyd's Money from the Dark Side of the Moon SACD (converted).

I am now trying to get the rep to get me a pair on the cheap - lol  

 

[Rasmutte]

My local dealer will have this heaphone in stock tomorrow or on monday. Will try 'em out for sure.

 

[smial1966]

Very good question. I think that the NAD Viso HP50 should also be considered. Personally I found the P5 to sound very `muddy' and `congested' with an overly dark signature, so hopefully the P7 will have different sonic attributes. 
 
Andy. 
 
Quote:

How do they compare to KEF M500 ?

 

[FraGGleR]

I thought the P5s were stellar all around except for sound, where the AT ESW9, Senn HD25-II, and Senn Momentums all beat them.  Like others have said, a bit too muddy and congested.  The fit and finish were superb and I really wish that they had sounded better.  I am definitely interested to see how these end up stacking up.  As much as I love my Momentums, I would give them up in a heartbeat if the P7s could just match them in sound quality.

 

[smial1966]

FraGGleR,
 
Really laughed at your comment "I thought the P5s were stellar all around except for sound" as I agree with you 100%. The P5 are exquisitely built and confer real pride of ownership, so let's hope that the P7 sound much better than their predecessor. Early P7 reviews are promising - http://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2013/09/22/bw-p7-review/
 
Andy. 
 
Quote:

  I thought the P5s were stellar all around except for sound, where the AT ESW9, Senn HD25-II, and Senn Momentums all beat them.  Like others have said, a bit too muddy and congested.  The fit and finish were superb and I really wish that they had sounded better.  I am definitely interested to see how these end up stacking up.  As much as I love my Momentums, I would give them up in a heartbeat if the P7s could just match them in sound quality.

 

[FraGGleR]

 

 
Thanks for posting the review.  Positive enough that I might see if a local Apple store has a pair to test out.  Horrible environment for a real test, but I can bring my Momentums and at least get an idea of where they stand.  I'd also love to know if the cable is any thicker than the P5's.  I thought it was ridiculously thin and very difficult to build a replacement due to such a narrow channel.  

 

[smial1966]

Please post your impressions if you do visit the Apple store. 
 
I replaced the stock P5 cable with this - http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/black-sheep-b-and-w-p5-replacement-braided-lead-1.2-metre.html - which improved the sonics a far bit and is much more robust than the supplied cable.
 
Andy. 
 
Quote:

   
Thanks for posting the review.  Positive enough that I might see if a local Apple store has a pair to test out.  Horrible environment for a real test, but I can bring my Momentums and at least get an idea of where they stand.  I'd also love to know if the cable is any thicker than the P5's.  I thought it was ridiculously thin and very difficult to build a replacement due to such a narrow channel.  

 

[Speakerphile]

Very good question. I think that the NAD Viso HP50 should also be considered. Personally I found the P5 to sound very `muddy' and `congested' with an overly dark signature, so hopefully the P7 will have different sonic attributes. 
 
Andy. 

 
I would agree with your observations of the P5.  These attributes were even worse on the P3 IMO.  The P7, on the other hand, fixes a lot of the problem.  Still colored, but much more neutral than the previous two attempts.  Same great build quality, obviously.   

 

[pbui44]

Since there is a b&w p7 post, I will let out my view on how much I love my b&w p3 for all techno-related genres and could care less about others who think otherwise.

First off, I wish Tyll Hertsens at Innerfidelity could understand what a cellular phone remote transmitter is and what it does to driver sound, but mangled the earpads just for a fashion statement and decided to skip an a/v 101 step to CHECK THE CABLES. Oh well.

Second off, I really do not see why people use "rolled off", when you can see "taper off", especially for treble. Rolled off is more of a marketing term, whereas tapers off is used to describe measurements resembling exponential decay. Well, that's marketing.

Third, I have listened to many headphones, own many headphones, and own astronomically low-distortion audio equipment. The b&w p3 are the best I heard for an overall techno-related genre experience. The hd 25-1 II are best at mixing and dt880 are best for monitoring, but b&w p3s are best for MY EARS for remastering and leisure listening. Anything brighter will just have the treble muddy out the bass and mids on good electronica recordings.

So back on topic, I can't wait to try the p7s out. Sorry for the above rant. I have been a backup dj for many parties (some that were raided), and I used to be a bbs junkie at computer forums. I just could not bear, to my ears, vocal travesty for headphones that sounded best for techno-related genres and electronica in general.

 

[Beagle]

Nice comments...welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[smial1966]

Welcome indeed. Very interesting comments. I have to say though that to my ears the P3 sounded truly awful, with a muddy and congested presentation not suited to the musical genres that I enjoy. Removing the P3 earpads improved things immeasurably, but of course the discomfort was too great to wear them for long. The P5 was OK, a bit dark sounding and somewhat muddy, but sonically improved with the addition of an aftermarket cable. Hopefully the P7 will be much better, but I suspect that their are finer sounding cans already available for less coin, e.g. the KEF M500 and NAD Viso HP50. 
 
Quote:

Since there is a b&w p7 post, I will let out my view on how much I love my b&w p3 for all techno-related genres and could care less about others who think otherwise.

First off, I wish Tyll Hertsens at Innerfidelity could understand what a cellular phone remote transmitter is and what it does to driver sound, but mangled the earpads just for a fashion statement and decided to skip an a/v 101 step to CHECK THE CABLES. Oh well.

Second off, I really do not see why people use "rolled off", when you can see "taper off", especially for treble. Rolled off is more of a marketing term, whereas tapers off is used to describe measurements resembling exponential decay. Well, that's marketing.

Third, I have listened to many headphones, own many headphones, and own astronomically low-distortion audio equipment. The b&w p3 are the best I heard for an overall techno-related genre experience. The hd 25-1 II are best at mixing and dt880 are best for monitoring, but b&w p3s are best for MY EARS for remastering and leisure listening. Anything brighter will just have the treble muddy out the bass and mids on good electronica recordings.

So back on topic, I can't wait to try the p7s out. Sorry for the above rant. I have been a backup dj for many parties (some that were raided), and I used to be a bbs junkie at computer forums. I just could not bear, to my ears, vocal travesty for headphones that sounded best for techno-related genres and electronica in general.

 

[Overheat]

How do they compare to KEF M500 ?

 
I like the M500, I find them to be quite detailed, I probably slightly prefer the warmer sound of the P5s, though I preferred the Momentums over both of these sets of cans. The P7 to me has the detail and the warmth, without getting too muddy. It still seems to be a coloured sound, but much closer to that on the momentums, just with much more punch to sound and I heard a considerable amount more detail. I only listened for 10 minutes though, so I'd need to listen for a bit longer for a true representation of these sounds. Needless to say though, it was enough for me to want to upgrade to the P7s, it was a considerable improvement.

 

[milkpowder]

I actually stumbled upon these whilst walking through - of all places - Selfridges in Birmingham.  I must confess I didn't even know they existed.  According to the salesperson they just rocked up along with a shipment of red P3s with a princely MSRP of £325 (=$525).  Whilst obviously made in the same, now-familiar P-series design language, it doesn't scale well: the inflated size makes it look like an overgrown, unslightly version of its smaller siblings.  The earpads were surprisingly, and I hasten to add, relatively stiff and non-compliant in their brand new out of box state.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for a listen, and the whole place was heaving with noisy shoppers anyway.  They're probably worth an audition once more stock arrives, and the price-tag settles a little.