[edsjo]

That's what I thought... there are some reviews a few threads back that say they sound great wired to an external DAC/ AMP. But the his happens as soon as i plug the included cable into the headphone with no DAC/AMP or source plugged in yet at the other end. So no double conversion happening.... tells me it's something internal or with the analogue in portion.

Maybe there is no double conversion if you have no signal on the attached cable, but as soon as you plug in an analog cable (even if it has no signal) the PX goes into active analog mode. Either it then passes the analog signal (even if non-existent) to the amplifier section or it performs an ADC conversion and then feeds the signal to the regular DAC and amplifier section. Regardless of which, it has to do something as it cannot be used in passive mode. My guess is that they didn't spend enough resources/money to make the noise floor lower here, probably as this is not the default use case. Or there is a quality control issue on the analog input part of the headphones.

 

[K1N1]

I have a few questions about the PX.

1. How is the sound stage and imaging?

2. Has anyone tried a hard case for the PX? I'm yet to order a PX since its temporarily out of stock and can't really measure the headphone.

I wish I could get a case that fits just right.

3. Do you recommend a particular 3.5 cable?

 

[GrussGott]

But the his happens as soon as i plug the included cable into the headphone with no DAC/AMP or source plugged in yet at the other end. So no double conversion happening.... tells me it's something internal or with the analogue in portion.

Hiss is always tough to blame on the HPs since if the analog input is totally clean with no "floor noise" there should silence - if there isn't it's first coming from the amp, then the dac, then the usb (we could blame cables too) ... if the PX are always on and "double amping" the incoming wired analog signal from your phone or laptop, then the PX could be the source of the problem. Once you switch to wireless you're 100% using bluetooth codec, the PX DAC, and the PX Amp, so if you're getting noise that's where it's coming from.

On the P7Ws, I do hear a very very very minor "floor noise" once the bluetooth finishes negotiation as I switch sources on, say, my Macbook Pro. By default it connect via SBC, but if I fire up google play music, youtube, tidal hifi, etc then it switches to AptX and do get an very minor floor noise sound which I kinda like. Reminds me of the tubes warming up but it really is almost imperceptible.

Wired, it's silent.

 

[redrich2000]

Someone should ask BW why there is no passive cabled mode. That should be something they could change with a firmware update right?

 

[Slaphead]

Someone should ask BW why there is no passive cabled mode. That should be something they could change with a firmware update right?

Nope - If the PX is designed to be run purely from the internal AMP and DSP and there's no direct connection from the cable to the drivers then there's no way you'll ever get a pure passive mode. Any alterations to firmware would not change the physical construction of the headphones.

 

[rkw]

Someone should ask BW why there is no passive cabled mode.

A possible reason is that the headphone doesn't sound good in passive mode. It may need its DSP to apply equalization and other processing to make it sound good.

 

[rabass6]

A possible reason is that the headphone doesn't sound good in passive mode. It may need its DSP to apply equalization and other processing to make it sound good.

Somewhere is mentioned that the internal DAC does an up sampling of the incoming signal, probably this works for bluetooth, USB and wired.
From the instructions manual they should, when wired or USB, go to Bluetooth automatically when it's engaged but it doesn't do that on my pair.
Also, I have no more weird disconnections (weird in the sense that the HP wasn't available anymore in the Bluetooth list as if it was off...it wasn't) turning off the proximity sensor.

 

[Slaphead]

A possible reason is that the headphone doesn't sound good in passive mode. It may need its DSP to apply equalization and other processing to make it sound good.

This does indeed appear to apply to just about every ANC headphone I've heard recently in that passive mode, if it's offered at all, sucks big time.

 

[rabass6]

The Bose QC35 is indeed awful purely passive, but the Sony MRD1000 wasn’t much different than with ANC off.

 

[Slaphead]

The Bose QC35 is indeed awful purely passive, but the Sony MRD1000 wasn’t much different than with ANC off.

I have the MDR1000X and when running purely passive cabled (the headphone needs to be completely turned off for this) it sounds flat and boomy. If the headphone is cabled and turned on with or without ANC active then it sounds pretty much like it does over BT. It relies on the DSP to counter the enclosures acoustical problems.

 

[rabass6]

Ok, I am thinking about the fact that I found them boxy and uninspiring even in active mode so maybe the ones I got were defective

 

[Tamas Bonis]

Got back to B&W today asking them if there are any plans on softer / thicker ear pads:

Dear Tamas,
Thank you for your email below.
We are receiving some comments from customers such as yourself regarding PX comfort and functionality when wearing with glasses. Unfortunately for the active noise canceling and proximity sensing to function correctly, the ear pads do need to create an effective seal around the ears.
Please note that with all new materials there will be some time for them to become more supple and mold to your specific head/ear shape. Saying this we will take your comments and concerns into account and pass them on to the relevant members of our staff, to see if a solution can be offered in the near future.
Once again we thank you for contact us and the feedback you has supplied.
Kind regards,

.....

 

[karmazynowy]

How this compares to B&O H6 2 gen?

 

[HD800NL]

How this compares to B&O H6 2 gen?

H6 is more analytical and has a bit wider soundstage. To my ears the PX is warmer, but great instrument separation. More musical, voices are more natural (a bit thin on the H6). For me the PX is a nice balance between fun and analytical. My experience is based on an iPhone as source (H6 wired vs PX bluetooth).

 

[mattbanks]

How this compares to B&O H6 2 gen?

I think I got a bad pair of PX and they're going back to Amazon (audio drop outs in left ear, very very distant sound - sounded like the music was far away from my ears and coming through a tunnel for the upper-mid range and higher, and I will probably reorder a new pair direct from B&W), so take that into consideration. I thought the soundstage was a bit narrower on the PX than the H6 gen2, with warmer sound from PX. The treble was also rolled off quite a bit compared to the H6 and felt a bit lacking there, but that could be due to the pair I had.