[wolfen68]

Boy, I'm really wondering how the M500's compare to an ESW9...it seems they fit in the same overall headphone niche.

 

[Sonido]

The M500 came in today. Have to admit after being used to around the ears for so long, the M500 as quite uncomfortable. I couldn't even judge how good the sound was for the first hour because I was too busy paying attention to my sore ears. I did get more used to it after a while, and I'll continue wearing them for the week and see if I'm still bothered by them. I did manage to get gauge how good the sound was and it was actually very good. I tried the B&W P7 at Best buy for about an hour and from memory I want to say the M500 is more neutral. The P7 has more mid-bass which gives it a more impactful sound, but I find it weak in treble, and thus I found darker than the M500. But because going from memory is rarely accurate, I went ahead and dropped by the Best Buy and bought the P7 as well. I'll give a more in-depth comparison later. Here's a teaser:
 

I'll be comparing both to the Beyerdynamics T90. Obviously I don't expect either to beat it, but it'll be used as a benchmark.

 

[Sonido]

Here's the link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/691170/kef-m500-vs-bowers-wilkins-p7

 

[deltasun]

  The M500 came in today. Have to admit after being used to around the ears for so long, the M500 as quite uncomfortable. I couldn't even judge how good the sound was for the first hour because I was too busy paying attention to my sore ears. I did get more used to it after a while, and I'll continue wearing them for the week and see if I'm still bothered by them. I did manage to get gauge how good the sound was and it was actually very good. I tried the B&W P7 at Best buy for about an hour and from memory I want to say the M500 is more neutral. The P7 has more mid-bass which gives it a more impactful sound, but I find it weak in treble, and thus I found darker than the M500. But because going from memory is rarely accurate, I went ahead and dropped by the Best Buy and bought the P7 as well. I'll give a more in-depth comparison later. Here's a teaser:
 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
I'll be comparing both to the Beyerdynamics T90. Obviously I don't expect either to beat it, but it'll be used as a benchmark.

 
Nice!  Looking forward to your impressions in the other thread.

 

[ignt]

Do the M200s benefit from being ampped, say with something like the Fiio E17?

 

[fnkcow]

  Do the M200s benefit from being ampped, say with something like the Fiio E17?

Depends on your source. For my setup, laptop and phone as source, yes adding an amp pretty much 'unleashed the beast' 

 I reckon it'll still scale well with an amp with a great source

 

[zachgraz]

  Depends on your source. For my setup, laptop and phone as source, yes adding an amp pretty much 'unleashed the beast' 

 I reckon it'll still scale well with an amp with a great source

Agreed. The M200 are quite a load for a smartphone being low 12 Ohms and only 94db sensitivity.
Amping helps !

 

[JohannLiebert]

Wow, the M200 is awesome. They easily compete with the +400 Range imo.

 

[caracara08]

I was able to get better fit by using thinner, cheaper silicon tips I purchased off amazon.  I think my canals are on the smaller side so it was hurting using the stock tips. Anyone else have any recommendations for someone with smallerish canals?

 

[PeterDLai]

  I was able to get better fit by using thinner, cheaper silicon tips I purchased off amazon.  I think my canals are on the smaller side so it was hurting using the stock tips. Anyone else have any recommendations for someone with smallerish canals?

 
I posted this in this thread earlier, but they could end up being even more uncomfortable over time since the tips don't provide much of a buffer from feeling the edges of the nozzles in your ear canals. 

 
They did work in creating a seal for my ears, however.

 

[caracara08]

   
I posted this in this thread earlier, but they could end up being even more uncomfortable over time since the tips don't provide much of a buffer from feeling the edges of the nozzles in your ear canals. 

 
They did work in creating a seal for my ears, however.

 
I know... but the M200 sounds so good.

 

[ericp10]

Do the M200s benefit from being ampped, say with something like the Fiio E17?

Definitely yes.

 

[d marc0]

Definitely yes.

+1

 

[wallaby1170]

I only had the ESW9 and the M500 for about a week last September.  I only spent about an hour comparing the sound signature between the EWS9 and the M500 using a MacBook Pro (late 2009).  From what I remember the ESW9 had a more engaging sound signature, making it sound very musical although sometimes I thought the ESW9 sounded slightly congested compared to the M500.  It was very difficult trying to decide which one to keep based on their sound signatures.  I gave the nod to the M500 because the M500 is slightly more comfortable and offers better accessories.  If the ESW9 had a detachable cable and a descent travel case like the M500 does, I probably would have sold the M500.  

 

[waynes world]

I can snag some M200's from a trusted source, but they are missing the large sized tips. I normally oscillate between medium sized tips and large sized tips, but my understanding is that the M200 large tips are, well, very large, and I'm not sure if I would have the need to use them.
 
Is anybody using the M200's with the large sized tips? And if so, are your ear canals freakishly large lol?