[curtisngl]

Didn't have P5 for comparison, but from my memory, m4u1 had much better clarity and detail.

Do they especially shine in any specific genres?

 

[all999]

Didn't have P5 for comparison, but from my memory, m4u1 had much better clarity and detail.

 
Yep, agree with that.

 

[kimvictor]

Do they especially shine in any specific genres?

Hmm P5 excels in genres like classical and new age while m4u1 shined in rock and techno/dance.

 

[zackzack]

Didn't have P5 for comparison, but from my memory, m4u1 had much better clarity and detail.

 
I agree P5 is one of the most disappointing products ever released by a reputable company like B&W.
Its design & build quality scream B&W, its sound quality screams Panasonic.

 

[Chimichanga]

   
B&W 7 does not sound better than PSB. HP50's "roomfeel" is unacceptable for me. So yes, PSB made a great pair of headphones

The PSB's sport the same "Roomfeel" quality. They're very similiar to the NAD Viso's, a little more bass from what I've read around.
 
 That said, I preferred the P7's for more than one reason (bass, treble, musical detail, build quality). 

 

[curtisngl]

Hmm P5 excels in genres like classical and new age while m4u1 shined in rock and techno/dance.

Hmmm I do like rock. Modern and classic? I go just about all rock genres. I really want to test these. One concern however is that they could make the lower quality classic rock songs sound bad. Not every song I have is 320kbps.

 

[Zenthelld]

Do you own them? Ideally I'd need clearance of 3/4 inch or more (considering that the distance decreases when you wear them as the pads clamp on your head)

Sorry for late reply. Yes I do own them. My measuring tape isn't the best but I'd say the cups are about 20mm deep, which is about 3/4 of an inch. Obviously, like you said, that'll decrease when you wear them, significantly so with the PSBs as the pads are very soft and the clamping force is moderate (or high depending on your head-size).

Is buying and trying them from Amazon not an option for you?

One concern however is that they could make the lower quality classic rock songs sound bad. Not every song I have is 320kbps.

That shouldn't be a concern, if headphones reveal bad recordings or poor compression then it means they also reveal lots of beautiful detail in good recordings. Are you not able to find better copies of the lower bit tracks you have?

 

[curtisngl]

Sorry for late reply. Yes I do own them. My measuring tape isn't the best but I'd say the cups are about 20mm deep, which is about 3/4 of an inch. Obviously, like you said, that'll decrease when you wear them, significantly so with the PSBs as the pads are very soft and the clamping force is moderate (or high depending on your head-size).

Is buying and trying them from Amazon not an option for you?
That shouldn't be a concern, if headphones reveal bad recordings or poor compression then it means they also reveal lots of beautiful detail in good recordings. Are you not able to find better copies of the lower bit tracks you have?

No worries, we all get busy. Thanks for getting back to me. Okay so they're about the same as my current over ears that only have a thin stretchy material covering the plastic shell over the driver for cushioning. I'd buy them on amazon, I just really wanted to try them first. I want to be confident I want these when I tell my parents what I want to do with $300 haha. Last time, I bought the phiaton ps20 nc's (fantastic, flat, and beautiful sound if they fit by the way) but I had to return them because they didn't fit, and luckily I packaged them well, because I don't think amazon takes headphone returns if they've even been opened. Have you returned headphones after you've used them to amazon problem free? As for the music files, some I had to resentfully download from YouTube, though most of them are alright. I can find better files for some now that I know where to get them, it will just take a while to sift through. I only know of one album I need to replace because it's at 192kbps. Most of my other music is well over 200kbps as with any headphones, I can tell the difference between them.

 

[Illustrator76]

No worries, we all get busy. Thanks for getting back to me. Okay so they're about the same as my current over ears that only have a thin stretchy material covering the plastic shell over the driver for cushioning. I'd buy them on amazon, I just really wanted to try them first. I want to be confident I want these when I tell my parents what I want to do with $300 haha. Last time, I bought the phiaton ps20 nc's (fantastic, flat, and beautiful sound if they fit by the way) but I had to return them because they didn't fit, and luckily I packaged them well, because I don't think amazon takes headphone returns if they've even been opened. Have you returned headphones after you've used them to amazon problem free? As for the music files, some I had to resentfully download from YouTube, though most of them are alright. I can find better files for some now that I know where to get them, it will just take a while to sift through. I only know of one album I need to replace because it's at 192kbps. Most of my other music is well over 200kbps as with any headphones, I can tell the difference between them.

 
I just returned a pair of Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros to Amazon right around Christmas time. There were no issues whatsoever and I was fully refunded 2 days after they received the returned headphones. I have never once had an issue with Amazon taking a return on anything that was within the 30 day return time-frame. I am sure there MAY be an exception or two to their return policy, but those are probably very few and far between.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[Zenthelld]

No worries, we all get busy. Thanks for getting back to me. Okay so they're about the same as my current over ears that only have a thin stretchy material covering the plastic shell over the driver for cushioning. I'd buy them on amazon, I just really wanted to try them first. I want to be confident I want these when I tell my parents what I want to do with $300 haha. Last time, I bought the phiaton ps20 nc's (fantastic, flat, and beautiful sound if they fit by the way) but I had to return them because they didn't fit, and luckily I packaged them well, because I don't think amazon takes headphone returns if they've even been opened. Have you returned headphones after you've used them to amazon problem free?

Yeah they have a thin cushion between your ear and the driver. The drivers press against my ear, but they're not uncomfortable and, actually, that's part of what makes them sound so great.

I have indeed purchased headphones from Amazon and returned them hassle free. In fact I bought the PSBs and HP100s to compare and decide which ones I wanted. After deciding on the PSBs (which took about 3 weeks) I printed off a return label, packaged the HP100s in the original box they were sent in, stuck the label on and plastered it in tape, then I took it to a local shop that provides the service where they send stuff off to Amazon (don't remember the name of it) and the very next day I received a full refund including the postage. It may have helped that the HP100s had been opened before I got them, which I made Amazon aware of, but Amazon do offer returns on opened headphones, just not IEMs. Just make sure you're very careful when opening them and keep the packaging of the product itself in as mint condition as you can.

 

[curtisngl]

Yeah they have a thin cushion between your ear and the driver. The drivers press against my ear, but they're not uncomfortable and, actually, that's part of what makes them sound so great.

Yeah as long as it doesn't cause pain. How long have you worn them without discomfort?

To both of you about returns: sounds convincing, and I know the only loss will be some money in shipping though. I may consider contacting whatever seller I would buy them from about their return policy. It may end up being through amazon.

 

[Zenthelld]

Yeah as long as it doesn't cause pain. How long have you worn them without discomfort?

To both of you about returns: sounds convincing, and I know the only loss will be some money in shipping though. I may consider contacting whatever seller I would buy them from about their return policy. It may end up being through amazon.

It depends, sometimes they get uncomfortable after like 30 minutes, other times they're comfortable for about 2 hours (I don't really listen to them for longer than this, so that's as long as I can give). I would say this inconsistency is due to my ears as opposed to the headphones. Other people have said they wear them every day at work for 6-8 hours with no issues.

Like I said, when I returned my HP100s to Amazon they refunded the shipping as well, and I didn't have to pay to send them back because I dropped them off at a shop that does that for you. They also gave me the option of sending a courier to pick the package up. This is on the UK by the way, not sure if these services differ in other countries.

It's worth mentioning as well that I've since bought the HP100s again for testing, with the intent of returning them again. I asked Amazon first if they minded me doing this and they said it was fine.

 

[curtisngl]

It depends, sometimes they get uncomfortable after like 30 minutes, other times they're comfortable for about 2 hours (I don't really listen to them for longer than this, so that's as long as I can give). I would say this inconsistency is due to my ears as opposed to the headphones. Other people have said they wear them every day at work for 6-8 hours with no issues.

Like I said, when I returned my HP100s to Amazon they refunded the shipping as well, and I didn't have to pay to send them back because I dropped them off at a shop that does that for you. They also gave me the option of sending a courier to pick the package up. This is on the UK by the way, not sure if these services differ in other countries.

It's worth mentioning as well that I've since bought the HP100s again for testing, with the intent of returning them again. I asked Amazon first if they minded me doing this and they said it was fine.

Do your ears stick out from your head much? Mine do, which is why I get fatigue easily. I guess worst case I could return those, but I don't think there's anything like what you described for returns in the U.S. I've heard a lot about the detail and clarity of the headphones, but how is the bass? I enjoy having a good amount if bass as long as everything else still sounds good, I like when it makes the songs feel more powerful, especially in rock songs where the bass is usually pretty weakly reproduced. To list a few bands: rise against, Aerosmith, blue ouster cult, chevelle, foo fighters, guns n roses, linkin park, Metallica, rage against the machine, seether, shinedown, Styx, UFO.
I'm deeply considering these headphones

 

[Zenthelld]

Do your ears stick out from your head much? Mine do, which is why I get fatigue easily. I guess worst case I could return those, but I don't think there's anything like what you described for returns in the U.S. I've heard a lot about the detail and clarity of the headphones, but how is the bass? I enjoy having a good amount if bass as long as everything else still sounds good, I like when it makes the songs feel more powerful, especially in rock songs where the bass is usually pretty weakly reproduced. To list a few bands: rise against, Aerosmith, blue ouster cult, chevelle, foo fighters, guns n roses, linkin park, Metallica, rage against the machine, seether, shinedown, Styx, UFO.
I'm deeply considering these headphones

I'm both happy and sad to say that my ears do not stick out much.

As for the bass, it's...present. Many people say that it's there when it's needed but that it isn't in your face at all. I would agree with this. When trained to, my ears can pick up the subtle but accurate bass and it sounds good. However these are not bass head 'phones by any measure. That, though, is by default. The PSBs react well to bass boosts, either digitally or via an amp. I, myself, am currently using the C5D amp with bass boost on plus the bass boost on low in my music player (PowerAmp) and this gives me nice sub-bass and that powerful feeling, still without being overwhelming.

Having said that, it might be worth you looking into the SoundMAGIC HP100s. They're slightly clearer, have better bass, isolate better and have a wider soundstage (which a lot of people prefer). They would also give your ears more room to breathe (though not much more). They do require an amp to sound right, though, and even then they lack a certain body and mid-presence that the PSBs provide.

Having said that I prefer the PSBs because they have a presentation I love. Electric guitars are in your face and drums surround you like you're sitting at the kit. The vocals often sound like they're in your head, but that's not something I dislike. It's hard to describe, but it's like your ears are the music, because the drivers are so close to them I guess. When a fret buzzes you feel the vibration, when a drum is hit just right (and recorded well) you feel it reverberate. It feels very personal and powerful and it's something I've not experienced before. I'm sure other headphones do it as well, but I've not heard enough to say with authority. The HP100s do it to a lesser degree, but it doesn't have quite the same impact, I imagine because the soundstage is wider.

Anyway, long story short, I'd recommend getting both pairs if you can, compare them and send back the set that suits you less.

Sorry for such a long reply. Hopefully I got what I was trying to convey across anyway.

Edit: I don't listen to any of the bands you mentioned (except RATM, but I haven't listened to them since getting the PSBs) but these headphones work well with so many genres and bands and albums that I can't imagine any of yours sounding bad. There hasn't been a single thing I've tried out that I didn't think sounded right (something that isn't true of the HP100s). If you want me to try out a specific RATM track and let you know how it sounds or something, let me know.

 

[kimvictor]

I guess here is my thoughts. If you want some clear sounding phones, m4u1 are a good choice. They are very well detailed and clear. However, they do have hint of analytical side. I like my M500 more, and believe natural heads like me will enjoy the M500 more. I really don't like momentums, and really like dt1350.

Why don't I just list few portables around the price range and my ranking:
M500: for most neutral sound with awesome bass and mids. Lacks bit of clarity though.
SRH940: not most portable, but most technically capable. Awesome everything, but bright.
M4U1: very clear and clean. Comes close to srh940 technically, but the sound is not as "natural" as m500
Dt1350: very smooth and neutral. Used to be my favorite with srh940.
Momentum: bit bassy and lacks fair clarity. Not bad though.
Amperior: v shaped sound isn't for me

What more? Idk. But yeah. I think m4u1 are technically capable, but i don't like the tuning. Thb though, i only had a srh1540 to compare it to the day i demoed them.