[Mickice]

Like I said, they sound even better direct from a Walkman, pure synergy. 

 

[fish1050]

I have no issues getting gear in Canada...


I just have to pay 3 times more for shipping than the rest of the world LOL. Lets not talk about the difference in the dollar though... That's just to painful.

As for trying quality gear in Canada, in Calgary there is only one shop that sells anything high end and then it's only a select few products. Everywhere else is the usual low end crap, or Beats, Bose, and Monster...

Have you ever checked out headphonear.com in bc they have great prices and a big selection

 

[goodyfresh]

 
Finally gave them a thorough audition
 
Yes I'm back and fresh off a thorough hour long audition of the MDR100AAP.   A buddy of mine who still works in sales called me last night to say that a pair were making the rounds through the sales staff at his store.  The manager was apparently trying to decide if they wanted to carry them or not.  This morning I went in for an audition. The pair I got to audition had made the rounds through a few other stores before they ended up in my buddy's hands so they probably had at least 100 hours of break in before my audition.  I had my A17, E12A and P5 headphones with so I could do a comparison.
 
Sound impressions:
 
As I suspected these are a good sounding pair of $200 + headphones. 
 
The bass is fairly tight and well controlled but a little heavy for my taste at times
 
The mids are pretty good, nice amount of detail but a little vanilla sounding lacking some dynamics
 
The treble was good to, not quite sibilant but got close a few times seem to have a tiny bit of sharpness to it.
 
I did not detect any bass rattle per se with them connected to my A17/E12A but we decided to see how they would fair when connected to a more powerful home system.  We took them out to the show floor and tested them out on Harmon Kardon setup with some test CD's.  That is when the bass rattle made an appearance,  I suspect the bass rattle needs the right music and the right SPL  to force the rattle to occur.  There was also a bit of distortion when we started to crank the volume up, started at about 50%.  I don't think these headphones would fair that well for home use but I can't see either the bass rattle or distortion to be a real problem with a portable setup.  In all fairness I wouldn't listen to my home system at that volume level normally either. 
 
As a comparison to my B&W P5 Series 2's
 
Bass:  the MDR100AAP has slightly more inflated bass and it seems to extend to slightly higher frequencies than the P5's.   I would say they are about even when it comes to tightness and control, pretty well defined on both
 
Mids: the MDR100AAP mids are slightly more neutral though not a huge difference, definitely less dynamic if that is the right word, reasonably warm but not as warm as the P5's.  The P5's to me have sweeter mids and they do seem a tad smoother and less analytical.  I also found the P5's provide a little more detail
 
Treble: the MDR100AAP definitely has more extended treble which isn't surprising given its rated frequency range.  I could only tell the difference with some classical music demo tracks but as I don't list to classical music and most of the music I listen to doesn't have much content in the upper treble range it won't affect me much.  I also suspect the extended treble added to the slight sharpness I detected on some tracks.  The P5's definitely roll off more quickly but there isn't the same sharpness and never any sibilance.
 
The intangibles as I call them:  SOUNDSTAGE: both have a big soundstage with the MDR100AAP being slightly wider but the P5's just seems a little fuller with more depth.  IMAGING:  with its more neutral sound signature I give the slight edge to the MDR100AAP.  AIR AND SEPARATION: I have to give the slight edge to the P5's, the fuller soundstage seems to provide more air and  slightly better separation between the different elements.  ISOLATION:  While I did not get to try out the MDR100AAP outdoors I can't speak for the wind noise issue.  But in terms of isolation I could hear conversations around me quite clearly and others around me reported they could hear a fair amount of leakage.  Normally one of the pluses of over-ear headphones is isolation but my on-ear P5's have much better isolation and leakage was minimal in comparison.  VOLUME:  I was curious to see how the two would compare as the P5's spec out at a slightly lower resistance 22 vs 24 ohms, and higher sensitivity 108 vs 103 db.  I did find the Sony's slightly harder to drive and I had to crank the volume a few notches higher on my E12A (5/9 vs 5.5/9)
 
CONCLUSIONS:  The MDR100AAP is a very good $200 portable headphone.  I just don't think they would make my list as they are to uncomfortable for me. They rested on the outer edge of my ears and after about 20 minutes it was getting painful and the clamping force is pretty strong.  I am so use to the excellent isolation of my P5's the lack of isolation on the Sony's would drive me crazy.  They don't seem to be a good choice for use on a more powerful home system and I like to use my P5's for both.  Don't know about the wind noise issue so I can't speak to its severity.  I do like the fact that for over-ear headphones they are pretty portable
 
In the the end the concerns I expressed about these headphones prior to an audition are the reasons they won't work for me after the audition. If Sony were to address these issues in another model or perhaps in next years model I might change my mind

By "sibilance" are you referring to when things sound "lispy" (littthhhpy), by any chance, and by "sharpness" are you referring to "stridence?"

I'm glad you gave these a fairy chance, taht's all the rest of us were asking of you here   It sounds like for your particular needs, the B&W P5 do a considerably better job than the 100AAP, and so I can understand your decision to just keep using the P5 rather than buy a pair of these.  Also unfortunately it soudns like your ears are a little-above-average in width and/or height which definitely doesn't do so well with the ear-cups on these, although they're still larger than the cups on something like the Sennheiser Momentum which seem to have been designed as over-ears for folks with Dwarfism and/or for children, lmao.
 
They definitely don't have the best isolation, I'll give them that.  I don't find the clamping force to be especially strong though, but I guess everyone has differently shaped heads and that could have something to do with it.

The things you've said here have certainly piqued my interest in the B&W P5, by the way!  It must be very good for on-ears, and certainly must be LEAGUES better than the P3 which I listened to and sounds like absolute crap to me, lmao.  One thing I do wonder about the P5 and the P7, though. . .are they ACTUALLY worth their respective asking-prices of $270 and of almost $400?  Because that seems very expensive for what they are, just saying. . .perhaps they sound great but aren't so great on the actual price-to-performance ratio?  Could you maybe tell me more, in a PM if you think it would take this thread too off-topic, of your impressions of the P5 and its value and such?
 
Anyway again, we all definitely appreciate the impressions of someone who found they actually had some negatives/issues with the use of the MDR-100AAP, as that is able to nicely "balance-out" things in this thread.  It's okay to derail the hype-train, IMO, as long as one has given something a valid chance
 

  Like I said, they sound even better direct from a Walkman, pure synergy. 

That's great and all, but unfortunately I also like to use some fairly-sensitive IEM's, and in the future I'd like to be able to use high-impedance stuff as well, and Walkmans with their high output-impedance and low output-power don't play well with such tech

 
Anyway, I find they already pair quite well with my Fiio X3ii, I am not complaining at all about that pairing

 

[waynes world]

Have you ever checked out headphonebar.com in bc they have great prices and a big selection

 
Fixed that for ya!
 

By "sibilance" are you referring to when things sound "lispy" (littthhhpy), by any chance, and by "sharpness" are you referring to "stridence?"

 
Personally, I haven't experienced the highs of the 100aap's as coming anywhere near sibilant or sharp.

 

[DooberKnob]

Are there any US retailers selling these?

 

[RERO]

Are there any US retailers selling these?

 
B&H
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=hear.on&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

 

[dweaver]

Ahhh thanks Wayne yes I do check out headphonebar quite regularly. Some day will try out the Nighthawks from them or a local shop in Calgary.

Goodyfresh, the P5 v2 is wayyyy better than the original P5 sound wise and is actually pretty comfy for an on ear.

 

[goodyfresh]

   
Fixed that for ya!
 
 
Personally, I haven't experienced the highs of the 100aap's as coming anywhere near sibilant or sharp.

Well, we all have different ears and brains   To me as well, I've never heard any sibilance or stridence, and I tend to have pretty treble-sensitive ears.

Ahhh thanks Wayne

yes I do check out headphonebar quite regularly. Some day will try out the Nighthawks from them or a local shop in Calgary.

Goodyfresh, the P5 v2 is wayyyy better than the original P5 sound wise and is actually pretty comfy for an on ear.

Well the one in that product-line that I heard is the P3, not the original P5, but I've heard the old P5 is very very unbalanced and mids-recessed much like the P3.  So is the P5 v2 much better balanced in its signature?  And, most importantly to me, is it ACTUALLY WORTH the asking-price of $269.99 US Dollars, I mean really?


I keep hearing awesome things about the Nighthawks.  Supposedly they are some of the best headphones on the planet for those who enjoy heavy bass without sacrificing detail in the rest of the frequencies.  My now good buddy here,  @inthere, absolutely SWEARS by the Audioquest Nighthawks for his own personal use, he keeps repeatedly bringing them up in our convos.  Lmao.

 

[fish1050]

 
By "sibilance" are you referring to when things sound "lispy" (littthhhpy), by any chance, and by "sharpness" are you referring to "stridence?"

I'm glad you gave these a fairy chance, taht's all the rest of us were asking of you here   It sounds like for your particular needs, the B&W P5 do a considerably better job than the 100AAP, and so I can understand your decision to just keep using the P5 rather than buy a pair of these.  Also unfortunately it soudns like your ears are a little-above-average in width and/or height which definitely doesn't do so well with the ear-cups on these, although they're still larger than the cups on something like the Sennheiser Momentum which seem to have been designed as over-ears for folks with Dwarfism and/or for children, lmao.
 
They definitely don't have the best isolation, I'll give them that.  I don't find the clamping force to be especially strong though, but I guess everyone has differently shaped heads and that could have something to do with it.

The things you've said here have certainly piqued my interest in the B&W P5, by the way!  It must be very good for on-ears, and certainly must be LEAGUES better than the P3 which I listened to and sounds like absolute crap to me, lmao.  One thing I do wonder about the P5 and the P7, though. . .are they ACTUALLY worth their respective asking-prices of $270 and of almost $400?  Because that seems very expensive for what they are, just saying. . .perhaps they sound great but aren't so great on the actual price-to-performance ratio?  Could you maybe tell me more, in a PM if you think it would take this thread too off-topic, of your impressions of the P5 and its value and such?
 
Anyway again, we all definitely appreciate the impressions of someone who found they actually had some negatives/issues with the use of the MDR-100AAP, as that is able to nicely "balance-out" things in this thread.  It's okay to derail the hype-train, IMO, as long as one has given something a valid chance
 
That's great and all, but unfortunately I also like to use some fairly-sensitive IEM's, and in the future I'd like to be able to use high-impedance stuff as well, and Walkmans with their high output-impedance and low output-power don't play well with such tech

 
Anyway, I find they already pair quite well with my Fiio X3ii, I am not complaining at all about that pairing

Sibilance - the best way I can describe it is when words with the letter "S" sound smeared or distorted instead of clear .
 
Sharp - I would say the best description would be a slight harshness or edge to the sound instead of a sounding smooth.
 
As far as the clamping force on the MDR100AAP alot of other people tried these headphones before me and may have tried to compress the headband to get a better fit.  With my big head the clamping force could have been worse than normal.  Just speculation on my part.
 
My apologies to the forum for this next part, won't do this again!!
 
As for the B&W P5 Series 2,  I actually had a pair of P3's for awhile but sold them to help pay for the P5's.  Yes they are much better than the P3's and are much closer in sound to the P7.  Unlike most headphones in this price range the P5's have no plastic at all, its high grade steel and aluminum, thick real leather and thick memory foam for the ear pads.  It isn't all just for show,  the leather and thick memory foam help a lot with isolation and they prevent leakage creating a nice seal,  It also makes these headphones really comfortable to wear for long periods.  So you are paying a slight premium for higher grade materials and very high quality construction.  You get a full 2 year warranty on all B&W headphones.  I am older and I work in the business district so I do put a bit of a premium on how my headphones look and these do look classy. 
 
I did try the Fiio X3 II for awhile but I found that the A17's sound better and with the much better battery life and better UI I had to make the move to the A17.  Pairing the A17 with first the E11k and then the E12A overcome the weak power of the A17 nicely.

 

[XERO1]

  Are there any US retailers selling these?

They are now available directly from Amazon.com.

 
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Premium-Hi-Res-Headphones-Charcoal/dp/B015ZDH16W/

 

[fish1050]

  Like I said, they sound even better direct from a Walkman, pure synergy. 

I find with my E12A that my A17 does sound better, the sound stage opens up, the extra power helps with the dynamics and the music has more impact.  I don't find it degrades the sound at all and is a necessity with my choice of headphones

 

[dweaver]

I can confirm the P5 v2 sounds quite close to the P7.

I actually do think they are as comfortable as an on-ear can get without being loose (I'm looking at you NAD) and they do isolate well. Are they worth the extra $70 that would be up to the listener and wearer. They definitely are made of more premium materials.

I don't hear any sibilance in my 100AAP but they are the brightest Sony I own so come close.

 

[fish1050]

 
Well, we all have different ears and brains   To me as well, I've never heard any sibilance or stridence, and I tend to have pretty treble-sensitive ears.

Well the one in that product-line that I heard is the P3, not the original P5, but I've heard the old P5 is very very unbalanced and mids-recessed much like the P3.  So is the P5 v2 much better balanced in its signature?  And, most importantly to me, is it ACTUALLY WORTH the asking-price of $269.99 US Dollars, I mean really?


I keep hearing awesome things about the Nighthawks.  Supposedly they are some of the best headphones on the planet for those who enjoy heavy bass without sacrificing detail in the rest of the frequencies.  My now good buddy here,  @inthere, absolutely SWEARS by the Audioquest Nighthawks for his own personal use, he keeps repeatedly bringing them up in our convos.  Lmao.

The P5 Series 2 is much more balanced than the originals and are tuned more toward the P7 and miles ahead of the P3's which I also owned for awhile.  You can see my P5 Series 2 breakdown for further details.   It depends on how much you care about high quality components and construction.  I will bet on my P5's holding up better over time than any headphones made mostly of plastic. 
 
Once you have a chance to live with the new P5 for awhile you really start to appreciate how well constructed and rugged they are.  For the $70.00 difference you do get an extra years warranty 2 years to Sony's 1 year and much higher quality parts.   I choose to think long term, up front they may cost more but I will bet on them still looking and sounding great years from now. 
 
Sorry but the MDR100AAP are not good for home use which limits their usability.  I use my P5's for portable and home use and they do a great job in both cases

 

[fish1050]

I can confirm the P5 v2 sounds quite close to the P7.

I actually do think they are as comfortable as an on-ear can get without being loose (I'm looking at you NAD) and they do isolate well. Are they worth the extra $70 that would be up to the listener and wearer. They definitely are made of more premium materials.

I don't hear any sibilance in my 100AAP but they are the brightest Sony I own so come close.

Yeah at times it seemed like they were sitting on the fence in becoming sibilant but didn't quite make it over.  Don't know if it would be an issue with most of my music preferences

 

[fish1050]

 
The P5 Series 2 is much more balanced than the originals and are tuned more toward the P7 and miles ahead of the P3's which I also owned for awhile.  You can see my P5 Series 2 breakdown for further details.   It depends on how much you care about high quality components and construction.  I will bet on my P5's holding up better over time than any headphones made mostly of plastic. 
 
Once you have a chance to live with the new P5 for awhile you really start to appreciate how well constructed and rugged they are.  For the $70.00 difference you do get an extra years warranty 2 years to Sony's 1 year and much higher quality parts.   I choose to think long term, up front they may cost more but I will bet on them still looking and sounding great years from now. 
 
Sorry but the MDR100AAP are not good for home use which limits their usability.  I use my P5's for portable and home use and they do a great job in both cases

If you are balking at paying $270 for the P5's check out some prices for B&O Beoplay headphones and tell me if you would pay the premium prices Bose charges for their cans.  Everything is relative, P5's are more expensive than the MDR100AAP's but cheaper than similar class B&O's and Bose headphones.