[wgb113]

Grabbed a pair of these yesterday after trying them briefly in the store.  Initial impressions:
 

1. Build quality/fit and finish is good.  Lots of plastic to keep weight down and blacks/dark grays give them an understated look which I don't mind.
2. Ergonomics - I have what I'd like to think are average size ears.  I wish the ear pads were just a tad bigger, both in cutout size and depth.  The cutout is nearly the same exact size as the Sennheiser HD6xx but the latter's ear pad is both thicker and deeper, allowing my ear to fit inside the pad better.  I adjusted these so that the backs of my ears tuck in and after about an hour the clamping force started to bother me so I hope it doesn't take long to break that aspect in (the pair at the store felt much more comfortable in that regard).  The only other ergonomic gripes are that the three buttons on the left earcup are right where I tend to grab headphones to put them on or take them off.  It's probably just a matter of getting used to where they are and trying to avoid the touch controls on the right earcup at the same time.  Finally, the headband adjustment seems a little high up on the headband but that's a minor quibble.
3. Performance:  Still too early to state anything definitive but I didn't find anything yet that makes them un-likeable.  The ambient modes work nicely, the NC and NC+Optimizer worked well as did the touch controls.  Pairing with my iPhone 6s couldn't have been easier.  Even with NC turned off they blocked out a good amount of outside noise.  I wonder if they had gone just a tad bigger on the overall earcups if it wouldn't have resulted in better comfort and even better passive noise attenuation by giving a better seal around the ears and more area inside the back of the cup for sound-deadening material.

 
Overall I'm happy with them so far.  They'll likely see most use from me as a closed set of cans at home than for travel/commuting/working but I do have a 5 hour flight next week to put them through their paces.

 

[ricthaman]

So I bought these Sony's two weeks ago, after going through this thread for days. 
In the store, I was contemplating between these, QC35 and P7W. The store was noisy, and the P7W was not connected correctly (and battery was dead). So I pulled the trigger on the Sony.
 
Initial thoughts:
They are comfortable! Very comfortable. I had no issues with my ears touching the driver housing (and if they did, I didn't notice) and they didn't cause any discomfort whatsoever.
The sound of these was very nicely balanced; very neutral, and I especially liked the low-end. It was not in-your face, but rather gentle yet very textured. Mids were 'okay'; nice and neutral (again) but not very 'up in front', so to speak. The treble however, I found it lacking. The extension (as so often mentioned) is not that good and, while the detail is there, you have to 'listen' for the treble detail to come out.
 
Since the NC capabilities of these headphones are superb (believe the hype!), and I could very well live with the sound, I kept them around. But one evening (after using nothing but the Sony's for a week), I decided to put them up against my Beyerdynamic T70. That was a mistake. Let me start by stating the obvious: they are in no way comparable headphones. But my main concern has always been SQ, and the Beyers killed it in detail, extension (both ends), soundstage and impact. This comparison got me thinking whether the NC (albeit very, very good) was really such a nice feature to sacrifice so much SQ. My main motivation being that 400 bucks (euro's for me actually) could surely buy me a better BT headphone (being a BT headphone was my main requirement).
 
Long story short: the MDR-1000X went back, and the Bowers & Wilkins P7W replaced them. 
 
P7W vs MDR-1000X:
When NC is no requirement, the P7W kills the Sony as far as SQ and quality of materials are concerned. Also, the volume of the P7W is better (higher) and the product 'feels' better in the hand.
The P7W is punchier, has far better treble extension and detail and has a more dynamic sound to it. The Sony is absolutely a tad more comfortable, and has nice features such as the touchpad. But purely based on their performance as a wireless headphone: the P7W beats them hands down. 
 
In my opinion, as many have said, when NC is a requirement the MDR-1000X is absolutely the best as far as SQ is concerned (comfort and looks are subjective). Feature wise, the Parrot Zik 3.0 has some tricks up its sleeve as well so I don't count the Sony as a clear winner here (although I find Sony's features better). Furthermore, the Sony has the best NC available.
However, when NC is not a requirement, but you're just looking for a good wireless BT headphone the P7W is the one to beat in my opinion. Comfort and looks aside, in my book, it is the best BT headphone for a head-fier like me.
 
Disclaimer: I jave heard many BT headphones, such as the Philips Fidelio line, multiple Sony's, Parrot Zik (1.0 & 3.0), Beats Studio and some generic ones. I didn't get the chance to listen to B&O offerings, or AT offerings. So please keep this in mind while reading my comments
 
Kind regads,
 
Ric

 

[SoulViper]

wow, I was waiting for a comparison like that, much appreciated!!
 
last days I was wondering which bluetooth model I could buy between these ones: 
 
B&O H7
Sony MDR1000X
Bowers P7
 
so for me easily I will discard sony because I dont need ANC, and prefer build quality and sound performance
 
otherwise, anyone here have compared last model B&O H7 with these ones? or only against bowers p7 wireless?
 
thanks in advance!!

 

[329161]

So I bought these Sony's two weeks ago, after going through this thread for days. 
In the store, I was contemplating between these, QC35 and P7W. The store was noisy, and the P7W was not connected correctly (and battery was dead). So I pulled the trigger on the Sony.

Initial thoughts:
They are comfortable! Very comfortable. I had no issues with my ears touching the driver housing (and if they did, I didn't notice) and they didn't cause any discomfort whatsoever.
The sound of these was very nicely balanced; very neutral, and I especially liked the low-end. It was not in-your face, but rather gentle yet very textured. Mids were 'okay'; nice and neutral (again) but not very 'up in front', so to speak. The treble however, I found it lacking. The extension (as so often mentioned) is not that good and, while the detail is there, you have to 'listen' for the treble detail to come out.

Since the NC capabilities of these headphones are superb (believe the hype!), and I could very well live with the sound, I kept them around. But one evening (after using nothing but the Sony's for a week), I decided to put them up against my Beyerdynamic T70. That was a mistake. Let me start by stating the obvious: they are in no way comparable headphones. But my main concern has always been SQ, and the Beyers killed it in detail, extension (both ends), soundstage and impact. This comparison got me thinking whether the NC (albeit very, very good) was really such a nice feature to sacrifice so much SQ. My main motivation being that 400 bucks (euro's for me actually) could surely buy me a better BT headphone (being a BT headphone was my main requirement).

Long story short: the MDR-1000X went back, and the Bowers & Wilkins P7W replaced them. 

P7W vs MDR-1000X:
When NC is no requirement, the P7W kills the Sony as far as SQ and quality of materials are concerned. Also, the volume of the P7W is better (higher) and the product 'feels' better in the hand.
The P7W is punchier, has far better treble extension and detail and has a more dynamic sound to it. The Sony is absolutely a tad more comfortable, and has nice features such as the touchpad. But purely based on their performance as a wireless headphone: the P7W beats them hands down. 

In my opinion, as many have said, when NC is a requirement the MDR-1000X is absolutely the best as far as SQ is concerned (comfort and looks are subjective). Feature wise, the Parrot Zik 3.0 has some tricks up its sleeve as well so I don't count the Sony as a clear winner here (although I find Sony's features better). Furthermore, the Sony has the best NC available.
However, when NC is not a requirement, but you're just looking for a good wireless BT headphone the P7W is the one to beat in my opinion. Comfort and looks aside, in my book, it is the best BT headphone for a head-fier like me.

Disclaimer: I jave heard many BT headphones, such as the Philips Fidelio line, multiple Sony's, Parrot Zik (1.0 & 3.0), Beats Studio and some generic ones. I didn't get the chance to listen to B&O offerings, or AT offerings. So please keep this in mind while reading my comments

Kind regads,

Ric

Nice comparison. I own both these headphones. I personally find bass definition, punch, and transparency better on the Sony. Bass is a tad loose on the P7. I agree with the better treble extension , and greater bass quantity on the P7. Not really sure how anyone can make a definitive comparison between headphones with limited listening time in a noisy environment. But anyway, that's my opinion.

 

[Gamergtx260]

  wow, I was waiting for a comparison like that, much appreciated!!
 
last days I was wondering which bluetooth model I could buy between these ones: 
 
B&O H7
Sony MDR1000X
Bowers P7
 
so for me easily I will discard sony because I dont need ANC, and prefer build quality and sound performance
 
otherwise, anyone here have compared last model B&O H7 with these ones? or only against bowers p7 wireless?
 
thanks in advance!!

If you don't need ANC, the P7 seems a good choice.
 
But if you haven't given a listen to both, I would say to do it so. The P7 is definitely good sounding, with a boomy bass and nice treble (U shaped) but the 1000X sounds more balanced (still not neutral), atleast to my ears. Many would prefer the P7 and I understand why.
 
I haven't listened to the H7 but the H6. They are on-ears and also didn't like the SQ.

 

[SoulViper]

thanks for your answer!!
 
according to bang&olufsen models, both are over-ear
 
and I can buy h7 for 263€ price which I consider is quite a bargain, don't you?
 
nevertheless, if anyone has compared side by side, the three models, I would be very pleased to read his comparison

 

[MaxiTK]

I am lost about the pairing options: with two android devices,one only for music, the other only for calls, is it possible be connected to both? so while i'm listening to music and receive a call, i can answer using the headphone?

 
From one of my old posts:
 
Originally Posted by MaxiTK /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
Actually this is possible but you need to setup the bluetooth connection for the two devices like this:

1. music device: A2DP (aka media audio) bluetooth mode only
2. phone: HFP or HSP (aka phone audio) bluetooth mode only

 
I haven't tried this myself but the manual is quite specific that it should work like this. Since most bluetooth devices grab both modes when doing the initial pairing then you need to manually edit the pairing mode (after the initial pairing) to get it working correctly in the future.
 
Also a tip for Android users: if your music skips / you experience occasional dropouts then this might be due to screen going off and the CPU going to low power mode resulting in skips/dropouts. The fix here (surprisingly stupid but working) is to install an app which skeeps the screen on as long as the music player app is running. Naturally this will drain the battery a bit but it has kept playback problem free for me (Note 4).

 

[329161]

thanks for your answer!!

according to bang&olufsen models, both are over-ear

and I can buy h7 for 263€ price which I consider is quite a bargain, don't you?

nevertheless, if anyone has compared side by side, the three models, I would be very pleased to read his comparison

I had a brief listen in a quiet shop of the H7. They really didn't go loud enough for me. Sound signature seemed ok, but I couldn't really enjoy them because of the low volume level.

 

[jay1982]

I have just brought Sony NW-A35 from Sony centre. This should go nicely with my MDR 1000x

 

[sosrah]

Thank you for the response.
I was considering 1000x for it's NC options but i now i think i'll give up if it has skip/dropouts problems.

 

[329161]

FYI the 1000x and the P7 wireless both got 5 star reviews in Whathifi (the Sony got full marks in every category).So at least from their professional reviewers' points of view, the P7 does not clearly sound better.
Go to the whathifi site and search their review section. I would trust what they say over what most people (including myself) have to say here at Headfi.

 

[bossnass15]

I've demoed the mdr1000x in a shop and also used my brother's mdr1000x exclusively for 2 weeks and the p7 wireless for some time and I think if sound quality is a priority, the p7 absolutely beats the mdr1000x.

There were just some details, texture, layer that weren't there in some tracks I've listened a 1000 times before on the mdr 1000x that I'm familiar with on the p7 wireless. (sort like a 3d layering presentation).

That said I prefer the mdr1000x for comfort and commuting (love the NC!) over the p7 wireless.
My main gripe of the p7 wireless is the headband can be a discomfort after a while.

My 2 cents.

 

[Yepega]

I tried the P7 Wireless for a few days, I really liked the sound (although a bit too bassy) and the premium materials but the headband really kills the top of my head after about thirty minutes. I really wanted to keep them but I couldn't after I noticed this every time. I kept the Sony MDR-1000X and I'm very happy with it although I want to try it against the B&O H9. Has anybody compared these two, as far as sound quality? Is the B&O a step up from the Sonys?

 

[MixMasterMan]

I needed a pair of NC cans, so I picked up a QC35 & 1000x (they apparently have the best NC out of all of them). So, here is my comparison with the QC35...
 
The short end of it? - SQ wise, the 1000x's have a low volume threshold, and distort very easily. Anything with strong bass will make them distort (Daft Punk - "Giorgio by Morodor", for instance) - This was the killer for me. Wired/Wireless, NC on/off, it didn't matter. Also, the treble is a bit recessed. While it reduces sibilance, it makes them sound a little congested. The QC35 however, are very balanced, have better clarity, and have a higher volume threshold. - The comfort is good, but no where as comfy as the QC35. - The gesture functions and NC/Ambient features were very impressive and cool. The NC is about 10% more effective than the QC35, but it comes with a slight audible white noise hiss that the QC35 does not have. Also, the vacuum pressure on the eardrum is a stronger with the QC35. Both are awesome with NC though. - Battery life, and BT range is about equal. So, those features are a non-factor.
 
I really loved the QC35, from the moment I put them on. I tried to love the 1000x, but was like..."Ehh..."
 
It's a toss up of preference, and what features you'd like. but for me, the QC35 wins. I wanted the best NC but also a good sound, and the QC35 beats the 1000x in that regard. I find it very puzzling that many people think the Sony's sound better. Maybe in the mids, there is more fullness, but its not as even as the QC35, and the volume just craps out too easily.  

 

[ricthaman]

To add to my own comparison of a few posts back:
 
It is true that the P7 has more bass quantity than the Sony. However, to my ears, the low end of the P7 is a bit better defined. 
The Sony's gentle textured low-end is really great when you are sitting at home, and do some serious listening. However, in the office or out and about the P7's low end is preferable for me as I can still hear the 'layers' in the low end better. With the Sony's, ANC helps a great deal but still urges me to turn up the volume (of which the P7 has more) and the ANC introduces a small 'hiss' or 'artificial sound' to the music.
 
The P7 on low volume sounds more dynamic and lively than the Sony's did. I found this to be especially noticeable on live albums.
 
Furthermore, somebody mentioned the Whathifi reviews. I've been following Whathifi for many years (for various gear) and if I'm not mistaken they always review a product with regard to their category. In their review, this is reflected in the fact that they only compare them to the Bose QC35 (which was the king of the wireless ANC headphone category). Something to be aware of.
 
Lastly: today I partnered my P7W with my Dragonfly black v1.5 DAC, and the results were remarkable. The P7W (to my ears) behaves and scales way better in wired mode than the Sony's did, although the Sony's weren't bad at all! I need to listen more to go into more detail on this.
 
Again, all this is based on my findings. As always: ymmv. Listening to them yourself is always the best way to find out!
 
Kind regards,
 
Ric