Bowers and Wilkins P7 Headphone Performance

[twt4757]

I recently puchased the Bowers and Wilkins P7 headphones and they sound great coming from my late 2011 MacBook Pro and even through my iPhone without using any sort of external amplifier. However, when I plug them into my work laptop (Dell Latitude E7440), I immediately notice a huge drop in performance - the sound is flat, bass is nearly non-existant and they lose almost every aspect that made the sound so great in the beginning. The Dell is by no means a powerhouse, but it is much newer and technically overshadows the Mac by a long shot.

Is there anything that can be done, outside of purchasing an amplifier, to boost performance from the Dell?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[twt4757]

Anyone?

 

[ID.]

Apple tends to give attention to sound quality, and I sometimes think my p7s may have been voiced to sound good with Apple products.

I'd be looking at something like the Dragonfly USB DAC. Other companies also make similar products (Arcam, Cambridge Audio, Schiit). One of these USB DAC headphone amps should work for you.

 

[hg_mike]

Hello twt4757, and welcome to the forum.

Just because the Dell Latitude E7440 is a newer laptop (and possibly designed only for business use), it does not automatically follow that it has also been designed for better consumer audio performance as well.

This means that you may need to use an external DAC or headphone amp, to get the best out of your headphones.

I use a Dragonfly v1.2 DAC plugged into my computer, and it greatly improved the sound quality, compared to the standard headphone socket. I am using sennheiser HD 598SE headphones

For mobile needs, I use an Oppo HA-2 headphone amp connected to my phone (the oppo is compatible with both apple and android devices), and that too greatly improves the sound quality. The improvement is noticeable even with Shure SE 100 phones, so I am expecting an improvement when I upgrade (hopefully soon).

Otherwise maybe it is worth searching this thread, to see if any of the posters, have a similar experience to you, and have posted suggestions.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/681976/bowers-wilkins-p7-over-the-ear-headphones

 

[MajorFubar]

The Dell is by no means a powerhouse, but it is much newer and technically overshadows the Mac by a long shot.

Except for the naff soundcards typically shoehorned onto the circuitboards of mass-market PC laptops. Unfortunately, as explained above, your only option to improve it is use an external DAC. Dragonfly, already suggested, is a small neat self-powered option.

Is there anything that can be done, outside of purchasing an amplifier, to boost performance from the Dell?

That won't work, that'll only make the crap sound louder.

 

[ID.]

The Dell is by no means a powerhouse, but it is much newer and technically overshadows the Mac by a long shot.

Except for the naff soundcards typically shoehorned onto the circuitboards of mass-market PC laptops. Unfortunately, as explained above, your only option to improve it is use an external DAC. Dragonfly, already suggested, is a small neat self-powered option.

Is there anything that can be done, outside of purchasing an amplifier, to boost performance from the Dell?

That won't work, that'll only make the crap sound louder.

yep. He definitely needs a DAC in there as well as an amp. Considering the price and performance potential of the headphones something like the Dragonfly is definitely worthwhile

when out and about I'm more than happy with the sound of the P7s with just my iPhone, although I do use a FiiO X5 when traveling.

 

[Al ears]

The Dell is by no means a powerhouse, but it is much newer and technically overshadows the Mac by a long shot.

Except for the naff soundcards typically shoehorned onto the circuitboards of mass-market PC laptops. Unfortunately, as explained above, your only option to improve it is use an external DAC. Dragonfly, already suggested, is a small neat self-powered option.

Is there anything that can be done, outside of purchasing an amplifier, to boost performance from the Dell?

That won't work, that'll only make the crap sound louder.

yep. He definitely needs a DAC in there as well as an amp. Considering the price and performance potential of the headphones something like the Dragonfly is definitely worthwhile

when out and about I'm more than happy with the sound of the P7s with just my iPhone, although I do use a FiiO X5 when traveling.

Likewise I use my P7's with am old Fiio X3 when working away from home. I would second, or is it third?, the suggestion of an external USB amp/DAC of some description.

 

[twt4757]

Thanks for the replys. It sounds like the Dragonfly USB DAC will suit my needs just fine and is probably a worthwhile investment given the price of these headphones.