Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) P7 Stereo Headphone review for 2015.

[Deleted member 2457]

Just been listening to AC/DC Thunderstruck - the soundstage is huge! *smile*

 

[dalethorn]

I think these p7s may well have had a fix Dale. These are much more comfortable than my last pair.

The thing that really struck me on my first set was I felt a little claustrophobic - they didn't press hard or have any pinching etc. - just seemed too confining somehow. This time they seem just like a good closed headphone should be, and they've also maintained the great sound. I will NOT trade this P7 off ever again. Tomorrow I'll be testing the P7 with the new Oppo HA-2 portable DAC/amp. BTW, today I ran some tests with the v-moda Verza DAC/amp and iPhone6+, and then using a computer with the Microstreamer DAC with its own amp, then using the Microstreamer DAC to the Portaphile amp. The Microstreamer alone won that easily, with the most detailed bass, down to 16 hz! The Verza/phone came in second, and the Portaphile combo was slightly muddy. The Portaphile should have won with the tightest bass, so for some reason the P7 doesn't like that combination of amps.

 

[hybridauth_Twitter_14572180]

I've been thinking of buying a pair but wondered how you would rate their isolation, particulalrly in terms of blocking out traffic noise?

 

[dalethorn]

I've been thinking of buying a pair but wondered how you would rate their isolation, particulalrly in terms of blocking out traffic noise?

The P7 is as good as passive-isolating closed headphones get, for high isolation and low leakage. Highly recommended.

 

[ID.]

After a 3 week wait my pair have arrived. Funny how 3 weeks can seem short when they originally said 6-7 weeks for delivery.

Loving them so far. Great isolation. Gorgeous leather and build (although I'm sure I'm paying a premium for some bling here). Lovely sound. Just what I was looking for as a set to travel with, but I foresee them getting a lot of use at home too.

 

[crusaderlord]

I managed to get a decent demo in the London apple store of the H6 and the P7.

B&O H6 - lovely wide soundstage, good clear presentation and amazingly comfortable. pretty much as good as i hoped they would be but the one area they lacked is what i would call the upper bass which was a bit light. i thought the deeper bass was there but then there was a lift before a refocus on the amazing midrange which these excel at. great phones and one of the most comfortable but i did eventually prefer ...

B&W P7 - wasnt expecting to try these but i liked these more, they seem to have a more focused bass and vocals, very clear and enticing and for me the best balance across the whole range. closer to my grados than anything else i tried i guess which may be why i liked them. maybe not as compfy as the B&O but if i was sticking to more portable phones i would have got these. in fact i may still mark these as a future purchase. I didnt feel like i was listening to a closed back headphone to be honest.

I opted to upgrade my home use phones in the Beyerdynamic T90s which is more important than a portable pair. I now have two good headphones and i am currently considering trading my Grados for the P7 phones. Time will tell on this. As for the Beyers, they are just lovely headphones, being detailed, smooth, great bass and vocals but what i liked is that i dont feel shortchanged compared to my main hifi - most of the instruments are presented in quite a similar way across the soundstage.

 

[dalethorn]

Interesting. The T90 has some of the attributes of the P7 (a bit dark) and the Grado (great treble detail), but I'm thinking that the P7 and Grado are so different, it would be a shame not to have both, unless isolation were the deciding factor.

 

[crusaderlord]

i will try and use that arguement with my wife 'its a shame not to have both' - i am sure she will agree *stop*

i didnt get to try the P7 directly alongside my Grados - i just felt at the time they both had a more lively and punchy aspect to them . i dont really want to trade out my grados as they are a completely different listen to the T90s - the test will be whether over time i stop using them. if i have one issue with the grados they are fairly fatiguing on my ears, better when using the little dot value amp, but still for me a short stint headphone whereas the beyer T90 i can listen for ages.

i can hear more instruments more clearly with the beyer T90 and follow each individually whereas the grados merge everything much more closely into a more focused and rhythmical experience. they are just different ways of listening to music. i would liken it to when i had a demo of my arcam system v naim - i found the arcam had a much more clear, airy and spacious presentation while the naim was darker, rhythmical and thicker.

in the end it could come down to whether i want an isolated headphone to use on train journeys - its not so necessary at home as there is more than one place i can listen so i dont disturb anyone. i am not sure i can justify 3 headphones of this price bracket (actually i know i cant unless as i have spent enough on myself now) so if i decide on the P7 then i suspect it will be at the expense of the grados. Anyway no decision will be made for the moment. i feel lucky enough to have what i have, its more than many could hope to get.

the bottom line is the T90s are so good at the moment that these are my current favourite.

 

[dalethorn]

i will try and use that arguement with my wife 'its a shame not to have both' - i am sure she will agree *stop*

i didnt get to try the P7 directly alongside my Grados - i just felt at the time they both had a more lively and punchy aspect to them . i dont really want to trade out my grados as they are a completely different listen to the T90s - the test will be whether over time i stop using them. if i have one issue with the grados they are fairly fatiguing on my ears, better when using the little dot value amp, but still for me a short stint headphone whereas the beyer T90 i can listen for ages.

i can hear more instruments more clearly with the beyer T90 and follow each individually whereas the grados merge everything much more closely into a more focused and rhythmical experience. they are just different ways of listening to music. i would liken it to when i had a demo of my arcam system v naim - i found the arcam had a much more clear, airy and spacious presentation while the naim was darker, rhythmical and thicker.

in the end it could come down to whether i want an isolated headphone to use on train journeys - its not so necessary at home as there is more than one place i can listen so i dont disturb anyone. i am not sure i can justify 3 headphones of this price bracket (actually i know i cant unless as i have spent enough on myself now) so if i decide on the P7 then i suspect it will be at the expense of the grados. Anyway no decision will be made for the moment. i feel lucky enough to have what i have, its more than many could hope to get.

the bottom line is the T90s are so good at the moment that these are my current favourite.

I don't remember if I mentioned this already, but do, do try the AKG K553 - it's closed and isolating, but has a very neutral sound with good high end (unlike the uneven P7), and much cheaper.

 

[ID.]

Currently travelling, but listening to my P7s on my MacBook Pro with BitPerfect and I have to say they're sounding great. Not really missing my home setup too much. Great choice if you need something a bit portable. I probably would have gone for other choices if portability wasn't that high up my priority list. As for a more neutral sound, I look to my open backed headphones for that.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10153333112323100]

Hi, I have both p6 and h6 headphones, both are very good but very different, for comfort definitely the H6, soooooo light, probably the most comfortable cans on the market for me,

P7 overall sound better, great bottom and mid range,.