New B&W P3 review by Dale

[dalethorn]

Here's my full review of this item that just popped into Apple stores in the U.S. a few days ago. I tried to characterize the sound compared to average-good hifi headphones, but the very recessed treble complicated matters. Still, this is a good value in my opinion based on comfort, style, EQ'd sound and portability.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/bw-p3-stereo-headphone-review-dale

 

[Paulq]

Great review Dale I enjoyed reading it. I have been on a bit of a mission to change my cans recently and tried the P5's after reading so much about them - I must confess I was a tad disappointed so didn't buy them but instead opted for a pair of Denon AHD2000's. For me I made the right decision.

As a slight aside I notice that you use the SRH1840's which are very high on my hit list when I save enough. I currently have a set of DT990's for my open backs - how do the Shure's rate in your opinion?

Thanks.

 

[dalethorn]

Thanks Paul. I see in Innerfidelity's big measurements PDF that they have half a dozen graphs on the D2000 with various earpads. So it looks like you have a lot of long-time options there. Just as a guess I'm thinking the Denon has a pretty good bass with no real weaknesses, whereas the Shure is slightly on the light side and seems to have no response at all below 30 hz. The 1840 to my ears has the best treble of any of my headphones - very detailed but no irritations to speak of, so overall I'd rate it pretty high, but it's a case of diminishing returns when you jump to that price level. One feature of the 1840 that really stands out for me is the comfort - it's by far the most comfy headphone I've ever used. The earcups look similar to the Sennheiser 600 and 650, but the difference wearing them is night and day.

 

[Paulq]

Hi Dale. That's interesting as I really do appreciate the Denons already and they have been great for me since I took them out of the box and they now have around 50 hours on the clock. Having previously auditioned a pair of AHD7000's I was a bit trepidated as the 7k's really didn't impress me whan I had them. Now that I have the 2k's I strongly suspect that I may have had a pair of rogue/faulty 7k's as the Denon's are quite sublime.

From your description of the Shures I am actually tempted to give them a miss as I am really not a fan of overly detailed headphones; particularly as my genre of choice is mainly rock music. As I mentioned in my earlier post I also have a set of DT990's which, driven through my Novo I really like so that kinda defines the sound signature that I like.

Apologies if this is wandering too far off topic but you may be able to help me with something. As I type I am looking at the Ultrasone Pro900's which arrived today and haven't yet been taken out of the box in case I decide not to keep them. I bought them at the same time as the Denons so that I could choose between the two as my closed back option but due to a delay they have only arrived today.

I have read that the Pro900's are excellent and have a real bass impact; again something I appreciate in my music. However I am am actually quite happy with the overall sound from the Denons and wonder whether the Ultrasones would give me any greater benefit or enough of a 'wow' factor to either choose them over the Denons or, heaven forbid, keep them both.

If anyonel else reading can offer a comparison between the two it may help my dilemma.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Big Aura]

a wonderfully detailed, and well-thought out review. Thank you. This is the sort of non-techy, but still in-depth, review that I wish WHF did more of. Congrats.

 

[dalethorn]

I haven't heard the Ultrasone 900, but I've read a few of Ken Rockwell's headphone reviews, and he is really big on a couple of the Ultrasones. So maybe you could see if there's anything interesting there. He's at the kenrockwell site, and it might take some searching to find the reviews.

 

[dalethorn]

Here's my video review with some comparisons to similar headphones. http://youtu.be/wiVq2lW7-Es

 

[Paulq]

I haven't heard the Ultrasone 900, but I've read a few of Ken Rockwell's headphone reviews, and he is really big on a couple of the Ultrasones. So maybe you could see if there's anything interesting there. He's at the kenrockwell site, and it might take some searching to find the reviews.

Thanks. He has only really reviewed (and raved about) the Edition 8 which are expensive, not the Pro900.

Again sorry to wander it but if anyone has used the Ultrasone Pro900 I'd welcome a few quick comments.

Nice video review also Dale - you're getting good at this

 

[dalethorn]

Going through some of the Web reviews I think I could build a pretty accurate profile of the Pro 900 from those. At least a good beginning maybe. Now most people go to headfi at least once because of the sheer size of the place, but unless you read a detailed review there, it's more likely you would get lost in the chatter.

Check out B&H photo/video - only 5 reviews but the last review looks pretty good.
Try Amazon reviews, and click on most recent. There are a couple, when combined with the info from B&H, that add perspective.
There's at least one informative review at Headphone dot com - check that one out.

One remaining item I was not clear on that you might find out about the bass: One user mentioned that bass is too strong "If some ____ (I forget) feature or gadget isn't switched in" -- so if you see that in the review it might have a bearing on other users' comments about the bass. Or maybe not.

 

[Julian_b]

Nice review - any view on comparison with the V Moda M80's?

 

[dalethorn]

Nice review - any view on comparison with the V Moda M80's?

The M80 is less comfortable, but more secure on your head. The M80 has better more accurate bass. The M80's treble is also somewhat recessed, but not as severely as the P3, so if you try to boost it it will sound better and still not be harsh or excessively sibilant. The M80 has the perfect type of detachable cable.

 

[quadpatch]

Nice review - any view on comparison with the V Moda M80's?

The M80 is less comfortable, but more secure on your head. The M80 has better more accurate bass. The M80's treble is also somewhat recessed, but not as severely as the P3, so if you try to boost it it will sound better and still not be harsh or excessively sibilant. The M80 has the perfect type of detachable cable.

Agree with you 100% there Dale! Not saying we often differ (because we don't), just couldn't have answered that better myself! Oh hey I tried the Philips L1 the other day, wow, can't wait until I can afford that one . Sorry everyone else for going off on a tangent, WHF's fault for not having PMs .

 

[dalethorn]

Oh hey I tried the Philips L1 the other day, wow, can't wait until I can afford that one . Sorry everyone else for going off on a tangent, WHF's fault for not having PMs .

We do get a bit mixed up here when there's a flurry of activity, but the information level is good here. I like the professional attitude of the main people involved. The good thing about the L1, besides being an absolutely gorgeous piece of gear, is you can adjust the bass level from very stong to just strong and not suffer a rolloff or any distortion. They did a really good design and build with the L1.