I own the wired P7. I must say, I haven't been as Luke warm on their sound as 
this reviewer seems to be. But if the new ones are as good as he says, that 
much better than the originals, and you don't already own a pair of P7, and you 
have 400 bucks, go for it.Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless headphones review: They 
sound better than the original
Macworld  /  Theo Nicolakis

Bowers & Wilkins has earned its place as the BMW of high-end audio. The 
company’s loudspeakers are legendary: Its five-figure Nautilus speakers have 
been displayed in museums; Abbey Road Studios has used their monitors for more 
than 20 years; and the company’s new 800 Series Diamond (which I auditioned 
during last year’s NYC launch event) are receiving rave reviews.

The company’s headphone line, on the other hand, has been the black sheep in 
the family. The wired versions have been judged as pretty good, but not truly 
great; they’ve certainly never achieved the acclaim afforded the company’s best 
speakers. Just before Apple’s iPhone 7 announcement, Bowers & Wilkins upgraded 
its P7 and P3 models to Bluetooth wireless versions. The question on just about 
every audiophile’s mind is whether these new models simply add wireless 
capability to the previous generation, or if they up the ante. I was among the 
first reviewers to get my hands on the B&W P7 Wireless, so I was anxious to 
find out.

Identical or fraternal twins?

 

Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless Headphones
 
TechHive rating
$399.99MSRP $399.99
View
on Amazon
B&W magically transitioned its luxurious P7 headphones to Bluetooth and made 
them sound even better than the wired version.

The new P7 Wireless are easily mistaken for the original. I placed the new 
model next to its wired forerunner, which I’ve owned for quite some time, and 
found the two virtually indistinguishable. Even their spec sheets look alike: 
two 40mm full-range drivers, impedance of 22 ohms, frequency response ranging 
from 10Hz to 20kHz, and sensitivity of 111dB/V at 1kHz. The P7 wireless are a 
hair heavier at 323g vs 290g.

The Bluetooth 4.1 P7 Wireless omits the chrome accent around the ear cups, and 
while I was sorry to see that feature cut, it has zero impact on performance. A 
three-button remote control has been added to the left ear cup, as well as a 
power switch and a micro-USB charging port on the bottom.

With all the controls now on the left side, the wired input has moved to the 
right ear cup. The ear cups are magnetic, as they were on the original. To 
switch to wired mode, emove the right-hand cup, insert the 2.5mm angled end 
into the articulating input, and you’re set. Plugging in the cable immediately 
disables Bluetooth, but removing the cable doesn’t re-enable Bluetooth. You 
must power the headphones back on again manually to do that.

 Theo Nicolakis
The B&W P7 Wireless have magnetic, replaceable ear cups. The right ear cup 
(shown above) also has an input for wired mode.

This lap of luxury needs some break-in time

There’s nothing cheap or flimsy with these headphones. The P7 Wireless simply 
spoil you with their luxurious fit and feel. There aren’t many headphones under 
$500 (or twice the price, for that matter) that can keep up with Bowers and 
Wilkins in this regard. In my book, the P7 Wireless are a gold-standard. The 
genuine sheep leather headband and ear cups are smooth, soft, and supple. The 
sleek-looking aluminum frame is sturdy and infinitely adjustable. The headband 
guides, conceals, and automatically expands and contracts the nylon-braided 
wire connecting each ear cup. The engineering is a thing of beauty.

The headphone design gets even better. Many over-the-ear headphones aren’t 
portable—they’re just too bulky and they can’t fold flat. B&W has solved this 
problem by inserting a rotating joint between the edge of the headband and the 
ear cup arm that allows you to fold the headphones to half their size. 
Brilliant.

The accessories have been pored over just as meticulously. The included 
carrying case is smooth, lined with velour, and snaps closed with a magnetic 
flap. That’s industrial design done right—down to the smallest detail.

 Theo Nicolakis
Remove the left magnetic ear cup to see the headphone’s serial number and 
Bluetooth reset button.

Like a pair of your favorite Jeans

You should treat the P7 Wireless like a new pair of designer jeans: They need 
to be broken in. As with every other B&W headphone I’ve owned (the P5 wireless 
and the original P7), the new P7 Wireless are stiff and overly-snug when you 
first put them on. Trust me, they'll loosen up over time. Once you’ve broken 
them in, they’ll fit like a glove. Don’t be afraid to flex the metal frame a 
bit (within reason, of course) to loosen things up more quickly.

Once you get used to the P7s, you’ll notice that other headphones will seem far 
too loose and won’t stay on your head as precisely as the P7s do. You can jog 
with them without worrying that they will shift or slide off. Perhaps most 
importantly, they’re exceedingly comfortable ever during long listening 
sessions. I wore them for three, four, five hours at a time without a problem, 
and my ears were never trapped in a sweat chamber.

There’s one qualifier to that point, however; the ear cups are said to be made 
of memory foam; but unlike most memory foam ear cups, these remain stiff and 
keep their shape.

 Theo Nicolakis
The P7 WIreless includes a soft carrying case, USB charging cable, and 3.5mm 
cable.

That stiffness creates a stable pocket for your ears. The ear cup design may 
not be for everyone, but it creates a consistent environment for the audio 
drivers to work in. Pressure around your ears is also very even, though it’s 
shy of the almost perfect fit of the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless headphones.

Can you be too isolated?

B&W’s P7 Wireless headphones are outstanding at sealing out ambient noise. My 
family was mad at me on more than one occasion for being completely oblivious 
to what was going on around me. Wearing the P7 Wireless literally puts you into 
your own world. The headphones also passed the ambient audio torture test. No, 
not an airline cabin. Starbucks. Slap on the P7 Wireless, turn on your tunes, 
and you won’t even notice who’s ordering a cappuccino or what’s playing on 
Starbucks radio.

 Bowers & Wilkins
B&W P7 Wireless headphones.

The only count on which I found the P7 to be sub par was when I made phone 
calls: People on the other side of the line had a hard time hearing me, and I 
had difficulty hearing them. In fact, I didn’t make a single call with an 
iPhone 6s where the person on the other end didn’t complain about the sound 
quality.

A secret menu

When it comes to documentation, B&W seems to have taken a page out of 
In-n-Out’s playbook. The California-based restaurant is known as much for its 
secret menu as its great burgers (order a “4x4” and you’ll get four beef 
patties and four slices of cheese). The P7 Wireless comes with a quick-start 
manual, which is fine for getting up to speed quickly, but you won’t know about 
several nuanced (and important) elements unless you download the full manual 
from here. 

You turn on the P7 Wireless by sliding the power button on the left ear cup to 
the right (pull it back if the headphones are on your head). To pair with a 
Bluetooth device, press that same button down and hold it for a few seconds. 
Don’t get confused between the two. In my tests, pairing the P7 Wireless was 
always flawless—whether it was an iOS or Andriod device or an Astell&Kern media 
player. Take note that whichever device you pair first with the P7 becomes the 
primary device for Bluetooth auto-connection. B&W says the P7 Wireless can 
remember up to seven secondary devices.

 Theo Nicolakis
The P7 Wireless (left) is almost indistinguishable from the original P7 (right).

Wireless and wired tradeoffs

Don’t worry too much about the music running out. The P7 Wireless are rated to 
rock up to an awesome 17 hours. A green, yellow, or red light on the left ear 
cup tells you the current battery life. A green light means that the battery is 
above 30-percent charged. Yellow means that the battery is between 10- and 
30-percent charged. Red means the battery is less than 10-percent charged. If 
the indicator blinks red, then battery is too low. At that point, you must use 
the P7 in wired mode until you recharge.

If you do use the P7 Wireless in wired mode, here’s an important item to note: 
the included cable doesn’t have an inline remote, which leaves you no means to 
control your iOS or Android device remotely. The controls on the left ear cup 
don’t work. I don’t know why B&W thought this was a good idea; I was able to 
use the inline remote cable from the original P7 without a problem.

Very different sound from the original

As similar as the P7 look to the original P7 wired, they sound completely 
different. In fact, they sound so fantastic that they’re a worthy upgrade even 
if you never use them in Bluetooth mode. That’s because B&W came up with a 
whole new set of transducers. I immediately noticed the difference with the 
first track I listened to: Adele’s “He Won’t Go” from 21. The kick drum, which 
was quite reserved on the original P7s, literally gave me a visceral kick on 
the new P7s. Bass was punchy, dynamic, and thoroughly satisfying on just about 
every single source and track I played.

Put in any exceptional Chesky recording, like Alexis Cole’s Dazzling Blue or 
City of the Sun’s To the Sun and All the Cities in Between and the P7 Wireless 
just sparkle with a precise and deep sound stage. With the P7 Wireless, music 
was warm, engaging, and alive. This adjustment is a very welcome addition and 
addresses the sonic shortcomings of the original.

Improved bass response doesn’t mean B&W suddenly discovered hip-hop. You can 
take the P7s to the ball, too. The P7 Wireless handled the most intimate and 
delicate notes of Yo-Yo-Ma’s Cello from Yo-Yo-Ma Plays Ennio Morricone. The 
cellist’s work on “Gabriel’s Oboe” was warm and simply invited me into an oasis 
of pure bliss. The depth and breadth of piano notes on “Debora’s Theme” from 
Once Upon a Time in America was enthralling. The hairs on my arms were still 
standing when the penultimate track, “Dinner” from Lady Caliph, came on. That’s 
the type of emotion the P7 Wireless elicits.

Better wired or wireless?

I view wireless as a convenience, not as a reference standard. My opinion 
hasn’t changed after testing out the P7 Wireless. I tested the P7’s aptX 
Bluetooth connection with an Astell&Kern AK70. It sounded good but lacked the 
finesse, detail, and air you get when you plug them in. There’s still no 
substitute for a wired connection.

 Bowers & Wilkins
The P7 Wireless charges via a micro USB port under the left ear cup.

That being said, if you own a headphone amp, by all means use it with the P7 
Wireless. You’ll notice even more refinement. Comparing the P7 Wireless with a 
NuForce uDAC5 (currently in for review) versus the internal headphone jack of a 
Macbook Air was night and day. With the NuForce uDAC5, bass was more 
controlled, much tighter, and not as forward. The midrange was more defined and 
three-dimensional. The top end too was more precise.

TechHive recommends

B&W’s P7 Wireless headphones won’t be treated like second-class citizens in 
B&W’s lineup. These headphones are a major step forward for B&W—not simply 
because of the addition of Bluetooth, but also for the effort that B&W put into 
fine-tuning the voicing in the new model. These aren’t just good wireless 
headphones. B&W’s P7 Wireless are great headphones, period.



Original Article: 
http://www.macworld.com/article/3118807/consumer-electronics/bowers-wilkins-p7-wireless-headphones-review-they-sound-better-than-the-original.html#tk.rss_all


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