My second headphone review will be of Bowers & Wilkins’ P7, which retail for $349.99. I personally won them second-hand from an eBay auction at $185.

I purchased these due to the need for a pair of nice headphones that were portable, lightweight, and closed-back due to my daily needs as a commuter. It helps that they are attractive and well built. Although I was initially considering IEMs, I was one day stung by the P7 bee and couldn’t get over how pretty these headphones are, so I bought them.

Also. I only just noticed that there was some dust on the headphones only after I already took the photos. Damn.

The box feels very substantial, is very thick cardboard that is weighty to hold, already marking this as a quality product.The box comes with a carrying case, two different wires (one has an in-line remote for iDevices), a 1/4″ to 3.5mm adapter, a packet of cards enabling some music downloads, and the headphones themselves.

The carrying case included is quite nice, it is a plush matte material with a suede inner lining. A fashionable accompaniment for the P7s themselves, not to mention that they would provide protection for the headphones should they end up in the bottom of your bag. I personally, am more likely to wear them around my neck, and the headphones feel robust enough to do so daily without any fear of breakage.

The headphones themselves are constructed primarily of brushed metal and leather. I was initially worried by the slim wire frame holding the earcups to the headband, but after holding the headphones and using them for a while these fears were relieved – the headphones are very sturdy, and will withstand daily commute. They are relatively heavy for their size, which is likely due to the heavy-duty metal construction. Although I cannot say I personally experienced fatigue carrying them, some may feel these too heavy for their use. For what it’s worth, they’re heavier than the DT990s that I also own.

It is worth noting that the headphones, when folded out, do not have their earcups “close in”, if you know what I’m getting at. I am worried over time that this will mean they are more prone to the headband stretching out, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Others have reported that the headband clamping is fairly tight, but I have not experienced any pain or discomfort whatsoever, the leather pads are quite supple and soft to the touch. They also smell really nice c: However, it is worth saying that your ears may get a little bit hot and bothered over long periods of use, as the leather cups seal tightly to your head.

The earcups are removable, revealing the inner driver. Note that the earcups are square and rather small – people with larger ears may have a difficult time fitting their ears inside the earcup without discomfort. I have small ears so these fit perfectly around my head without any trouble. The other earcup (bah, I should’ve taken a picture!) allows you to switch out the cable if necessary.

The isolation of these headphones are good, but could be better. I eat lunch daily in the commons of my university, where thousands of students mill about. While the noise is significantly dampened, it is not fully shut out. My friend’s Shure SE215s do a better job with isolating. However, I do not think it is necessarily a bad thing to be able to hear what is going on around you, and these will be sufficiently isolating for a bus ride or working in a library.

@Shi No Kakaku [Shi-no-kakaku-2.blogspot.mx]

My test bench for these headphones are once again all in FLAC, other than Porter Robinson/Madeon’s Shelter, which was in 320kbps mp3. Note that I am coming from a pair of DT990s, so my impressions may be skewed somewhat in that direction. I will elaborate more on that later.

Above and Beyond Acoustic II – Sticky Fingers Above and Beyond Acoustic II – All Over the World Above and Beyond Acoustic II – Blue Sky Action Porter Robinson/Madeon – Shelter Ed Sheeran – I See Fire iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls – Star!! David Roth – Vincent RADWIMPS – Nandemonaiya RADWIMPS – Sparkle Aiko – Koi wo shita no wa

Coming from the DT990s directly into hearing these, I was initially…disappointed, actually. It didn’t sound like anything special. This is what $350 sounds like? Not that I paid that. However, after giving it an hour and then switching back to the Beyers, I cringed at the harsh, bright sound of the 990s and thought out loud Ow, what the fuck?

I then realized quickly what others had meant when they said that sometimes it is easy to transfer from one headphone to another, but not back again. Realizing this, I went back through all of my test bench again to try to piece my thoughts together.

The P7s are certainly a warm headphone. Coming from the DT990s, which are quite bright, I had initially mistaken the warmth of the P7s for muddiness, but I realized later that these are actually quite clean. They are relaxing to listen to, but I cannot say that they are an analytical headphone by any means.

The bass quantity is great – they’re punchy and hit at your ears in a controlled way. They are present yet refrain from overpowering any of the other components, allowing the mids and highs to shine on their own. However, I do think that it lacks a certain “flair” to it and is perhaps too controlled and subdued – instruments like the drumset or timpani seem to have a difficult time making a statement. The soundstage is quite spacious for a closed headphone, it is easy to distinguish between instruments and different parts whereas on, say, Sony MDR7506 the sound comes out as one large glob. While not nearly as wide as an open headphone, the P7 allows you to be “closer” with the music in a way.

I really enjoy the mids on these headphones, their higher end has a slight rolloff but the mid-bass area is quite prominent. They’re clear, warm, and easy to enjoy. With more aggressive, bright music, such as Star!! or Shelter, the harsher sound is toned down, making them easier to listen to. The highs are similar in this respect, the higher end has difficulty “sparkling” so acoustic guitar, violin, and some vocals tend to lose their edge. Higher pitched voices such as in Star!!, Shelter, and Koi no shita no wa no longer feel as sharp as I am used to, but they’re also not nearly as taxing for your ears. The headphones are much more suited to a lower octave singer, which is why I found the tracks by Above and Beyond, sung by Alex Vargas, and RADWIMPS’ tracks to be more enjoyable and suitable for these headphones. Overall the mid-highs sound somewhat compressed yet comfortable – they make even poorly mastered audio sound decent, but are not able to represent the well mastered tracks to their fullest potential.

I played through my test bench twice, once using my smartphone and once using my Marantz 2220B receiver. These headphones require very little power to drive, as there was virtually no difference switching from my phone to the receiver other than some slightly more powerful bass quantity.

The good: Portable, sturdy, warm sound, very attractive design

The bad: Cable is not nearly as high quality as the headphones, lacks refinement in the treble and mids

The ugly: price at retail

Verdict: I can’t say that I believe these to be worth $350. At the heart of it I think they’re more of a fashionable, classy headphone that happen to have good audio rather than Hi-Fi that carries good looks. However, with portability, sturdiness, and all other factors considered, I do think they’ll fit a lot of people’s needs. I won these in an auction at $185 and I think they’re well worth it for that price, maybe a couple Jacksons more, but certainly not the retail. The sound is warm and relaxing to listen to. If you’re looking for more of a headphone to have fun with rather than something analytical and taxing, then this may be the headphone for you.

TL;DR: But seriously. These are such a good looking pair of cans.