Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless Headphones Product Review

FEBRUARY 2017 BOWERS & WILKINS P7 WIRELESS HEADPHONES REVIEW / BOWERS & WILKINS / P7 WIRELESS HEADPHONES

BOWERS & WILKINS P7 WIRELESS Included with the P7 Wireless is The clamp is initially quite tight, but after a few hours is made a 3.5mm cable (non-threaded) HEADPHONES and a luxurious magnetic-latch more forgiving as the memory foam pads take shape. carrying pouch. With portable listening as the primary purpose There are four buttons on the in mind, there is no full-size jack headphone: Distributor: Convoy adapter or cable included. $599.95 RRP ‧ One for power on/off and Build pairing. ‧ Two for volume control. True to usual B&W releases, both ‧ One for play/pause. the build quality and chosen “have B&W created an audiophile materials are extraordinary. The The volume and play/pause are chosen design aesthetic is clustered together on the side unusual for a headphone, but of the headphone and have very friendly Bluetooth headphone option?” works well in its favour. light travel and a decent click, with With two polished aluminium a slightly disconcerting wobble rails, the yolks are especially however. The power/pairing unique – gently twisted from the button is a slider, which slides Bowers & Wilkins was forged from B&W have since had a smattering headband to the cup, neatly down for power on/off, and is the humble beginnings of a radio of headphone releases, ranging guiding the cable. Despite pressed in to pair to a new device. and electronics shop in a large from the in-ear C5 to the on-ear their stylish looks, the rails The headphones fold inward to seaside town in England, known P3. Eventually, a flagship landed are firm and solid, and keep a fit into their carrying case - the as Worthing. Its founders, John in the form of the over-ear P7 late comfortable angle on the cups. cups do not swivel flat. Bowers and Roy Wilkins, met in 2013 that would become a whilst serving in the Royal Corps huge success for the company. It’s especially worth mentioning Inside you’ll find a non- of Signals during World War II. It’s since been trumped by the the sheer amount of leather on replaceable 370mAh battery, higher-priced P9 Signature but the this headphone which covers which B&W say will last 17 When the shop began supplying the entire headband, the pads, hours. This battery supplies public address equipment to P7 remains a staple in the Bowers and even on the outside of the power to each of the 40mm full- schools and churches in Sussex, & Wilkins headphone line-up. cups themselves. range nylon-damped drivers, and Bowers became increasingly Taking it a step further, B&W Conveniently, the memory the Bluetooth gadgetry. involved in the design and cleverly “cut the cord” and foam pads are removeable and There are also 2 microphones, assembly of loudspeakers. released a Bluetooth version user replaceable. for phone calls and voice control Eventually they’d set up a small of the P7 late last year timed of a smartphone. production line behind the store, either by chance, or by forward They weigh 323 grams, which is the remnants of which apparently, thinking, just as the latest iPhone 33 grams heavier than the original For those considering the are still visible in that backyard to lost its headphone jack. P7. There are lighter wireless long-haul flight, surprisingly for this day. B&W are mostly known The P7 has been a very classy options on the market (Sennheiser a premium offering there is no for their HiFi and Home theatre blip on a lot of audio enthusiasts PXC 550 springs to mind at 227 noise cancelling feature on the loudspeakers, but since their radar for a few years now. So grams) but despite this, the P7 P7 Wireless. release of the P5 headphones naturally, a Bluetooth version is Wireless are by no means heavy. back in 2010, they’ve also bound to pique some interest. become a strong contender in the Has Bowers & Wilkins created a Head-Fi market as well. truly audiophile friendly Bluetooth option for headphones?

BOWERS & WILKINS P7 WIRELESS Included with the P7 Wireless is The clamp is initially quite tight, but after a few hours is made a 3.5mm cable (non-threaded) HEADPHONES and a luxurious magnetic-latch more forgiving as the memory foam pads take shape. carrying pouch. With portable listening as the primary purpose There are four buttons on the in mind, there is no full-size jack headphone: Distributor: Convoy adapter or cable included. $599.95 RRP ‧ One for power on/off and Build pairing. ‧ Two for volume control. True to usual B&W releases, both ‧ One for play/pause. the build quality and chosen “have B&W created an audiophile materials are extraordinary. The The volume and play/pause are chosen design aesthetic is clustered together on the side unusual for a headphone, but of the headphone and have very friendly Bluetooth headphone option?” works well in its favour. light travel and a decent click, with With two polished aluminium a slightly disconcerting wobble rails, the yolks are especially however. The power/pairing unique – gently twisted from the button is a slider, which slides Bowers & Wilkins was forged from B&W have since had a smattering headband to the cup, neatly down for power on/off, and is the humble beginnings of a radio of headphone releases, ranging guiding the cable. Despite pressed in to pair to a new device. and electronics shop in a large from the in-ear C5 to the on-ear their stylish looks, the rails The headphones fold inward to seaside town in England, known P3. Eventually, a flagship landed are firm and solid, and keep a fit into their carrying case - the as Worthing. Its founders, John in the form of the over-ear P7 late comfortable angle on the cups. cups do not swivel flat. Bowers and Roy Wilkins, met in 2013 that would become a whilst serving in the Royal Corps huge success for the company. It’s especially worth mentioning Inside you’ll find a non- of Signals during World War II. It’s since been trumped by the the sheer amount of leather on replaceable 370mAh battery, higher-priced P9 Signature but the this headphone which covers which B&W say will last 17 When the shop began supplying the entire headband, the pads, hours. This battery supplies public address equipment to P7 remains a staple in the Bowers and even on the outside of the power to each of the 40mm full- schools and churches in Sussex, & Wilkins headphone line-up. cups themselves. range nylon-damped drivers, and Bowers became increasingly Taking it a step further, B&W Conveniently, the memory the Bluetooth gadgetry. involved in the design and cleverly “cut the cord” and foam pads are removeable and There are also 2 microphones, assembly of loudspeakers. released a Bluetooth version user replaceable. for phone calls and voice control Eventually they’d set up a small of the P7 late last year timed of a smartphone. production line behind the store, either by chance, or by forward They weigh 323 grams, which is the remnants of which apparently, thinking, just as the latest iPhone 33 grams heavier than the original For those considering the are still visible in that backyard to lost its headphone jack. P7. There are lighter wireless long-haul flight, surprisingly for this day. B&W are mostly known The P7 has been a very classy options on the market (Sennheiser a premium offering there is no for their HiFi and Home theatre blip on a lot of audio enthusiasts PXC 550 springs to mind at 227 noise cancelling feature on the loudspeakers, but since their radar for a few years now. So grams) but despite this, the P7 P7 Wireless. release of the P5 headphones naturally, a Bluetooth version is Wireless are by no means heavy. back in 2010, they’ve also bound to pique some interest. become a strong contender in the Has Bowers & Wilkins created a Head-Fi market as well. truly audiophile friendly Bluetooth option for headphones?

Cabled or Wireless The user has the choice of either wired or From the CSR website: wireless connectivity. When using wired, “In order to fit within the Bluetooth ‘pipe’ and the cable hiding mechanism is quite neat. transmit wirelessly, audio needs to use a bit Once the magnetic earpad is removed, the rate reduction technique. It replicates the concealed connector is revealed inside. Once entire frequency of the audio, reproducing the cable is installed and the pad is placed pure sound and ensuring that users hear back on, one would be forgiven for not even everything as the artist intended. realising these are wireless headphones. By incorporating aptX audio coding technology The downside to this great looking into the next generation of Bluetooth stereo concealment is the time it takes to install the products, developers can offer consumers cable. It makes switching between wireless audio quality indistinguishable from wired with or cabled just that little bit longer. Fortunately, an impressive dynamic range.“ you likely wouldn’t need to make this change very often. The P7 wireless also feature Bluetooth aptX, AAC, and SBC. aptX is often seen as the current “flagship” version of Bluetooth audio, owned by CSR (who is owned by Qualcomm). “the choice of either wired or wireless connectivity” Desktop Listening Using desktop amplification is usually reserved for high impedance, low sensitivity headphones. The P7 Wireless is incredibly easy to drive, did not require heavy amplification, and did not do much justice to the Questyle Gold stack reference system (RRP $15,000 AUD). There’s also no balanced option with the P7, but that’s expected given that it’s a portable headphone. Gain and volume had to be wound all the way down during these tests, and considering the 3.5mm connector of the P7 is not threaded, it’s quite clear that the B&W offering was a fish out of the water in this circumstance.

Cabled or Wireless The user has the choice of either wired or From the CSR website: wireless connectivity. When using wired, “In order to fit within the Bluetooth ‘pipe’ and the cable hiding mechanism is quite neat. transmit wirelessly, audio needs to use a bit Once the magnetic earpad is removed, the rate reduction technique. It replicates the concealed connector is revealed inside. Once entire frequency of the audio, reproducing the cable is installed and the pad is placed pure sound and ensuring that users hear back on, one would be forgiven for not even everything as the artist intended. realising these are wireless headphones. By incorporating aptX audio coding technology The downside to this great looking into the next generation of Bluetooth stereo concealment is the time it takes to install the products, developers can offer consumers cable. It makes switching between wireless audio quality indistinguishable from wired with or cabled just that little bit longer. Fortunately, an impressive dynamic range.“ you likely wouldn’t need to make this change very often. The P7 wireless also feature Bluetooth aptX, AAC, and SBC. aptX is often seen as the current “flagship” version of Bluetooth audio, owned by CSR (who is owned by Qualcomm). “the choice of either wired or wireless connectivity” Desktop Listening Using desktop amplification is usually reserved for high impedance, low sensitivity headphones. The P7 Wireless is incredibly easy to drive, did not require heavy amplification, and did not do much justice to the Questyle Gold stack reference system (RRP $15,000 AUD). There’s also no balanced option with the P7, but that’s expected given that it’s a portable headphone. Gain and volume had to be wound all the way down during these tests, and considering the 3.5mm connector of the P7 is not threaded, it’s quite clear that the B&W offering was a fish out of the water in this circumstance.

“P7 Wireless was very easy to drive in our smartphone tests” Portable Listening Wireless Listening More appropriate perhaps was The P7 has been a staple in the This won’t be noticed when the use of the outstanding Chord portable audio lovers diet for a out and about, either on public Electronics MOJO headphone while now, but with the added transport or in-flight. But in a amplifier/dac combination for benefit of going wireless, the new quiet room (when listening to the travel-friendly P7. When in offering from Bowers & Wilkins is music at lower volumes), it’s “cabled” mode, the P7 Wireless now a truly viable option for travel. noticeable. and the MOJO are a match Bluetooth mode has some clever Having Bluetooth in a headphone made in heaven. The MOJO is features, such as powering also means that there is internal particularly good at scaling with itself off after ten minutes of no amplification, and in the case a wide range of sensitivities, so use. Many users of Bluetooth of the P7 Wireless, the internal playing with the highly sensitive headphones complain that their amplifiers seem to have very high 22 ohm P7 was a breeze. batteries drain once they sit the gain. This is evidenced by the fact The P7 Wireless was also headphones down and forget that face melting volume levels very easy to drive from our to switch them off; a problem on the P7 Wireless are incredibly smartphone tests, which solved with the P7 wireless. The easy to achieve. Although with included both Google’s Pixel and battery will be saved after the unit both our smartphone tests, the iPhone 6s Plus. They were turns off automatically. It’s also comfortable listening levels are easily capable of driving the P7 worth mentioning though that the found within the first 30% of the Wireless to very loud volumes. automatic “off” feature is not able volume range. No extra amplification required to be adjusted or switched off. The downside is this means that here, even when in noisy The good news is that sound the P7 Wireless has a very small environments the P7 Wireless will quality is very similar to when “window” of volume steps to play deliver dollops of volume. connected via the cable, which with, as anything above 40% It’s quite clear that portability was in itself is quite an achievement volume will be far too loud for the the intention of the product, and and not an easy task. Thanks, average listener. Both the audible it truly shines in this area. Any no doubt to the inclusion of aptX hiss and loud volume are likely the capable smartphone or MP3 technology. result of the high gain, and I can’t player will be able to make the At quieter volumes, however, help but wonder if the inclusion P7 Wireless sing. of user-selectable gain may have there is some audible hiss. It’s worth mentioning that the been a worthwhile feature. hardware buttons on the P7 are only useable when in “wireless” mode. They don’t work in the same way that an inline cabled remote would work.

“P7 Wireless was very easy to drive in our smartphone tests” Portable Listening Wireless Listening More appropriate perhaps was The P7 has been a staple in the This won’t be noticed when the use of the outstanding Chord portable audio lovers diet for a out and about, either on public Electronics MOJO headphone while now, but with the added transport or in-flight. But in a amplifier/dac combination for benefit of going wireless, the new quiet room (when listening to the travel-friendly P7. When in offering from Bowers & Wilkins is music at lower volumes), it’s “cabled” mode, the P7 Wireless now a truly viable option for travel. noticeable. and the MOJO are a match Bluetooth mode has some clever Having Bluetooth in a headphone made in heaven. The MOJO is features, such as powering also means that there is internal particularly good at scaling with itself off after ten minutes of no amplification, and in the case a wide range of sensitivities, so use. Many users of Bluetooth of the P7 Wireless, the internal playing with the highly sensitive headphones complain that their amplifiers seem to have very high 22 ohm P7 was a breeze. batteries drain once they sit the gain. This is evidenced by the fact The P7 Wireless was also headphones down and forget that face melting volume levels very easy to drive from our to switch them off; a problem on the P7 Wireless are incredibly smartphone tests, which solved with the P7 wireless. The easy to achieve. Although with included both Google’s Pixel and battery will be saved after the unit both our smartphone tests, the iPhone 6s Plus. They were turns off automatically. It’s also comfortable listening levels are easily capable of driving the P7 worth mentioning though that the found within the first 30% of the Wireless to very loud volumes. automatic “off” feature is not able volume range. No extra amplification required to be adjusted or switched off. The downside is this means that here, even when in noisy The good news is that sound the P7 Wireless has a very small environments the P7 Wireless will quality is very similar to when “window” of volume steps to play deliver dollops of volume. connected via the cable, which with, as anything above 40% It’s quite clear that portability was in itself is quite an achievement volume will be far too loud for the the intention of the product, and and not an easy task. Thanks, average listener. Both the audible it truly shines in this area. Any no doubt to the inclusion of aptX hiss and loud volume are likely the capable smartphone or MP3 technology. result of the high gain, and I can’t player will be able to make the At quieter volumes, however, help but wonder if the inclusion P7 Wireless sing. of user-selectable gain may have there is some audible hiss. It’s worth mentioning that the been a worthwhile feature. hardware buttons on the P7 are only useable when in “wireless” mode. They don’t work in the same way that an inline cabled remote would work.

Conclusion A terrific portable headphone, with stunning materials and design. A warm, fun, and detailed signature, without any painful sibilance. A great travel companion, and well-priced. SPECIFICATIONS Mode Distortion / P7 Wireless / (THD) <0.3% (1KHz/10mW) Description Sensitivity / Wireless Headphones / 111dB/V at 1kHz Technical features Inputs / Nylon damped cone / 3.5mm stereo jack (TRS 3-pole unbalanced stereo spec.) / CCAW coil / Micro USB 2.0 (Battery Charging, Service & FW update) / Dual cavity ear cushions / 2x microphones supporting CVC2 algorithm / Changeable ear cushions / Bluetooth v4.1 Cable length / Folding (hinged) design / 1.2m Drive units Bluetooth codecs / 2x ø40mm (1.6in) full range / aptX (standard latency) AAC SBC Frequency range Net weight / 10Hz – 20kHz / 325g Impedance / 22 ohms (passive) Sound True to the Bowers & Wilkins headphones uncoloured, and have a raw feel to them. bigger brother, the P9, has in spades, it can ‘house sound’, midbass has a controlled yet Imaging is strong and accurate, and not keep up and pull its weight in these ranges. solid thump. Details in bass lines are clearly congested. Acoustic, classical, orchestral, Despite the lack of active noise cancellation, audible, and the P7 Wireless is not exempt and instrumental pieces have authentic and classic Bowers & Wilkins isolation is still from the bass benefits of having a 40mm faithful reproduction in the midrange. prevalent here. The firm clamp and memory closed-back design. In terms of quantity, the midbass and foam pads, combined with the thick materials They also react well to some mild EQ and midrange don’t fight each other. The bass and leather create an almost “lonely” passive bass-boost and without going too crazy, doesn’t bloat and bleed into the lower isolation experience. Fortunately, the passive the drivers can take a healthy amount of midrange, and takes a slight step back to let isolation does an above average job for a punishment without distorting (if you’re into the mids shine through. closed back headphone. that sort of thing). During our testing, we noticed there is mild Soundstage is decent for a closed-back can, The bass has neat humps around the but recognisable emphasis around the 4kHz and there are a few “out-of-head” experiences 140Hz and 60Hz ranges, then reaches and 6kHz areas. to be had here. However, the angled drivers down to around 25Hz before rolling off. The highs are gentle, relaxed, and non- of the flagship P9 headphones would have Even with modest portable amplification, fatiguing. They are not sibilant unless listened been warmly appreciated to expand it out the P7 Wireless is very capable in the bass to at loud volumes. Details are effortlessly even further. department, and can be flexible if required. retrieved at any listening level, and are not The midrange is where the P7 Wireless’ shoved down the listener’s ears. Whilst the sound truly shines. Vocals sound natural and P7 Wireless lacks the same sparkle that it’s WORDS & PHOTOS: Matthew ‘Jensy’ Jens

Conclusion A terrific portable headphone, with stunning materials and design. A warm, fun, and detailed signature, without any painful sibilance. A great travel companion, and well-priced. SPECIFICATIONS Mode Distortion / P7 Wireless / (THD) <0.3% (1KHz/10mW) Description Sensitivity / Wireless Headphones / 111dB/V at 1kHz Technical features Inputs / Nylon damped cone / 3.5mm stereo jack (TRS 3-pole unbalanced stereo spec.) / CCAW coil / Micro USB 2.0 (Battery Charging, Service & FW update) / Dual cavity ear cushions / 2x microphones supporting CVC2 algorithm / Changeable ear cushions / Bluetooth v4.1 Cable length / Folding (hinged) design / 1.2m Drive units Bluetooth codecs / 2x ø40mm (1.6in) full range / aptX (standard latency) AAC SBC Frequency range Net weight / 10Hz – 20kHz / 325g Impedance / 22 ohms (passive) Sound True to the Bowers & Wilkins headphones uncoloured, and have a raw feel to them. bigger brother, the P9, has in spades, it can ‘house sound’, midbass has a controlled yet Imaging is strong and accurate, and not keep up and pull its weight in these ranges. solid thump. Details in bass lines are clearly congested. Acoustic, classical, orchestral, Despite the lack of active noise cancellation, audible, and the P7 Wireless is not exempt and instrumental pieces have authentic and classic Bowers & Wilkins isolation is still from the bass benefits of having a 40mm faithful reproduction in the midrange. prevalent here. The firm clamp and memory closed-back design. In terms of quantity, the midbass and foam pads, combined with the thick materials They also react well to some mild EQ and midrange don’t fight each other. The bass and leather create an almost “lonely” passive bass-boost and without going too crazy, doesn’t bloat and bleed into the lower isolation experience. Fortunately, the passive the drivers can take a healthy amount of midrange, and takes a slight step back to let isolation does an above average job for a punishment without distorting (if you’re into the mids shine through. closed back headphone. that sort of thing). During our testing, we noticed there is mild Soundstage is decent for a closed-back can, The bass has neat humps around the but recognisable emphasis around the 4kHz and there are a few “out-of-head” experiences 140Hz and 60Hz ranges, then reaches and 6kHz areas. to be had here. However, the angled drivers down to around 25Hz before rolling off. The highs are gentle, relaxed, and non- of the flagship P9 headphones would have Even with modest portable amplification, fatiguing. They are not sibilant unless listened been warmly appreciated to expand it out the P7 Wireless is very capable in the bass to at loud volumes. Details are effortlessly even further. department, and can be flexible if required. retrieved at any listening level, and are not The midrange is where the P7 Wireless’ shoved down the listener’s ears. Whilst the sound truly shines. Vocals sound natural and P7 Wireless lacks the same sparkle that it’s WORDS & PHOTOS: Matthew ‘Jensy’ Jens