B&W P9

Hey @rott , I'm unearthing this thread after a year as I'm curious how you or anyone here with these HPs likes them after extended use ... I'm thinking of getting them

 

Yes, still loving them. Definitely worth trying for several days if possible. I believe they're selling for $100 less now.

 

Thanks @rott I actually got a steep discount via a special program and given their return policy and potential for some more holiday deals I couldn't pass them up. If they don't work I'm thinking my next option is the ZMF Atticus but I'm not willing to pay a $250 restocking fee if I don't like them, so they might be out forever unless I can find a place to listen to them.

Back to the P9s ... let's say my wife is sitting across the room from me and there's a TV on and I decide to crank up The Cult. Think she'd hear any sound leakage from the P9s "semi-closed" design?

 

They sound like loud, loose farts underwater in a swimming pool

 

Well you're the expert there so I can't directly relate, but I'm guessing what you might mean is the P9s have stellar bass response.

Good to know!

 

Sure they bass response is stellar, it farts like no other and sounds like real crap because of it

 

We shall see ...

There'll be here soon I hope - sure they advertise 2 day shipping but they don't start the shipping for a week I guess ... still waiting for them to ship

Honestly I'm not expecting audiophile levels here ... of course, if they are, I won't know so that's the good news.

 

As someone who regularly swims at a local public YMCA pool, I'm simultaneously giggling a bit while throwing up a little in my mouth...

 

FYI, if you're swimming at the local public YMCA pool and you "smell chlorine" that's not actually chlorine - it's the chlorine reacting to the urine and feces in the water.

 

Is possible, they leak more sound than I would have expected, though probably more of an issue if seated right next to someone.

Seems to be one of those very polarizing cans, people either really like them or really hate them. Curious to read your thoughts once you try them out.

 

Welp, I've given a 60 min first audition ... and I'm mixed.

My reference set is the PSB M4U2 wired passive, the B&W P7w wired, and the Aeon Flow closed all via the mojo and optical s/pdif. The P7s are 1yr old, as are the PSBs, the P9s and AFCs are new (i.e., not broken in).

Out of the gate these sound muffled, like the midrange is tweaked way down, but the soundstage is larger than the P7s and the bass on things like BlueTech's Enter the Lovely is pretty stunning: on the P7s you hear it, on the P9s you FEEL it. If the P9s were the P7s + the wide soundstage and tight bass slam, I'd be so in ... but ...

Vocals and treble are muffled (or else just tweaked up on other HPs). The Aeon Flows have oodles of mids and treble, too much. On tracks like Erykah Badu's On & On the knocky instrument on the AFCs practically hurts. On the P7s it's loud, but on the P9s it's just there. Older tracks like the B-52s Channel Z (24b/96k) the P9s sound much wider, WAY better than on the AFCs which almost completely lack bass. On the P9s everything is there and wide, but again the vocals and treble are dim. On the P7s things sound more closed in, but bass, mids, and treble all sound great, albeit you can tell the recording/mixing is not right (or I have no ear for anything).

Where I preferred the P9s was a 24b/96k of Moonglow by Diana Krall, oddly the P9s sounded absolutely fantastic: every guitar strike and shuffle of clothes was there not to mention her vocals were stunning. On the P7s, much of that detail was lost. On the AFCs, the detail was there but SOOOoooo bright. The AFCs have bass but usually it's in the other room, at least to my ear.

Then there were live tracks like a 24/96 of Ryan Adams' Blank Space that sounded much better on the P7s, much more detail, which I think on that track is in the mids that gets lost on the P9s. The AFCs, again, have lots of detail albeit bright.

Another example is Ramblin' (Wo)man by Cat Power - on the P7s, stunning, on the P9s eh, a bit muffled. Then on Water Prayer (Rastaman Vibration Mix) by Adham Shaikh, the P9s sounded big and awesome with P7s more eh in comparison.

And this pattern repeated over and over, with the P9s on most track sounding a big muffled with great bass, the AFCs sounding bright, and the P7s sounding pinched, but splitting the mix in sound.

Comfort scores the AFCs > P9s > P7s, with the P7s being small ... but overall if I had to pick between the three, the P7s all day. They're all good for different things, but the P7s are the best all arounder.

 

I think it took some extended listening time for my brain to adjust (perhaps), but that initial muffled sensation eventually started sounding just fine in the grand scheme of its sound signature. I also pushed the ear pads more towards the back of my head to reduce the boominess that lets the treble come through a little more in the mix.

But you still might feel the same towards them even after extended listening. I briefly owned the P7s a while ago so I can't compare from memory, but as much as I liked some aspects of the P7, there was enough about their presentation/sound signature that I didn't like so I didn't keep them. Don't feel that way about the P9. I almost exclusively listen to them straight from iDevice, and in that context I like them. It can be hit or miss on some tracks, like you experienced.