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The P9 Signature are by far the best headphones Bowers & Wilkins has produced and are a glorious way for the company to celebrate a half-century of existence. It was such a minor detail, but it was only after we heard it that we’d realised how rarely you’re able to discern such subtle acoustic flourishes outside of a live setting. The P9s achieve this detailing through an unflinching commitment to accuracy. These are not a pair of headphones that will paper over poorly recorded music, and they don’t cloud the sound with any undue emphasis on certain parts of the frequency spectrum.
Compatible hardware and software required. Works with compatible content in supported apps. Not all content available in Dolby Atmos. iPhone with TrueDepth camera required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. Driving the P9 Signature are a pair of 40mm full-range drive units. These have a frequency response of 2Hz to 30kHz and an impedence of 22 ohms, so they can be driven easily by most devices. Once you put them on, they begin justifying their position as Bowers & Wilkins’ top-of-the-range headphones, too. These are seriously excellent headphones, and a fitting anniversary celebration. Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature design and comfort — A premium pair of over-ears that are supremely comfortable They’re designed to more closely follow the angle of your ears, maintaining a consistent level of space between them. Sound is therefore meant to feel like it’s coming more from in front of you, rather than from the sides.AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are dust resistant and sweat and water resistant for non-water sports and exercise, and are IP54 rated. Dust, sweat and water resistance are not permanent conditions. It feels like a completely flat response. Bass is present but never overwhelming, and mids and highs are similarly balanced. Their price tag won’t be easy to swallow for many, but the detail, dynamic and organisational improvements these offer over the rest of the B&W headphones range, makes them worthy of their price, not to mention their flagship status. Well, that’s the best description we came up with of the Bowers and Wilkins P9 Signature headphones after several months of exhaustive testing. While B&W may have foregone releasing an anniversary loudspeaker this time, that doesn’t mean its rich loudspeaker heritage hasn’t played a part in the P9 Signature’s design. B&W has tried to emulate the effect of listening to stereo loudspeakers by angling the transducers.
They might not include a huge host of features, but the inline remote is useful, the detachable cables are well integrated, and the headphones are comfortable to wear for long periods. We disliked Maybe it’s down to the fact that the headband is decoupled from each ear or the angling of the transducer, but all we know is that they sound simply excellent. I threw on some live Charles Bradley and there was an extra layer of raspiness to his soulful voice that I’d never noticed. You’ll take delight in revisiting your old favourites and hearing them in new ways. The downside to this is that the P9 Signatures won’t do much to help badly recorded, or heavily compressed music; you’ll really benefit from using them to listen to higher-quality music of at least CD standard. The fact remains that they’re a comparatively feature-light pair of cans. If you want to spend less then you can get a much more portable pair that’ll be better suited to the morning commute or a plane ride thanks to additional features like noise-cancellation and Bluetooth connectivity.As the P9 Signature are wired headphones – unlike B&W’s other recently launched headphones – you get a range of cable options included. There’s one Apple-friendly three-button remote cable with a microphone, alongside two standard 3.5mm cables – one of which is 5m long for home hi-fi use. A 6.3mm adaptor is also thrown in. Swapping out cables just requires you to remove the left ear cushion in customary B&W fashion. The design of the connection does at least mean the cable becoming detached is never going to be an issue if it gets snagged, and makes for a more elegant look compared to other detachable cable designs. Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature sound quality — An expansive soundstage with a rich and detailed sound MagSafe charging requires a compatible MagSafe charger. Wireless charging requires a Qi‑certified wireless charger. AirPods (3rd generation) charging case also works with the Apple Watch charger or Lightning connector. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) charging case also works with the Apple Watch charger or USB‑C connector. Works with AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible Apple device with the latest operating system software. The magnetic ear cushions are a little stiff out of the box, which caused some trouble for our glasses-wearing reviewer, butthey softened up after a couple of weeks of use.
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