Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless
A luxurious Bluetooth sound stage
£320 FROM bowers-wilkins.co.uk Features Bluetooth 4.1 Class 2, 3.5mm cable, Micro-USB port, AAC, aptX and SBC codecs
These over-ear cans are Bowers & Wilkins’ second entry into the world of wireless headphones. Sensibly, a detachable 3.5mm cable acts a fallback if the integrated battery runs out.
The leather padding on the over-ear cups is soft, but the headband isn’t very flexible at first; we could feel the cushion shape against our head, and though this got better after a couple of weeks, and will ease up more as you fit and remove the cans, that and the 323g weight give a poor initial impression of comfort. For storage, the cups tuck into the headband’s arch, and a quilted pouch is provided.
Active noise cancelling isn’t featured, and at low volume you can clearly hear people around you, though dynamic range from music is good regardless – even quiet sounds stand out. At 50%, some chatter is still audible, but the music dominates.
We couldn’t listen for long at higher volumes as things get too loud to bear.
The midpoint gives crisp sound, instruments are easy to distingish, and bass is satisfying, justifying the high cost. If you can handle tightness while wearing in, the experience is great.