News Bowers & Wilkins launches P7 headphones

New high-end headphones bring B&W class to over-ear form factor.
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2013/09/17/bowers-wilkins-launches-p7-headphones/1

 

I hope they are any better than the P5. The latter was outrageously overpriced. For me, B&W is the Apple of audio, apperance over substance.

 

What? The P5s are possibly the best portable headphones on the market.

 

Pretty happy with my P3's but I probably wouldn't buy another pair. I just can't seem to find a pair of portable comfortable headphones. These seem to fit the bill a bit better but £300 is just OTT.

 

Portable, maybe, but other brands have some seriously great cans for half the price. What bothers me with the P5 is the price. At this price tag I'm expecting something flawless, but they are far from perfect. They sound good, but the bass are really slow and poorly defined compared to similarly priced products. This cans are great looking and the build quality is superbe, but I'm using them with my ears, not my eyes. And my ears tell me they are not worth the premium asked for them.

I paid 180€ for my K701 and they are far superior to the P5. Ok they are NOT portable, but they are still far better and far cheaper.

 

These are exactly the sort of articles I despise - It feels like sponsored content. I assume it isn't as there's a legal obligation for disclosure, so that leaves us at lazy journalism - An abridged press release is still just a press release.

 

Couldn't agree more. This is an advertorial, plain and simple.

 

Thing is, it's a fine line between spreading content that people may be interested in knowing about, and simply advertising a newly released product. As long as product announcements don't take the place of fully-fledged articles, I'm okay with them.

 

But that's the point - you're comparing to headphones that aren't portable, every day use on the train/bus. I happily cede the point there are better headphones, but they're more suited to use at home.

 

I do wear my K701 on the train/bus ... but I'm weird

 

No, an advertorial is content a company has paid for directly. No-one got paid for me writing this article. I saw the press release in my inbox and considered that a new addition to one of the most popular ranges of headphones was worth a quick news story. Sure, it's quite a short piece but, ultimately, there's not much to say without actually seeing/feeling/hearing the things.

As for wearing K701 on the train/bus, you must be mad! And getting steadily more deaf.

 

Deaf, not really ... they are opened cans, so this do not isolate me from the outside. But as I have Tinnitus (Acouspheniac) in both ears (caused by an explosion from which I was too close), I cannot wear in-ear or closed cans without phisically suffering.

K701 are nice on outside, as long as the environment is quiet. I'm not the kind of person who impose his music to the other passengers . And because of my handicap, I do not push the volume too high. So no, I do not get steadily more deaf, I take great care of my ears.

 

So long as you're aware of the risks.

I have slight tinnitus and can only stand to use totally isolating earphones when on the tube or flying etc.

 

No mic? Are you kidding me, Bit-Tech who is your audience, stop this pandering to corporations, your rep suffers from it each time.

 

That fine line is insight beyond the marketing claims - This is why there are reviews and testing.

Unfounded, non-critical, speculative opinions that agree with the marketing material put me on the defensive, and in doing so, makes me wary of both the product in question, and the publication.

I am not suggesting it was paid for, in fact I stated that it probably wasn't - Simply that the tone of the article prompted me to scan the page to check for a disclosure statement.

This was simply honest feedback to illustrate the my thought process in reading it - Worthy of comment as I'm sure I'm not the only jaded consumer out there.

Other than this, Ed, you do a great job - Just don't forget that Bit-Tech's flirtation with sponsored content a while back did have lasting damage, and should be taken in to consideration.

 

Why should headphones have a mic to be reviewed by Bit-tech. If you're concerned about audio quality (which you would be if you were spending this much on a set of headphones), then get a seperate mic.

 

Funny what people are considering "portable" headphones. The B&W P7/P5/P3 are definately not cosidered portable headphones by me. Portable headphones need to be tiny, lightweight and allmost indestructible, atleast when you sit on them by mistake. This basically rules anything out but in-ear headphones.
There's some good "sports" headphones, which are best for travelling imho.

And then, if you like cans like these, there's just as good cans availables from AKG for less than half their price.