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Thread: Wireless Headphones recommendations please

  1. #1
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Wireless Headphones recommendations please

    Hi

    Simply put, want a pair of over-ear wireless headphones with active noise cancelling which usually wouldn't be a problem, there's plenty of choice, but what I'm struggling with is getting to demo them to any great extent and reviewers seem to contradict each other in reviews, which leads me not to trust them particularly.

    So to that end, I'mhoping someone will have had an opportunity to demo / experience a few different brands and can share that experience of back-to-back listening.

    I've narrowed it down to 3 (4 really) that I'm interested in:
    1) Bowers & Wilkins P7 wireless (or the replacement PX range).
    2) Bose QuietComfort 35.
    3) Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2.

    Requirements:
    Over ear rather than on ear for comfort sake.
    Good noise cancelling.
    Wireless - not interested in cables.
    As good a sound as I can get.
    Not too fussed about:
    Battery life within reason.
    Weight as long as they're comfortable / design or fold away capability.

    Budget ££ to £££ but not ££££.

    My concern is that I like a heavier bass signature than most but I don't want the mids utterly washed out by it. When the Plantronics Backbeat Pro 1's came on the scene they were said to be bass heavy without being overbearing and likewise the B&W P7's - at this point my choice was pretty much between 'go cheap and hope' or 'buy once buy right' with the B&W. Now though, reviews of the Backbeat Pro 2 are saying that the bass is too heavy, like the 1's, which puts me off both, and even more annoying is that the B&W PX reviews are saying that the P7's were also too heavy on the bass which wasn't the case before even though it's the same reviewer; my guess is the PX are a 'cleaner' more balanced soundstage compared to the P7 which in itself sounds like they're the ones to go for but a) I like bass a bit heavier and b) the P7's were apparently perfect last year so who knows what the PX's will be next year. The obvious choice is the Bose but they're almost a bit too obvious....I don't like obvious.

    The obvious answer is to test them, but the nearest place to me I can find is a good half hour drive away and I've a busy January on the go. It may have to wait, but...

    Tempted just to plump the cash for the P7's but if anyone has any experience of them or other recommendations I'd be very grateful.

  2. #2
    I <3 BBS LM Actual_Ben_Taylor's Avatar
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    Buy all 3, review at home and return the ones you don't like in true internet shopping style

  3. #3
    Guest zeppelin101's Avatar
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    I was after over ear headphones initially but ended up with AKG Y50BTs as on-ears. I really, really like them and they are very comfy. They can be used wired or wireless and have very good clarity of sound. There is some active-ness in them when running on bluetooth which adds a bit more punch to the low ends. I've had them on all at work a few times and haven't been in any discomfort after ~9 hours or so.

    I thought B&W P7s sounded really muddy, so we're already in differing opinions on what we want from the sound!

  4. #4
    Member sx rider's Avatar
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    I have some Bose QuietComfort 15's which are very nice, I wouldn't say I was an expert but I am impressed with the quality of the sound and build.

  5. #5
    Guest DLowe's Avatar
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    I can not fault the sound quality of my Soundmagics,

    have used the E10S for years and mrs got me the E10BT blutooth for Christmas, they really do a have a superb quality for the cost, and blow the likes of Beats and sennhieser out the water for a third of the price.

    these are in-ear headphones, so I can only imagine the full size cans are even better

    Edit:

    they only seem to do these in "Big" headphones wireless:

    https://soundmagicheadphones.com/col...adphones-black,

    but if they are like the smaller ones they will shame £200+ models



    anyone looking to buy in-ears, try these - they are simply stunning for the price and so well made:

    https://soundmagicheadphones.com/col...e-controls-mic

    the noise isolation is phenomenal almost total with the right size buds, and they are comfy enough to wear all day
    Last edited by DLowe; 03-01-2018 at 23:27.

  6. #6
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Cheers guys.

    Sprung myself into action and visited the local Curry's - Jesus, what a depressing place that is; staff standing right by the side of me and then when you need help, they've got their back to you. Still, I got what I needed.

    Tried 3 pairs:
    1) Bang & Olufsen H9. £400+
    Well made that's for sure, construction better than anything else I've seen. Sound wise they were good but not extraordinary IMO. They had good levels of bass without killing off the rest of the range - which is interesting as I've just read the tech-radar report which says they're overly bass heavy and muddled in the mid range as a result - I can't say I found that at all, so that goes to show why you need to try before you buy. Noise cancelling wasn't exactly brilliant TBH, in fact I was quite let down by it. The controls were fiddly and the sound wasn't so good I'd splurge that kind of cash for them - so they're a no.
    2) Bose QC35ii. £330.
    Nowhere near as well made as the B&O but still ok, just not impressive. Sound wise they're exactly as the brand and the design and the advertising sells them as - the best all round, but ultimately quite boring. I wouldn't be disappointed with them but at the same time there's nothing to drive me towards them either. They're very good, but not exceptional. There's no pronounced bass and when there was because the song had it, at higher volumes they struggled to produce it cleanly. The noise cancelling though - wow, at first I didn't think it did anything then as I cycled through the levels, on high with no music it took out a massive amount of ambient noise, really took me by surprise. I did have some fiddles getting bluetooth to work properly which was a concern. So NC is good, sound is good but perhaps not entirely to my taste. Construction alright. Controls / connectivity a bit meh.
    3) Sony MDR1000X. £260.
    Construction wise I have to say they did feel a step down from the Bose, which against the B&O is quite a step. The display pair were quite badly marked up which others in the display didn't show signs of, but the important bits were still holding up so I guess it's not a disaster. Sound wise they were responsive, energetic and livelier sounding than the Bose which I do prefer but - and I can't really explain this - the more vibrant reproduction of sound did make my ears hurt a bit after a few songs. I do think for most people they would make the Bose look silly in the sound stakes, if that's what you like. I'm just not sure I like that. I was however impressed with them and for the money, despite the construction not being as good, I would choose them over the Bose I think.

    However, now I'm back to the levels of bass. If tech-radar reckon the B&O are overkill on bass then the tech-radar report of the B&W says the same thing roughly, which probably means that I'll like them, a lot.

    So I can't rule out the B&W without trying them now. Which means I've got to trundle off to a John Lewis over in the west end at some point - deep joy.....

    There's also still an outside bet on the Plantronics which I might buy from somewhere with a decent returns policy and just send them back if they don't tick my boxes. We shall see.

    Further forward, but possibly with more questions than answers now.

  7. #7
    Guest Asht_200's Avatar
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    The B&Ws are epic. If they are on your list, get them


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  8. #8
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    I was in the same dilemma as you Arry, and I purchased these:
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bose-QuietC...ose+headphones

    The noise cancellation is great. I use them all the time when I am travelling around India. I use wireless over blue tooth and it works great.
    For longer durations you can use a wire to connect, but its a Bose unique wire so don't loose it.

    You can still hear people talk, but almost all the background noise is cancelled out.
    They have made a really difference to my travelling.

  9. #9
    Guest DLowe's Avatar
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    Have you tried the Akg N60's?

    Superfi. Have them on sale at the min, not tried their noise cancellation headphones, but do like the sound of their normal wired over ears, and the quality seemed spot on for the price

    https://www.whathifi.com/akg/n60nc-wireless/review

    Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    I've not had a chance to move this on TBH. Not a brand I'd considered and tbh now I wish I'd just gone with my gut!

  11. #11
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Ack, no I've doubled F'd myself. Just been to Richer Sounds and tried a set of these:
    http://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/oppo-pm-3

    O.M.G they're teh bizzies. The sound is blow you away good. Crisp, punchy and vibrant without being overdone; I couldn't perceive any weaknesses.

    Except one big weakness; which is that they're wired and I wanted wireless. Doh. TBF I was quite surprised when, upon inquiring of their range of wireless headphones, they came out of the display cabinet. But I guess they didn't hear that bit. Or they just wanted me to fall in love with them and then to hell with it. Worked; can't get over how good they were. But now, I'm stumped because the whole point of the headphones idea was wireless use.

    My only hope now is that the B&W really measure up against the Oppo - if they do, then I'll be a very happy bunny. If they don't I'm going to be constantly disappointed by whatever I buy. Oh

  12. #12
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Finally had a chance to try out the Bowers and Wilkins.

    I quite liked the PX range - sound wise they reminded me a bit of the Bose but with a bit more punch which isn't a bad thing, but they were not comfortable on my head so whichever way you cut it, they ain't the ones for me nosiree.

    The P7's were comfortable, if not a little heavy, and sounded very warm compared to the others with a more pronounced bass signature as expected. If I was being really critical I would say that muddied the sound a touch in some songs but overall they sound nice, they're well made and they fit my head. They are looking like the answer now. But I must confess, they're still not as good as the Oppo 3's which I just can't get out of my head and I am worried that buying these is going to be one of those things where I always feel like I settled.....But hey, I want wireless, so they're getting ordered.

    So the next piece to tick off my list is a High Definition player. Any recommendations? I don't want to spend £500+

  13. #13
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Double post.

  14. #14
    Guest Asht_200's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by arry View Post
    Finally had a chance to try out the Bowers and Wilkins.

    I quite liked the PX range - sound wise they reminded me a bit of the Bose but with a bit more punch which isn't a bad thing, but they were not comfortable on my head so whichever way you cut it, they ain't the ones for me nosiree.

    The P7's were comfortable, if not a little heavy, and sounded very warm compared to the others with a more pronounced bass signature as expected. If I was being really critical I would say that muddied the sound a touch in some songs but overall they sound nice, they're well made and they fit my head. They are looking like the answer now. But I must confess, they're still not as good as the Oppo 3's which I just can't get out of my head and I am worried that buying these is going to be one of those things where I always feel like I settled.....But hey, I want wireless, so they're getting ordered.

    So the next piece to tick off my list is a High Definition player. Any recommendations? I don't want to spend £500+
    I have the P7s with High definition music they sound superb. What did you try them on, it makes poor quality MP3s sound a bit meh to be honest but love HD.

    What about a phone that handles HD?

  15. #15
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Pioneer HD player mate.

    I would rather keep things separate. I'm forever running out of battery on phone.

  16. #16
    Guest Asht_200's Avatar
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    Plantronics Voyager Focus are exceptional mate. But quite bass heavy.

    However if you like a neutral sound, B&W PX are another level. Not Wireless

    I know I'm a B&W fan I have the C5s which are discrete and bloody good, the P5s for Holiday, P7s have been relegated to the home HiFi, but are brilliant and the PX are phenomenal

  17. #17
    Guest R3K1355's Avatar
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    This was 18 months ago chief

  18. #18
    Guest Asht_200's Avatar
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    Yes I know. But non CA / SR facts are always good


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  19. #19
    Guest Asht_200's Avatar
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    I bought my PX yesterday


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  20. #20
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    I didn't buy anything in the end. Couldn't find anything I was really comfortable with, for the price they were going for. Decided to keep the cash. If the Oppos ever go Wireless I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

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