Hi guys
I've had my eye on these since they were launched. Saw them on Takealot Daily Deals last week for a steal and grabbed a pair in space grey :clap: Anyway, I just got them yesterday and thought I would give you guys my first impressions and maybe get some insight from those of you have a pair of these already. I updated the firmware as soon as I took them out the box, which took about 30 minutes. Disclaimer: These are my first set of headphones of this caliber so I really don't have anything to compare them to. I've been listening to them on my Sony Z5 using Deezer and Youtube. I will break down my initial impressions by category:
Build Quality
The build quality on these are exceptional and they look fantastic too. They have some weight to them given the predominantly metal construction. They really have a premium feel to them. The leather feels firm yet supple and soft to the touch. The buttons sit firmly in place and easily identifiable by touch.
Comfort
I don't really have any issues in this regard. I find them quite comfortable and they fit snugly on my head. I can however see how they may feel uncomfortable on larger heads. They provide just the right amount of clamping force to create a tight seal. The headband does exert some pressure on the crown of my head, but not to the point of being uncomfortable yet. I can't stress enough how important it is to create a tight seal with these. Even the slightest break degrades the sound quality significantly.
I have read other users reporting that they do get more comfortable over time.
Sound Quality
The sound stage on these are amazing. They provide excellent instrument separation. Listening to some Earth Wind and Fire, I am able to distinguish between every instrument. They sound very neutral and warm across the frequency range. Although the bass is smooth and tight, I do however find it a bit too recessed for my liking especially on some pop and r&b tracks. It almost feels as if the headphones have the potential to be punchier in the low end, but they're holding back a bit. Similarly I find the treble could be just a little brighter. The mids on the other hand are where I think these headphones shine.
In the instruction manual, B&W recommends about 30 hours of burn in to get to their full potential, so I am hoping they will only improve over time. Can anyone confirm if this is the case?
I should also note that I don't notice any lag with these. Watching YouTube videos, everything seems to be in sync with the video.
Active Noise Cancelling
I haven't really played around with the ANC settings much, but can say that they block out about 80-85% of noise without any music playing. I tested this in flight mode with some cabin noise playing from my speakers and could barely hear it. I have never used ANC headphones before, but after playing around with these, I honestly don't see the point of it while listening to music. The headphones without ANC on provide decent passive noise cancellation on their own, and anywhere above 1/4-1/2 volume I am unable to hear anything from the outside environment anyway. In addition I tested the voice pass through feature in office mode at 50% volume and could not hear someone speaking next to me. I do however need to experiment with these features a bit more though, but I do find that the passive noise cancellation works perfectly fine for me.
General Issues
Although I have not experienced any glitches with the wear sensor that other users have reported, I did experience one instance where the music paused while I had the headphones on without reason. This has not repeated itself since and I was unable to replicate it by moving my head and adjusting the headphones on my head. The B&W app is a bit buggy. There were instances where it took forever to detect my headphones and I had to restart the app to detect them. The battery level indicator on the app is also not accurate at all. I fully charged the headphones overnight and the app was reporting the battery level to be at 83%. Out of the box, the headphones came 60% charged according to the app and by yesterday evening it dropped to around 45%, but the yellow light was flashing which supposedly indicates less than 30% charge.
Overall, I am quite happy with the purchase. They are pleasing to listen to and I can see myself listening to them for hours without fatigue. Hopefully they will improve over time and with firmware updates.
I've had my eye on these since they were launched. Saw them on Takealot Daily Deals last week for a steal and grabbed a pair in space grey :clap: Anyway, I just got them yesterday and thought I would give you guys my first impressions and maybe get some insight from those of you have a pair of these already. I updated the firmware as soon as I took them out the box, which took about 30 minutes. Disclaimer: These are my first set of headphones of this caliber so I really don't have anything to compare them to. I've been listening to them on my Sony Z5 using Deezer and Youtube. I will break down my initial impressions by category:
Build Quality
The build quality on these are exceptional and they look fantastic too. They have some weight to them given the predominantly metal construction. They really have a premium feel to them. The leather feels firm yet supple and soft to the touch. The buttons sit firmly in place and easily identifiable by touch.
Comfort
I don't really have any issues in this regard. I find them quite comfortable and they fit snugly on my head. I can however see how they may feel uncomfortable on larger heads. They provide just the right amount of clamping force to create a tight seal. The headband does exert some pressure on the crown of my head, but not to the point of being uncomfortable yet. I can't stress enough how important it is to create a tight seal with these. Even the slightest break degrades the sound quality significantly.
I have read other users reporting that they do get more comfortable over time.
Sound Quality
The sound stage on these are amazing. They provide excellent instrument separation. Listening to some Earth Wind and Fire, I am able to distinguish between every instrument. They sound very neutral and warm across the frequency range. Although the bass is smooth and tight, I do however find it a bit too recessed for my liking especially on some pop and r&b tracks. It almost feels as if the headphones have the potential to be punchier in the low end, but they're holding back a bit. Similarly I find the treble could be just a little brighter. The mids on the other hand are where I think these headphones shine.
In the instruction manual, B&W recommends about 30 hours of burn in to get to their full potential, so I am hoping they will only improve over time. Can anyone confirm if this is the case?
I should also note that I don't notice any lag with these. Watching YouTube videos, everything seems to be in sync with the video.
Active Noise Cancelling
I haven't really played around with the ANC settings much, but can say that they block out about 80-85% of noise without any music playing. I tested this in flight mode with some cabin noise playing from my speakers and could barely hear it. I have never used ANC headphones before, but after playing around with these, I honestly don't see the point of it while listening to music. The headphones without ANC on provide decent passive noise cancellation on their own, and anywhere above 1/4-1/2 volume I am unable to hear anything from the outside environment anyway. In addition I tested the voice pass through feature in office mode at 50% volume and could not hear someone speaking next to me. I do however need to experiment with these features a bit more though, but I do find that the passive noise cancellation works perfectly fine for me.
General Issues
Although I have not experienced any glitches with the wear sensor that other users have reported, I did experience one instance where the music paused while I had the headphones on without reason. This has not repeated itself since and I was unable to replicate it by moving my head and adjusting the headphones on my head. The B&W app is a bit buggy. There were instances where it took forever to detect my headphones and I had to restart the app to detect them. The battery level indicator on the app is also not accurate at all. I fully charged the headphones overnight and the app was reporting the battery level to be at 83%. Out of the box, the headphones came 60% charged according to the app and by yesterday evening it dropped to around 45%, but the yellow light was flashing which supposedly indicates less than 30% charge.
Overall, I am quite happy with the purchase. They are pleasing to listen to and I can see myself listening to them for hours without fatigue. Hopefully they will improve over time and with firmware updates.
