The Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless headphones - basically a Bluetooth variant of the company's popular P7 headphones - were announced on Sept. 2 and are now available for purchase for $400.
The luxe wireless headphones from the British audio company are bound to excite audiophiles, but do they live up to the hype? We take a look at what the experts are saying to help you decide.
"For $400, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless sounds, looks, and feels like a luxury product," notes PCMagazine's Tim Gideon. "There's no question the P7 Wireless makes up for its price in performance, so it earns our Editors' Choice for high-end headphones."
Richard Easton of Trusted Reviews gives a thumbs-up to the P7 Wireless headphones' classy design, reliable Bluetooth and rich sound. In his opinion the $399.99 price point is expensive for headphones, especially as there is no noise-canceling feature, and the cheap-feeling buttons are also a negative. Even so, the P7 Wireless is still a winner.
"Third time's the charm for Bowers & Wilkins and Bluetooth - the P7 Wireless look and sound great," says Easton.
The folks at Tech Crunch echo the sentiment on the high pricing.
"Not everyone is in the market for a $400 pair of headphones. But, if you happen to be, love the color black (which you should) and are conscious about Bluetooth's inevitable rise (hopefully), then they're worth a look," says Stefan Etienne. Adding that "regardless of what your reasons are for buying into Bluetooth headphones, B&W has a winning product with the P7 wireless. I'll be glad to keep using them until I find something better."
Adam Clark Estes of Gizmodo waxes eloquent on the headphones and says that they are his new favorite. The sound quality of the P7 Wireless headphones is phenomenal in his opinion.
"The audio quality is honestly jaw-dropping. That's a hyperbolic thing to say, but let me offer some context. The best headphones I've ever tried were not wireless. Previously, my favorite headphones were not necessarily the best-sounding. Yet, somehow the P7s are both now the best and my favorite," says Estes.
The Inquistr may not be pleased about the buttons that feel cheap and plasticky but still thinks the headphones live up to the hype.
"At $399, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless will certainly take a bite out of your wallet. However, it may be a bite that is completely worth it. The P7 Wireless feel and sound so good that they are hard to take off your ears," notes the publication.
MacWorld's Theo Nicolakis is also excited about the wireless headphones.
"These headphones are a major step forward for B&W - not simply because of the addition of Bluetooth, but also for the effort that B&W put into fine-tuning the voicing in the new model. These aren't just good wireless headphones. B&W's P7 Wireless are great headphones, period," he says.
